ã€ŠWeapons of Mass Destructionã€‹


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1

    I let out a small yawn, my cheek pressed against the cool bus window. For a brief moment, a street light blinds me, forcing me to close my eyes. When the light fades, another yawn escapes me.

    Shifting my gym bag, I wriggle into a morefortable position and sneak a peek toward the front of the half-full bus.

    A standing boy mutters something, and his friends erupt inughter. One of them, in particr, lets out augh that''s... well, it''s unique.

    He continues to cackle without a care in the world.

    Honestly, it''s beginning to freak me out a bit.

    Seriously, what''s the deal with thatugh?

    As I tear my gaze away from them, I catch the eye of a girl around my age sitting a few seats behind the noisy bunch. Annoyance is etched on her face.

    Our eyes lock for a moment, and then we both nod.

    Just like that, an eternal bond is forged between us, united in our annoyance by the gaggle of kids but toozy to do anything about it.

    I return my attention to the window and notice a small, nearly imperceptible grin on my reflection.

    Definitely not because someone else is suffering with me.

    Nope.

    Through my closed eyelids, I see the rhythmic shes of streetlights as we pass by them. The hum of the bus and the muted conversations blend into a soothing white noise, lulling me toward sleep.

    And then, suddenly, chaos erupts.

    Blinding light.

    A sensation of falling.

    Terrified screams.

    The sh of light is far more intense than any streetlight.

    The sensation is akin to the bus being hoisted into the air and dropped down.

    Screams fill the air again, some quivering with fear, othersced with shock.

    The cacophony of shattering ss and groaning metal assaults my ears. I open my eyes, only to squint as the overpowering light blinds me.

    My pupils dte in surprise as they adjust to the brightness.

    Daylight?

    What the heck?

    I gape out the window at the blue sky and the sun peeking out from behind the clouds.

    If anyone asked, I''d swear it was morning, or maybe early afternoon at thetest. But how could that be? It waste afternoon just moments ago.

    "Let''s calm down," the bus driver attempts to reassure the frantic passengers. His efforts are in vain, as the shouting continues.

    Unlike the others who have sprung to their feet, I remain in my seat, staring out the window. My gaze travels across the sky. A cold sweat trickles down my back as it dawns on me.

    Uh, what?

    The hell?

    Is this some kind of hallucination? A dream?

    Can this really be happening?

    Something like this shouldn''t be possible, right?

    I blink my eyes shut, then reopen them.

    Nothing changes.

    Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting.

    Since when are there two suns in the sky?

    Did I bonk my head?

    Is it a prank? How would you even pull off something like that? The first sun is hiding behind the clouds, and the second¡­ the second maybe-sun, smaller and more orange in color, beams in the sky to the left of the first one.

    And where are all the buildings? Where is the road?

    Okay, let''s calm down.

    Slow and deep breaths.

    Just like this.

    In and out.

    Good¡­

    I hurriedly fish my phone out of my pocket, and of course, there''s no signal.

    Not even a smidgen.

    Now what?

    I nce at the other travelers and see that the first ones are already stepping outside. A few of them check their phones but judging from their faces, they''re also out of luck.

    After grabbing my bag, I too exit the bus and step onto the grass¡­ yup, grass.

    "What the fuck?" I hear, and when I nce to my left, I see the annoyed girl from before gawking at the second maybe-sun with her mouth agape.

    Wee to the club.

    No refunds.

    Please send help.

    "Sophie." A cute little girl holds the annoyed girl''s hand.

    "...I''m sorry."

    My gazends on the bus driver as I survey the area. He''s still trying to calm down others. Must be some weird sense of responsibility or something. About ten people huddle around him.

    Then some kids, likely from the same school, stand near the bus.

    A few men, already forming a group, stand off to the side.

    A girl and her mini version to my left and two women nearby.

    I even hear barking and spot a small corgi''s head peeking out from a woman''s arms.

    "I have no idea what happened!" I hear the bus driver exim. "I don''t know where we are," he continues.

    Poor guy.

    "Hey¡­ hey!" I hear behind me as I move away from the bus, checking the signal on my phone.

    It''s the annoyed girl, and she stops when I turn toward her. I don''t say anything, just wait for her to continue. She looks lost for words and simply asks, "Where are you going?" while nervously ncing at the bus as if it''s her lifeboat in the middle of the ocean.

    "Just checking the signal," I show her the disy on my phone before continuing. I also dim the brightness to its lowest setting.

    She doesn''t look like she has more to say, so I move on.

    After wandering for a while, but always keeping the bus in sight, I give up and turn off my phone. Better to conserve my battery.

    Thankfully, my battery is around 80%, but it''s smarter to let others use their phones and save mine.

    I nce at the second maybe-sun¡­ yeah.

    Houston, we have a problem.

    A little, orange problem.

    Well, if it''s a sun, it isn''t exactly small. It''s probablyrger than the, moon, or whatever we''re on, but¡­ I sigh and force myself to calm down.

    If I pretend it''s not there, it might vanish on its own.

    I can hope, right?

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2

    Deciding not to stray too far from the bus, I take a good look at the people surrounding me. There are 24 of us. 23 if I''m not counting myself. There are 15 males and 9 females of all ages. The youngest one is a little girl next to the girl who looks like she''s perpetually annoyed.

    "Does it look like Earth to you!?" I overhear from the crowd as a 50-year-old man points towards the second, rather questionable sun. I can see spit flying out of his mouth and veins popping up on his forehead. "We can''t just bloody sit here and wait for the police." When he starts shouting, no one tries to calm him down, and it even appears that some of them agree with him. "We should look around first, maybe climb on some trees or something."

    I can''t help but roll my eyes as I stop listening to him.

    We''re surrounded by trees in all directions. They look ordinary. Like the trees you''d find on Earth¡­

    I stop my thoughts.

    Earth.

    I think about it.

    Did I already determine that we aren''t on Earth anymore?

    It appears so.

    After pondering for a bit longer, Ie up with a few options, each more ludicrous than thest:

    <em>First</em>, someone kidnapped us. Put us to sleep, perhaps with the help of some gas sedative filling up the bus. Afterward, they waited until morning and then let us wake up in the middle of the forest while somehow faking the second sun.

    I find this option highly improbable as I don''t remember falling asleep. Sure, I was sleepy but I didn''t fall asleep. The only thing I recall is a sh, us falling down together with the bus, and then just being here. There are no empty spots in my memory, and I don''t feel as if anything is missing.

    <em>Second</em>, I am dead. The sh I saw is either us crashing into something, maybe an explosion. Perhaps I got shot through the window. It would mean that this is some weird kind of afterlife.

    I also find this option improbable, not to mention utterly depressing.

    <em>Third</em>, I fell asleep, and this is a dream.

    I pinch my forearm with my nails as hard as I can until blood starts flowing out of the wound I created. The pain feels way too real, and I''m now mildly annoyed at myself.

    <em>Fourth</em>, some kind of convoluted prank.

    I think about it for a minute and, after I can''te up with a way they would pull it off or why they would even bother, I nearly dismiss it. It still lingers, though, because honestly, who knows what people are capable of these days? I once again look towards the passengers. They''re still "discussing." I slowly nce over every one of them, but no one looks high profile, important enough, or rich enough for such a waste of resources.

    I don''tpletely scratch out this option, but it''s also highly improbable.

    <em>Fifth</em>, we really are on another.

    The main reason is this bloody orange thing in the sky.

    The probably-sun.

    I just can''t find anything fake about it. Not a single thing.

    Of course, you would expect higher temperatures, but with the first sun looking slightly smaller and the second one looking weaker, it might bnce out. I don''t know to be honest. My knowledge about this kind of stuff is pretty much just the basics.

    I sigh.

    Then I hear one of the schoolgirls screaming and pointing towards the forest.

    I follow the direction she is pointing towards and notice a wolf standing on the edge of the forest.

    Well¡­

    The beast''s brown fur is matted with dried blood. Missing an ear and bearing a gruesome scar on its snout.

    It fixes its unnerving gaze on the terrified girl, eyes glowing with an eerie light.

    This massive creature is tall enough for its eyes to be at the same height as mine.

    It growls and takes a menacing step towards us. A huge, car-sized wolf, with a strange text hovering above its head.

    <strong>[Wolf - lvl 2]</strong>

    Yeah, nope. I am out.

    Thank you and fuck you, whoever is responsible for this monstrosity.

    I am already on my way back inside the bus even before the wolf takes the first step.

    Wolf moves towards us and lets out a deep, long growl. I can feel it in my chest. The deep, disturbing vibration and all my instinct screaming at me to run.

    Yup, it''s definitely time to run.

    People are leaning back inside the bus, obviously with a lot of screaming. Some of them even fall down and desperately crawl and run back inside. I see a few men pushing kids out of their way just to get in first.

    The level two wolf slowly and carefully walks towards us. He almost seems like he is expecting some kind of trap, and an inhuman intelligence shines in his eyes.

    While not turning my back to him, I get to the bus and enter it as well. Everyone is already inside.

    I hear a few people sobbing and their scared voices.

    "What the hell is that..."

    "...at least two meters tall."

    "...level..."

    While they are staring at the wolf, I look around, searching for something I could use as a weapon against...I nce outside at...that thing.

    Unfortunately, there is no weaponying around. Hell, I would like an RPG at this point.

    Fortunately, I notice a slightly bent iron pole used for people to hold onto the hanging and after a little bit of pulling with all my force, I manage to free it. It''s unfortunately only around 1 meter long and blunt. After another second, I grab a bigger piece of ss from the ground and hold it in my left hand while holding the pole in my right one.

    Probably because of my nervousness or shaking hand, I can already see blood from my cut hand on the piece of ss, but I quickly ignore it.

    The wolf is around 10 meters away from the bus, looking even more dangerous than before. It is sniffing and growling while showing its massive teeth. It has lowered its body closer to the ground as if getting ready to attack or run. Its steps are slower and slower as it starts making circles around the bus while letting out horrifying growls.

    "Hey Google, what''s the opposite of ''pspspsp'' but for wolves instead of cats?"

    The boy with an annoyingugh says, his voice shaking and his face pale as snow.

    He gets a few shocked looks but noughs.

    Everyone is looking absolutely terrified and I am sure some people can''t even see the wolf because of their tears.

    "Mommy..."

    "Oh my god, please let me..."

    "G-get away from the windows..."

    The wolf¡¯s circles are getting smaller and smaller and it seems to be getting more and morefortable. It''s as if they are slowly stopping seeing us as a threat.

    My eyes are glued to the text over the wolf¡äs head.

    <strong>[Wolf - lvl 2]</strong>

    I look around but I don''t see anyone with such text over their head.

    I focus and try to filter out all the screams, cries, and wolves'' growling.

    A crazy thought shes through my mind.

    It can''t be, right?

    "Profile," I whisper. Nothing happens.

    "Character window," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Window," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Level," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Inspect," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Appraise," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Shut the fuck up with your mumbling!" one of the men yells at me.

    "Shut the..." I start, but then I realize that a few people are watching me like I''ve gone crazy.

    For a second I look around. Some of the passengers already have some kind of "weapon" in their hands, like a ss bottle, a piece of ss from the window, a purse, a messenger bag, or another piece of iron pipe from the bus.

    The wolf is already two meters away from us. We can hear it sniffing and I can see drool dropping from its massive maw.

    I go back to my thing, ignoring the other passengers.

    "Skill window," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Skill," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Skills," I say.

    Nothing.

    "Status window," I say.

    Nothing.

    I hear screams and see a wolf''s massive head behind one of the unbroken windows. Everyone is trying to get as far away as they can, shaking, screaming, and crying while waving their makeshift weapons and trying to look as dangerous as they can.

    "Status," I say.

    Before I have a chance to say another word, a golden see-through window pops up in front of my face.

    <strong>[Name: </strong>Nathaniel Gwyn<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Difficulty:<em></em></strong>Hell

    <strong>Floor: </strong>1

    <strong>Time left until forced return: </strong>4y 364d 23h 36m 12s

    <strong>Lvl 0</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong>6

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong>7

    <strong>Constitutio</strong>n: 3

    Mana: 1

    <strong>[Primary ss: </strong>Unavable<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Sub-ss: </strong>Unavable<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Skills: </strong>

    Focus - lvl 1

    Mana maniption - lvl 1

    <strong>[Skill Points: 0]</strong>

    <strong>[Stat Points: 0]</strong>

    It''s interesting, but useless at the moment.

    The window disappears when it decides to do so and then the window breaks and the wolf sticks its head inside, ignoring the broken ss and trying to bite an older woman nearby. Fortunately, it only bites off part of her sweater and the fabric tears as the wolf tries to pull her outside. The woman falls down while screaming.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3

    The window breaks and the wolf sticks its head inside, ignoring the broken ss, and tries to bite the older woman nearby. Fortunately, he only bites the hem of her sweater, and the fabric tears as he tries to pull her outside. The woman falls down while screaming.

    I move slightly to the side, holding an iron pipe and a piece of ss in my hand. Then, I notice a man on the opposite side of the wolf, reaching under his jacket and towards his armpit.

    Don''t tell me¡­

    I step a bit closer to the wolf, and its eyes turn towards me. It shifts its head slightly, totally ignoring the broken ss. Its eyes are almost as if glowing.

    As I get its attention, the man pulls out a pistol, and for a second, our gazes meet. I give him a little nod and step a bit closer to the wolf.

    I am standing just a meter or two away from the wolf, and I feel my heartbeat speeding up. My muscles feel warmed up, and my heart aggressively circtes blood in my veins, and my mind clears.

    There is only me, the wolf, and the man with the gun.

    I don''t hear screams anymore, nor do I feel pain from my scratched forearm or cut palm of my left hand. I squeeze the piece of ss.

    How long has it been since I felt so alive?

    Did I ever feel so alive?

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 1 </strong> ><strong> Focus - lvl 2]</strong>

    I feel the corner of my lips lifting up slightly as I lower, calcting how far the wolf can reach and how fast it was before. Just to be sure, I add some amount to its reach and double its speed.

    I can feel my muscles squeezing and exploding as I dash towards the wolf.

    It looks almost as if it is smiling as it opens its big mouth with teeth as big as the palm of my hand.

    I stop just in time, and its mouth ps just a few centimeters away from me.

    Realizing my terrible miscalction, I add more to its speed and reach in my mind. I move my right hand and try to stab the blunt piece of iron pipe into its ear while predicting the wolf''s dodge.

    The pipe hits its eyebrow, and the wolf lets out a deep growl and instantly attacks again.

    But I am not there anymore.

    Its maw ps this time a bit further from me, and I sh with my left hand, scratching its upper lip slightly.

    I jump back, and the wolf keeps trying to push its head towards me. The iron tes of the bus creaking and groaning.

    Finally, I hear five quick and loud explosions. Inside the bus, they are deafening, and for the first time, the wolf lets out a loud cry and quickly pulls its head outside. I hear two more shots, and the wolf jumps backward. I notice a slight limping as it does so, and it cries once again, following it with a loud growl and deepening its stance.

    It looks wounded but not fatally.

    It starts slowly walking backwards with its attention turned towards the guy with the handgun. I can see blood dripping down the wolf''s face. It looks like a few bullets hit the right side of its face and some of its leg as it is limping.

    My gaze once again moves towards the text above its head.

    <strong>[Wolf - lvl 2]</strong>

    The monstrous wolf is slowly moving towards the forest when...

    "Fuck."

    I put the ss and pole on the seat next to me and quickly pull down my shirt.

    "Fuck me.

    I tie the shirt around my left hand and grab the piece of ss once again. This time, my grip is stronger and without the ss cutting into my palm.

    I lodge the tip of the pipe under the seat and try pulling and pushing it. When I get it out, I step on it a few times with my full force, trying to sharpen the tip of it at least a little bit.

    My breathing is heavy, and I can hear my blood pumping in my ears.

    Somehow, I feel stronger and more alive than ever before in my life.

    The wolf is already near the forest, slowly turning around when I jump out of the window and dash towards it.

    Bare-chested, dirty, and holding my makeshift weapons in my hands.

    Shaking.

    Scared.

    Intoxicated.

    The wolf turns towards me, and my mind is clearer than ever before.

    I slow down into walking while lowering my body, and the monster lets out a deep growl.

    I decide not to lower its speed in my mind. Underestimating him could be a big mistake.

    It looks weaker, acts weaker, and it''s bleeding and running away, but I decide not to underestimate the monster.

    Sure. I wouldn''t go after it if it didn''t get shot and probably heavily injured, but this isn''t an animal from the Earth.

    If it''s like I think, we can level up if we kill such monsters. Get skills, get stats. Be stronger and survive until the forced return activates.

    Just like a game.

    A fucking game.

    I know I am risking my life here, but I don''t think I will get a much better chance than now.

    If the wolf dies, it will probably count as if the guy with the handgun killed it, so I have to damage it at least a little bit and hope it will do something.

    It might survive, and not even the guy with the gun will get anything, and in the worst case, it wille back with more of them.

    On Earth, wolves are social creatures.

    Wolf slowly moves towards me, and I start moving to the left, the side where it got shot. Slowly, carefully. The wolf is bleeding, so I have an advantage over it.

    My senses feel sharp, and I can hear my heartbeat. I am not even blinking as I watch the wolf''s legs and shoulders, waiting for it to telegraph its next move.

    Here.

    I quickly sidestep to the left and then once more, thrusting with my left hand to try to stab its eye with a piece of ss. It doesn''t connect, but I leave a deep wound over its eye.

    The wolf instantly turns around, trying to bite after me, but I am already moving backward and swinging with my right hand, hitting its nose.

    The wolf quickly attacks again, and this time I move to the right and sh once again, trying to hit its left eye. It connects, and with a loud cry, the wolf jumps backward with a piece of ss lodged into its left eye.

    I bend my knees and dash slightly to the left, and while grabbing the pipe with both of my hands, I hit its left eye, destroying the shard of ss and injuring it even further. I dodge its next attack to the left, its blind side, and hit its blinded eye once again as strong as I can.

    The wolf lets out a painful cry and some of its blood sshes on me.

    It jumps backward, but I dash once more.

    My body feels strong and light.

    My hands aren''t shaking anymore, and I feel like I can''t see anything else but the wolf. Its movements, twitching muscles, telegraphing its movements. Its paws burrow into the ground as it prepares its attack.

    I stab the wolf''s blinded eye with the tip of the pipe and jump back.

    My body feels like it''s burning, and my heart is beating like crazy.

    I try to gulp, but my throat is parched.

    I slowly take a deep breath.

    I don''t think I am going to lose.

    The wolf is stronger, faster, and much more resilient.

    But I don''t think I will lose.

    I dash, but this time towards its right side. The wolf attacks to the opposite side, probably expecting me to attack its blinded eye once again, but instead of that, I lift the pipe over my head, and with all the strength I can muster, I hit its left eye.

    It''s not blinded, but there is blood flowing from a deep wound over the eye, partially blocking its vision.

    The hit connects, and as a few times before, the wolf cries and jumps back.

    Expecting that, I am already dashing towards its right side and hitting it once again, finally blinding even its other eye.

    I stop.

    While the wolf thrashes around, biting towards all sides, I take a deep breath.

    Calm down.

    I breathe in.

    Focus.

    I breathe out.

    Focus.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 2 </strong> ><strong> Focus - lvl 3]</strong>

    I take a deep, slow breath, calming down my rapidly beating heart. My body feels like it''s burning, and my muscles hurt. I feel lightheaded, and there is a deep scratch on the left side of my chest.

    I didn''t even notice it.

    I look at the wound, slightly surprised.

    The wolf stops attacking and starts letting out quiet cries while shifting and baring its teeth.

    While untying the shirt from my left hand, I move towards its right side. I make a ball from my bloodied shirt and throw it to the right. After waiting one second, I dash towards the left side while grabbing the pipe with both hands and pointing the slightly sharpened side towards the ground.

    The monster jumps towards the shirt, its mouth letting out a horrifying noise as it bites with its massive mouth.

    While trying to stay as quiet as I can, I lift my hands high in the air and thrust downward with a pipe in my hands, aiming for the wolf''s left eye.

    The monster wolf let out a horrifying noise as I push the pipe as deep as I could before letting it go and jumping away from it. I watch the wolf thrashing around while growling, biting, and dashing towards random directions.

    I grab my shirt from the ground and start walking back to the bus while not letting my eyes off the wolf monster.

    It sniffs and then starts running towards the forest while growling and limping. The monster hits one tree but ignores it and enters deeper into the forest with the steel pipe still lodged in its eye.

    The world slowlyes back into focus as the wolf disappears, and I can hear the people from inside of the bus.

    Pain hits me in waves.

    My wounds.

    My burning muscles.

    My head feels like it''s about to explode.

    Out of nowhere, I don''t have any more strength in my legs, and I almost fall to my knees, only my will keeping me standing.

    My heartbeat slows down, and the world¡­

    The world feels ordinary again, once more

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4

    When I turn around, I see a few people getting out of the bus. The man with a handgun is one of them.

    ¡°I''ve never seen such a dumbass in my life,¡± he shook his head unbelievingly.

    I just nod, totally agreeing with him.

    I try to force a smile on my face, but it doesn''t work. I just keep nodding instead of talking. Not like there are a lot of people who want to talk to the bloodied guy who chased a wolf as big as a small car.

    I can''t see why.

    "No, I am not suicidal," I answer one guy. Isn''t it kind of rude to ask something like that?

    "Yes, it was dumb," I answer an olderdy. What are you, my mom?

    "Yes, it hurts a lot.¡± No shit.

    "I just thought I had to.¡± Let''s act like a good little boy.

    h, h.

    I just try to force out answers people want to hear and look as normal and harmless as possible. I am guessing we won''t being back to Earth anytime soon, so it isn''t bad to try to make some "friends". I just can''t sleep with my eyes open, and there might be things other people are better at than me.

    After a few minutes of questioning, I start feeling ufortable because of people surrounding me and asking questions. My energy drops even more than after a fight with a wolf.

    I know I am not particrly social, but I try to not let it be too obvious, so I answer a few more questions, give a few pieces of advice, and then tell them about "status." That finally makes them shut up, and they just stare into the air a few centimeters in front of their face. As I thought, their windows are invisible to me.

    I sneak away to the opposite side of the bus and sit down on the grass, resting my back against the tire.

    Sigh.

    Who knew that even in another world, surrounded by monsters, the most dangerous beings are extroverts.

    A few minutester, I feel much better without people surrounding me.

    I slowly lift my shirt from my side, dried blood slightly gluing it to the wound. Fortunately, I am not bleeding anymore, and the wound doesn''t seem as bad as I thought.

    A sigh leaves my mouth as I put the shirt back on my wound. It could be worse. Much worse.

    I should be able to find a first aid kit on the bus, but there is something more important now.

    What was that?

    What the hell was that?

    I am not even talking about the giant wolf, nor about two suns in the sky, or these goddamn holographic windows and text over the wolf''s head.

    I am sure I can adapt and survive it. As always.

    But.

    Once my decision-making goes the wrong way, I am dead. One small mistake can mean death.

    So.

    Why did I do that?

    I close my eyes and reflect on my actions.

    Sure, I did feel some boredom back on Earth. Lack of excitement or change. Something to strive for.

    But that doesn''t sound like a good enough reason to charge a gigantic wolf.

    It''s not me. I don''t act like that. I know myself well enough to say it with certainty.

    So let''s think about it.

    ...

    Could it be some kind of mind maniption? Is someone controlling my feelings or at least giving me impulses to charge at the wolf? I already noticed two new skills in my ¡°status¡±, and I am more than sure that there are many more.

    I look at the people around the bus. One of them?

    I did get two skills at the start, so what if¡­

    I try to rey the whole fight in my head, from the start to the end.

    At first, I just wanted to get the wolf''s attention so the guy could shoot it. That feels like something I would do as it''s helpful for my survival and not too risky. Not for me. During that part of the fight, I started feeling strength filling my body as I increased my focus. I felt as if I could control my body to an unusual degree and even gain more strength from it than usual. I bet that''s the skill called Focus. More testing is needed, but I am pretty sure of that.

    It''s possible that someone manipted me during the fight. I have no way of knowing if it was just something like sending me some impulse to fight longer in hopes of killing the wolf or someone unable to control their skill. Some scared passenger sent me to my death.

    Another option is for them to realize the skills they have and use them on me while not caring if I die or live. That sounds also usible.

    Then there is also a chance that''s something the Wolf did, but looking at how he ended up...

    I sigh and open my eyes to look at the sky. I need more information, more testing, more time.

    For now, it will be best to watch my feelings and impulses.

    One mistake can lead to my death, so I would rather think twice and analyze everything I do.

    I will find the responsible person, and if I can''t use them, I will have to kill them.

    Yes, let''s do that.

    My mind is mine and mine only.

    I feel anger rising up deep from inside me, the anger I pushed to the back of my mind.

    This time, I didn''t even bother to think if this impulse is me or someone manipting my feelings.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5

    <strong>[</strong><strong>You have defeated a Wolf - lvl 2</strong><strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 0 </strong>><strong>Lvl 1]</strong>

    After resting against the tire of the bus for a few minutes, I receive a message indicating that the wolf had finally died. Either it sumbed to its wounds or another animal finished it off. Well, at least I got enough experience to level up.

    <strong>[Name: </strong>Nathaniel Gwyn<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Difficulty: </strong>Hell

    <strong>Floor:</strong> 1

    <strong>Time left until forced return: </strong>4y 364d 23h 12m 3s

    <strong>Lvl 1</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong>6

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong>8

    <strong>Constitution: </strong>3

    <strong>Mana: </strong>2

    <strong></strong>

    <strong>[Primary ss: </strong>Unavable<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Sub-ss: </strong>Unavable<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Skills:</strong>

    <strong>Focus - lvl 3</strong>

    <strong>Mana maniption - lvl 1</strong>

    <strong>[Skill Points: </strong>0<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Stat Points: </strong>3<strong>]</strong>

    I got three stat points, and my level changed. Also, somehow my Mana and Dexterity went up by 1 point each.

    One hour. I can''t believe we have been here for that short time. Somehow it feels much longer.

    I try touching the holographic window with my finger, but nothing happens. My finger just passes through.

    "Stat exnation."

    Nothing.

    Haaaa. Not again.

    I am too tired for this. I''m sure there will be some gamers on the bus so I can make them do all the work, but for now, there is one stat I can''t go wrong with.

    "Put 1 stat point into Constitution," I try, and one stat point disappears. Huh? It actually worked.

    Now I try to focus and think about wanting to put 1 stat point into Constitution. It takes a moment, but then I get a feeling as if someone is asking me for confirmation, but in my mind. It¡äs unsettling but I send back something like a thought version of "yes," and another point disappears. This could be useful.

    I quickly add thest remaining point into Constitution and close the status window.

    Now back to stats.

    Strength and dexterity should be self-exnatory, and Constitution should be something like endurance, vitality, health, or an all-in-one stat. Hopefully, it will help me heal faster or require less rest.

    There is no need to be greedy for power or speed. As I already noticed, I can level up my stats even without stat points, and survival is most important at the moment.

    I don''t know if it''s the cebo effect, but I already feel better. Well, let''s wait and find out.

    Now, mana.

    I already used mana to strengthen my body. I think.

    The movement I showed while fighting the wolf should have been impossible for a 1-hour younger me. It could be Focus, it could be Mana maniption, or both. If I learn how to control it, it will increase my chances of survival.

    Okay, I will figure it outter.

    My name. Somehow, the system knows my real name. The best thing I can do at the moment is to be prepared to not be surprised if some of my private information pops up out of nowhere.

    Freezing from the surprise in the middle of a dangerous situation can be deadly, so for now, let''s think that the entity controlling the system knows everything about me. While we are here, I need to let go of my life on Earth and focus on surviving here.

    It might be pretty drastic, but I am at the mercy of the entity, system, and the only sensible thing is to focus on surviving.

    It''s better to think that I will be stranded here for five more years, and that''s long enough for people to dere us dead.

    Let''s forget about everyone on earth - my family, my friends, everyone. There will be time to grieve or celebrate after I get forcibly returned, so it''s better to be pleasantly surprised than any other option.

    Well, it''s not like there are that many people I care about. To be honest, the list may be really short.

    The most important thing at the moment is my survival, and I can''t let anything distract me.

    Let''s use other passengers as well. I should act fairly friendly but distant enough, at the same time, I can''t let them use me. I need to act a bit more distant. I can also put on a strong front. If I set it upright, it will be a nicebination of give and take, with me taking more than giving.

    For a second, a thought shes through my mind - would it be possible to level up by killing them? This time I think about it a bit longer but decide against it in the end. I started with lvl 0, and others are most likely the same. Even if it''s possible to level up by killing people, I am lvl 1 at the moment, and I would most likely need to kill most of them. If it''s even possible to gain experience from lvl 0 or a human.

    It might be even on purpose that everyone is level zero.

    Also, I already decided on using them - well, at least from the start and until I collect more data or be stronger, so let''s not go this way.

    Sounds good.

    Good.

    I take the shirt off my chest, and I don''t know if it''s just me, but the wound already looks better.

    Another thing from the status is the word "forced" return. If I had to say, it means that there is a way to return to earth without waiting for 5 years. Not a forced way of returning.

    But...

    Do I even want to?

    Well, probably yes, as it''s much safer that way, however¡­

    ¡­

    Later... I will reflect on thatter.

    The Floor 1 part in the status is interesting as well. It means there are more floors, and if I think about it as a game, we will have to fill out some requirements to move to a lower or upper floor, or we will be moved there after some time. Maybe after 5 years? That doesn''t sound right - we never went to another floor, so we don''t have any ce to return to. The only fitting ce to return to is Earth.

    Let''s collect more info first and then think about it again.

    The level number in my status is probably only showing how many times I got 3 stat points. But it can be useful in another way as well. Maybe I will need to be at a certain level to be able to do something, or it''s just some kind of strength measurement.

    The difficulty is pretty disturbing - Hell.

    In games, the difficulties are usually categorized as easy, normal, and hard, with "hell" representing the most challenging level. Therefore, I must be extremely cautious. When facing an enemy, I need to make sure to not underestimate them, even if they appear weaker.

    I am also curious why I got this difficulty, which may be the hardest one, but at the moment, I have no way of finding out. There is also the possibility that there is an even harder difficulty, but no way of confirming it at the moment, or at least I don''t know about any.

    sses sound interesting, but I don''t have the option to pick one. There may be special requirements or I need to level up more.

    It is already clear that the system knows a lot about me, and it''s highly possible that I am being watched by it even at the moment. It doesn''t even have to be someone personally watching over me, just some kind of program writing down my actions and thoughts.

    Now when I think about it, even the process of leveling up is kind of weird. I have an idea of how it works in games, but being stuck in this situation makes me want to think about it a bit more logically.

    There is a possibility that leveling up is just a reward from the entity/system for killing the monster. Meaning that I got granted stat points by it after fulfilling the requirements of leveling up.

    Another option is that I got stat points by killing the wolf - the wolf died, and its life force or something simr to it got transferred to me and probably to the guy with the gun. Possibilities are that its life force got split between the two of us. Another one is that we humans need more life force than the wolf to get to lvl 2. The third possibility I can think of is waste during the transfer of its life or the system taking a "cut."

    I like the possibilities with life force more. They sound a bit more logical, and I always liked to think of magic as science we don''t understand.

    Taking a deep breath, I slowly stand up, but fortunately, my head doesn''t spin, and I feel pretty good all things taken.

    It''s time to socialize and find someone useful.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6

    What wees me inside the bus is a bunch of people absentmindedly staring into the air. Well, some of them are discussing.

    ¡°Fuck you, I will not go into that goddamn forest! You go there if you want to die that much!¡±

    Calmly discussing the situation we are in.

    It looks like the wolf scared them as all of them are inside, using the bus as shelter.

    It''s easy to understand why, but I already know that we can''t stay here for too long.

    The main problem is water and food. It''s only been around an hour since we arrived, but I already feel thirsty and hungry, most likely because of the energy I used.

    Even if they are not hungry at the moment and have a bottle of water with them or a little bit of food, soon they will need to look for more.

    ¡°So you''re back,¡± the man with the gunes towards me and falls silent for a moment, watching the bus driver conversing with two adult men. He then looks at me, ¡°You good?¡±

    I nod. I have already put my white shirt on. Ehm, my formerly white shirt. I guess it''s red now.

    ¡°We will need some water and maybe food and it would be best if we look for it before sunset," he says directly.

    He seems to be on the calm side, and from the way he watches other people, I can say that he is in a better state than most others.

    Anyway, he should have a good impression of me as well. Hopefully. Well, maybe not that good. In his eyes, I might be a suicidal lunatic.

    He looks at me for a whole minute, with a deep discerning stare as if he''s trying to see inside my head.

    His stare makes me slightly nervous, especially knowing that he should have leveled up as well. Who knows what skills did he get or how did he use his stat points.

    ¡°Soo, how many bullets do you have left?¡± I break the silence.

    ¡±...¡± He once again falls silent and looks at me, a slight smile slowly appears on his face.

    ¡°Not too many.¡± There is a hint of amusement and warmth in his voice.

    "I see."

    So careful and not too trusting type.

    He is slightly shorter than me. His figure is pretty robust and muscr, with a sense of authority around him. It might be caused by his gun, but I don''t believe that''s just it.

    A cop? Maybe.

    "Nathaniel." I reach out my hand towards him, and he epts. His grip is strong, and he looks into my eyes while shaking my hand.

    Like I do to him, he is also judging me.

    "Hadwin." he says.

    I notice a few people staring at us, but I ignore them for now.

    "Did you also level up?"

    "Yes," the bus quiets down, and I can see them listening to us. "I already used my stat points. One of the kids told me to do so," he nods towards the school kids. "It''s crazy when you think about it. Us appearing in the middle of nowhere, two suns, gigantic wolf..." He smiles awkwardly while looking around.

    When he looks back at me his smile is gone.

    "You know," he starts, and I can see that he is trying to find the right words. "I thought about it, and I think we should look around. We will need water soon and we might find out something about this ce."

    I can tell what''s going to be next.

    "Do you want to join me?" His eyes seem honest and firm as he asks me to risk my life.

    So shameless.

    "Sure, let''s go."

    Short pause.

    He slowly brushes his hair off his forehead and his muscles tense a little bit. After a few seconds, he rxes his body and a quiet sigh escapes his mouth.

    ¡°To be honest, I pretty much expected you to decline,¡± he says.

    "I gave it some thought." I shrug my shoulders. "We should look around while we are not starved or dehydrated. Logically, it will be harder theter we go."

    ¡°It''s not about logic¡­ People don''t tend to think logically in situations like this¡­¡± Another sigh escapes his mouth. ¡°I see¡­ Well, I guess you are one of these guys¡­¡±

    I feel like I should be insulted, but I let it go.

    I kind of like the way this goes.

    Let''s put it all on Hadwin.

    Yup.

    I like it.

    "Others should keep watch while we look around." He quickly gives a few orders, and I can see that he has already talked to a few people, and they seem to respect him enough to follow his orders.

    It''s the gun.

    I bet it is because of the gun.

    Obviously, some of them seem dissatisfied with the guy with a gun leaving them to go into the forest, but no one says anything. Most likely, they are scared that he will ask them to go with him.

    I am not too surprised at theirck of initiative. It''s weirder that Hadwin and I n to go there without being pressured to do so.

    Hadwin grabs his backpack and two iron pipes, clearly inspired by me. He gives me one, and I take it.

    Some of the passengers see it and start talking amongst themselves, and I see some of them trying to pry out their own pipes.

    What''s with that reaction time? As we are about to leave the bus someone stops us.

    "Do you have a spot?"

    On the bus, there are a few 30-40-year-old men, and the one asking is one of them. He is close to 2m in height and slim, but his shoulders are surprisingly wide. His face is on the handsome side, and he is smoothly shaven.

    "Maybe¡­" Hadwin stops next to me

    "Damon," he reaches his hand towards Hadwin and then towards me.

    His grip is even stronger than Hadwin''s. Hadwin''s shake was just a greeting, but Damon''s is clearly some sort of test as he squeezes my hand as strongly as he can.

    As he lets go of my hand, his gaze stays on me a bit longer than on Hadwin.

    "I would like to join you. I grew up in the countryside, so I shouldn''t be baggage inside the forest."

    Augh almost escapes my mouth, but I keep my face neutral.

    Well, in the worst case, we can use him as bait. Something tells me that Hadwin wouldn''t like it, but I can work around it.

    "Sounds good," says Hadwin, and I just nod. Damon once again looks into my eyes.

    Look at him.

    I feel amused as his look isn''t too friendly, more like the opposite.

    As we exit the bus, no one else joins us. No one is brave or desperate enough toe with us. Not yet.

    Well, almost no one. I saw one of the school kids wanting to join us, but others stopped him. Well, I call them kids but all of them are around 18 years old, not that much younger than me.

    Bless you, kid.

    Maybe next time?

    After something eats Damon.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7

    Outside, we find the annoyed girl leaning against the bus. She is clearly keeping watch, looking towards the ce where the wolf came from.

    It''s a good idea.

    She is around my height, slim, and has an athletic figure. The most striking thing about her is her deep green eyes, which are even more noticeable against her tanned skin and brown hair.

    "I want to join you," she says without holding back. Her voice shakes almost unnoticeably as she says so, yet she seems determined.

    "I also want to level up. I need to level up."

    Oh?

    Did they have a group talk inside the bus while I was thinking outside?

    They seem fairly used to the idea of leveling up.

    "I need to be stronger as soon as possible. Wolves usually don''t move alone, and... we don''t know what else is here. I swear I won¡ät slow you down."

    Everyone should be level 0, with only me and Hadwin being higher level so she also might be worried tog behind us. Or does she just want to protect the little girl next to her?

    Did Hadwin share the results with others? Did he put all three points into strength and test it out while they were watching?

    How much of a difference would three points make?

    "I don''t think we have to worry about that," says Hadwin, to my surprise. He continues, "The wolf from before did look starved and wounded, and he didn''t even try to call for other wolves before attacking us." He looks at us. "So it''s either thest surviving wolf from the pack or they chased him away from it."

    I like the sound of that.

    I really do but...

    "I think we should expect the worst option," I say as their eyes turn toward me. I shrug my shoulders and don''t say more.

    "I partly agree with you," Hadwin says carefully, caressing his short beard as he speaks. "But we shouldn''t let it scare us too much. Doing nothing because we are too worried could cost us."

    I''m slightly disappointed. He seems too confident.

    Whatever. If it seems like he''s too careless, I can leave them.

    "Hadwin," as he reaches his hand, the brown-haired girl grabs it. "I have to warn you. It will be really dangerous out there."

    She just nods and shakes his hand.

    "Sophie."

    "Damon."

    "Nathaniel," I add, and for a second, our eyes meet.

    "I know," she says very quietly.

    Hadwin and Damon probably didn''t hear it, but I could because she is standing a little bit closer to me.

    I try to think about it, but I can''t remember her at all.

    Maybe I met her at the gym? She seems fairly athletic and there aren¡ät that many ces where she could meet me.

    I look at the girl next to her who stayed quiet up until now. She looks simr to Sophie. She isn''t as tanned but her hair is the same and her eyes have a slightly lighter shade of green. She is around 10 years old, but it''s hard for me to tell.

    She is also shyly half-hiding behind Sophie, but she is peeking with big and wide-open eyes.

    That can be a problem.

    ¡°I hope you don''t n to take a kid with you.¡± As expected, Damon sounds as annoying as he looks.

    It''s not like I don''t agree with him.

    Quite the opposite.

    There is no way we are going to take a little kid with us.

    Damon just sounds¡­ super punchable.

    ¡°I am not¡­¡± It''s clear that Sophie wants to go with us, but at the same time, where should she leave the little kid? With whom?

    The girl slightly pulls the shirt of a distressed Sophie, and she turns to her with a smile on her face. To me, it looks fake but I guess it¡äs good enough to trick a little girl.

    ¡°Don''t worry, Izzie.¡± She gently caresses her head, and there is a lot of gentleness and love in her action.

    However hard this might be, I am d I ended up here alone.

    ¡°How about you leave her with Jacob? He seems like a good guy,¡± Hadwin finally says. ¡°She will be safer with others.¡± He pauses. ¡°You can stay too¡­ with your¡­¡±

    ¡°Sister¡­¡± Sophie says slowly.

    ¡°Sister.¡± Hadwin kneels in front of the girl, and a big soft smile appears on his face. ¡°God knows I would do the same.¡±

    The little girl proceeds to avoid his gaze and looks back up at Sophie.

    I think it''s already taking too long.

    She is most likely scared of being left behind, and probably not trusting us that much too.

    Who knows what would happen if wee back much stronger?

    For now, it looks like nothing much has changed, but the moment some of us obtain strength way beyond others, things will be¡­ difficult.

    ¡°You shoulde,¡± I say as she turns towards me with a surprised look on her face. Her sister starts peeking again. ¡°We most likely won''t go too far at first. Not far enough to not hear if something happens.¡±

    It¡äs obvious that she already decided to go with us, so why is she struggling that much? Just trust your own decisions and then take responsibility if something happens.

    ¡°One or two hours should be enough to scan our closest surroundings. After that, we wille back with some wood which we can use for weapons and fire,¡± I suggest. "If something happens they can use the bus horn and we can rush back as quickly as possible."

    After a little while, she finally epts the n and disappears inside the bus with her sister. I can see her talking to the bus guy, Jacob, apparently. Her sister starts crying.

    "For fuck''s sake," Damonins.

    When Sophiees back, we finally start walking toward the forest. Not coincidentally, we walk on the opposite side of where the wolf came from. Everyone stops talking as wee closer to the trees, and the atmosphere instantly changes. It''s as if the closer we get to the trees, the more nervous everyone bes.

    Interestingly enough, the trees seem normal. I don''t know what I expected. Shining leaves? Faces on trunks? Whispers in the wind?

    Tree branches wave slightly in the wind, as the suns shine through the crowns of the trees.

    It looks like a normal forest...

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8

    I keep my guard up as we enter the forest. I squeeze the iron pipe in my hand. For a start, let''s not touch anything. Who knows if it''s poisonous?

    Hadwin enters first, closely followed by us. His iron pipe is behind his belt, and there is the gun in his hands. I am not an expert, but the way he holds it seems like someone used to weapons.

    Maybe he really is a policeman. Judging from the way he talks and acts, I wouldn''t be surprised.

    "Focus and listen to our surroundings," he says as he slowly walks between the trees. "Nathaniel, you will take my left, Damon you focus on your right, and Sophie you will have our back."

    I slightly change my position. Obviously, I don''t focus only on the left, but I give it a bit more focus than other directions. Don''t forget to check the tops of the trees as well.

    "Talk only in a whisper, and if you hear flowing water, see wet ces, puddles, or anything suspicious, let us know."

    We slowly continue. It''s almost funny. A bunch of adults led by a crazy man armed with a handgun sneaking through a normal-looking forest.

    Fortunately, the forest isn''t too dense, so we move without a problem.

    Thirty minutester, I can hear Damon silently cursing under his breath. Something about the mother and the forest?

    "Motherfucking alien forest," I hear. Oh. That makes much more sense.

    I don''t me him. Every one of us twitches every time we hear the slightest noise. After a while, it''s really tiring. We continue as Hadwin leads us in a circle around the clearing with a bus. The clearing is on our right side, and we didn''t walk too deep inside the forest.

    I also noted that Damon touched the trees a few times, and he looks fine, so they most likely aren''t poisonous.

    "We are getting to the ce where the wolf came from," Hadwin says.

    Just this sentence is enough to bring us to the tips of our toes. Damon instantly shuts up, and I can almost hear him squeezing his weapon.

    Somehow I feel calmer than before.

    "Movement to our left," I whisper, and I hear Hadwin''s gun click as he turns it towards his left. "A bit more to your right," I quickly add, and he points it there.

    I squeeze the pipe in my hand as two human-like beings rush at us at once while holding primitive weapons in their hands.

    I step to the left and avoid a stab with a spear. They don''t seem to be too tall, almost like kids or young adults, so I hesitate for a second.

    Then I hear a gunshot, just one, followed by a weird scream.

    I dodge another stab and swing with the pipe, it connects and I hit the creature on its head

    Its head is harder than expected, so I hit once more while using as much strength as I can while dodging its aggressive but clumsy stab. The creature falls down

    When I look around, Hadwin is already running after another one.

    <strong>[Goblin - lvl 3]</strong>

    The goblin is shot, and Hadwin is holding the pipe in his hands, closely behind the monster.

    Sophie and Damon are fighting the third enemy, which surprisingly attacked from somewhere behind us.

    <strong>[Goblin - lvl 2]</strong>

    Another level 2. They seem to be overpowering it, especially Sophie with some clearly well-trained moves.

    Not bothering to help them, I quickly follow Hadwin. I am sure he wants to stop the goblin from running away and maybe bringing back more of them, but at the same time, he is saving his bullets.

    I quickly find him fighting the monster. The green creature seems to be mortally wounded by his gun so that makes it easier.

    While slowing down to walk, I keep my eyes on Hadwin. His movements are careful and calcting as he slowly makes a half-circle around the creature, which is swinging something that looks like a knife.

    There are wounds other than gunshots covering the creature¡äs body. Seems like the older man did get in some attacks.

    Out of nowhere the cornered creature quickly dashes at him, but its movements are just that ¨C quick. There is no technique and no other intent than just violence.

    Hadwin almost dodges it, but the creature hits him with the edge of its shoulder, making him lose his bnce and fall down.

    For its size, the green monster is surprisingly strong.

    I am already on my way as it starts a downward stab, and Hadwin lifts up the pipe against it.

    Before it connects, I hit the creature''s hand with my full strength, getting a scream out of it and making its knife fall.

    The goblin turns towards me, a murderous look in its red eyes. I can see its pointy teeth as it fully opens its mouth and rushes at me with a loud scream.

    In one move, I dodge to the right and hit the back of its head as inertia makes the goblin move ahead.

    Of course, it''s not enough, and the goblin charges me again. This time I dodge to the left and follow up with a kick, focusing more on pushing it further away than on damaging it.

    The goblin screams with rage and turns back to me as I am lifting its knife from the ground.

    For a second, it makes a beautifully dumbfounded look.

    One long and quick step.

    Stab.

    It puts its hands in front of its neck, but in the middle of the move, I change the direction of the stab, and the knife easily enters its eye.

    I step back, just far enough, to dodge its blindly waving hand.

    The creature screams and scratches its face, surprisingly still alive.

    Then Hadwin hits its temple from the side. Goblin falls to the ground. The second hit from Hadwinnds as the goblin starts twitching on the ground. Last hit. I can hear the wet and nauseating noise of the iron pipe breaking its skull.

    The goblin finally stops screaming.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Goblin - lvl 3]</strong>

    Then I notice my wildly shaking hand, tense muscles, and rough breathing.

    The worldes back into focus, and I feel like someone turned off the noise canceling.

    Hadwin is breathing heavily and cursing under his nose.

    I hear Sophie and Damon not far away from us.

    "One goblin is only unconscious. Can you keep a watch?"

    Hadwin nods with a tired imitation of a smile, and I can see the sweat running down his forehead.

    Before running back, I grab the knife and pull it out of the goblin''s eye. It makes a disgusting noise I am sure I will remember for a while.

    When I get back to Sophie and Damon, I can see them repeatedly hitting the goblin they were fighting against. It seems to be dead, but they don¡ät stop.

    They have furious looks on their faces, and I can see some wounds on their bodies. The wounds don''t seem to be serious.

    The goblin I stunned is still lying on the ground. I kick its leg while standing as far as possible, and when it doesn''t react, I calm down slightly.

    I still can feel the adrenaline flowing through me and probably mana as well, and just now, I am slowly realizing what happened as if I aming back to reality.

    My heart is beating wildly and multiple feelings wash over my body.

    Fear, relief... desperation

    Calm down.

    Think logically.

    Calm down.

    Calm down.

    CALM DOWN.

    My breathing slows, and I finally catch my breath, and my focuses back to normal.

    I am such a mess.

    I hear quiet sobs from Sophie behind me, but she quickly stops, almost choking on them.

    While clenching my teeth I slowly lower my body, carefully, while watching the unconscious goblin. And then, without hesitation, I stab a dagger deep into its eye.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Goblin - lvl 2]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 1 > Lvl 2]</strong>

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9

    I decide to ignore stat points for now as I want to test their effects a bit more so I pull the dagger out of the goblin¡äs eyes.

    Damon and Sophie seem to be shaken, but their wounds aren''t that serious.

    Damon is naturally athletic and strong, with long limbs, meaning his reach is pretty big. Sophie seems to be well-versed in martial arts, but even so, this creature, around a meter and a half tall, managed to hurt them in a 2v1 fight. <em>(meter and half - 150cm - 4'' 11)</em>

    ¡°Motherfucker¡­¡± Damon kicks the corpse of the goblin.

    For me, it just seems like a way of hiding his fear. I can even see his shaking hands and hear a slight tremble in his voice.

    ¡°Can you carry its corpse?¡± When I ask, he looks at me like I''m crazy.

    ¡°There might be more of them, and we don''t want them to find their friend¡äs corpses,¡± I add before he says anything.

    He just nods solemnly after a short pause.

    ¡°Sophie.¡± When I call her name, she looks up.

    Oh.

    I like the look in her eyes.

    ¡°I will carry the other one, and you can help Hadwin,¡± she says.

    She catches on pretty fast.

    ¡°Carry only the corpses; I or Hadwin will take care of the rest.¡± I pause. ¡°Don''t bring them too close to other passengers for now,¡± I add.

    She nods.

    I go deeper into the forest. The dagger is once again in my hand. It''s made out of some kind of obsidian-like stone, but it''s surprisingly sharp and hard.

    Hadwin is looking at the corpse of the goblin, and I step next to him.

    ¡°Damon and Sophie will bring the other two away. I will take this one. Can you take care of their weapons?¡±

    ¡°I will. I can also try to cover up some of our and their tracks.¡±

    "Sounds good."

    To be honest, I partially expected something like that from Hadwin, but I wasn''t so sure. I scan the man in front of me once again.

    Let''s be a bit more careful with him.

    The way he starts looking around and taking care of tracks that he can cover looks experienced to me, but I don''t know anything about it, so he could be making it worse.

    I keep a watch while he does so, and when he is done with our closest surroundings, I kneel to lift up the goblin and put him over my shoulders.

    Unintentionally, I let out a surprised noise as the goblin is much heavier than I expected him to be. Probably around 90 kg. <em>(190 lb)</em>

    God damn green asshole.

    For someone at this height, it''s a lot and he isn''t even that bulky. But I guess we can''t use human standards here.

    Hadwin picks up the goblin''s weapon and our stuff. My loyal pipe is there as well.

    When we reach the spot where the fight started, Hadwin starts covering tracks or digging out ants or whatever he does. He is an expert here, not me.

    Both goblins are gone, and in the end, Hadwin also grabs their weapons from the ground and watches our backs as I lead the way. The pistol is in his hand. The weapons and our stuff are under his other hand or inside his backpack.

    We move quickly and quietly without a word, and once in a while, Hadwin does something that I guess is covering the tracks of our twopanions and ours.

    After around 15 minutes of walking, we reach the clearing.

    I notice that I am not as tired as I should be after carrying such weight.

    Sure, I lifted heavier weights before, but carrying it through the forest?

    It''s either adrenaline or, and I guess the more probable option, the effect of putting three stat points into the constitution.

    We find Damon and Sophie lying on the ground, breathing heavily and covered in sweat, while their baggage is a few meters away from them with other passengers surrounding the dead goblins.

    Once again, I realize how much better state I''m in as I throw the green creature on the ground.

    Damon has an angry look on his face as he turns to me. I don¡ät say anything, just look back at him.

    "Fuck off," he breathes out and turns towards Hadwin.

    "What the hell was that? What are these green little fuckers?"

    "Goblins."

    "No shit. I asked..."

    Before he can continue, the older man interrupts him. "I don''t know, Damon. As you know, I''ve been here as long as you have." There is a slight frown on his face. "What I know is that we should be thankful that we are still alive. These... creatures are far stronger than they should be."

    "And much heavier," Sophie says quietly, and there is a questioning look on Hadwin''s face. "The one I carried must have weighed around 50 kilos, and it''s the smallest and slimmest one." <em>(50kg - 110 lb)</em>

    "Fucking hell, mine is for sure over 100 kilos," Damon adds. <em>(100kg - 220 lb)</em>

    From the corner of my vision, I see Sophie rolling her eyes.

    Hadwin slowly walks towards my goblin and tries to lift him. Surprise appears on his face, but with a groan, he lifts him up.

    "For sure close to 100," he puts him back on the ground.

    Everyone falls silent.

    "We should dissect them," I say after a while.

    Their gaze instantly turns back to me.

    ¡­

    Uhm? Why are you looking at me like that?

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    I had hoped that Hadwin would suggest it first, but I can see that he is holding back a little bit, still not fully realizing the situation we are in. Still not prepared to do everything it takes for his survival.

    When they look at me with shocked looks in their eyes, I just shrug my shoulders. I notice that only Hadwin looks somewhat relieved.

    "You don''t have to be there."

    "I will help you," he says. "But we should do it far away from the clearing."

    I stop to think about it for a second.

    Doing it here doesn''t sound like a good idea. We don''t know if blood won''t lure more monsters to us, and I don''t know how the other passengers will react to it.

    Well, I am sure that they will get used to it fairly soon.

    "We have to get rid of them anyway. So let''s just throw them out, and while doing so I will quickly check a few things."

    "There is no fucking way I am going to carry that green little shit again," I hear Damon say, but everyone ignores him.

    "Are you sure it''s worth it?" Hadwin is still worried. "We will be taking a big risk."

    While in deep thought I look at the dead goblin. The words over his head are gone. Knowing that the text disappears when a monster dies helps.

    The goblin is around 150 cm (4''11) tall with a short torso but long legs and hands. Even though his limbs are slim, I remember their weight. It was also illogically strong, unfitting its figure.

    I lean over him and poke him with the tip of my finger.

    His skin feels thick, somewhat firmer than mine.

    I pinch him, and I once again notice the firmness of his skin.

    Could it be his thicker skin adding to its weight?

    The green creature is wearing some sort of primitive leather clothes covering parts where reproductive organs on humans would be. There are also light blue markings all over its body. When I nce at the other two goblins, I notice that they have simr markings. I try to rub them, but nothing stays on my finger. When I spit a little bit on it and try again, the result is the same.

    Tattoo? Some kind of group, n, or vige marking?

    I pause for a second, done thinking over things

    Okay, no dissecting, let''s just test a few things.

    I pull out the knife I took from him and point the tip at its chest. I am careful to do it close to its clothes so blood can soak into it. I push onto it, and it''s harder than it should be, but I am not too surprised. I don''t push too deep, but I try the same thing on other parts of its body, but it''s the same.

    The monster''s skin is surprisingly strong and thick.

    I put my knife away and grab its hand. Before I continue, I look behind me. Hadwin, Sophie, and Damon have looks on their faces that are hard to describe.

    I also notice the bus driver pushing people towards the bus, away from the three dead goblins and us four. I guess he saw me poking the goblin with a knife as I also see disgust on his face.

    To be honest, I am surprised by myself as well. Never in my life did I think I would do something like this, but I am surprisingly calm and clear-minded.

    I will have to give it some thought a bitter.

    "You don''t have to be here," I say.

    Damon curses, but all of them stay.

    I try punching it a few times, and the response I''m getting is much more resistant than hitting a human body. I am also unable to break his ribs after repeatedly hitting his chest with my fist and full strength.

    I continue examining the goblin.

    Its nose is smaller than humans, even if we leave out proportions.

    Maybe it doesn''t have a good sense of smell?

    That would be good as I am worried that they will sniff out theirpanions.

    Its ears are also small, but what worries me are its big eyes.

    They are almost twice as big as mine. I just hope they don''t see twice as good. During the night, it would be bad news.

    The creature also has pretty long nails; they are sharp, and if everything else fails they can be used as weapons.

    The creature''s teeth are extremely sharp. I''d be concerned about the risk of infection from a potential bite.

    I don''t find any pockets in its clothes, so other than weapons, this goblin didn''t carry anything.

    I can''t be sure if that''s the norm for them or if they move around like this.

    I tell the results of my examination to others and stand up.

    Sure, I wanted to do more testing, but I decided against it.

    Where are its heart and other vital organs located? What makes it so strong? Can it use mana, and if so, how does it affect its physiology? Is it particrly vulnerable to fire? What are its weak points? And where is its skin thinnest?

    Most of them would create quite a mess.

    Maybe next time.

    After stretching a little bit, I focus and put two stat points into the constitution and one into mana.

    At the moment, I''m not sure if changes in investing stat points show up instantly or gradually. I''m more inclined to the second option, so investing them sooner sounds like a good idea.

    As for why the constitution and mana.

    My survivability is most important at the moment. I believe that constitution increases my endurance, vitality, and affects my regeneration.

    At the moment, I don''t have ess to food, so a stronger body sounds like a good idea.

    I just hope it doesn''t mean increased consumption of calories to keep me going.

    It probably does.

    I am sure it does.

    We can''t have things too easy, can we?

    I don''t need much strength as I can use weapons and attack weak points.

    Unfortunately, I''m not in a situation where I can test my stat points as I need to find water, food, shelter, and fight against these monsters.

    One point in mana is a risk and I justify it as something that potentially can make me stronger.

    But I can''t lie to myself. It''s simple curiosity, and I am willing to risk a little bit to satisfy it.

    Ever since I felt it for the first time, I keep trying to manually use it with no sess so far.

    I was only able to use Focus and mana during fights. It happened subconsciously. When we found the goblins, I was able to control it a little bit.

    I can''t wait to test it out a bit more, but unfortunately, I have other priorities at the moment.

    "I have a ce in mind where we can get rid of them," Hadwin says. "I noticed it when we were scouting. It''s a deep hole near a few big rocks, probably caused by andslide. We can just throw them down there. It should be around 15 minutes there and back," he then looks at the goblin, "Maybe 20."

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    It makes Damon start grumbling, but he surprisingly stands up and says, "Let''s make it quick."

    He lifts up his goblin, and a surprised look appears on his face.

    Did he invest his stat points?

    He should have leveled up, and Sophie as well. I am pretty sure he put it all into strength, so I decide to watch him carefully topare his increased strength to my constitution.

    My theory is that my increased constitution means I can use my peak strength for longer, and I will need shorter rest to be back at my peak form. I also have a suspicion that I will heal faster and have tougher skin and stronger bones. Just like the goblin.

    Increased strength should increase the density of muscles and their strength, but it alsoes up with a potential problem.

    What if you invest too much into strength, but you don''t have a body strong enough to handle it?

    Once again, I be annoyed for not knowing and not being able to test it out as much as I want.

    I also put the goblin on my shoulder, but I make sure to have my right hand free and be ready to throw the body on the ground. At worst, I can also use the goblin as a shield against an attack. Sophie also picks up the goblin, she does it quite easily.

    Hmm. I guess that means that stat increase manifests fairly quickly. Few minutes maybe?

    Hadwin puts the gun into his right hand and the goblin''s spear in his left, and starts leading us into the forest.

    As we enter, I don''t feel as pressured as before, but I am still careful. The wind is now stronger, so we can hear the rustling of leaves and creaking branches as they bend in the wind. The sun seems to be right over us.

    I still twitch every time I hear an unexpected noise.

    As before, Hadwin walks first, me to his left, and Damon to his right. Sophie follows behind us, and I notice that she moved the goblin slightly lower to cover more of her back.

    At this point, I am sure that the results of my increased constitution are showing, as I don''t feel myself getting tired from carrying the creature. The only thing I notice is my empty stomach.

    Food. I need lots of food.

    I nce at the goblin, but I instantly decide that I am not that hungry.

    Yet.

    When we finally throw the goblins into the hole, I notice Damon''s rugged breathing. He seems better than before, but it''s easy to notice how tired he is.

    I am now also 100% sure that he didn¡ät put much into Constitution.

    Sophie seems to be better than him, so I guess that she put at least something into it.

    I move the knife to my left hand and pull out the pipe into my right hand.

    On our way back, we are even more careful than before, but we move much quicker. Not being able to see what''s behind the trees makes us all nervous.

    When we get back to the bus, I feel relieved, even though there isn''t too big a difference in our safety.

    As I move away from people, I take a peek at my stats.

    <strong>[Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]</strong>

    <strong>Difficulty: Hell</strong>

    <strong>Floor: 1</strong>

    <strong>Time left until forced return: 4y 364d 20h 52m 59s</strong>

    <strong>Lvl 2</strong>

    <strong>Strength: 6</strong>

    <strong>Dexterity: 8</strong>

    <strong>Constitution: 8</strong>

    <strong>Mana: 3</strong>

    <strong>[Primary ss: Unavable]</strong>

    <strong>[Sub-ss: Unavable]</strong>

    <strong>Skills:</strong>

    <strong>- Focus Lvl 3</strong>

    <strong>- Mana maniption Lvl 1</strong>

    <strong>[Skill Points: 0]</strong>

    <strong>[Stat Points: 0]</strong>

    I let Hadwin and the others take care of annoying stuff and sit on the ground, leaning once again against the bus''s tire.

    Wind brushes my hair as I close my eyes, and slowly breathe in fresh air.

    It''s so different from the air in the city. There''s a hard-to-describe smell to it, slightly sweet but not too overpowering.

    I like it

    Warm rays of the sun on my hands touch my skin, and other than the passengers, I don''t hear anything.

    No cars, no machines, no nes.

    It''s quiet, almost peaceful, yet I know how dangerous this ce is.

    Also, It''s called the 1st floor, so does that mean that the sun, wind, and sky are fake? Are there other floors above or below us, or is it just a ce on a distant? Is it the whole? Simtion?

    At the moment, I''m curious about what will be in the sky tonight, but at the same time, I feel a hint of fear.

    It''s hard enough to fight against unknown creatures during the day, but at night, with reduced visibility...

    Sure, we can set up a campfire, but that would be like running around the ce and screaming that we''re here.

    "Haaa..." I let out a sigh.

    We''re fucked, aren''t we? I have a feeling that we were insanely lucky until now.

    The wolf seemed to be starved or wounded and without its pack. We got ambushed by only three goblins, but even then, Hadwin almost died, and the other two got injured.

    There will be more of them. I''m sure of it.

    Should I leave? I nce back at the bus and try to ignore the discussion inside.

    There are pros and cons to staying, but I feel like the pros outweigh the cons. I need someone to keep watch when I''m sleeping. Hadwin has a gun, so that''s something, and it looks like the guy knows how to move around the forest. If we''re going to stay here for five years, he would be useful.

    I don''t know how to hunt or skin animals.

    Hell, I wouldn''t even know how to set up a campfire or cook.

    Then there are also others. I can collect some data just from watching them - stat point distribution, skills, sses if we get to it.

    Footsteps catch my attention, and a student emerges from behind the bus - a girl around 17-18 years old, slim, blonde, and taller than me.

    She briefly nces my way but then directs her focus towards the forest, leaning against the bus. Retrieving a cigarette and lighter from her pocket, she lights it up.

    With her eyes closed, she slowly inhales, savoring the smoke.

    ¡°Haa... It will be really bad when I run out of cigarettes,¡± her voice is quiet as she slowly smokes, enjoying every whiff.

    She looks at me. "Do you want one?" she offers.

    I just shake my head and stay quiet.

    "So you did stop smoking... so responsible."

    I still don''t react. Let''s see what she wants.

    The girl stops when she is halfway through her cigarette and extinguishes it against the bus. Then she carefully puts it back inside the pack and then pocket.

    One minute.

    Two minutes.

    Five.

    She is leaning in silence while looking towards the forest.

    "Do you also think that we are in deep shit, Nat?" her voice is quiet, and she still doesn''t look at me.

    Isn¡ät that obvious?

    One minute of silence.

    "It all looks so normal... trees, grass, sky..." She falls silent after ncing at the sky.

    "You know, before we ended up here, I had a fight with my mom," she said, her voice even quieter now. "I called her..." she pauses for a moment and a self-deprecating chuckle echoes in the surrounding silence.

    She then continues to talk, and I don¡ät say anything but listen.

    I can do that much for her.

    I feel like I owe her at least that much.

    "Do you think I''m an asshole?" she looked at me.

    I didn''t get it.

    Isn''t what she thinks more important than my opinion?

    I shrug my shoulders, and there is a slight disappointment in her eyes.

    Then she chuckles.

    "I should have expected such an answer from you. Anyway, Kevin found out something. Just say ''quest window''," before she disappears back inside, she asks, "Nat, will you help me if you can?"

    I look up from the ground and our eyes meet.

    Obviously, my life is a priority.

    But if it doesn''t put me in danger...

    My answer is just a short nod.

    Before she disappears from my sight, I see hint of relief on her face.

    "Quest window," I say out loud.

    <strong>[Floor quest]</strong>

    <em><strong>Stay alive for 30 days</strong></em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <strong>- Entrance to the second floor</strong>

    <strong>- ess to Community </strong>

    <strong>- 1 skill point</strong>

    <strong>- 5 stat points</strong>

    <strong>[Side quest]</strong>

    <em><strong>Stay alive for 24 hours.</strong></em>

    <strong>Rewards: </strong>

    <strong>- gear of your choice</strong>

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19

    Cassian is already with Hadwin and Dominic when I reach them. Only Hadwin greets me, while the other two mostly ignore me.

    I also notice Damon''s body at the edge of the clearing. He is only in his underwear and there is a massive wound on his chest.

    I guess there is at least someone thinking a little bit. Even clothes can be useful, and it''s not like we can go and buy some.

    What I don''t like is that they didn''t even bother to pull him a few meters further in between trees.

    Anyway, not my problem.

    "What do we have for water?" I ask.

    "A few bottles, a few stic bags, and we also found this pretty big canister," he points at the iron canister near his legs. It''s pretty big, probably for spare fuel or some other liquid.

    I am not washing it for sure.

    Sounds like a job for our newbies!

    Yes?

    Yes.

    I just nod while pulling a knife from behind my waistband to hold it in my unwounded hand. It feels nice and heavy, much better than the knife I broke. Yet, it''s still made from some kind of stone, crystal, or something.

    I would much prefer a spear so I can keep some distance from enemies we might meet, but it would be pretty difficult to use one with only one hand.

    And I think I prefer a sharp de over a blunt iron pipe. Sure, the reach is shorter, but if I aim right, I can do more damage.

    "Let''s go then," Hadwin says and starts leading us toward the forest.

    As we enter, I nce back and notice Sophie staring at me while holding her sister''s hand. Her face is hard to read.

    Tess, Cassian, and Dominic be really quiet as we start walking under the trees. They twitch every time we hear some noise, unsurprisingly. They saw using back wounded multiple times already, and someone even died so it¡äs not much of a surprise.

    But this time there is no attack, not even as we start walking down the hill, near the ce Hadwin talked about.

    I like it.

    I really do.

    Let''s keep it up.

    Everyone perks up when we hear the sound of flowing water after a few more minutes. Cassian and Dominic instantly start excitedly whispering something, and even Hadwin speeds up his tempo.

    After a few more meters, we exit the treeline and see a small stream of water flowing through the forest.

    "Finally, we found it!" Cassian screams and rushes ahead of Hadwin.

    "Shut up, Cassian!" Hadwin hisses and grabs his hand, pulling him back. "Remember where we are!"

    Unfortunately, Cassian doesn''t seem to be taking it seriously.

    He smirks and nods, nearly ignoring Hadwin, not aware of the danger he might put us in.

    "Hey," I keep my voice soft, almost whispering, and when he turns to me I bury my knee into his belly.

    Air escapes his mouth, and there is no cry because of that. Eyes wide open. Face grimacing from the pain. Before he gets back to his senses, I squeeze his neck.

    In the corner of my vision, I notice Dominic wanting to charge at me, but Tess steps into his way and points the spear at him.

    Silence.

    No movement.

    "Stay quiet, okay?"

    Cassian hesitates for a bit and then opens his mouth to say something, so I squeeze harder. After a few more seconds, he realizes it and just nods quickly.

    He gasps for breath when I let go of his neck, and I grab my dagger from the ground.

    If he wants to die, sure, go ahead, but I won''t let him risk my life by acting stupid.

    I nod to Hadwin, and he nods back. While I am keeping watch, he moves closer to the water. From where I am, it seems fairly normal and, hopefully, it''s safe to drink.

    Hmmm.

    Just to be sure, let''s have others drink it first after we boil it, and if they are going to be fine after a few hours, I can drink it too.

    Ah, the good ol'' "human guinea pig" approach, always a ssic.

    Finally, they are going to do something useful.

    Hadwin and the two men quickly start filling the canister, bottles, and a few stic bags with water while Tess and I keep watch.

    When they are almost done, Tess gestures at me and puts a finger to her lips while pointing somewhere between the trees. That makes me squeeze the weapon in my hand.

    "Movement," I warn the others, and all three of them let go of the stuff in their hands and grab their weapons. I hear a click from Hadwin''s handgun.

    Tess gestures at me. She points at herself and then towards the source of movement.

    She seems determined as she looks at me, most likely waiting for my approval.

    Well, she seems fairly confident, so I just nod.

    Both of us go between the trees while I gesture for the others to stay. After a few seconds of walking, Tess stops and stands up. She grabs her spear as if she is about to throw it, and then she does just that.

    The spear flies out of her hand surprisingly quickly, and I would swear it changed its trajectory a little bit right after it left her hand.

    What the hell?

    Did they give her some self-homing magical spear?

    I want that.

    We hear a short scream, and Tess turns to me with a big smile on her face.

    Yes, yes.

    Did you level up? Sure seems like it.

    What the hell did you kill?

    Good job, I guess.

    After passing a few more meters, we get to her kill. It''s an animal simr to a deer. Its leather is light brown in color, but what''s weird are its slightly glowing antlers. They are white and let out a soft glow that''s slowly dimming until it stops after a few more seconds.

    There''s no name glowing over the animal/monster, so it''s dead.

    Damn. I didn''t even get to see its level.

    "Deer level two," Tess whispers.

    Oh.

    "I did level up too. One point in mana and two into constitution."

    Oh.

    "I used my <strong>[Farsight]</strong> and <strong>[Psychokinesis]</strong> too."

    Umm.

    "I think we might be able to eat that," she points at the dead deer, and even though her face is back to a calm mask, I can see that cheeky little smile in her eyes.

    Great, now she''s leveling up, using her fancy skills, AND finding us food?

    Isn''t she too capable?

    I nce at the dead animal, and I could swear I can hear my stomach growling.

    Ok, buddy, calm down. Soon!

    Food, finally, about time!

    I once again look at Tess, and she still has that cheeky look in her eyes.

    Better be careful so I won''t fall for her.

    Yup.

    Everyone knows that love goes through the stomach.

    Anyway, let''s grab the deer quickly. I grab one leg and gesture Tess to grab the other, and we quickly pull it back to the others.

    Hadwin is keeping watch while Cassian and Dominic are waiting there, already done with their job.

    Water and food.

    Man.

    What more do you need?

    Fewer goblins would be nice, but I can''t get too greedy!

    "Cassian, grab the deer," I continue using my quiet voice.

    "Fuck," he whispers really quietly, but I can hear him.

    Well, well, well, if it isn''t the consequences of his behavior.

    Tess takes the stuff from Cassian, and with Hadwin''s help, Cassian hoists the deer onto his shoulders. The deer isn''t that big, right?

    He groans and bends his knees a little bit. There''s a hint of anger in his eyes as he looks toward me.

    Great, now use all this energy to carry the deer!

    Oh, the joy of seeing Cassian struggle with the deer. I can''t help but feel a bit smug watching him squirm under the weight of that animal.

    Our way back is fairly uneventful, and when we get back to the clearing, Cassian is covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He drops the deer as soon as he can and then falls on the ground right next to the animal. His chest is moving up and down, and he is breathing with his mouth wide open.

    Our "camp" seems fine, and people quickly surround us. They''re excited, and I even see some smiles. Once again, I hear the dog barking, and this time I look at him properly.

    It¡äs a fairly small, sandy-colored corgi causing a ruckus, barking away as his owner - a woman around 50 - pets him soothingly.

    "It''s okay, Biscuit. Calm down. Mommy is here."

    I can''t help but roll my eyes internally.

    Dude¡­

    At least there is some wood close to the bus, so I guess they did do something.

    Unfortunately, Damon''s body is still at the end of the clearing. We will have to do something about it pretty soon, I guess.

    "Oh no," the way Hadwin says it makes me grab the dagger, and I enter Focus while mana starts flowing through my body.

    I hear a scream.

    Tess gasps.

    Everyone is looking in one direction.

    Towards Damon''s lifeless body.

    My heart races with fear as I catch sight of the massive, hulking bear standing over him. Its thick, gray fur ripples with each heavy breath, and its piercing orange eyes glow like embers.

    <strong>[CinderBear, lvl 19]</strong>

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20

    No one dares to move, not even a little bit. We just stand there and stare at the bear, just like a deer staring at car lights. Unable to move, unable to run.

    We stand there and wait to get hit.

    What makes it even worse is the fact that the bear is staring directly at me.

    I don''t dare to move.

    The Cinderbear sniffs in my direction once again and then turns his attention towards the body at his feet, then back at me.

    After a few more seconds, the monster growls once.

    Vibrations can be felt in my chest, and the few unbroken windows of the bus rumble. Some of them even break. But no one screams.

    Total silence.

    The monster then lowers his massive head and takes a bite of Damon''s stomach. As it pulls, it lifts up Damon''s body, so it uses its paw to hold him down.

    Then it starts chewing while looking around.

    A little bit of blood wets its maw, and then it bites once again, pulling one hand apart from Damon''s body.

    <strong>Crunch, crunch.</strong>

    It eats slowly while looking around. At us, at the forest. For a second, it pauses and sniffs a few times. Again, towards us and towards the forest.

    Another bite.

    <strong>Crunch, crunch.</strong>

    We just watch.

    We are next, aren''t we?

    <strong>SPLAT</strong>

    Damon''s head bursts open under the force of the bear''s bite, creating a messy, wet sound.

    The monster licks its teeth, and using both of its paws, it finishes the rest of the body.

    A few people start crying as the bear stands up.

    But that''s just it. Its eyesnd on me for a second, and then it turns around and leaves.

    A few more seconds.

    Then.

    Screams, panic, crying.

    Everyone rushes back inside the bus. People push each other and scream as they rush in.

    I am one of the first inside.

    My hand trembles uncontrobly. Each breath I take is ragged and uneven, as if I''m gasping for air in a vacuum. My heart pounds in my chest, a constant reminder of the terror I''m experiencing.

    My mind races with thoughts of what could happen next.

    Will I survive?

    Is this the end?

    Every noise, every movement, sends my nerves into overdrive. My senses are on high alert, and I keep mana flowing through my body.

    The same feeling of helplessness and vulnerability washes over me like a wave.

    I try to calm myself, to steady my shaking hand and regte my breathing, but it feels impossible.

    Fuck.

    Fuck!

    FUCK!

    It takes a few hours before anyone dares to go outside. What a dumbass. Who would leave the bus with such a big fucking monster moving around?

    And yup, that dumbass is me.

    Tess was able to get to the roof of the bus with my help. Obviously, a few people followed her as it felt like a safer ce.

    While Tess is keeping watch with her <strong>[Farsight]</strong>, I move around.

    Nothing.

    It''s quiet.

    The forest looks normal again. As normal as a forest can be after a few hours ago when the fucking Cinderbear came out of it.

    It''s strange how quickly things can change - from a source of nightmares to just another stretch of woond.

    But I know that I won''t be forgetting what I saw anytime soon.

    Even now, I feel scared while not letting it show.

    Thankfully, Hadwin quickly joins me, and without saying a word, he fixes the mess I made of the would-be firece.

    I thought I did a good job, but Hadwin totally demolishes it and starts over

    Hey.

    I am a city boy, okay?

    My closest experience to camping is passing by a grill party in someone''s garden.

    Still, I watch carefully and try to remember as much as I can.

    Hadwin lights the fire using a lighter he got from someone inside the bus, and after a few minutes, there is a crackling fire.

    My primitive instincts instantly start lying to me.

    You are safe.

    Fire equals safety.

    Fire good.

    What bullshit.

    I help him, and we hang the deer against the side of the bus. Its hind legs are tied to the top frame of a broken window.

    He is using a knife he got from me. I watch as he deftly slices away the deer''s skin, working his way down from its hind legs to the front legs. The skin peels away with surprising ease, revealing the raw meat beneath.

    Next, he guts the deer, carefully removing the internal organs and discarding them. The smell hits me, and I scrunch my nose, but I continue to watch and learn.

    He works methodically, the knife shing in the sunlight as he separates the organs from the meat. I can see the blood draining from the deer.

    Once the deer is skinned and gutted, he begins to quarter the animal. I watch as he expertly navigates the cuts, making quick work of the process.

    As he moves on to trimming the meat, I can see the precision in his movements.

    So not a cop but a hunter?

    He skillfully slices the meat; after each cut, he carefully sets the pieces of meat aside.

    Meanwhile, we were able to boil water in an iron canister we brought back. Cassian and Dominic have already taken a few sips of the still slightly hot water, and I continue to monitor them while waiting for the water to cool down. They seem to be fine for now.

    "Are you sure?" Dominic asks as Hadwin cuts the deer meat into smaller pieces. "We don''t want that thing toe back after smelling it."

    "It''s not like we''re inconspicuous here. A group of over 20 people is impossible not to notice. But we will use the canister," he nods towards the iron fuel canister we used to boil water in. "It shouldn''t let off too much smell, in our current situation, it''s our best option."

    I guess he doesn''t want to scare people inside and deal with them telling him that animals will smell the meat if we cook it over the fire.

    He turns back to me.

    "They seem to be fine; the water should be safe."

    I look at Dominic and Cassian. They really seem okay at the moment.

    "How long will it take to cook a deer?"

    "One to three hours."

    I am hungry, but I''d rather be safe.

    "Let''s cook it for three hours, and if they are fine when food is done, we can give it a try and drink some."

    "Sure, for now, let''s also put away some boiled water. We can let them eat a bit when the meat is done and wait a few more hours." Hadwin says.

    Great, more waiting.

    "Let''s do that," I agree in the end.

    I look at the duo for a second. They seem to be disturbed by our conversation.

    Ungrateful pricks.

    We put away a few bottles of boiled water, and the older man throws a lot of the meat into the canister and puts it on the fire. We also ce a few pieces of clothing over the opening of the canister in hopes of filtering out the smell. Hopefully, it will help, this and boiling it in water instead of preparing it over the fire.

    I also notice that Hadwin''s fire isn''t smoking that much, just a little bit of pale white smoke.

    That''s good.

    We wait, and as we do, I continue to practice my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong>, but I can''t get fully into it as my eyes keep ncing at the spot where the bear came from. Yet, after three hours, I get at least something.

    I feel something from where Tess is.

    She is practicing her skills too, so maybe I can feel her using mana? It''s as if for a split second, as if I noticed something in the corner of my vision, but when I look there, I see nothing. A feeling like that.

    Yet it''s something.

    I also get the same feeling from Sophie and Hadwin.

    Hadwin is keeping watch while watching the fire, and Sophie¡­

    Well, Sophie is talking to other people while keeping her sister close.

    It''s not that hard to guess what she is doing as my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> keeps getting a "feeling" from her.

    At the start, I want to go there and stop her. To not allow her to slowly manipte people to get on her side, but then I decide not to.

    Most of the passengers are useless at the moment, and if she maniptes them, we might get at least something out of them.

    The same way she manipted Cassian and Dominic. Now I am sure of it.

    But.

    Isn''t her skill too powerful?

    I am sure I can counter it somewhat because of my <strong>[Focus]</strong>, and I have a theory that having higher mana helps too, so I decide to invest all three points into it the next time I level up.

    As for now, Sophie is avoiding Tess and Hadwin.

    Tess most likely because of me and Hadwin because he''s probably at a higher level than her.

    Yet I am not naive enough to believe that she won''t try to control them if given an opportunity.

    Once again, I think about stopping her, maybe even killing her, but quickly change my mind, and my suspicion grows.

    To test it I try something.

    I think about hurting Cassian, and it''s easy to imagine myself fighting him, hurting him. Yet when I try to do the same with Sophie, my mind wanders, and something makes me change my mind while looking for excuses to do so.

    ...

    This can''t be good, can it?

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22

    In the end, Hadwin decides to smoke the rest of the meat. His reasoning is that the smell of meat wouldn''t attract much more attention than a group of more than 20 people.

    The bus and the clearing have be our base, and it looks like we can''t go anywhere if we want to take the bus with us, as the clearing is surrounded by dense forest that''s too thick for the bus to move through.

    So we all wait for the end of the <strong>[Side quest]</strong>. During that time, I drink some water, eat some meat, take a short nap on the floor inside the bus, and practice handling my skills and mana.

    The sun, or whatever it is in the sky, does not move at all. For a whole 24 hours, not even a little bit. The weather is the same. The clouds look mostly the same. The wind is the same.

    There is something deeply disturbing about that.

    Then, a few minutes before thepletion of the <strong>[Side quest]</strong>, a man stops in front of me.

    ¡°Ethan Lee,¡± he introduces himself. He is 10 or so years older than me, and his clothes are as neat as they can be in our situation. I notice a few luxury brands and even his watch seems to be expensive.

    ¡°Greetings, Nathaniel, right? I couldn''t help but notice your impressive skills. I''ll be direct. I''m pretty affluent in the real world. I''m willing topensate you for your assistance in keeping me safe. Of course, I understand if you have other priorities, but I think you''d be missing out on a valuable opportunity if you passed this up."

    Uh?

    Okay?

    Is he for real?

    Just out of curiosity, I ask, ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°I am asking how much you are going to pay me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see, straight to the point.¡± He gives me a sly smile and fixes his clothes. ¡°One million dors,¡± he says, as if it''s something amazing.

    I give him a moment, but he doesn''t say anything else.

    Dumbass.

    ¡°What do you think will happen when we get back to Earth?¡±

    ¡°You''ve lost me there¡­¡±

    One million dors? What does he think will happen if we get back to Earth? Even right now, someone like Sophie would be worth tens of millions with her skill.

    In 5 years?

    Just a handful of people could be enough to fuck up entire nations.

    One million. That''s funny. Really.

    "I am not interested." The conversation ends for me at this point, and I don''t even listen to what he says. After a minute, he just leaves, and I get back to counting down until thepletion of the quest.

    <strong>[Side questpleted]</strong>

    <strong>Please choose one of the following rewards:</strong>

    <strong>- Flint and Steel Fire Starter</strong>

    <strong>- Crossbow</strong>

    <strong>- Short Sword</strong>

    <strong>- Pouch of Dried Rations</strong>

    <strong>- Portable Leather sk</strong>

    <strong>- Small Hand Shovel</strong>

    <strong>- Cloak</strong>

    <strong>- Mace</strong>

    <strong>- Longbow</strong>

    <strong>- Light Armor</strong>

    <strong>- Leather Bracers</strong>

    <strong>- Chainmail Hauberk</strong>

    <strong>- Full te Armor</strong>

    <strong>- Shield</strong>

    <strong>- Spear</strong>

    <strong>- Dagger</strong>

    <strong>- Halberd</strong>

    <strong>- Greataxe</strong>

    <strong>- Greatsword</strong>

    <strong>- Scale Armor</strong>

    <strong>- Padded Armor</strong>

    <strong>- Bedroll</strong>

    <strong>- Clothes</strong>

    <strong>- Waxed Canvas Tarp</strong>

    <strong>- Sling</strong>

    <strong>- Warhammer </strong>

    <strong>...</strong>

    The list continues and is literally hundreds of items long without any categories, not even in alphabetical order. Just a mess of random stuff.

    Obviously, I have to scroll through all of them and see if there is anything more useful than what I wanted.

    I go through the entire list, and in the end, it''s still either a mace or a spear.

    Since the start, I''ve wanted to pick a weapon, as everything else is useless if I''m not able to defend myself.

    The spear might be more versatile and easier to master - I think. It can also be used for hunting or fishing, and for someone who doesn''t have experience with weapons, it could be easier to handle than a mace. Another advantage is reach, but that could also be a disadvantage in a dense forest.

    The mace, on the other hand, is more fight-focused and less versatile. Also, I would have to get close to the enemy to deal damage. Yet, I like this option a bit more, as I should be able to deal much more damage just by swinging it like a bat, and it should be more durable without needing to sharpen the de.

    So in the end, I pick the mace.

    The weapon appears in front of me. No sh, no noise. It just appears on the ground right in front of me. One second there''s nothing, and then, even without me blinking, there''s a mace on the grass.

    I feel goosebumps all over my body.

    I even activated my<strong> [Focus]</strong> and <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong>, but I didn''t notice a thing.

    Sigh.

    One more thing I hate about this whole situation.

    I bend down and pick up the mace.

    The handle is made of sturdy wood. It is smooth to the touch, making itfortable to grip. The head of the mace is made of iron, with menacing nges protruding from it. The weight of the iron head feels substantial, making the mace feel heavy in hand.

    The entire mace feels bnced, making it maneuverable and easy to wield, even for someone like me who is inexperienced with such weapons.

    Hmm, not bad.

    I think I like it overall.

    I give it a few swings; it will take some time to get used to it, but it''s doable.

    Okay, let''s check if we got a new side quest.

    <strong>[Floor quest]</strong>

    <strong>Stay alive for 30 days</strong>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <strong>- Entrance to the second floor</strong>

    <strong>- ess to Community</strong>

    <strong>- 1 skill point</strong>

    <strong>- 5 stat points</strong>

    <strong>[Side quest]</strong>

    <strong>Reach level 10.</strong>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <strong>- Trait of your choice</strong>

    Huh? A Trait? What could it be? I didn''t notice anything like that before. Is it something new?

    Also, what about sses?

    Does "unavable" mean that I don''t fit the requirements to get one, or are they just straight up unavable to me in Hell difficulty or on the 1st floor?

    The longer we stay here, the more questions I have.

    When I look around, I notice a short bow in Hadwin''s hands. This decision surprises me slightly, as it seems like a dumb one.

    Then, I see a few other people bringing him stuff.

    Short sword.

    A shield.

    Axe.

    Ethan is one of the people giving Hadwin their gear.

    Huh? Did he make some deal with all of them? And they agreed? How dumb are they?

    Hadwin is more ruthless than I thought.

    To be honest I might be disappointed I didn''te up with that by myself.

    Tess and Sophie both got a spear. Kevin is already putting on some sort of armor.

    So what now?

    If things go the way thest 12 hours went, surviving one month doesn''t seem that impossible. We already have a source of water, and we should be able to hunt a few more animals.

    That''s option one.

    Option two is going into the forest with the purpose of leveling up.

    The second option is much more dangerous, but there is also a chance that something will attack us even when we''re not trying to level up. So just sitting here and trying to survive feels naive to me. The safety we''re feeling now is super unreliable and feels more like luck than something that is expected.

    Soon after, I notice Hadwin and Sophie grouping up. Cassian and Dominic join them, and they slowly enter the forest.

    Hadwin even looks towards me, and a small, apologetic smile appears on his lips. Then, they''re gone.

    Well, there goes the neighborhood watch.

    I don¡ät want to sound too cocky but they better be careful, going there without me If this were a video game, I''d be mashing the quicksave button right now.

    Also, did I just get ditched?

    ...

    What the hell Hadwin?!

    Did Sophie get him as well, or was it his decision? Does he think he doesn''t need me now when he''s more geared up? Is his target bing stronger than me? I don''t like it, not even a little bit. And what annoys me probably the most is that I somehow did expect Hadwin to organize everything and thene to ask me. Sure, I did want to rely on him while dealing with other people, but this?

    Since when did I be so indecisive ande to rely on others to take a lead?

    "Tess," I stop in front of a bunch of kids. "Are you going with me?"

    I''m not in a good mood, so if she declines, I''m done with her.

    That will be it, and I''ll start a solo career as the world''s least social adventurer.

    Sure, it will be more dangerous, but I can do it. If Sophie and Hadwin be stronger, I''ll be at disadvantage.

    Tess just nods shortly and stands up.

    "I''d like to take Kevin as well; I already gave him my old spear."

    Kevin is standing there, wearing armor and holding her old spear. There''s excitement visible on his face. It seems like they already talked about it.

    "He''ll have to listen to me. Did you exin it to him?"

    "He will; we did talk about that, right?"

    Kevin nods. This time, he seems to be a bit more serious.

    We take a little bit of time to get ready.

    "Let''s go." I lead them towards the opposite side of the clearing where the others disappeared. I put my knife away, and I hold the mace in my right hand as we enter. My left hand is almost fully healed, so I feel confident.

    Me at the front, Tess behind me, with Kevin at thest back; his main job this time is to leave marks for us so we won''t get lost. At the start, I don''t forget to control him a little bit, but he''s doing it properly.

    As always I am surprised by how normal this forest looks, sounds, and smell as we enter deeper and deeper.

    "Right side," Tess whispers after what feels like around 30 minutes of walking.

    We all instantly slow down. "It looks like the deer we foundst time," she continues, so I nod. "Deer level 3," she adds after a moment.

    "You can kill it." I don''t have enough range to hunt it, but Tess should be able to kill it from what I saw before, and some experience is good for her. With my <strong>[Mana Perception] </strong>activated, I watch as she throws her new spear. It flies much faster than it should. It also changes its trajectory a little bit as it leaves her hand.

    With a scream the deer falls to the ground. Dead.

    Nice, get fucked Hadwin.

    "Wait," her voice is louder than before.

    Rustling.

    Stomping.

    A tall figure moves away branches of trees and stops in front of the deer; it sniffs the deer and then looks right towards us.

    <strong> [Troll, lvl 6]</strong>

    It''s a hulking mass of muscle standing 3 to 4 meters tall (<em>9.8 to 13.1 feet</em>). Its long arms hang down, easily reaching the ground as it slouches menacingly. Dark, mottled skin stretches tightly over its massive frame, a grotesque disy of raw power. Its monstrous face is a horrifying sight, with rows of massive teeth protruding from its twisted, gaping maw.

    The troll''s eyes, filled with a predatory hunger, staring right at us.

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34

    The once-peaceful forest transforms into an eerie, unsettling ce. Every rustle and crack makes my heart race, and the sense of foreboding grows heavier with each passing second.

    It is then that the monster makes its entrance. Emerging from the dense foliage, the giant gray bear steps into the clearing with a deliberate, unhurried pace.

    The bear''s enormous paws make a sickening crunch as they crush the underbrush and fallen leaves beneath them. Its massive size and power are evident in the way the ground trembles with each step it takes.

    The most chilling aspect of the giant gray bear''s appearance, however, is its eyes.

    They glow with an unnatural orange light, as if fueled by a fire that burns within the monster itself.

    A wave of mana hits the clearing and everyone bes paralyzed with fear.

    As the bear continues its slow, methodical advance, the forest grows quieter and quieter.

    Its low growl reverberates through the air, a rumbling sound that makes your body shake.

    Once again, the bear looks at me and then at the ground in front of it.

    <strong>[Cinderbear, lvl 20]</strong>

    The creature has leveled up.

    Waves of mana I feel from the bear make my stomach clench, and my entire body feels as if it isn''t getting enough air. It is even hard to breathe.

    The bear takes a few steps towards us and then stops, looking at us with its wild but intelligent eyes.

    One minute.

    Two.

    Three.

    Cinderbear just keeps looking. At some point, someone screams out of fear and desperation. The monster''s ears seem to perk up, but it just stays where it is and growls back. The remaining unbroken windows on the bus shatter, and the guy instantly shuts up.

    "What does it want?!"

    "I-i can¡ät run."

    "Can we fight it?"

    "He should fight it!"

    "Maybe it''s friendly?"

    Then someone says something I''ve been thinking about:

    "Maybe it wants to eat something? Just likest time?"

    Everyone falls silent, and we all remember the scene of Damon''s body being slowly consumed by the bear. The monster growls and moves even closer. As it walks, it steps on a few spikes and hits several palisades with its paw. The pieces of wood shatter without dealing any damage.

    With the memory of Damon''s gruesome fate fresh in our minds, people exchange scared nces, unsure of how to handle the terrifying beast. The bear is getting closer and closer, and the fear is bing worse and worse.

    Our feet feel glued to the ground.

    The air feels thicker now, and cold sweat is running down my back.

    I thought I might be able to do something the next time we met the bear, but no, I can''t do anything. Even thinking about running away feels impossible.

    I feel... pathetic.

    In a moment of selfish desperation, Ethan screams, his face twisted with panic, "Maybe we can throw it someone, just likest time! We should give it... someone." His eyes dart around, searching for the weakest among us, hoping to save himself at the expense of another.

    The group recoils in horror at the suggestion, but the fear makes it hard to dismiss his ideapletely.

    Ethan''s eyesnd on Sophie''s sister, but he quickly changes his mind, and his eyes stop at Lily, a petite, defenseless-looking girl. "We should... I''m sorry..." he desperately moves closer and grabs her; she screams.

    At the moment, no one is able to move, so they react a bitte as he instantly starts pulling her closer to throw her at the bear.

    I agree with him. He is most likely right. He is only trying to save his life.

    But.

    What does he think he is doing?

    In front of me!?

    I¡äm finally able to take a step and grab his neck while strengthening myself with mana. With my other hand, I break his hand he put on Lily, and he screams in pain. Then I pull him away from the girl. Towards the bear.

    I am thankful, Ethan, you made the first move; at this moment, you were more decisive than me.

    But.

    That girl is someone I know a bit. I''ve talked with her a little and she always tries to speak nicely to me and not annoy me. You, on the other hand, I don''t know.

    You''re a stranger to me.

    So It''s not a hard decision.

    I pull him away from the others and throw him towards the bear while strengthening my body. He flies through the air, falls down, and then rolls until he stops right in front of the bear.

    He looks up, shaken and confused, and then screams upon seeing the bear''s maw right in front of him.

    He uses his skill, and a light blue, thin barrier of mana appears around him.

    Meanwhile, my eyes meet those of Cinderbear, and I feel a wave of mana from him, while he ignores the screaming human beneath him. Then he turns his attention back to Ethan.

    The barrier instantly breaks the moment the monster touches it with its paw.

    <strong>Crack.</strong>

    It steps onto Ethan''s left hand. The shield made of mana shes into existence once more but instantly breaks. The bear bites his other hand and pulls it off with a wet sound of tearing muscles and tendons.

    Ethan is still screaming.

    Still alive as Cinderbear slowly chews his hand while curiously looking down at the man.

    Then the bear leans closer and takes a bite of the man''s belly.

    I am sure I will remember his screams until the day I die.

    Slowly, they be weaker and weaker, he coughs up a lot of blood and then passes out.

    The monster slowly eats the entire man while looking at us and casually ncing around.

    There isn''t even a hint of wariness towards us as he finishes his meal.

    After he is done, he licks his maw, and another pulse of mana shes towards me. This time, I am able to sense that it''s focused on the broken ne in my pocket.

    Then, Cinderbear leaves once more.

    A few hours after the bear leaves, I go into the forest.

    Alone.

    I hunt and kill everything I can find.

    Trolls, goblins, wolves, animals. I murder anything I see. Rage and mana are burning in my veins as I do so.

    I''ve never felt so weak.

    I''ve never felt so defenseless.

    All I could do was watch and sit there, not even able to run.

    Just helplessly wait and hope one man would be enough.

    Pathetic.

    I hate it, I despise it, I don''t want to feel like this.

    Never again.

    Time passes, and I finally get the message I wanted.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Troll Lvl 11]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 9 > Lvl 10]</strong>

    <strong>[Well done! The side quest has been sessfullypleted. Please select one of the traits. The traits are based on your actions and performance up until now within the Tutorial.</strong>

    <strong>Be advised: humans are limited to three Traits.</strong>

    <strong>Choose with caution.]</strong>

    The system has be nicer out of nowhere.

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37

    ¡°No, no. You have to use much less mana. Right now, you''re wasting a lot of it. Also, try doing it a bit faster.¡±

    ¡°It''s not that easy!¡±

    Huhu.

    I continue to bully Tess while teaching her to improve her <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>. With my trait, my handling of mana has improved a lot, and I don''t feel that bad about her getting such good skills.

    I''m helping her, right? I''m totally not doing it because of some petty reason, like herughing while remembering me getting punched in the face by someone old enough to be my dad.

    Not at all!

    ¡°Faster!¡±

    "..."

    Oh, Tess! Don''t look at me like that! It''s for your own good.

    She only sighs, ¡°There''s a troll in front of us; this way.¡± She points towards her right, and with a short nod, I head there while pulling out my sword. Soon enough, I see a baby troll.

    <strong>[Troll - lvl 6]</strong>

    Right now, I''m at a higher level than the monster, but I''m sure that it''s still much stronger than me, and its constitution is higher.

    As many times before, a rain of small stones flies like bullets from Tess and right onto the troll''s face. They hit him hard. Most of them shatter on his skin, but some hit its weaker points, such as its eyes.

    The troll roars and turns to me while sniffing. It covers its eyes while swinging its hand at me.

    This time, I send a pulse of my mana towards the bottom half of my body and dash to the side. The troll is too slow to react and my sword''s de passes through its legs like it''s made out of butter. The de, coated in osciting mana, cuts through it like that.

    With another roar full of pain, the creature loses bnce and falls down. I dodge slightly, and while it''s falling, I make a diagonal cut across its face, deep enough to split it open. I dodge just in time to avoid a shower of its brain matter and blood.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Troll - lvl 6]</strong>

    ¡°There are fewer and fewer goblins and more trolls; do you think we entered their territory or something?¡±

    ¡°It looks like it. We can be thankful that we ended up surrounded by goblins and not trolls.¡±

    ¡°Just one troll would be enough to tear through us¡­¡±

    Yup, exactly.

    That''s what I''ve been saying the entire time. After seeing the monsters that are lurking around, I know that we were super lucky.

    Or maybe not?

    Maybe the system put us in a slightly less dangerous starting zone?

    We continue.

    ¡°So, you were saying that I should get Mana Circuit as a trait if it''s offered to me?¡±

    ¡°Probably? You might get offered something better, but right now, I think picking it was the right decision.¡±

    ¡°No, I think you''re right. Humans probably don''t have bodies evolved to handle mana, so giving it a push like that sounds logical.¡±

    Right? I think so too!

    ¡°But Mana Heart also sounded good.¡±

    Hmm, how to exin it?

    ¡°Imagine that you have a car.¡±

    I move under a few branches and hold one up so Tess can walk under it as well. Then I wait for her to finish leaving the mark on the tree.

    ¡°You collect enough money and you buy a bigger engine. A much bigger engine goes into it, and the rest of the car remains the same. At some point, you go out, excited to try it¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, but then you step on the gas, the car rushes ahead, and it breaks?¡±

    ¡°It either breaks, or you won''t be able to handle it. You can''t turn that easily anymore because it''s much stronger. You can''t stop quite as fast because it''s much heavier.¡±

    She falls deep into her thoughts.

    ¡°I think I agree with you somewhat.¡±

    I see that I still haven''t persuaded herpletely, but that''s okay.

    But let''s not tell her that I am doing the exact opposite with my stats.

    Yup, do as I say, not as I do!

    She should decide for herself and then bear the consequences or fruits of her decision.

    ¡°Let''s wait for the second group and exchange information.¡±

    I only nod and we wait in silence while keeping a watch.

    After 5 or so minutes, I feel a wave of mana wash over my body. When it senses my mana signature, it instantly pulls back, and after a minute or so, Sophie, Kevin, and Kim appear from the forest.

    ¡°Hello, fellow scouts.¡± Kevin smiles brightly, and I sigh, already getting tired.

    I let Tess deal with them, and for a second, my eyes meet those of a thin Korean boy wearing big sses.

    He smiles awkwardly and shrugs his shoulders, then looks away.

    Huhu, my best test subj¡­ my best student!

    Other than mine, his <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> is the highest level, and his skill¡­

    <strong>[Telekinesis]</strong> seems to be a bit weaker version of Tess''s <strong>[Psychokinesis]</strong>, as I think Tess can do much more than just manipte objects with her mind. Also, the raw power of her skill seems to be stronger than Kim''s.

    But the boy got another skill, <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong>. It''s still low level, but as for now, he can increase or decrease the weight of items he''s touching, but in the future¡­

    Okay, breathe in, breathe out.

    Good.

    Now don''t whine; it''s getting annoying.

    Good.

    The power of self-reflection!

    Anyway, he is an extremely hard-working and smart boy, but the weirdest thing is that he seems to be the happiest to be here out of all the kids.

    Yes, even more than Kevin.

    He''s not showing it that much, but I can feel it in the way he maniptes his mana with excitement. I often see him looking around while smiling gently and just taking in the air.

    Well, as I said some time ago. We might all be weirdos, and that''s why we ended up here.

    They talk for a bit longer and then leave. As they are going, I can feel Sophie looking for targets for her <strong>[Maniption]</strong> and using it as detection. It''s pretty shrewd.

    ¡°We have two more hours, and then we will have to set up camp and set up some defenses,¡± Tess says.

    Seems doable enough.

    Behold!

    My nature-inspired abode with a ssic touch.Constructed from stones sourced from the earth''s depths. It''s cool and pleasant, ensuring afortable summer climate.

    Spacious enough to amodate around 20 guests!

    The entrance is¡­

    Yes, yes¡­ it''s a cave.

    For heaven''s sake.

    It''s wet, it''s cold, it smells, and I really hope it isn''t a ce where Cinderbear likes to take a nap.

    After looking around for like thirty minutes, we didn''t find anything, so we decide to set up our camp here.

    Everyone else already joined us, and plenty of people with superhuman strength start cutting down the trees, moving giant stones to create a wall, and trying to make this dump¡­ our camp asfortable as possible.

    Somehow Kevin ended up having to help move the heaviest stones.

    Damn.

    How could that happen?

    Please, don''t look at me like that while moving that stone; people will think you hate me!

    Well, as the strongest one out of us, I am keeping watch with Sophie¡­

    Someone, I am talking about you, HADWIN, did rmend Tess to use her psychokinesis to move heavy stuff, and so I ended up keeping watch with Ms. Mindbender.

    At some point, her pulses of mana be really annoying.

    Not because of frequency but because of how they feel.

    I restrain myself, not wanting to help her at all, but after about 30 minutes, it bes even more annoying. How are you not improving?

    More time passes, and I swear she is even worse than before. At some point, she tried to experiment a bit and it somehow made it even more annoying.

    Oh,e on.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± she turns to me, not even expecting me to talk to her, ¡°Don''t move your mana like this. Try¡­¡±

    I continue to give her a few tips on how to better handle her mana and reduce the waste.

    The way she does it feels like looking for someone while screaming right next to their ear and asking where they are.

    She listens quietly and tries it a few times, and I continue to correct her every time she does it wrong. I do it like 20 times, but she still continues and tries to fix it withoutining.

    Herst try feels much better than what she''s been doing the entire time, so I stop and leave her to her own practice.

    She''s a bit better now, and I breathe out with satisfaction. It really annoyed me.

    Both of us keep watch like this for the remainder of the time until a sweaty and breathless Kevines to us.

    ¡°Damn, can''t you two sit further from each other? A bit more, and you won''t be able to see each other,¡± he giggles; even tired, he has enough energy for his nonsense.

    ¡°Dinner''s ready, Tess should be here soon to take over watching.¡±

    Seeing no reaction, the boy leaves, and I continue to watch while feeling the pulses of Sophie''s mana near me.

    Only then do I realize who I helped, and uncertainty washes over me.

    Did I really do it just because I got annoyed?

    I didn''t feel her mana touching my body, and I kept <strong>[Focus]</strong> running the entire time.

    Still, I''m unsure if I''ll ever be certain about her manipting me or not.

 Chapter 51: When Darkness Falls

    Chapter 51: When Darkness Falls

    Unable to lie to myself, I put three points into mana. At this point, it starts to feel as if I''m going to kill myself sooner than my enemies.

    It''s like I''m drawn to it, you know?

    I can''t help but seek it, I want more, and I''d even let go of some things to get it.

    It''s so dumb and illogical, but at the same time, it makes me happy.

    Happy and scared at once.

    <strong>Lvl 19</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong><em>13</em>

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong><em>12</em>

    <strong>Constitution: </strong><em>27</em>

    <strong>Mana:</strong><em>39</em>

    This can''t be good, right? Even now, I can feel my body creaking under pressure as I use more and more mana. Only my control holds it back from wreaking havoc on my body as I continue to strengthen myself.

    Dang it, I''d better learn some amazing skills in the future to make use of all this mana. Using it mostly to strengthen my body feels good, sure, but at the same time, it''s as if I''m using a sports car just to get to the shop and back home.

    Wasted mana lies here dormant, waiting until my skills are good enough.

    Soon!

    Hopefully...

    My perception warns me, and I jump backward just in time to avoid a troll hitting the ground where I once stood.

    <strong>[Battle Troll - lvl 11]</strong>

    Its tattoos are red and glowing. The troll grabs his club and swings it at me again. My mana pushes against him, and I lift my empty hand against the club, quickly absorbing the energy of his swing. It slowly slows down until it hits my hand.

    It feels as if someone hit my palm with their fist.

    I focus, and the absorbed energy explodes against the troll, making him stagger backward. With a jump, I reach his neck and stab my hand through it, the hand coated in osciting mana. Then I jump backward, leaving the troll to slowly die.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Battle Troll - lvl 11]</strong>

    The fight continues for a few more minutes, and then we move once again through the forest, trying to avoid a bigger group of monsters and not stay in one spot for too long.

    "Kim reached level ten and got a trait," Tess says after rejoining me.

    <strong>Telekic Reflexes (Passive):</strong>

    <em>This trait heightens the user''s reflexes and reaction time by using their telekinesis to subtly manipte their own movements. This enhancement allows the user to react more quickly and urately inbat, improving their ability to dodge attacks and execute precise movements.</em>

    "He said it might allow him to fly or give some hints so he can learn to fly in the future. He didn''t even check the other traits."

    At this point, I don''t even know what to say. In some ways, Kim might be even worse than me.

    "Hadwin''sing," she stops and falls quiet once again until the manes from behind the trees, followed by one of the kids from his group, the boy.

    His name is either Dennis or Aaron; it''s hard to say since they are twins. Usually, that wouldn''t be a problem, as I can find out by their mana signature, but the weird thing is that their mana signatures are the same.

    The question is, is it because they are twins or is there some other trickery at y here?

    Hadwin goes straight to the point. "The monsters continue to attack even from our back, so I think it''s better if Dennis stays with you. He and his brother have a connection and can talk to each other. So in case something happens, he can tell you." He looks at me.

    Hmm, that''s a fairly useful skill, but what about his request? Should I decline?

    Coming back to help others isn''t such a bother, and Lily, Kevin, and Kim are there as well, and I have a feeling that I owe them at least a bit.

    "We can do that, but you know that I won''t ensure his safety, right?"

    The boy is around 17 years old and not that tall. He has short blonde hair and green eyes. Sure, he does have some muscle, but he seems more athletic than strong. But that can be misleading, as mana can turn even a little girl into a human methrower.

    "It''s okay! I can take care of myself!" he shes his bright white teeth and smiles at us.

    Right here and at this time, while we are surrounded by the corpses of the monsters, his smile feels more creepy than cheerful.

    Yup, as I said, no one on the bus was normal, none.

    Or are we just getting used to all this stuff?

    "Okay then."

    "See youter and be careful," the man quickly leaves, leaving us with the boy.

    I turn to our newest group member.

    "Just stay quiet and near Tess; that''s all you need to do." Understanding immediately, he nods and does exactly that as we continue.

    During the fights, Dennis stays silent and calm while Tess and I take care of everything.

    What makes me curious about him is the thin string of mana going from him towards where Hadwin went.

    Is it formunicating with his brother?

    Can I copy it?

    It''s so interesting.

    I almost can''t feel it, and if Hadwin hadn''t told me about it, I''m sure I would have had a hard time even finding out about it. Even now, I have to look really closely to even sense it, and yet most of the time, I don''t. Only sometimes, when he sends a really weak pulse of mana through it, probably sending a message.

    Is he sending words? Images? Feelings? Sounds?

    "Nathaniel..." Tess''s voice brings me back to reality.

    Oh, I got lost right there. But worry not; I would feel the mana if someone came too close!

    "The sky looks weird." She''s right; there are more and more clouds, and even the wind is getting stronger. In the past hour or two, our surroundings have started to be more and more quiet.

    The silence before the storm, such a thing.

    But it''s new. During the time we''ve spent here, the sky has changed only from two suns and a blue sky with a few clouds to an inky ck sky with only aurora-like lights on it.

    Sometimes we also saw the exact same clouds multiple times.

    So seeing them darken like that and more and more of them is kind of disturbing.

    "Aaron says we shoulde back..."

    Huh? Isn''t that too soon?

    "Attack?"

    "Nothing as of now, but there are more and more monsters surrounding them, and it''s as if they''re waiting for something."

    I don''t like that at all. What is the system nning now?

    "Let''s go back."

    I turn back to where we came from and start walking ahead. This time I don''t even check Tess for direction and follow the thin thread of mana leading from Dennis towards his brother.

    The clouds are getting darker and darker, and it''s getting hard to see, as we can''t even see the suns anymore.

    The trees are creaking under the wind, and the leaves are wildly flying everywhere. Even with our strengthened bodies, it''s slowly getting harder to push through it.

    Then the rain starts.

    It''s cold and falls on us like a shower. One moment there is nothing, and half a secondter, we are drenched in water.

    The raindrops are weakly tinged in the same colors as aurora-like lights during the night. Pink, green, and blue. They continue hitting our bodies with surprising force.

    There are no monsters around us, and that makes me even more nervous.

    "We have to hurry," the boy screams, trying to shout over the rain, the creaking sounds of trees, and the wind.

    So we push.

    At some point, it''s hard to track the thin string of mana. The raindrops hold tiny bits of mana inside them, so it''s starting to mess up my<strong> [Mana Perception]</strong> pretty badly, and I let the boy take over and lead us towards the group.

    As we are getting closer to the others, I get the same feeling as when the suns disappeared.

    For a few seconds, all the raindrops pause in the air as if someone stopped time, even the wind stops.

    In deafening silence, I hear the screeches of the monsters.

    Then the rain continues, and we start running faster.

    "Hurry, please," Dennis says, and I can barely hear him through the rain.

    A minuteter, another monstrous wave of mana washes over the entire forest, and the raindrops hover in the air without falling.

    This time we continue to run through them.

    A few momentster, I hear the low, deep growl of a bear, and the rain resumes, silencing the roars of the monsters.

    I quickly check the timer.

    <strong>Time left until forced return: 4y 336d 23h 59m 42s</strong>

    There are two days left.

 Chapter 52: When Lightning Strikes

    Chapter 52: When Lightning Strikes

    At one moment, Dennis'' mana shines brightly, and he disappears. Immediately after, he reappears in the same spot. His clothes are now covered in blood, and he is breathless.

    "Please hurry," he says weakly, "Dennis and the others won''t be able to hold on for too long." He leans against a tree, almost falling down.

    Dennis? Is this his twin Aaron? Did they switch ces?

    That would exin the wounds.

    "Where are Lily, Kevin, and Kim?" I ask shortly.

    "There''s no time. You have to..."

    He pauses when I step in front of him.

    "This way..." he points his hand somewhere.

    The thin string that connects the twins is leading right where he is pointing.

    "If they''re not there, I will hurt your brother."

    His mouth opens and closes. His eyes turn to Tess, asking for help.

    Is he messing with me?

    I punch the wound on his chest, and he screams.

    He tries to say something, but I punch his wound again, and he lets out an even louder scream.

    "Where?"

    My voice sounds too calm, even to myself.

    Finally, some fear appears in his sky-blue eyes.

    His hand moves, shaking, and he points somewhere.

    "Tess?"

    "I can''t see through the raindrops."

    I give ast look to the boy and dash towards where he was pointing.

    Tess leaves one of her spears with him and follows me without any further hesitation.

    My <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> continues to fire up into the surroundings, but too much informationes back at me. Every single raindrop holds some mana as they fall, glowing slightly, illuminating our surroundings somehow.

    But I continue.

    I send mana further and further.

    I unleash the entirety of my mana and filter out the useless information.

    It hurts me, but I push through.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong> makes the dull colors around me even less vibrant, but the mana in the drops shines even brighter.

    "I''m sorry, I can''t see a thing..." Tess apologizes, but I almost don''t hear her.

    The rain continues to hit us harder and harder, and I can feel the unnatural speed and weight of the raindrops on my skin.

    My mana res up into my surroundings, and I absorb the kic energy of all the drops I can.

    Tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands.

    The drops of water slow down, and for a moment, they pause in the air.

    "Follow me."

    Then I use <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong> to propel myself ahead, releasing a shockwave behind me.

    Rain continues to fall, but I repeat the process.

    Again and again.

    Drenched in water I continue to use my skills.

    I get better at it and absorb more energy.

    I do it faster and faster.

    My <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> pushes through all the distractions, and I finally catch a feel of Kim''s mana.

    Instantly, I change the direction I am running in and dash towards it with Tess somewhere far behind.

    When I get closer, I start to hear the monsters even through the heavy rain, and soon see them.

    <strong>[Two-Headed Wolf - lvl 13]</strong>

    The monster is attacking the group made up of Kim, Kevin, and Lily.

    Kevin is at the front, already barehanded, but his palms seem to be burning in bright mes even in the heavy rain we are in.

    He continues to reflect the monster''s attack back at it, and every time he does so, he also reflects some raindrops away from him.

    The monster seems to be careful, and there are a few burn spots on its skin.

    Meanwhile, Kim continues to move his iron ore around and attack smaller monsters, only asionally throwing it at the wolf. Lily stays close to him, holding a goblin spear in her shaking arm.

    The wolf roars, and mana collects in its body as mes start forming in its mouth. Bright blue in one mouth and dark purple in the other.

    That makes Kevin stagger backward in surprise.

    I nt my feet on the ground, clench my core, and twist my body, throwing the weapon in my hand at the wolf. It flies through the air, boosted by my skill and the force of my strengthened body.

    The projectile forcefully strikes the monster right in the midst of its attack. As it reels from the impact, one of its menacing heads swivels around, fixing its piercing gaze upon me, clearly singling me out as its next target. The air around us crackles with tension as the creature and I prepare.

    Once again, I gather the kic energy from the raindrops surrounding me, harnessing their power to amplify my own abilities. With my body''s strength enhanced by the infusion of mana and the support of my skills, I charge headlong towards the wolf.

    As I soar through the air, the glistening droplets of water be a blur around me, and I approach the wolf with incredible speed.

    Right before hitting it with my body, I use my skill again, absorbing the kic energy of my body, which makes me stop on the spot. Immediately after, I use that energy to propel myself to the side and dodge the wolf''s bite.

    <strong>[Oscition]</strong> envelops my hand, and a razor-sharp de of mana materializes, extending to a lengthparable to that of a short sword. The energy vibrates and hums as it emanates from my fingertips.

    I close the distance between the wolf and myself and in one fluid motion, I strike at the creature, severing one of its heads. Blood spurts from the wound, and the beast howls in pain.

    The wolf''s head falls to the ground, and it continues to move and try to bite me, but I kick it away while the stump of its neck keeps spewing blood.

    The second head instantly turns to me and shoots mes, but I am not there anymore.

    Kevin''s palm strikes the wolf''s side, and the impact is powerful enough to make the creature howl in pain. As it jumps away from him, the monster appears disoriented and injured.

    Before it gets out of my reach, I absorb some energy and attack the wolf, leaving three deep shes on its chest and neck before the mana around my hand disappears.

    The monster thrashes around and falls down after a moment.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Two-Headed Wolf - lvl 13]</strong>

    Amidst the pouring rain, another monster appears.

    <strong>[Stormbear - lvl 14]</strong>

    Electricity crackles and dances around its dark, shaggy fur, casting an eerie glow in the gloomy surroundings. The ground trembles beneath its massive paws as it charges towards me with intimidating speed, revealing a gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth, eachrger than my hand.

    I absorb some energy from the rain, and the raindrops in a vast area slow down to a crawl.

    A bit of that energy pushes Kevin towards Kim and Lily, and I take a step towards the charging bear.

    More and more energy enters my body, and the Stormbear slows down as if it is running through water.

    With each pounding beat of my heart, I can feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

    I take another step.

    As I gather more energy, my mana surges within me, threatening to spiral out of control like a wild, untamed storm.

    Despite the chaotic forces churning inside, I focus my mind and control the power that dwells within me, ready to be unleashed when the moment is right.

    The bear stands before me as I unleash all that energy in a narrow cone. The force of the st obliterates one of the monster''s front legs, reducing it to a mist of flesh, bones, and blood. Unable to maintain its bnce, the bear staggers and copses onto the ground in front of me.

    The electricity around the monster dissipates, and an osciting mana appears on my hand once more as I bury my hand deep inside the monster''s head.

    For a moment, electricity touches my hand, but it''s torn apart by my <strong>[Oscition]</strong>.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Stormbear - lvl 14]</strong>

    I feel another presence, and two more bears appear.

    <strong>[Stormbear - lvl 12]</strong>

    <strong>[Stormbear - lvl 15]</strong>

    Even through the rain, I feel Tess''s mana and a terrible howling noise fills the surroundings.

    Two massive chunks of iron, tempered with Tess''s mana,e flying towards the bigger bear.

    Unlike before, the mana around the ores feels different.

    More dangerous, vicious.

    The projectiles soar through the air with a fearsome sound, apanied by a trail of red and white lightning that flickers and dances in their wake.

    The ores hit the bear, and immediately, lightninges down from the sky.

    Red lightning with traces of white.

    It hits the ore that''s buried inside the bear, and an explosion ensues, burning the monster''s body and sending a shockwave to the other bear.

    Right after, I feel the mana collecting in Tess''s chest, a signal for me, and I dash forward. My mana vibrates and cuts through the stunned level 12 bear, and then I finish the terribly wounded bigger bear.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Stormbear - lvl 12]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated the Stormbear - lvl 15]</strong>

 Chapter 53: The Monster in the Rain

    Chapter 53: The Monster in the Rain

    One hour passes, and I continue to fight.

    It feels as if I will be torn apart by my mana and the absorbed kic energy if I lose my focus even for a second.

    The rain continues to fall down even harder, and at this point, the raindrops nearly hurt.

    My body''s burning.

    My muscles are screaming.

    My head feels like it''s about to explode.

    Yet, I feel so alive.

    I lead mana through my circuit. It moves at dizzying speed, and it hurts every time I lose control over it and it crashes inside my body.

    But I continue to improve even more. I move faster and more recklessly. I do not fear.

    My mana pool feels bottomless and I continue use more and more mana, yet there''s still a lot left over.

    It''s fun.

    I dodge, and a cone of absorbed kic energy blows off the monster''s head.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Bear - lvl 15]</strong>

    I jump up and the osciting mana coats my hand, shing through the troll''s neck.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Troll - lvl 14]</strong>

    Raindrops freeze in the air, and when they move again, the monster is pushed away from me, breaking against the rocks nearby.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Bear - lvl 11]</strong>

    At some point, I almost don''t move and just absorb the kic energy from the stronger and stronger rain.

    It''s hard to see, but my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> pierces through the rain, and I attack all moving mana signatures that aren''t human.

    I stand there and absorb energy from the monsters as they attack me and from the heavy raindrops falling from the dark sky.

    Another head blows off.

    Another mangled corpse flies away from me.

    Notification and I invest stat points.

    Into mana.

    The rain weakens, and I start getting less kic energy from it.

    But it''s okay; I just increase efficiency.

    Don''t waste; use it all.

    Another notification.

    At some point, monsters stop attacking me, so I dash at them.

    It''s easier to see now.

    I stomp, and the rain gets pushed away from me, along with a bunch of smaller monsters that surrounded me.

    Multiple notifications about the kills.

    A two-headed wolf is collecting mana in its mouth, and I dash at it while propelling myself ahead.

    It shoots fire at me, and I jump over it.

    While I am in the air, another head shoots its me at me, and my mana res up even more. I waste so much mana it almost makes me feel disappointed in myself, but I propel myself towards the ground, pushing against the air.

    I sh through the monster''s neck with my hand covered in osciting mana.

    Notification.

    And then nothing.

    Huh?

    I look around, the rain is gone.

    There are two suns in the sky.

    Huh?

    My <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> sends a wave of mana into my surroundings and covers almost twice as big an area as before.

    Nothing, only humans.

    Again.

    Still no monsters.

    I slow the mana rushing through my veins.

    The world¡­ the world bes a bit louder as I exit the<strong> [Focus]</strong>, but at the same time, it feels less alive.

    <strong>POV Kim Min-Jae</strong>

    I watch as mana explodes from Nathaniel''s body, causing the rain to stop as if time itself hase to a halt. The droplets slowly fall, and in that instant, a monster''s head bursts into a fine red mist. The mana I feel from him makes me sick.

    He continues to cast it into his surroundings as if without any care in the world, but I can see the patterns in everything he does. He moves only when he needs to, and the mana that looks as if it''s about to tear him apart bends to his will.

    Through the heavy rain, I catch a glimpse of Nathaniel''s calm face, illuminated by the glowing drops of water.

    A shiver runs through my body.

    The monster slows down in front of him,ing to a stop the same way the raindrops did, and then its head explodes when the rain stops for half a second.

    As the battle continues, I feel less and less mana from him, at first thinking that he''s close to being depleted, but then I realize that he''s only improving so much that I can barely sense any mana from his body anymore with my low level.

    Without any hesitation and with calcted cruelty, Nathaniel goes through the monsters while Tess supports him from a distance. She moves around swiftly, using her skill to boost herself, and continues to kill monsters with ranged attacks as they try to assault Nathaniel.

    Behind me, Lily''s quiet sobs continue while she watches the man with an emotionless face and a frightening aptitude for mana before us.

    The rain slowly calms down, and we continue to fight against the weaker monsters that Tess lets pass to us.

    After what feels like an eternity, the rain stops, and two suns appear in the sky.

    Then I feel it: a massive pulse of mana from Nathaniel. It passes by me at an insane speed, and goosebumps form all over my body as I feel it touching me.

    It''s as if a wild monster is looking for prey.

    Another pulse, even stronger this time, feeling almost like a question.

    Then nothing.

    When I look back at him, he still looks the same, but somehow, I can''t force myself to take a step towards him. The fear is palpable, and I can''t help but wonder what lies beneath the surface.

    I feel the touch of his mana again as it measures me and my own mana.

    Our eyes meet for a split second, and what I see could be described as a disappointment.

    When he looks away, I can''t do anything other than clench my teeth so hard they feel like they are about to break.

    <strong>[Name: </strong>Nathaniel Gwyn<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Difficulty: </strong>Hell

    <strong>Floor: 1</strong>

    <strong>Time left until forced return:</strong> 4y 336d 19h 53m 42s

    <strong>Traits (1/3):</strong> Mana Circuit (Passive)

    <strong>Lvl 21</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong><em>13</em>

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong><em>12</em>

    <strong>Constitution: </strong><em>27</em>

    <strong>Mana: </strong><em>4</em><em>6</em>

    <strong>[Primary ss: </strong>Unavable<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Sub-ss: </strong>Unavable<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Skills:</strong>

    Focus - lvl 9

    Mana maniption - lvl 9

    Mana Perception - lvl 8

    Oscition - lvl 5

    Kic Redistribution - lvl 8

    <strong>[Skill Points: </strong>0<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Stat Points:</strong> 0<strong>]</strong>

    Hehehe.

    I am so dead.

    Fuck.

    We find others huddled in a group. Disheveled, wounded, bloodied, and surrounded by dead monsters.

    A few more people have died.

    The corgi is looking at the broken, mangled, and bloodied body on the ground that I hardly recognize as its owner.

    Biscuit quietly leaves andes to join me, bumping his head into my leg.

    <em>(Gone)</em> I hear it in my head, and I gently caress his head.

    I am sorry, but that''s all I can do for you, little guy.

    Sophie is there, only with Maya and her sister.

    Hadwin is together with the twins and the bus driver, Jacob.

    From our little group, no one has died, but Lily''s eyes are still wet, and for some reason, she''s avoiding my gaze.

    Even Kim avoids looking at me, and I see his clenched jaw; Kevin seems to be less cheery.

    So that''s it.

    It''s fine.

    It might be better if it stays this way.

    Only Tess seems to be behaving the same way she did before. I catch her eyes with mine and look at her for a long moment.

    She is looking at me without any hesitation, not dodging my gaze, not shuddering when I move.

    I¡­ see.

    I just nod at her, and she nods back.

    My <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> res up towards the sky, and I feel the mana collecting again, the same way it did before. It will take a few hours, but soon enough the same thing will repeat, so I need to be even stronger.

    Lately, I have be toocent and even started worrying about what others will think of me.

    Not anymore.

    I stop in front of Maya.

    Her gaze is calm, and she looks at me without any worry. Mana is already circting through her body, and she exudes the calmness that I know so well.

    My body moves so fast she is unable to even dodge as I kick her.

    She goes flying through the air, and I slowly walk towards her.

    Her face is still calm as she stands up and brushes the dust off her body. A translucent armament made of mana appears around her body, and I start to observe it.

    Behind me, someone screams, but then I hear Tess''s weapons flying around and the crackle of lightning she is now able to infuse into them.

    I continue to observe Sophie, but there isn''t even a wisp of manaing from her, and she holds her little sister in her hands.

    Maya dashes at me. Her mana doesn''t move that much, so I recognize it as pure strength or dexterity stat.

    I dodge under her swing and hit her with my knee, sending her flying again.

    When she lifts her face from the ground, I am already in front of her, and while giving her enough time to use her skill, I kick against her translucent armor.

    I observe the way her mana moves and the way it reacts to my attacks.

    She jumps to her feet and stands there, observing my movements as I slowly walk towards her.

    Hmm, that''s not enough. I should break her skill to observe it a bit more.

    Even while in <strong>[Focus]</strong>, she is slightly impatient and rushes at me.

    Her movements slow down under the influence of my skill, as she gets closer and closer to me. I lower my output and hit her chest armor with absorbed energy.

    That makes the translucent armor shatter into fine particles of mana, and I continue to observe as it slowly reforms.

    "You fucker¡­"

    Huh? Are you slipping out of [<strong>Focus]</strong> already?

    She dashes again, this time attacking me from the side where my arm is missing.

    She is probably the fastest one among the survivors.

    But.

    I only take a small step back, and her kick misses me. Then I take another step, and two of her swings miss me again.

    Quick jab against her armor, and it breaks again.

    Then I move my own mana, and as she is reforming her translucent armor, I try to copy it.

    It fails, and the mana in my hand dissipates.

    So I attack her again, and she again activates a skill.

    I watch it.

    I feel it.

    Mana forms in my hand and slowly extends.

    I focus more and move the mana.

    It gets harder and harder, but I push through.

    Soon, a translucent light blue light appears in my hand, taking a shape reminiscent of a short sword.

    Then I hear the notification about acquiring a new skill.

 Chapter 54: True Colors

    Chapter 54: True Colors

    The skill''s name is <strong>[Armament]</strong>.

    "..."

    Damn it.

    What the heck system?

    Also, pfft, you maybe aren''t as bad as I thought.

    Anyway, right after acquiring it, I let my mana flow out of my body and, with the help of the skill, shape it into a sword.

    It''s see-through, the edges look terrible and dull, and the shape is all weird.

    <em>But it''s a start.</em>

    Maya dashes at me once again, but I send her flying with a kick.

    "I am done with you, so stay there."

    She groans on the ground. I didn''t hold back much on myst attack, but I was careful enough not to hurt her too much. She will be useful in the end.

    "So now you''re showing your colors."

    There he is, Hadwin. He stops a short distance in front of me.

    "I always knew you weren''t right in your mind. Right from the start."

    <em>I see. It''s weird to hear it from you, though.</em>

    He takes a step closer.

    <em>I know that he is partially right. Even before the 1st floor, I wasn''t exactly... normal, and now, with <strong>[Focus]</strong>, even less so. Yet, I''m trying. I helped others, taught them, and protected them somehow. </em>

    He moves even closer, and I let him do so.

    <em>In the end I thought it would be different here.</em>

    He looks at me, and mana starts moving in his body.

    <em>I... I thought they would be a bit simr to me, as we all got the same starting point.</em>

    The man in front of me believes I haven''t noticed his mana movement while he talks, attempting to distract me.

    <em>But they are not.</em>

    His skill activates and pushes against my mana. Trying to dissipate it. To stop it from flowing through my body. To tear it apart and stop me from using it.

    <em>They are... weaker. Their will iscking.</em>

    Hadwin''s mana instantly gets pushed out of my body. My own mana roars and the pressure makes the older man stagger backward.

    <em>My body is mine. </em><em>My mana is mine.</em>

    It explodes into the surroundings, and even others with lower mana sensitivity can feel it.

    My eyes meet with Sophie''s, and even when I try, I can''t think of harming her. The construct in my head doesn''t allow it.

    <em>But I did not forget.</em>

    I pull the mana back into my body and take a step towards Hadwin.

    My fist hits him right in the face, and he staggers backward and falls.

    "You know it too, right? I could have killed you if I really wanted to," I repeat the exact same thing he said to me while he looks at me from the ground.

    <em>So don''t bother me. I have a lot to do.</em>

    My new skill is difficult; well, creating weapons is difficult. When I use it to create something like armor around my body, it bes a bit easier. The problem is that the armor looks weak even to me so at this point<strong> [Kic Redistribution] </strong>seems better.

    It would be amazing if I could change absorbed kic energy into other forms of energy, as the system descriptions hinted at, such as thermal or electric, but up until now, I didn''t have any luck with that.

    So I decide to use <strong>[Armament] to </strong>create a weapon that won''t break so easily. A weapon I can always have with myself and can reform even if it breaks, unlike physical ones.

    I like the idea of that and hey, might also be able to use it to create projectiles, finally gaining some ranged attack.

    So as I fight the monsters, I continue using my new skill. Weapons made with its help look terrible, and sometimes they even flicker out of existence, and they are blunt, to say the least.

    But I will improve.

    I can do it.

    Another thing is that despite my efforts, none of my skills have reached level 10 yet.

    Is there a bottleneck? It sure looks like it.

    I dodge to the side and sh against the wolf with a short sword made of my mana.

    It doesn''t cut him, and I try to apply<strong> [Oscition]</strong> to it, but that makes the translucent weapon instantly dissipate as my control over it slips away.

    So instead of using the ethereal weapon, I coat my hand in osciting mana and finish off the wolf. The mana spent is much higher and the reach is shorter, but it''s currently the best option.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Wolf - lvl 14]</strong>

    Another wolf attacks me from behind, and I use <strong>[Armament]</strong> to create a translucent armor-likeyer of mana around my chest and let him try to bite me. At first, the skill slows down the wolf, but soon he crushes it, and it disappears into light blue particles of mana. Before its teeth reach me, I throw him away with the kic energy I absorbed.

    Flying Iron ore finishes off the wolf.

    Time passes, the sky darkens and the rain starts once again.

    My <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> covers the area we are defending, and I make sure to track the movements of our group. Even after a few hours, they continue to act awkwardly around me. They still seem careful around me.

    Was it their naivety that led them to be friendly with me? Their desire to stick together with someone stronger?

    It doesn''t matter that much. I will protect Lily as much as I can because of my promise and because I want my arm back. Kevin and Kim, I will help too if possible.

    As thanks.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Wolf - lvl 16]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated the Wolf - lvl 14]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated the Wolf - lvl 11]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated the Wolf - lvl 11]</strong>

    I kill off the wolves around me, getting stronger with every passing second as I continue to absorb energy from the stronger and stronger rain. The rain is so heavy that even some monsters can''t see clearly, and most of the time, I have to rely on my perception.

    But it''s fine.

    I slip on the mud and let myself fall down to dodge the wolf''s bite. Then I use a tiny bit of kic energy to push myself up and stand.

    I am getting faster and better at using it. Under these conditions, I am strong.

    The ground around me cracks, and from me at the epicenter, a shockwave explodes. The rain, the mud, the monsters - they all get pushed away by the power of my skill, and I finish them off.

    Then a Giant Troll appears.

    <strong>[Giant Troll - lvl 19]</strong>

    The creature steps into view, and I''m left in awe of the monstrous being. The Giant Troll towers over the trees. Its skin is a sickly grayish-green, glistening in the rain. The rain seems to only add to the troll''s grotesque appearance. Water streams down its face and body, emphasizing the troll''s muscture.

    Its bloodshot eyes glow, filled with hunger. It sneers, revealing a maw of jagged, broken teeth.

    I can''t see it properly, but I can tell that it''s looking at me.

    Only at me.

    I feel mana collecting in my surroundings.

    Strengthening my body, I dash away, and in the ce where I did stand appears a deep, caved hole in the shape of a perfect circle. Its depth is around half of my height.

    I continue to run, and multiple holes appear in the ces where I once stood, as the troll''s mana persistently tracks me.

    I start running between all the other monsters, and when the attack meant for me hits them, they get sshed into a bloody mess, as if a giant hammer hit them, always leaving a circr hole in the ground with a loud pop.

    The troll doesn''t care and keeps trying to hit me, so I don''t run or move closer; I just run around, and its attack continues to hit the other monsters while the giant doesn''t seem to care. And I continue to observe its skill.

    Then the skill bes weaker but faster, and the arearger, so I dash towards the troll to finish it up. I feel the mana in the area around him, but I strengthen my body and enter it while bracing myself.

    Then I fall to the ground, unable to keep myself standing in the terrifyingly strong gravity.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    <strong>[Armament]</strong>

    <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong>

    I activate these three skills to their fullest power and brace myself against the attack.

    The world bes quieter, and mana trapped inside the rain glows brighter. A translucent armor appears around my chest and head, as thick and strong as I can manifest.

    The rain in the area around the troll is also affected by the gravity field, so it''s falling much faster than outside of it, allowing me to absorb an immense amount of energy from it.

    Then, instead of trying to push against the monster''s skill, I use the absorbed energy to propel myself towards the monster. The area behind me explodes, hit by my skill and the troll''s.

    As I fly through the air, I feel gravity pulling me down and I use <strong>[Armament] </strong>to manifest a spike in my hand. It''s thick and only sharp at the top, but it''s the best I can do.

    I reach the monster, and my translucent weapon burrows itself deep inside its thigh and I barely hold onto it against the immense gravity pulling me down.

    The monster roars and turns its head toward me. A lightning sh illuminates the area, casting an eerie glow on its face and making it appear even more sinister.

    Um, what now?

 Chapter 55: Closing Circle

    Chapter 55: Closing Circle

    The roar nearly deafens me, and I can hear it even through my <strong>[Focus]</strong> as if it''s not affected by it at all.

    Seeing the monster''s hand reaching up to me, I let go, and my body instantly falls to the ground much faster than it should, affected by the gravity field. The troll tries to stomp on me.

    I absorb as much energy as I can and propel myself again, this time out of the field.

    I roll a few times and absorb my own energy, then release a bit of it to make myself stand up faster. The remaining energy escapes into the surroundings.

    The troll''s attack once again hits the ce where I stood, and a perfectly circr hole appears there.

    Then I notice the troll''s leg healing.

    What the heck!

    How is that fair?

    I continue to run around, at least allowing other monsters to be hit by the troll''s attacks while I think.

    Its regeneration makes it even more annoying. I am sure I would be able to finish him off if given enough time but like this?

    Tess throws a few normal stones at the Giant Troll, but as soon as they enter the area around him, theye crashing down.

    So she does what I would have done.

    Two ores, squashed by her skill into a shape resembling a thick spear, fly high into the air, both of them surrounded by red and white lightning that shines even brighter than the raindrops falling from the sky. They fly high over the troll, out of reach of his skill.

    Then I feel mana from Tess, and the iron ores start glowing even brighter and falling down to the ground straight at the giant troll.

    As they enter the area of his skill, they speed up even more, and a scary whistling noise cuts through the heavy rain.

    They hit the troll''s head as two massive bullets and a geyser of blood and bone explodes into the surroundings, followed by a lightning strike from the sky that hits the ores buried deep inside the monster''s head, making it literally explode.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Giant Troll - lvl 19]</strong>

    The skill around the monster disappears, and I see Tess moving closer to the corpse to regain control over her now deformed weapons.

    A few hourster, the rain bes dangerous.

    I notice that the raindrops are piercing through the skin of weaker monsters, like tiny, sharp bullets, and I can even feel them hurting my skin.

    That makes most of the weaker monsters run away and hide, allowing us to regroup.

    Everyone is dealing with it in different ways.

    Tess and Kim just stop the raindrops from hitting them at all while keeping Lily close to them. Kevin continuously reflects them.

    Hadwin, still alive and well, continues to get hit by the raindrops, but as they enter the area around him, the mana disappears from them, and they stop glowing, hitting him as normal raindrops would. A few more people are huddled close to him.

    Maya moves around while surrounded by a now firmer-looking armor that covers even her head, and it doesn''t seem to affect her either.

    As for Sophie and Isabe, they stand under something I can describe as an umbre made out of a bright orange fire. The area isn''t that big, but it evaporates every drop of water close to it.

    And me? I use it as an opportunity to train my<strong> [Armament]</strong>.

    It isn''t as strong as Maya''s, but even if it cracks in some ces, I use my mana to fix it quickly.

    The huge mana consumption seems to be a problem, so we continue to move back to the cave we used before. Hadwin knows the way, so we follow him.

    A group of people that would go at each other''s throats if given the opportunity, brought together only to have a stronger chance of survival.

    Trust? What is that, can I eat it? There is none.

    Friendship? Can it kill the Cinderbear?

    Cooperation? I''m just using them, and they''re using me.

    We get closer to the cave after pushing through fewer and fewer monsters until there are none.

    The rainfall is light and less dense, with fewer droplets, but it''s even more dangerous. I''ve already given up on training my skill and just continue to absorb the kic energy from the raindrops, not enough to stop them, just enough to reduce the impact.

    Hadwin, struggling to maintain hisrge-area skill against the intensifying rain, eventually reduces its scope with a surprised groan. The bus driver, Jacob, who stood at the edge, exits the area, and the rain falls on him at full power.

    For a second, some sort of barrier appears around his body, but it''s quickly destroyed, and the rain goes through his body like needles.

    Hundreds of beautifully glowing raindrops tear apart his body in a second, and not even a scream escapes his mouth.

    Hadwin doesn''t slow down and just gives the body a nce before more drops of water turn it into a gory mess.

    We enter the cave and at some point, use our strong bodies to dig even deeper as the rain starts piercing through the stone.

    Terrifying hours pass, and then, after what feels like an eternity, the rain is gone, and the suns reappear in the sky.

    It all changed in a split second.

    Immediately, as if someone flipped a switch.

    It disturbs me to my core, even more than the Cinderbear or the murderous rain.

    Time slowly passes, and there are still no monsters.

    One hour.

    Two hours.

    Three.

    Not a single sound from the forest.

    Some people start screaming at each other as their nerves reach a breaking point, but no one wastes more energy than necessary.

    Everyone is preparing for what''s about toe.

    Everyone knows this is not the end.

    Just the calm before the storm.

    We continue to dig down and inside the cave. Maya and I use our skills to create something resembling a shovel. Tess and Kim tear stones from the cave walls. Kevin makes small explosions to get rid ofrger stones, and others either move the dirt out or help as much as they can.

    And the dog? He''s still with me.

    Even through the rain, he either stayed close to Tess or Kim and now he''s using his mana tentacles made of purple mana to grab smaller stones and move them away.

    The rain doesn''te; instead, I feel hundreds of mana signatures moving closer and closer to the cave. Not wanting to get trapped inside the tunnel we dug, I move to the entrance but realize there''s nowhere to run.

    All around us are hundreds, perhaps thousands of monsters.

    All of them are quiet.

    Wolves.

    Goblins.

    Trolls.

    Spiders.

    Bears.

    They don''t make a single noise, just stand there in a giant circle around us, staring in our direction.

    Tess stops using her <strong>[Farsight]</strong>, saying it''s terrifying to look at.

    Somehow, I be calmer, even without entering deeper into my <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    So that''s it.

    A pretty lousy first floor. Zero out of ten.

    Bury the entrance to the cave? They have trolls.

    Push through? As far as I can sense, there are monsters, surely even beyond my range of perception.

    I follow the pulse of Sophie''s mana and stop in front of her.

    "How many can you control?"

    Another pulse towards the monsters.

    "A few dozen at most, lower-leveled ones only. Or two to three stronger monsters."

    That''s not even close to enough.

    "Okay, Tess, Kim, you will attack as soon as they push us. Use the stones we got when we dug the tunnel. Sophie, you will focus on controlling trolls, and try to make them attack others. Your sister will burn as many as she can when they get into her range. Tess can throw a few burning corpses into others after that."

    I look around, and no one says anything; all eyes are on me, but this time I do look into the eyes of every one of them.

    "When they get closer, we all will fight. The only one in the backline will be Lily."

    Yes, I am still selfish. I need Lily to get my arm back, so as I said, I will try to protect her.

    No oneins. Either because they do not bother or they also think that it''s better not to have our healer die uselessly.

    So we wait.

    And wait for more.

    We eat thest remaining bits of our food and finish up the water.

    I feel calmer and calmer as time passes.

    I did everything I could. I worked hard. I endured the pain.

    Now I will fight until my body breaks.

    I look at the countdown, and there''s one hour left when the monsters attack.

    Quietly, without letting out any sound.

 Chapter 56: Embers

    Chapter 56: Embers

    They dash at us frenziedly.

    The trolls do not care about monsters under their feet and continue to step on goblins, spiders, and wolves.

    The bears run over the smaller monsters and push others away.

    Even as they die they do not let out a single scream of pain and before they enter Tess'' and Kim''s range, dozens of them die.

    As they came closer, the rain of quickly flying stones hit them.

    Some are big, some are small, but all of them are dangerous. Monsters continue to die, and more of them climb over their dead bodies.

    Then Sophie''s mana washes over them, and a few of the biggest trolls turn against a horde of monsters. She even gets one of the Giant Trolls, and he starts spamming his gravity attacks. The giant circr holes start appearing all over the forest, destroying the trees, and squashing monsters under the power of the skill.

    Just like that trolls wreak havoc.

    Soon, the other monsters stop ignoring the manipted monsters and jump at them.

    The smaller ones only get squashed as they enter the gravity field around the giant troll, but some bears and other unaffected trolls push through and attack the monsters.

    More of them die as they do so.

    I feel Sophie switch her focus on another Giant Troll as the first one dies, and the same thing repeats. She stops trying to control smaller trolls and just continues to take over one giant troll after another. Every time she does so, the monsters stop pushing towards us and focus on killing the Giant Trolls.

    We gain more precious time like this, and much more of them perish trying to take down massive Giant Trolls. I don''t even bother to count how many but a new worry appears in my mind.

    Is she getting the experience?

    Finally, thest Giant Troll dies, and Sophie falls to her knees. Not losing consciousness but close to it. There is blood on her nose, and a few small blood vessels have burst in her eye.

    The waves of monsters start pushing again, and Tess and Kim continuously throw at them what they can.

    After that, Isabe''s mes roar into the surroundings and even Kevin continues to throw smaller stones charged with his<strong> [Combustion]</strong> into the monsters.

    What I regret is that we can''t set the forest aze, as it is still wet because of the rain, and most of the trees are also destroyed because of it.

    Still, monsters continue to burn in mes without letting out any screams of pain. They just move until their burning bodies allow them to, and then they fall down, the mes from their corpses burning more monsters.

    I feel a presence closing up, and something in me moves. I dash at it and catch a Phantom Goblin about to sneak inside the cave by his neck. I squeeze until its head is separated from its body. The blood dirties my hand, and I shake it off. Then, while ignoring my surroundings, I stomp on its corpse.

    <strong>St. </strong>

    Its head explodes like overripe fruit, and its chest dents under my feet.

    Fucker.

    I get back to monitoring our surroundings, and there isn''t aanother sneaky assant.

    When I get back to the position, I notice that Tess is attacking monsters that are further away, and Kim is focusing on throwing stones at the ones that are getting closer to the cave. Our frontline still hasn''t gotten to fight, but as I see the smaller and smaller piles of stones, I know that it will happen soon. I send mana as far as I can and feel that there are even more monsters than at the start, even though so many of them have died.

    How the heck is this clearable?

    Did we do something wrong?

    Are we that weak? Is it impossible to clear for a single strong individual, and the target of the First Floor is for all of us to get as strong as possible?

    While probing with mana, I feel something familiar ¨C the piece of amulet tied to the wolf.

    What the fuck?

    How is he still alive?

    The low-level wolf monster rushes at us too and soon gets killed by one of the attacks.

    As he dies, I feel a really weak pulse of mana from the piece of amulet I tied to its fur.

    With my improved perception, I realize that it feels simr to the twins'' connection, and it sends a message somewhere ¨C a call if you will.

    Damn.

    I quickly check the timer, and there are still thirty minutes left.

    The cave shakes, and dust starts falling down from the ceiling as some monsters begin attacking it.

    There is already a fight at the front. Hadwin, Kevin, Maya, and the twins are fighting up close with the monsters, and I join them.

    Immediately, a goblin warrior jumps at me, but I dodge and kick at his head while strengthening my body.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Goblin warrior - lvl 6]</strong>

    Another one ¨C this time, I grab the monster''s neck and throw him into the horde of monsters, where he gets stomped to death.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Goblin - lvl 5] </strong>

    A burning wolf dashes at me, but I absorb the kic energy of a few monsters around and push him into other monsters that also start burning.

    Good.

    They start moving closer with their bodies in mes.

    Not good.

    I absorb more and more energy and push them again, this time as strongly as I can. Tess continues to grab dead burning bodies and flings them as far as she can.

    A few burning monsters also try to get to Hadwin, but as soon as he turns to them, I feel his mana activating, and the mes around the monsters dissipate as if extinguished by a strong wind. The man continues to finish them off with a massive club in his hands.

    Some smaller monsters are able to get closer to him, but their attacks do not prate his skin at all, and I feel mana around his body.

    Maya is holding a translucent pointy stick rather than a spear in her hand and keeps stabbing at the monsters. Calmly and every time a monster gets closer to her, she either avoids it with her high dexterity or uses her armor created out of mana to absorb the attack.

    Kevin continues to create explosions in the palm of his hands and reflects the attacks of the monsters. The stronger they attack, the stronger they are pushed back, but I see that it''s taking a toll on him.

    A toll on all of them. Especially the twins, who are already wounded in multiple ces while fighting back to back against every monster that gets to them.

    I activate my <strong>[Armament]</strong> and hold something more like a spike than a sword.

    I continue to stab every monster that gets in my way, slowing them down and stabbing through their eyes and necks. Mana flows through my body, but I am being careful with its usage, knowing that the worst is yet toe.

    A wolf jumps at Kevin while he is turned towards another monster, and I use my skill to slow it down in the air. Then I use absorbed energy to dash and hit the monster with my shoulder, pushing it away from Kevin.

    ¡°T-thanks,¡± he barely gets out of himself, once again fighting against another monster. There is sweat on his forehead.

    More and more monsters get inside, and the wounds start umting.

    Hadwin is limping, Maya isn''t using her armor anymore, Kevin''s reflection is weaker than before, and the twins are nowhere to be seen. Tess and Kim are barely able to throw some stones ¨C only with their will do they keep themselves on their feet.

    Then I feel a whisper of terrifying mana at the edge of my perception.

    While other monsters are unnaturally quiet, one deep, low growl sounds in the surroundings, and we can hear it even inside the cave.

    A bear''s growl.

    Monsters slow down and stop, then all of them at once turn towards one direction. I feel a wave of mana that scares me and reminds me of things I want to forget.

    From one part of the forest, I notice mes that burn in a bright orange color. Soon sparks start glowing around the mes. Pushed by the wind, they move through the air andnd on the monsters that are instantly set aze by them.

    Tens, hundreds of monsters get burned to ashes in an instant, and then I spot the bear walking through the corpses while hot air flickers around.

    He walks with a scarily confident stride.

    <strong>[Cinderbear - lvl 25]</strong>

    Its mana expands and covers a massive area, and then Cinderbear looks straight towards the cave.

    Staring right at us.

 Chapter 57: The Unyielding Beast

    Chapter 57: The Unyielding Beast

    The monsters be frenzied and start screeching. After what feels like hours without any sound from them, it sounds terrifying and sends shivers down my back.

    The screams sound hateful and angry as all the monsters rush at the bear. Crawling over each other to reach him first.

    But Cinderbear doesn''t care.

    He continues to walk, and sparks of bright orange color, as big as grapes, continue to set monsters aze instantly.

    Battle Trolls, Stormbears, and two-headed wolves - every monster burns after they get hit by a spark - as if they are made out of the most mmable material in the world.

    The sparks look beautiful as they slowly float in the air setting the monsters aze.

    I check the timer

    <em>Ten minutes left.</em>

    "Let''s run," I say shortly to Tess and the others, and we do just that, followed by others too.

    We run through the monsters that ignore us as they are trying to get to the bear, some even close to stomping on us.

    So we dodge the bigger ones and push away smaller ones.

    Sophie is affecting crazed monsters, and they split like a wave around her group.

    Hadwin easily ignores hits from smaller monsters and pushes away stronger ones.

    I continue to absorb as much kic energy as I can while using it to redirect the more dangerous monsters.

    After what feels much longer than it was, there are no more monsters, and all of them are behind us, yet we still run.

    Tess and Kim are using their skills to move faster, and the same goes for me. Lily and Kevin are barely keeping up with the help of others.

    Not even realizing where we are running, we stagger into the clearing and freeze.

    I wouldugh if I could.

    There is a bus in the middle of the clearing. Even though it should be hours of walk away, it''s the same bus we arrived in.

    All the windows are broken, and it''s surrounded by palisades made out of wood. There are spikes, also made of wood, sticking out in all directions.

    System, you jerk.

    Are you having fun?

    <em>Three minutes left. </em>

    I notice that there is a single glowing orange spark floating nearby. The same the Cindebear used.

    What is it?

    Why?

    How did we get here?

    I clench my teeth and feel, I feel Biscuit poking my leg. Not right now.

    When I turn to start running away, I feel mana from an orange spark floating near the bus.

    A massive me zes into existence, and from the fire, the bear steps out.

    <strong>[Cinderbear - lvl 26]</strong>

    Immediately, a wave of mana covers the entire clearing, and fear dawns on all of us, making it hard to think, let alone run away.

    The bear growls and takes a step towards us. I notice that there are multiple wounds all over its body, yet it seems unbothered by them.

    It takes another step towards us, not even bothering to manifest the sparks it used before.

    Lily falls to the ground, and Kevin freezes close to her as the two of them are closest to the bear.

    Before anyone is able to move, the bear reaches them, stopping right over Lily, who continues to scream. Kevin just stands near the monster, unable to move.

    Then the bear slowly lowers its open maw towards the girl.

    At that very moment, something terrifyinges into existence from the girl under the bear. A grayish cloud of mana forms in front of her, and wisps of mana fly from it.

    The skill Lily wasn''t able to use until now: <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>.

    It makes the monster pause for a second, but then it just lowers its maw, about to take a bite.

    The level-one skill collides with the bear''s lower jaw, and something unthinkable happens.

    Disgusting, terrifying mana res out even more, and a few threads shoot into the surroundings from the cloud at the center.

    But the biggest part of the skill hits the bear''s maw.

    Without any resistance, the bear''s lower maw disappears as if torn off with immense force, and blood starts slowly running down from the bear''s missing lower jaw, right on the girl under the monster.

    Cinderbear pauses and tilts its head as if in surprise, but I am already there, pulling Lily away and throwing her further away. I avoid thest remains of her skill with extreme care.

    When I reach to grab Kevin, I freeze.

    Only one lifeless eye looks at me, and half of his face is missing, eaten away by Lily''s skill. Then his body crumbles to the ground.

    Ah.

    I enter a deeper <strong>[Focus].</strong>

    While boosting my body, I jump as far as I can, and when I am about to run away, another wave of mana hits the entire area, gluing our feet to the ground. I turn around and look at the bear that is just staring at me.

    Despite its lower jaw being missing and blood gushing out like a waterfall, the monster''s eyes remain calm, and an enormous surge of mana emanates from its body. Then the bear lowers its head once again and tries to take a bite of Kevin''s body but is unable to do so. It pauses, and one of its legs steps on the boy''s arm.

    <strong>Crack.</strong>

    It burrows its remaining upper teeth into the body but is unable to take a bite.

    So it stops.

    Then, slowly and deliberately, it looks at me, and little orange sparks start appearing around.

    <em>Two minutes left.</em>

    I scream through the fear caused by the bear''s skill, and my mana res up, alleviating some of the skill''s effect on me. Then, I do something I wasn''t able to do up until now, even though I tried many times before.

    I activate <strong>[Armament]</strong> and <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> andbine them. Instead of armor, I create small beads of light blue mana that fly around my body.

    More.

    Ten of them.

    More.

    A hundred.

    Hundred of small glowing beads float in the air around me in a simr way to the bear''s sparks, and then I push them towards the bear. They are slow and they are not dangerous at all.

    The bear doesn''t dodge, but instead of hitting him, they hit the sparks around the monster and make them explode. Only ten or so of the mana beads collide with Cinderbear''s skill, but that''s enough, as the chain reaction makes sure to explode the remaining ones.

    A massive ball of hot me explodes with the bear at the center, and the airwaves from all the heat make me stagger backward a few times.

    But that won''t be enough.

    I know it won''t be.

    From the mes, the bear walks out, its fur only charred and still bleeding from its missing lower jaw, making it look even more horrifying than it is. The growl sounds from the monster, distorted because of the wound, making it more frightening than before.

    A loud whistling noise fills the surroundings, and two mangled pieces of irone flying towards the bear while lightning cracks audibly around them. The monster just looks towards them and growls again, and they slowly melt in the air, losing half of their volume, and then just weakly hitting the bear and falling to the ground, the lightning gone from them.

    More objectse flying, stones, smaller trees, pieces of wooden palisades. Everything just gets pushed slightly as ites closer to the bear and is set aze just by the heat the monster generates.

    <em>One minute.</em>

    I do not dare to move closer, so I just continue to shoot beads of mana at the bear. I make fewer of them, make them denser, move them faster, yet they burn the same way everything else does, dissipating into the air.

    Then the bear takes a step towards us, and we try to run. But as soon as we enter the forest, and pass by a few trees, the clearing appears back in front of us, and the bear with it.

    Is it the bear''s skill?

    Is the system messing with us?

    What''s happening?!

    The bear rushes at us and then pauses in the middle of the movement, but only for a second before it continues to move again. I hear a painful scream from Sophie that tried to stop him, and she falls to the ground, holding her head. Hadwin''s skill fires up and pushes against the bear, trying to disrupt the monster''s mana, but it gets canceled by the bear''s exceedinglyrge mana pool, and the man is pushed back instead.

    Then Tess throws an entire bus at Cinderbear.

    With a loud creaking, it lifts into the air, hovering at around my head''s height, and flies at the monster that just stands there, looking at it almost curiously.

    With a loud sound of creaking iron, itnds on the bear, covering the monster nearly entirely. Tess then falls to the ground, and I barely feel any mana from her.

    <em>Ten seconds.</em>

    Under the bus, there is movement, and mes start slowly glowing beneath it. Soon, I see the bus literally melting before it flies into the air, iron parts glowing brightly from the heat they absorbed.

    The bus falls down, and the unhurt bear looks at me, the air around it waving from the heat its body is producing.

    <em>Three seconds.</em>

    <em>Two seconds.</em>

    <em>One second.</em>

    What appears is the best I can describe as a giant hole in the air, nearly reaching the sky. Wide enough to let multiple cars pass through and tall enough to reach the top of skyscrapers. Through this door, this entrance, I can see small hills covered in beautifully vibrant green grass that moves as the wind blows into it. The sky there is blue and clear, with only one sun.

    The second floor.

 Chapter 58: Cinderbear

    Chapter 58: Cinderbear

    I feel Cinderbear''s mana move, and at the same time, a hundred beads made of mana appear around me. Orange glowing sparks appear around the bear. Then, I shoot my mana at the bear as it shoots its own.

    Mine are impossibly weaker, but it''s okay; they''re enough to trigger the bear''s skill.

    A few sparks pass close to me, so I dodge hurriedly, remembering what happened to the monsters.

    Then the glowing sparkle res up into a giant me, and I already know what''s next.

    Mana instantly flows through my body, focusing all on defense, making my translucent armor as strong as I can.

    And then stronger.

    I temper it without caring about my creaking body under the pressure from mana.

    From the me of the exploded spark, the bear steps out and instantly swings its paw at me.

    I dodge and absorb as much energy as I can.

    It feels as if I didn''t absorb even a tenth of it; I''m unable to take in more because of the terrifying force behind the attack.

    Then the air around the bear waves and a terrible heat hits me.

    Initially, it''s weak but rapidly gains strength, requiring some time before it reaches the full power of the skill.

    My skin feels as if it''s burning, and the armor around my body starts melting. I release the absorbed energy and push myself towards the entrance to the second floor.

    I pause for a second and absorb my own energy, stopping at the spot. Then I grab Lily''s unconscious body and throw her through the air, right towards the entrance.

    One spark appears next to me, and I dash away, the bear instantly appearing at the spot from the me.

    I release a bit of energy and push Tess out of the bear''s heat, and she also staggers towards the entrance, giving me onest look before she falls through by my push.

    I dash in between the sparks, thanks to my <strong>[Mana Perception] </strong>that warns me by sensing the massive mana from the sparks the bear is using to appear.

    There are tens of them floating in the air, illuminating my surroundings beautifully, yet deadly, as a single touch means death.

    Only thanks to my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> I survive as I dash towards the entrance after luring the bear further away from it.

    The sparks around me can''t be affected by kic energy, so I create multiple beads of mana and explode them before rushing back. Not having a spark near me to use, the bear just charges at me.

    He is fast, but I am faster, and the entrance is just an arm''s reach away from me.

    The monster seems to realize it and stops while letting out a terrifying growl, and we look at each other.

    The entrance is right here, and the scary foe is behind me.

    Through the "door," I see Tess screaming something at me, but the sound doesn''t pass through. She tries to get through but is bounced back and just stands there, staring at me, into my eyes.

    Biscuit is here too, along with Lily, Kim, Sophie, Isabe, Maya, Hadwin, and somehow even both of the twins.

    Only Kevin''s now mangled and burned corpse lies somewhere behind the bear.

    Fear continues to make me to run away, to hide, to save my life.

    It''s not the bear''s skill, but my own fear, my memories of what I went through. Memories of the pathetic state I was in, unable to do anything.

    At that moment, I can run.

    It''s just a small step.

    I see Tess sigh and close her eyes before I take a step.

    Away from the entrance.

    Towards the bear.

    "Oi, fucker, did you have fun?" I feel a smile crawl on my lips as I move my shoulders and let out a cracking noise.

    Finally, it feels as if the weight has fallen from my shoulders.

    I feel free.

    I shake off some stiffness in my remaining hand and bounce on the ground a few times on my bare feet.

    The bear doesn''t do anything, and I take another step further away from the second floor and towards the monster.

    "Do you know what I went through because of you?"

    I stop holding back my mana, and it res up stronger than ever before.

    But I do not worry.

    It''s my mana, so I better control it.

    I force it under my control while it roars, threatening to make a mess of me. Multiple bloody wounds open all over my body, and my veins start bulging out, a few of them showing tears, and more of my blood covers my body.

    The bear just tilts its head and fires up its mana too, and dozens of sparks start flowing around it.

    At the same time, dozens of beads made out of mana appear around me.

    They all move at the same time, meeting in the middle distance between us.

    The massive explosion throws me away, and I feel the armor around my body crack.

    One quick spark flies behind me, and I do not run.

    This time I burrow my feet into the ground and put everything I have into the armor covering most of my body.

    With a re of mana, the bear steps out of the me and swings at me, but I am already dodging under its paw.

    Then the heat wave hits me, progressively intensifying in strength. I clench my teeth, my heart pumping mana like crazy, and my mana circuit goes into overdrive as I move mana through my body at dizzying speeds.

    The helmet covering my entire head, starts melting and I watch the bear only through my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong>, its mana pathways through its limbs, creating an image of the bear in my head and dodging it.

    A sharp spike appears in my hand, and my ears start ringing as <strong>[Oscition]</strong> covers it.

    My shirt catches ame even through the armor, and I start getting burns and blisters all over my body because of the heat.

    I hold my breath to not take the hot air into my lungs.

    I release all the absorbed kic energy and push against the spike in my hand, nearly dislocating it with the sudden speed boost. The spike goes through the ce where the bear''s jaw used to be, straight towards the top of its head.

    Time slows down, and in the ck-and-white world of <strong>[Focus]</strong>, I hear my and the bear''s breathing.

    The only color around us is that of my light blue mana and the beautifully glowing sparks around us.

    The spike in my hand continues to melt, and I keep reforming it, focusing more and more on the spike weakens the armor around my body, which results in more severe burns.

    But that''s okay; if I survive, they will heal.

    I just need to kill the monster in front of me.

    The spike breaks, but I reform it and oscite it more, faster.

    I <strong>[Focus]</strong> more, and the sound of notifications sounds somewhere far in the distance.

    I push out every ounce of my mana, and the spike finally goes through the monster''s head.

    Then its paw hits me. I absorb as much energy as I can and immediately use it to push myself away from the bear, yet a graze leaves wound along the entire length of my chest.

    I fall down and roll a few times, then push myself away from the spark floating nearby, rolling a few more times until I am out of reach.

    There are no sparks around me anymore, and the bear isn''t moving, but I push myself back onto my feet.

    I take in the still-warm but much colder air than the one around the bear, and I swear it never felt better breathing.

    I look up at the Cinderbear; he is still standing there but with even more blood dripping down out of its head, one of his eyes all bloodied and blind.

    Then he takes a step towards me.

    Hahah.

    I sigh and brace myself.

    Obviously.

    I reach out and grab my mana once again, forming floating beads of mana around me while barely keeping myself standing.

    The bear makes one step.

    Then another.

    Thest one and Cinderbear falls to the ground and stops moving, his one eye still looking at me.

    I wait.

    And wait.

    Then I get a notification.

    <strong>[You have defeated the CinderBear - lvl 26]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 23 > Lvl 24]</strong>

    I fall down on my ass and cancel out the beads of mana, putting every bit of mana I have left to keep my body strengthened.

    I invest stat points into constitution and breathe out while looking at the corpse of the massive bear.

    A minute passes as I continue to gaze at the dead monster before me.

    It''s hard to believe.

    Then, the screeching of monsters from the surrounding forest reaches my ears.

    Fuck.

    I guess that''s it for the question of whether I can stay on the 1st floor and not go to the second one.

    As quickly as I can in my state, I get on my legs and limp towards the entrance.

    My body falls to the ground, adding a few more scratches to my terrible state, but I crawl for a bit before getting on my knees and then on my feet, continuing to limp towards the giant entrance to the second floor.

    The screeches sound closer and closer, and soon the monsters start entering the clearing just as I pass through the giant doorframe to the second floor.

    Instantly, the entrance disappears behind me, and I just fall down and turn around toy on my back. The grass feels nice, and the air feels so refreshingly cold inparison to the air heated by that god forsaken bear.

    I feel someone kneel beside me, and soon enough, warm mana starts flowing into my body.

    Nice, while you''re at it, try to regrow my hand.

    When I look up, I see that Tess is standing with her back to me and a few stones are floating around her, crackling with red and white lightning.

    Opposite of her stands Maya in her <strong>[Armament]</strong> and holding a translucent spear in her hand.

    Even Hadwin seems to be waiting for a chance, and Sophie? Well, I already feel her mana reaching out to me.

    So that''s it for resting.

    I sit up and, with the help of my hand, get back on my feet, wobbling from side to side as I do so.

    "So that''s how it''s going to be? Feel free to try." I say, and my voice sounds weak even to myself, yet they heard it and look towards me.

    Resentment, fear, and opportunity can all be felt from their gazes.

    "I will fuck you up." This time, my voice is stronger, and my mana res up again.

 Chapter 59: Choose your primary class

    Chapter 59: Choose your primary ss

    "Hey, Maya. Don''t tell me you''re still butthurt."

    It doesn''t work and her eyes are calm as she takes a step.

    Then a stone as big as my head flies at her, hitting her chest at full speed. Only her skill saves her from a terrible wound.

    She flies through the air and rolls on the ground a few times, while lightning crackles around her body, seemingly ignoring her armament.

    A scream escapes from her mouth.

    What''s most surprising is that she wasn''t able to dodge it at all, even with her high dexterity. That is how fast the stone flew.

    "Not a single step more!" Tess nearly screams, and it feels as if the ground is shaking and the stones spin around her faster than before.

    She turns to Sophie and points her finger at her vehemently.

    "Sophie, I swear, if you try something, you''ll be the first to go. I''ll be able to sense that much." Tess points at the brte, who pushes her sister behind her back and then just lifts her hands up in the air defensively.

    "Tess, you can''t be serious. That guy is freaking crazy." Hadwin steps closer, and I feel mana activating in his body, as he is about to disrupt Tess''s skill.

    He takes another step, and two stones hit him in quick session. He flies even further than Maya and quickly gets back on his legs, seemingly only slightly hurt.

    "Crazier than you all? Don''t talk such nonsense, Hadwin. Tell me, what happened to Damon? To Dominic, to Jacob?"

    One more stone flies at Hadwin and hits him again, making him fly and roll even further on the grass.

    His groan sounds more painful this time, and he tries to get back on his feet.

    "Keep your goddamn ass on the ground, or you''ll get some more," Tess hisses sharply, and the older man stops moving.

    Darn, it.

    What the hell!

    Why are you so cool?

    "Tess, I think Sophie is trying to use her skill," I say, and the named girl instantly puts her hands higher and screams.

    "Bullshit! I''m not doing anything!"

    It almost makes me smile, seeing all of them like this.

    "Stop, Nathaniel. I know you''d like to get rid of them, but at least wait until we find out what the second floor is about, okay? I don''t like it any more than you do, but we might all need each other."

    I guess that''s it.

    Survival > revenge.

    Let''s not get emotional and destroy useful tools just because of some hurt feelings from someone trying to kill me. Dangerous, annoying, and sometimes not even that useful tools.

    Yup.

    For now.

    Sure, it feels as if I am only postponing it further and ying with fire, but that''s the situation we are in and unlike them, it seems that I can control myself much better.

    Still, Maya seems to want to take revenge for me beating her, probably by only beating me as well. I do not feel much bloodthirst from her. Sophie wants to turn me into one of her pets or pawns that will keep her and her sister safer. The problem is Hadwin. The older man seems to be seriously considering killing me.

    First I need to acquire more information about the second floor. What if its the ce where I absolutely need as many people as possible?

    I check the surroundings with my perception, but I don''t sense anything.

    So now, let''s check out the notifications.

    <strong>Congrattions! You have cleared the 1st floor of the Hell difficulty tutorial. Wee to the second floor: Mana-Infused Kingdom.</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions! You can now choose your primary ss. Your offered choices are based on your performance up until now in the tutorial.</strong>

    <strong>You have acquired one skill upgrade token.</strong>

    <strong>You have acquired one skill point.</strong>

    <strong>You can now use Community, with a time limit of 10 minutes per 24 hours.</strong>

    <strong>You have acquired 5 stat points.</strong>

    Well, darn, that''s a lot.

    Something pokes me and I look down at the doggo.

    Sorry, Biscuit, I barely have cloth to cover my rear end. Where do you think I''d be hiding more food?

    Also, please stop; it hurts when you bump into my leg. Only my mana strengthening is keeping me awake.

    I get back to it and invest the 5 stat points I got, three into mana and two into constitution, through my clenched teeth. I want more mana. I need more mana!

    Then, I check my skills:

    <em><strong>Focus - Lvl 10</strong></em>

    <em><strong>Mana Maniption - Lvl 10</strong></em>

    <em><strong>Mana Perception - Lvl 9</strong></em>

    <em><strong>Oscition - Lvl 5</strong></em>

    <em><strong>Kic Redistribution - Lvl 8</strong></em>

    <em><strong>Armament - Lvl 2</strong></em>

    "¡­"

    Okay, I expected only <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> at level 10 so this makes it difficult to decide.

    Let''s think about it a bitter; now, I want to see my sses first!

    <strong>Well done! You sessfully entered the second floor. You can now select one of the sses. The sses are based on your actions and performance up until now within the Tutorial.</strong>

    <strong>Choose with caution!</strong>

    <strong>Force Adept:</strong>

    <em>A novice ss that harnesses the power of various forces, allowing the user to control and manipte energy and momentum duringbat, benefiting from their strong affinity with mana.</em>

    <strong>Mystic Tamer:</strong>

    <em>A novice ss that uses their magical affinity tomunicate with, control, and enhance magical creatures, forming bonds and empowering their allies.</em>

    <strong><em>Ether Warrior:</em></strong>

    <em>A novice ss that blends martial prowess with basic magical abilities, creating a versatilebat style that relies on both physical strength and innate magical energies.</em>

    <strong>Mana Channeler:</strong>

    <em>A novice ss that centers on the cirction of mana within the body, leveraging the user''s innate talents to reinforce their physical attributes and refine theirmand over magic.</em>

    <strong>Mana Striker:</strong>

    <em>A novicebatant who channels their innate magical energies into powerful physical attacks, enhancing their strength and agility in battle.</em>

    <strong>Force Archer:</strong>

    <em>A novice ss in which the user employs their magical abilities to enhance their archery skills, creating powerful force-based projectiles.</em>

    <strong>Kic Defender:</strong>

    <em>A novice ss that specializes in mitigating the force of iing attacks, providing protection for themselves and their allies by subtly manipting energy and momentum.</em>

    <strong>Focus Ascendant:</strong>

    <em>A novice ss that underscores the value of mental concentration, empowering the user to augment their magical prowess, maintain focus duringbat, and increase their ability to rapidly adapt to changing situations in battle.</em>

    <strong>Mana Scout:</strong>

    <em>A novice ss thatbines their mana perception skills with stealth and tracking, allowing the user to locate hidden enemies, magical items, and areas of high magical concentration.</em>

    <strong>Mystic Armorer:</strong>

    <em>A novice ss that focuses on creating and reinforcing equipment with magical properties, enabling the user to fashion basic magical weapons and armor as well as enhance existing gear.</em>

    O-Okay, this list seems even longer. Are 10 offered sses good, normal, or bad? Are these sses any good?

    I look around again to distract myself a bit, and it seems that everyone is doing the same as me - picking their sses, everyone except Lily, who is looking into the air with an empty look in her eyes. Her hand is touching me, and I feel warm mana healing my wound.

    What should I do? I''m terrible at stuff like this.

    What can I even say?

    It will be fine? You didn''t mean to blow off your friend''s head? It''s not your fault?

    Sigh.

    Even my stance towards her has changed a bit. Her skill is that terrifying.

    How is it even possible to hurt a level 26 "named" monster with a level one skill?

    Are there tiers of skills? Can it be that some skills are just so much stronger?

    I don''t know.

    I want to know.

    While looking around, I see that Kim takes a nce at Lily, and his eyes are full of hate.

    This could be a problem.

    He and Kevin were best pals back on the first floor.

    My eyes meet his, and after a second he turns away. I need Lily, so you don''t dare put your hand on her. That''s what I try to tell him wordlessly.

    Then, once again, I feel someone bumping my leg.

    <em>(Food?)</em>

    "¡­"

    Gosh darn it, Biscuit! Do you want to eat my leg or what?

    He senses my mood and stops, then runs towards Hadwin, who is still sitting down on his rear end. I watch as he starts booping the older man, and then hear a short scream from him.

    "What the fuck!"

    Oh, can you hear Biscuit now too? Wee to the club.

    Tess moves closer to me.

    "We can''t join themunity. It says the person with the highest level from the group needs to enter it first."

    Huh?

    That must be me, I guess.

    "Did you pick your ss already?"

    "Yes, I will tell you more when we have fewer people listening."

    Sounds good to me.

    Okay, let''s do it like this: first, I will check themunity, then I will upgrade my skill - maybe I will get offered more sses after doing it, or maybe the ones I have will change.

    As for the Community, there might be useful information on sses there.

    "Community," I say and I get the notification.

    <strong>Congrattions onpleting the Floor quest for the 1st Floor. </strong>

    <strong>You belong to group 4 in the Hell difficulty tier of the 5th tutorial round. </strong><strong>As the highest-leveled one in your group, please select a name for your group prior to essing themunity, as well as an alias for your own use on the forum.</strong>

    I pause and with a long sigh, I close my eyes, my<strong> [Mana Perception]</strong> still watching people around me and scanning asrge an area around as I can.

    Then I read it again, and again, and again.

    What the heck, system?

    What''s your problem?

 Chapter 60: Community

    Chapter 60: Community

    Okay,ter, I will think about itter.

    First, let''s pick the name for our group and for myself.

    <strong>Wee to the Community! Your group is now registered as "Group 4," and your alias will be "Noname." Your daily time limit is 10 minutes; after that, your ess to the Community will be cut off.</strong>

    Then a window appears, looking simr to a forum style.

    <strong>Easy difficulty:<em> 1869/2000</em></strong>

    <strong>Normal difficulty:<em> 734/1000</em></strong>

    <strong>Hard difficulty:<em> 330/500</em></strong>

    <strong>Hell difficulty:<em> 56/250</em></strong>

    <strong>Community tournament </strong><em><strong>(currently unavable)</strong></em>

    So yup, Hell is the highest difficulty as expected. What surprises me is that there is a forum with all difficulties in the same ce.

    What do the numbers mean? The number of survivors out of the total amount that got into the tutorial?

    Also, what the hell is with those numbers? Why are there so many people?

    And why does Hell difficulty have so much lower numbers inparison to others?

    "..."

    Ok, never mind thest part.

    And also, what the fuck is themunity tournament?

    So many questions.

    I touch on Hell difficulty, and a thread opens.

    <strong>AnotherOneHere <em>(Hell, TheGuild)</em></strong> - <em>Hello.</em>

    <strong>Lootenant <em>(Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> - What the hell is this?

    <strong>Bard <em>(Hell, IDK)</em></strong> - <em>I thought I would get some info from you guys.</em>

    <strong>Hadwin<em> (Hell, Group 4)</em></strong> -<strong></strong><em>Are you also on the second floor?</em>

    What the hell, Hadwin? Did you use your name as your alias?

    The messages move as more and more people type in, and at this point, it''s easy to guess that the first is the alias, then there is difficulty and group name.

    As for now, no one from other difficulties joins this thread, and when I try to switch, I am unable to, and the system says it''s unavable at the moment.

    <strong>AnotherOneHere <em>(Hell, TheGuild)</em></strong> -<em> Is your second floor also named Mana-Infused Kingdom? Small hills, a lot of grass?</em>

    <strong>Bard <em>(Hell, IDK)</em></strong> - <em>Yes, but I don''t see anyone other than our group here. To our left, there is a stone as big as a house with a lot of rocks around it. To its right, there is a small hill going sharply downwards.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac <em>(Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> - <em>OMG, same! Different dimensions or copies of the same floor?</em>

    <strong>Bard <em>(Hell, IDK)</em></strong>- <em>Probably. We also didn''t meet anyone other than our group on the 1st floor. Trolls, wolves, spider matriarch, Cinderbear?</em>

    <strong>Hadwin <em>(Hell, Group 4)</em></strong> - <em>Yes, the same here.</em>

    <strong>AnotherOneHere <em>(Hell, TheGuild)</em></strong> - <em>That''s it then. I guess we won''t be seeing each other. We can''t rule it out but¡­</em>

    <strong>Brainiac <em>(Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong>- <em>How did you guys deal with Cinderbear?</em>

    Oh! I quickly join in.

    <strong>Noname <em>(Hell, Group 4)</em></strong> - <em>Fuck Cinderbear!</em>

    <strong>Brainiac <em>(Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong><em></em>- <em>Hell yes, Noname, fuck that furry asshole!</em>

    Oi, be more careful, it sounds kinda...

    A few more people join, and everyone is happy toin and vent a bit.

    <strong>Noname (H<em>ell, Group 4)</em></strong> - <em>Did you pick your sses already?</em>

    <strong>Brainiac<em> (Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> - <em>Most of us did; there''s no sense in waiting any longer.</em>

    <strong>Noname <em>(Hell, Group 4)</em></strong> - <em>Anything interesting? Hidden stuff?</em>

    <strong>Brainiac <em>(Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> -<em> Just s small one. When you ***********</em>

    <strong>Brainiac <em>(Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> -<em> Lol, it got censored. Good luck, Noname!</em>

    Obviously, the system wouldn''t let it go.

    <strong>Lootenant (<em>Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> - <em>Did you use the amulet to get Cinderbear to help you?</em>

    <strong>Hadwin (H<em>ell, Group 4)</em></strong> - <em>What do you mean by that?</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (<em>Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> - <em>Lol, Hadwin, how the fuck are you guys alive?</em>

    <strong>Lootenant (<em>Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> - <em>You didn''t use the amulet? The one from level five Goblin Shaman.</em>

    <strong>Hadwin <em>(Hell, Group 4)</em></strong> -<em> It broke¡­</em>

    <strong>Brainiac <em>(Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> - <em>Lol, what the hell?</em>

    <strong>Lootenant <em>(Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> - <em>You could use the amulet to summon Cinderbear to help. He would move around your camp and kill stronger monsters, but once in a while, he woulde and take one from the group in exchange. We think it''s a cruel mechanic the system hid there.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (<em>Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> - <em>I hate that bear so much.</em>

    <strong>Hadwin <em>(Hell, Group 4)</em></strong> - <em>He ate a few people, but in the end, we killed him.</em>

    <strong>Lootenant <em>(Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong> - <em>¡­</em>

    <strong>Lootenant (<em>Hell, WhiteWing)</em></strong><em></em>-<em> What?</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (H<em>ell, WhiteWing)</em></strong>- <em>Bullshit.</em>

    <strong>Savant <em>(Hell, Alone)</em></strong><em></em>- <em>I killed him too.</em>

    <strong>Savant (<em>Hell, Alone)</em></strong> - <em>He wasn''t that tough.</em>

    Then I get forcefully disconnected from the forum.

    I lift my hand and stick out my middle finger, showing it to the floating holographic window in front of me.

    Screw you and your hidden mechanics.

    Let''s check the skill upgrade.

    <strong>Please select your ss first; only after that can you upgrade your skills.</strong>

    What the heck? This is just straight-up bullying.

    Is it a progression structure? Is it possible to abuse it? Maybe there''s a possibility of not picking a ss and just upgrading your skills a few times, and then getting a way too strong starting ss? That''s why the system won''t let me pick a skill upgrade?

    But okay, let''s check the sses again.

    My favorites are:

    <strong>Force Adept:</strong>

    <em>A beginner ss that harnesses the power of various forces, allowing the user to control and manipte energy and momentum duringbat, benefiting from their strong affinity with mana.</em>

    <strong>Mana Channeler:</strong>

    <em>A novice ss that centers on the cirction of mana within the body, leveraging the user''s innate talents to reinforce their physical attributes and refine theirmand over magic.</em>

    <strong>Focus Ascendant:</strong>

    <em>A beginner ss that underscores the value of mental concentration, empowering the user to augment their magical prowess, maintain focus duringbat, and increase their ability to rapidly adapt to changing situations in battle.</em>

    As for the other ones.

    <em>Mystic Tamer</em> is something I will have to talk about with Biscuit. This one is on his for sure. Goddamnit Biscuit. I swear if this one reced some awesome ss, you will boop your snout until I deplete my stamina.

    <em>Ether Warrior</em> I like it, but it seems to rely a bit more on physicalbat, and my goal is to improve my mana.

    <em>Mana Striker</em> is something simr to Ether Warrior, but it''s not for me.

    <em>Force Archer</em> is interesting. Probably got it because of the absorbed kic energy I channeled into the thin cone and used it to attack the monsters? Can you even call that archery?

    <em>Kic Defender</em>: nope, I need more damage.

    <em>Mana Scout</em> also nope, doesn''t seem to be that much into mana maniption, and I don''t want to scout and avoid fights; I want to win them quickly.

    <em>Mystic Armorer</em><strong></strong>is a total nope. I will rely on myself and not on a piece of equipment. Did I get it offered because I kept using oscition on my weapons to strengthen them?

    So it''s back to the top three.

    <em>Force Adept</em> sounds super good as it even talks about mana a lot, and the various forces part sounds good.

    <em>Mana Channeler</em> I like it a lot. Centers on the cirction of mana? Innate talents? Refinemand over magic? Definitely a top pick.

    <em>Focus Ascendant</em><strong></strong>- augmenting magical prowess sounds good, and maintaining focus duringbat also - but I have a skill for that. And what does rapidly adapting to changing situations even mean?

    In the end, it''s not such a hard decision, and I pick <strong>Mana Channeler</strong>.

    <strong>Congrattions! You have picked your first ss - Mana Channeler. In the future, you will be able to upgrade your ss or change it for a new one fitting your actions up until that point within the tutorial.</strong>

    Another window pops up:

    <strong>Congrattions! You have acquired your Primary ss - Mana Channeler.</strong>

    <strong>Mana Channeler:</strong>

    <strong>Active Skill: Mana Surge - </strong><em>The user can temporarily increase the flow of mana within their body, boosting the power of their magical abilities for a short duration.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana Flow (Rare) - </strong><em>The user''s mana flows more efficiently throughout their body, reducing the amount of mana needed for skill activation and improving their overall magical control.</em>

    <strong>Bonuses:</strong>

    <strong>+10 to Mana</strong>

    <strong>+2 to Constitution</strong>

    Yes!

    YES!

    More mana!

    Huhu.

    Huhu¡­

    I might have a problem.

    Whatever! If I were a telepathic corgi, I totally wouldn''t be screaming <em>(Mana!)</em> instead of <em>(Food!)</em>.

    I can stop anytime I want.

    Anyway, why the hell is there a <em>(Rare)</em> thingy in the name of my shiny new skill? Yeah, system? Why don''t you grade everything at once?

    But it''s okay; I am happy. Two new skills? One of them passive? Boosting magical abilities? Improving overall magical control?

    Heck yeah!

    Okay, breathe in.

    Breathe out.

    Now repeat that.

    Good.

    And do not test them now; you need your mana to keep your body together until you heal at least somewhat. Also, there is a bunch of assholes around you waiting for a chance to take a bite of you.

    Overall, I like my new ss, and I am excited to test it.

    Now, let''s check skill upgrades.

    A new window pops up in front of me.

    <strong>Congrattions! You can now upgrade your level 10 skill by using the <em>skill upgrade token</em>. Currently, there are two skills avable for upgrade. Choose wisely!</strong>

    <strong>Focus:</strong>

    <strong>Deep Focus: </strong>Increases the intensity and effectiveness of your focus, further enhancing your magical abilities and concentration duringbat.

    <strong>Focus Extension: </strong><em>Lengthen the duration of your focused state, allowing you to maintain concentration for longer periods without experiencing mental fatigue.</em>

    <strong>Dual Focus: </strong><em>Train your mind to focus on two tasks simultaneously, allowing you to perform multiple actions at once with greater efficiency.</em>

    <strong>Focus Synergy: </strong><em>Improve the synergy between your focus and other skills, allowing you tobine their effects for more potent results.</em>

    <strong>Mana Maniption:</strong>

    <strong>Mana Amplification: </strong><em>Increase the potency of your mana maniption, enabling you to generate more powerful magical effects.</em>

    <strong>Advanced Mana Maniption: </strong><em>Enhance your control over mana, allowing for more precise and intricate maniption of magical energies.</em>

    <strong>Mana Intensification: </strong><em>Strengthen the potency of your mana maniption, enabling you to generate more powerful magical effects with less effort.</em>

    <strong>Mana Sensitivity: </strong><em>Heighten your sensitivity to mana in your surroundings, allowing you to detect and track mana sources more easily.</em>

    I notice one of the skill upgrades.

    Huh? Did I see it right?

 Chapter 61: Skill upgrade

    Chapter 61: Skill upgrade

    Okay, that might make me change my ns a little bit. At first, I wanted to go and upgrade my <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>, but now I''m not that sure.

    Yes, there are some amazing upgrades for it, especially <strong>[Advanced Mana Maniption]</strong> and <strong>[Mana Amplification]</strong>.

    BUT!

    What the hell is this?

    <strong>[Dual Focus]</strong>?

    Is it what I think it is?

    Instead of one<strong> [Focus]</strong>, would I have two? Does that mean it''s almost like having two brains? Does that mean I could keep up my <strong>[Oscition]</strong> with one and use the other one for <strong>[Armament]</strong>?

    Would it split my current skill into two parts or would it duplicate it? From description it sounds like it would duplicate the skill.

    Up until now, I always felt as if my brain was about to melt when I used too many skills at once, and I could never give them the attention they deserved. But this?

    Sure, I would miss out on better mana handling, but isn''t this even better?

    And maybe.

    Just maybe.

    I might be able to upgrade it in the future again?

    I will be able to do multiple things at once.

    Like¡­

    Like a woman!

    Huh?

    Nevermind.

    Okay, let''s go over the others.

    <strong>[Deep Focus]</strong> might be an improved version of the current <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    <strong>[Focus Extension]</strong> doesn''t sound that good inparison to the others.

    <strong>[Focus Synergy]</strong> also sounds good, but [<strong>Dual Focus]</strong> beats it for sure.

    Almost all upgrades for <strong>[Mana Maniption] </strong>are great but my eyes keep ticking back to this one upgrade.

    I just chose the upgrade before I change my mind.

    <strong>Congrattions! You have upgraded your skill. [Focus] > [Dual Focus]</strong>

    Unable to help myself, I quickly try it out and enter the <strong>[Focus]</strong>. The weirdest feeling hits me. It''s hard to describe and dizzying. It''s just... weird.

    I cancel the skill and breathe out.

    This will need some serious training to get used to it. I also notice that my <strong>[Focus]</strong> didn''t strengthen that much. I''m sure that would happen if I picked the other option, but I still like this one a lot.

    Hopefully, it works the way I think it does.

    Now I should check if we got new quests, right?

    <strong>Floor quest:</strong>

    <em>Witness the end of the world.</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>Skill upgrade token</em>

    <em>20 stat points</em>

    <em>Increased daily limit ofmunity usage</em>

    <em>Tutorial Difficulty change token</em>

    <strong>Side quest:</strong>

    <em>Reach level 50</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>Trait strengthening token</em>

    I enter the <strong>[Focus]</strong>, not activating the upgraded version, just the old one.

    Okay, first.

    I''m not witnessing a thing! What am I? A freaking dinosaur? I won''t be witnessing the end of the freaking world.

    What''s with this jump? From fighting spiders you could probably find back on Earth in Australia to watching the end of the world?

    Also, what the hell is Tutorial Difficulty change token? Does it mean I can change my difficulty to easy? Or does it mean more people cane to Hell difficulty? Most likely, it means just that. Hmm, that''s interesting, to say the least.

    Other rewards for the floor quest seem nice but not as interesting as these two.

    Rewards for the side quest are quite good but level 50 is still far off.

    I sigh.

    Biscuit,e here; I need to rx.

    As if hearing me, the best doggo of the first¡­ of the second floores to me and puts his head on my leg as I am still sitting down.

    <em>(Food?)</em>

    I boop his snoot, and he lets me, only looking at me with big eyes.

    Soon, okay?

    I pet the corgi and feel myself calming down a bit, feeling his warm body so close to mine.

    ¡°Lily?¡± I get out of myself slowly, and the girl looks up at me; her eyes still look empty.

    ¡°If you want to talk, I can listen. If you want to cry, I can be here with you."

    I''m not good at these things.

    Kevin died, yet my reaction is minimal. There is a hint of sadness at what could be, but that''s it.

    I canugh now, and I know I won''t cry.

    And it''s not only because of <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    Lily''s eyes be wet, and she finally starts crying. She hugs me, and I feel her tears wetting my chest. I awkwardly put my hand on her back and hug her back. Even my sympathy might be fake.

    But does it really matter if it makes her feel better?

    <strong>[Name: </strong>Nathaniel Gwyn<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Difficulty: </strong>Hell

    <strong>Floor: 2 - </strong>Mana-Infused Kingdom

    <strong>Time left until forced return: </strong>4y 334d 21h 36m 02s

    <strong>Traits (1/3): </strong>Mana Circuit (Passive)

    <strong>Lvl 24</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong>13

    <strong>Dexterity:</strong> 12

    <strong>Constitution: </strong>38

    <strong>Mana:</strong> 62

    <strong>[Primary ss: </strong>Mana Channeler<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Sub-ss: </strong>Unavable<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong>

    Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 10

    Mana Maniption - Lvl 10

    Mana Perception - Lvl 9

    Oscition - Lvl 6

    Kic Redistribution - Lvl 8

    Armament - Lvl 3

    Mana Surge - Lvl 1

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong>

    Mana Flow (rare)

    <strong>[Skill Points: </strong>1<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Stat Points: </strong>0<strong>]</strong>

    More time passes, and there are no signs of living beings, and we still stay on grassy hills. Hungry, and thirsty, yet all of us are resting.

    The breeze is amazing, the temperature is perfect, not hot nor cold. The grass feels nice to sit on and is calming to look at as it moves in the wind.

    Almost as nice as my stats!

    Hell yeah.

    "..."

    Sorry.

    So, should I invest my skill point? I could get my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> to level 10 or <strong>[Focus]</strong> to level 11. But I think I''d rather keep it for another bottleneck for a skill I will need more. It might be a waste to use it right now, so yeah, let''s maybe keep it.

    Also, my poor mana. Why is it so low? Or why is my constitution so high? Sure, my body wouldin every time I handled my mana, but it was okay. It was totally fine!

    Anyway, I was also able to talk with Tess, and her ss is something like this:

    <strong>Storm Sentinel: </strong>

    <em>A novice ss that maniptes the power of lightning through their psychokinesis, electrifying their projectiles while using farsight to maintain a constant vigil over the battlefield.</em>

    Sure, it sounds good. Maybe even really good, but did you see mine?

    Hehe.

    Not jealous at all!

    Together, we also went over Lily''s sses and picked one for her.

    <strong>Harmonic Dissonance:</strong>

    <em> A novice ss that draws on the power of opposing forces, utilizing rejuvenation to heal and protect, and disintegration to obliterate obstacles and enemies, demonstrating the duality of life and destruction.</em>

    Yup.

    Still not jealous.

    Her healing improved after getting a ss, so I am already feeling much better. Hopefully, she won''t use her other skill by mistake.

    That would be¡­ interesting.

    Kim seems to be avoiding us. He is neither joining Hadwin and the twins nor Sophie; he just stands alone to the side, and small stones continue to fly around him as he practices.

    So that''s it. He is still young, a teenager; maybe he will calm down after some time. It''s not like Lily did it on purpose.

    But first, let''s try to find some food and water.

    We slowly start walking down the gently sloped hill covered in vibrant green grass, and Tess walks first, using her<strong> [Farsight]</strong> to scout for us.

    While we do so, I think about the name of the second floor.

    Mana-Infused Kingdom.

    What does it mean? Will there be people? An entire kingdom? Medieval age style with some magic? Sci-fi style with all kinds of things running on magic? Is this kingdom destroyed, and are there only ruins? Is this kingdom made not of humans but of monsters?

    I don''t know, and it makes me nervous in the same way the start of the first floor did.

    We did have some break after getting here, but not even for a second did I dare to forget that this is Hell difficulty. There is no way this will be easier than the first floor.

    Yet, it feels different with massive clearings, pretty hills of grass, and fewer trees, making us able to see much further inparison to the forest of the floor we just cleared.

    "There is ake nearby and a stream flowing into it," Tess says shortly, and we all start paying more attention.

    My perception still hasn''t picked up a single living being as we move closer and closer to theke; soon, we see it.

    It''s not that big, but under the sun, the water shines beautifully, looking almost unnaturally clear. Small waves are over the surface of theke as the wind blows gently into it.

    We move towards the running water and stop in front of it.

    "We don''t have anything to boil it in," Hadwin says shortly.

    "You should test it out; you have the high constitution."

    "Fuck off, Nat," the older man says.

    Hey, I tried to help.

    "It looks so clear," Lily says carefully while putting her hands into the water, using it to clean her face and neck.

    I kneel down and do the same; the water is nice and slightly cold. When the wind blows into us, and I feel it on the wet skin of my face and neck, I let out a quiet sigh.

    Damn, this feels nice. I jump into the water, diving my entire body into it by lying down in the not-so-deep stream. When I get my head out of the water, the others are looking at me.

    "I would rmend moving higher; downstream water isn''t safe anymore."

    "You have got to be kidding me," I hear Hadwin say, but I already dive again under the water while scrubbing my body as much as I can.

    It looks like Hadwin is slowly not hiding his grumpy mood, as there aren''t that many people he has to trick and pretend to be a reliable leader. Currently, only the twins tag along with him. Their opinion of me doesn''t seem that good, and they seem to be avoiding Sophie''s group even more.

    They do have some telepathic and physical connection between themselves. So maybe they can feel her <strong>[Maniption]</strong>, or Hadwin told them?

    When I get up, I continue to look down at the water and then cup my hand, taking a bit close to my mouth, and take a sip. It tastes good, but I stop. Let''s see if I''m going to be okay in a few hours.

    "Enemy," Tess says shortly, and I jump back onshore.

    She points towards somewhere, and I send my mana in that direction. A really weak hidden mana signaturees back to me.

    Around level 10 non-named monster?

    We wait a bit, and soon enough, the enemy appears from behind the bushes.

    <strong>[Horned Rabbit - lvl 9]</strong>

    A cute white rabbit with red eyes and a horn on its head.

 Chapter 62: Drifters in a Foreign Land

    Chapter 62: Drifters in a Foreign Land

    Everyone jumps at the defenseless-looking monster, hungry for some food.

    A small stone flies at its head, and Maya dashes, I feel a pulse of Sophie''s mana, but the monster blinks its eyes and dashes so quickly I can barely track it with my eyes, disappearing where it came from.

    I feel its mana with my perception, but then it disappears as the monster hides its mana. Is that why I didn''t feel iting closer?

    "It''s gone," Tess says shortly.

    Already? Tess''s skill has a massive range; how fast is that rabbit?

    "That was so funny," I hear.

    A new voice. No one from us.

    When I turn around, my mana is already flowing through my body, faster than ever before, thanks to my new ss and passive skill.

    Then I freeze, unable to feel any mana from the man in front of us.

    <strong>[Mana-veiled Scout- lvl ?]</strong>

    I guess that answers the question if there are any other humans.

    "I''ve never seen such a pathetic attempt to hunt a horned rabbit," he lets out a quietugh.

    Confident yet still careful, judging from his stance.

    Is he from a different group of Hell difficulty people? Is he from a different round?

    "Do not move closer," Hadwin says, his voice firm but not aggressive. I already feel mana around the man.

    "Calm yourself, mister, it''s you guys who are here hunting on Lord ckburn''snd," he smirks.

    Yup, I guess he is not from Earth.

    We have to witness the end of the world. What is it even?

    Does it mean the system ns to destroy the world and for us to witness it? That would be weird, there are more groups; even the system can''t create multiple worlds, right? Right?

    Moreover, the environments appear identical; could this be some sort of virtual reality? Are we merely imagining all this?

    While thinking, focusing on one part of my mind to think about it, I focus with another part to keep mana flowing through my body, ready to fight anytime.

    "We didn''t know it belongs to someone; we wouldn''t dare to do it otherwise," Sophie smartly talks to the man. "We are lost¡­ and hungry."

    Good start. The man seems to be much higher level than us so let''s be careful.

    "Ha! That''s some bullshit! You are in the middle of the lord''snd, and yet you got lost."

    Mana finally res up from him. Only as a warning.

    The difference is massive. He is on a different level. Much stronger than Cinderbear. Multiple times stronger.

    Isn''t he a scout? Why does he have such mana, and does the question mark mean that his level is so much higher? We were able to see level 20 when we were around level 5. So he is at least level 40 or higher?

    "We just appeared here out of nowhere, through the portal! We didn''t want to," Kim adds this time. "Are you also from Hell difficulty?"

    "Oh," he pauses, and his mana calms down. "So you are drifters, you should have told me," heughs a bit, ignoring thest part.

    Did he not hear it?

    "It''s my first time finding some of your kind." His eyes move up and down, checking us out, and I feel an almost unnoticeable touch of his mana measuring us.

    "Well, you guys seem pretty messed up, so it could be true. I will bring you to the boss, and if you try to run or fight, I will have to kill you," he says and this time his face seems a bit more serious.

    I don''t like that at all.

    Can we fight?

    It might be too risky right now so I gesture to Tess to calm down and do the same.

    Let''s wait and see if we get a better chance.

    It''s not like we have a choice, right? The entire time, I continued to watch him he seemed careless at times, but that can''t be it.

    He might be trying to lure us into attacking.

    How strong is his body being the level he is? Can we even pierce his skin with our attacks? How does it work?

    He is still a human, so is his body stronger than a level 26 Cinderbear?

    Questions, questions, questions and no answers.

    Fine, let''s tread carefully for the time being.

    He whistles, and a crowes flying down,nding on a nearby tree.

    <strong>[Twilight Raven - lvl 19]</strong>

    The crow is pitch-dark, and its eyes are yellow-colored as it looks at us with intelligent eyes. It looks especially long at the corgi.

    "Talon likes your¡­ what is it even? Some mutated version of a battle dog? Puppy?" he pauses for a second while looking at Biscuit, "Whatever, follow me."

    Without waiting, he starts walking, and I again think of running away. Who knows where the man wants to lead us and what awaits us there, it might be safer to just fight him now.

    The crow caws and looks at me with its intelligent eyes. I feel its mana touch me.

    What just happened?

    "Talon put a mark on you all, so don''t even think about running."

    Huh? I scan my body, but I don''t find anything even after I repeat it multiple times. He might be bluffing.

    Yet, the crow''s intelligent eyes make me nervous, and slowly I follow the man, together with the others.

    The man is called Rnd. He isn''t that tall, and his build is slim. He has brown eyes and ck hair.

    He moves, talks, and looks like a human.

    We can understand him as if he is talking in English, and he can understand us.

    He moves fairly quickly, so we have to move at a simr speed to not stay behind. All under the watchful eyes of his crow.

    Thend we are on belongs to Lord ckburn, and every nt, tree, and animal or monster on it also belongs to him. Lord ckburn is also the strongest man in the area.

    Hunting animals without permission is a crime, and for viting this, they can cut off a person''s hand.

    Rnd isn''t that talkative when ites to sharing details, but we find out that there are levels as well. And sses.

    The man says they are all from the gods.

    We also discover that they refer to skills as "gifts."

    Apparently, it''s super hard to get one.

    Kim asked him what his level is, and Rnd pped him. I wasn¡ät even able to see his movement and even after 5 minutes Kim can barely walk in a straight line.

    It looks like it''s a super rude thing to ask.

    Additionally, it seems like a wise decision not to confront him unless I am absolutely certain of defeating or surprising him. This may be even more challenging due to the crow flying alongside us, which likely has some connection to Rnd.

    "Sir," I move closer, trying to sound as respectful as possible. "Would you mind if I ask you a few more things?"

    "Haaaa, and I thought you would leave me alone. Go ahead and ask, three questions. Let the gods not think that I don''t show some mercy towards the cripples."

    I pause. You...

    Phew, okay, let''s calm down.

    "Who is the strongest person in the kingdom?"

    His eyes turn to me with surprise, and then heughs.

    "That would be Champion Keiron. Sure, some people say that Champion Tristan is stronger, but everyone knows who the king calls when things go to shit!"

    Champion? Is that some sort of title?

    I wait a bit more, but the man doesn''t continue, and I don''t dare to ask about the levels.

    "What should I do when talking to Lord ckburn?"

    "Yes, you guys are totally drifters," heughs even louder than before. "You will be talking to one of the lord''s men. The lord is too busy to deal with people like you," he continues to giggle.

    "What are drifters?" I ask myst question.

    "People send here by the gods, what else?" he pauses and looks at me with a more serious look, "Now, shut up. I don''t appreciate your tone, nor the look in your eyes. It makes my skin crawl. If you don''t want to get beaten, do something about it. Others won''t be as nice as me."

    Then he stops talking, and I don''t ask him anymore.

    Are drifters some setup from the system meant to help us integrate here?

    Moreover, how much time do we have until the world ends? Days, months, years? Are we meant to be stronger and survive it? Run and hide somewhere?

    In addition, what''s the issue with the look in my eyes?

    I notice that Tess is gesturing at me, so I move closer to her.

    "There''s something like a camp, a few dozen men, all armored, and most of them with one question mark over their head."

    I guess that''s it.

    Now we have to hope that the system didn''t send us here to die. Something tells me it didn''t. In the same way, it put us in the least dangerous part of the first floor and then gradually heightened the difficulty.

    I''m following the rest of the group, our steps cautious as we approach the camp. We pass a few tents set up haphazardly across the area, their outlines sharp against the night sky. Armed men cross our path at intervals, their watchful eyes, the weapons and question marks over their heads serving as silent reminders of the potential danger that surrounds us.

    <strong>[Irond Warden - lvl ?]</strong>

    <strong>[Longbow Marksman - lvl ?]</strong>

    <strong>[Runebound Knight - lvl ?]</strong>

    They all seem dangerous, too dangerous for me to deal with even one. Some of them look at us with interest as we walk towards the tent in the middle where the leader awaits us.

    <strong>[Mystic Duelist - lvl ?]</strong>

 Chapter 63: Testing Boundaries

    Chapter 63: Testing Boundaries

    "Rnd, who did you bring here this time? And what happened to your scouting?"

    The man''s voice is authoritative. He is tall, muscr, and has curly ck hair. His face is clearly shaven. He is dressed infortable-looking clothes, and at his side, there is a sword with a thin de.

    Rnd only bows slightly and smiles at the man.

    "Drifters, sir! I spotted them while on watch. Talon is still out there, keeping an eye on things."

    "Drifters, you say," I feel a wave of mana from the man. It pushes against me, scans my body, and probes me.

    I feel disgusted. Is that how others feel when I am scanning them?

    I want to do the same, to look at the leader''s mana, but I do not dare. I don''t know if he would feel it or if it''s considered rude in the same way asking for levels is.

    "They are fairly weak." He puts his hand on his beard and scratches it while ncing at us for a second. "The crippled one''s mana is strongest, and the creature they have with them is... weird. But they won''t be of use here." He turns away, "Have Finnegan bring them to Stonehaven. It will be their problem to deal with."

    Then he goes back behind his table, ignoring us.

    The entire time, he barely looked at us; only his mana scanned our bodies. As if we aren''t even worth his time.

    "You heard Sir Sterling, kids. Now move your asses before someone moves them for you!"

    We quickly follow Rnd out of the tents and wobble behind him like baby ducks following their mother.

    I keep my mana to myself and do not try to use <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong>. Others seem to be doing the same.

    Unfortunately, Biscuit is already acting cute in front of a man who is eating some meat.

    Biscuit, if you end up getting killed, it''s on you!

    Fortunately, the manughs and throws a big piece to the corgi. Victorious doggoes back to us.

    His face seems even cheekier than before. He doesn''t say anything in my mind but pokes me, as if gesturing for me to take some food.

    "..."

    Knowing how much food means to him, I can''t help but feel a little bit of emotion. Just a tiny little bit.

    "Just eat it."

    Stupid dog, your tricks won''t work on me.

    He doesn''t wait anymore and gobbles up the meat quickly.

    <strong>[Shadowstalker - lvl ?]</strong>

    Like everyone in the camp, we can''t even see Finnegan''s level. The man is quiet and just listens to Rnd, and then nods.

    It takes him a few minutes to pack his stuff, and then he gestures for us to follow him to another man who gives us some provisions after Finnegan signs some papers.

    So, we''ve got ourselves another paperwork-ridden country, huh?

    After we manage to leave the camp and walk for a few hours in total silence, the surroundingndscape keeps on showing off its amazing colors and gorgeous scenery.

    We stop, and Finnegan gives us some food. Hard bread and dried meat, plus some water he made us carry.

    While finally getting some food in my stomach, I carefully watch the man who is also slowly eating while staring into the distance.

    The countryside around us remains stunning. Lush green grass and trees, expansive ins, and a beautiful blue sky with hardly any clouds. The weather is just perfect too. It all feels almost unnaturally picturesque.

    I notice that the man holding us captive seems to be weaker than Rnd. His moves aren''t that agile, and even his presence is weaker. Knowing that I have to try it sometime, I slowly wake up my mana and send it towards the man after gesturing to Tess to get ready.

    I didn''t dare to do it with Rnd because he had Mana in his ss name and was a scout, probably a ss that is made to be better able to feel such things.

    As thin strings of mana as I can make reach out and touch the man. I try to probe him, try to guess his strength.

    If he''s weak, we can fight him and then run away. Some level difference won''t stop me, and it''s too dangerous to just do whatever they want us to do. Sure, it could all be going as the system intended, but it also doesn''t have to be.

    At first, he doesn''t react, so I send a bit more, feeling the edges of his mana pool.

    Carefully.

    Slowly.

    Then I realize that he is looking at me.

    Deep, deep eyes as if piercing straight through my head.

    "That''s really rude," he just says in a quiet voice, and then everything cks out.

    <strong>POV Kim Min-Jae</strong>

    As we leave the camp, the quiet man in front of me hands me a bottle of water. I take it gratefully, but when I nce up at him, his eyes send a chill down my spine. He calmly tells us what to do, but the fear in his eyes makes me wonder what we''re walking into.

    Running away is not allowed. We''re not allowed to drink water or eat our provisions unless he gives us permission. Talking is not allowed.

    We follow him quietly across the grassy in with trees here and there. Everyone is just going with it.

    Even Nathaniel, who is walking slightly to the side. His eyes are most of the time on the man leading us.

    They are full of curiosity.

    He is not scared; he is just watching his surroundings and waiting. I notice that he also tries to copy Finnegan''s movement a few times. Light, quick steps that seem as if he is floating.

    I turn away, unable to watch any longer.

    I can''tpare myself to him. He is not normal. No normal person would turn back to face a Cinderbear instead of just passing through the entrance. Yes, no normal person would do that.

    But he won.

    And then he forgot about Kevin. No word about that. No sadness in his eyes. And he doesn''t even seem to be mad at Lily because of that. On the contrary, it looks like he is even closer to her now.

    But it''s okay; I will deal with it. As up until now, I will continue to grow stronger. I will put in the effort and improve the same way I did on the first floor.

    I am stronger now.

    While we sit and slowly eat the food, I hear Finnegan say something for the first time in a few hours since we left.

    "That''s really rude," his voice is calm and quiet.

    Then something hits Nathaniel, and he falls down, defeated just like that.

    "No!" I hear Lily and even Tess say something as they hurry towards the young man. Even the dog starts barking, and these weird purple tentacles appear around him.

    And I am just looking at the unconscious body of a young man.

    Just like that, he was defeated. Without having a chance to fight back.

    Pfff.

    I can''t help but smile, and for the first time since leaving the first floor, I feel relief.

    It''s all starting over, isn''t it?

    We are weak once more, and even he is again at the starting point.

    Okay.

    Okay!

    I get it; it is rude to try to probe someone''s mana in the same way it''s rude to ask about levels, but at least say something instead of quietly looking at me.

    Dang it, my head hurts so much. What did he do? Thankfully I''m still alive and smarter than a few hours ago but I could live without the pain. Don''t mess with people with a question mark over their heads.

    Yup.

    I don''t know if it''s because of that or something else, but Finnegan takes us towards the trees, and we enter a small forest soon to find an animal.

    <strong>[Boar - lvl 19]</strong>

    "Kill it," the man says shortly and pushes me towards the animal that isn''t running at all.

    The boar is massive and ck in color, each of its tusks longer than my arm.

    Not knowing the man''s intentions, I rouse up my mana and step towards the monster.

    I enter <strong>[Focus]</strong> and feel my mind split into two parts.

    One of them focuses on creating a spear with my <strong>[Armament]</strong>, and the other part does what I would always do.

    The mana flows through my body, strengthening it, making it faster, and I take it all in, missing the feeling even after only a few hours of barely using mana.

    The translucent spear in my hand bes denser and stronger while I continue to strengthen myself.

    The boar rushes at me, and I dodge to the side while stabbing the animal deep inside its neck. The animal is fast while charging but has some trouble reacting quickly. Its hide is very thick, but not too thick for my improved skill.

    With another charge, I dodge to the side and attempt to stab again, but its skin bes even tougher and turns a deeper shade of ck. The spear''s de breaks, so I let it dissipate and recreate it.

    When it charges me again, I stab against its head and bury the tip of the spear inside the animal''s eye while calmly watching it under the influence of <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    I leap to the side, release the spear, and then dash towards the creature. I form an axe with<strong> [Armament]</strong> and, using all the strength I can muster, bury it in its neck. Blood spurts everywhere, and I somewhat awkwardly repeat the process while holding the axe in one hand.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Boar - lvl 19]</strong>

    I look at the man with the Shadowstalker ss, and he just nods shortly, his eyes piercing and watching the entire fight.

    Keep watching, keep guessing. You''ll see only the facade, the skills I choose to reveal.

 Chapter 64: Alluring facade

    Chapter 64: Alluring facade

    So, Stonehaven? Well, it''s a city, and we are currently strolling through its streets.

    The medieval age-like and brimming with life. The cobblestone pathways, worn from the passage of countless feet, lead us past timber-framed houses and market stalls. Vendors continue to spew out their sales pitches, and I can smell the food they are offering: fresh baked goods and oily meat from who knows what animal. I can even hear a cksmith''s hammer.

    It all feels so unreal.

    Yet, the diverse crowd amazes me: armored knights, robed mages, andmon folk.

    I see sses such as farmer, merchant, and many more. Finally, I am also able to see their levels, many of themoners are under level 10. Each person''s ss and level is disyed above their head, like floating emblems of their unique sses.

    Some higher-leveled individuals gather in groups, and the highest level I can identify is 46. So that most likely means that I can see levels of people that are 20 levels higher. at most and anything beyond that is showing as a question mark.

    But who the heck knows? They could be level 1000, and the system wouldugh as I try to probe their mana.

    I have to be honest, there are some serious problems with the UI in this godforsaken tutorial.

    Also, what the heck, Biscuit? Do you want to get killed? We have no money, so don''t even dare try to swipe food from the vendors!

    Dang it! I saw that tentacle, hide it right away!

    And when the hell did you learn to make it so transparent? I almost can''t see it in daylight!

    Once again, I am reminded that the best mage is going to be from the zoo, and we humans will all perish.

    As we finally make our way into the old-looking stone building, we are guided through a corridor adorned with a worn carpet and a selection of rather ugly paintings hanging upon the walls. They are mainly paintings of men in military uniforms, all of them looking very serious. Continuing, we eventually reach what probably used to be a garden, now transformed into a makeshift training area.

    There, we find a man around Hadwin''s age apanied by a younger, aristocratic-looking guy.

    As I observe their intense sparring session, I find it difficult to keep up with the speed of their movements.

    They spar within arge circle, surrounded by glowing stones that seem to mark the perimeter of their makeshift arena. I am sure they are not only doing that, but I still do not dare to probe it after my experience from some time ago.

    The older man''s skill is awe-inspiring; he effortlessly toys with his opponent, despite moving at a deliberately slower pace. The young noble is swift but noticeably impatient and impulsive. Their swords move with such speed and precision that they appear as blurred lines, while their feet dance across the ground.

    I''m quite certain that if I tried to move so fast, my ankles would break under the strain and even without actively trying to sense it, I feel powerful mana emanating from bothbatants.

    Unfortunately, they stop, and I feel disappointed. Disappointed that I can''t watch them longer and learn a thing or two from their swordsmanship.

    The younger man bows and thanks the older one, and together they enter the circle, and the stones stop glowing.

    What does it do?

    What is it?

    I want to know!

    Once again, I feel annoyed by my inability to perceive it with my mana and try to find out. It''s annoying me even more than my missing left arm; that''s how much I''ve gotten used to it.

    "Finnegan," the older man says shortly, and our prison guard just bows.

    I repeat the same thing and bow in a simr way I saw him bowing.

    My reward is a chuckle from the younger man, and I quickly look up at him.

    <strong>[Windde Duelist - lvl ?]</strong>

    "Sir Emeric, they are drifters; obviously, they don''t know our customs. It''s praiseworthy that he tried to learn."

    The blonde young man slowly apologizes to the older man, but I don''t believe that he means a single word of his apology.

    For a second, our eyes meet, and then he turns away.

    The older man looks at me.

    <strong>[Tempest Knight - lvl ?]</strong>

    "It''s okay to try to learn, but you must not be so careless. The bow you just gave me is that of a leader and his subordinate. In your case, as someone with a much lower level, position, and without any backer, you would bow much deeper while holding a hand on your chest."

    "I am sorry, I will learn it quickly," I say shortly.

    So the older man likes people who try to learn; I have to remember that! It''s annoying to try to get into the good graces of powerful people, but hey, I don''t mind if it means that I will get to learn some stuff in exchange.

    I will even kiss your feet!

    Dignity?

    What is that? Will it teach me magic? Will it keep me alive while surrounded by people many times stronger than myself?

    Yea, I thought so.

    Also, how does he know that we are drifters? Did he get some information ahead of time? Did he already scan us? I didn''t feel anything.

    Tempest Knights answers with just a short nod, and then he starts talking to Finnegan, and I carefully listen to every word they say.

    "Bring them to Henry to test them, and he will take care of the rest."

    What the heck is this? Is this the famous "not my problem" style of dealing with annoying stuff? Is this because we are drifters or because we are weak and not useful?

    "I will help," the young noble-looking man called Sir Emeric smiles, and his face is one I would call punchable.

    Sure, girls might call him handsome, but I can see the look in his eyes. This guy is rotten to the core.

    Not wanting to deal with us anymore, the Tempest Knight only waves at him with his hand, and here we go once again, leaving the training area and entering the streets.

    Finnegan walks first, and after a while, Sir Emeric slows down and ends up walking by my side.

    "Hey cripple, how did it taste?" his smile is bright as he looks at me, he is slightly taller than me.

    "Sir?" I ask, confused by his question.

    "Old man''s ass. It''s been a long time since I saw such an ass-kisser," his smile bes cruel, and he moves closer to my side, now whispering so only I can hear.

    "I truly despise individuals like you. You''re spineless, revolting bottom-feeders who believe you''re so clever. Acting so meek, always following orders, and being polite while only revealing the emotions you choose ¨C constantly insincere and maniptive. But all the while, you just bide your time." He pats my shoulder with feigned friendliness, still smiling, "and wait. And then, when the opportunity arises, you won''t hesitate to step over whoever is in your way."

    He squeezes my shoulder over my missing left arm, and I feel the bone cracking.

    But I do not let out a single sound, even as he squeezes harder and harder. I just look down at the ground.

    "My apologies, sir. It''s simply that I''m afraid." I try to add some emotion to it, to make it believable.

    But he onlyughs and lets go of my shoulder, pping my back a few times in a friendly-like manner.

    "There is no need for pretense. You and I are the same. I knew it the moment my eyesnded on you," he pauses and then whispers once again in a quiet voice that bears no emotion, unlike his smiling face, "That''s why I will fucking kill you." He adds and then leaves, walking towards Finnegan while smiling again as if nothing happened.

    He is tall and has blonde hair that nearly looks golden. His eyes are brown, but such a shade of brown that makes you want to look at them in awe of the beautiful color. His build is muscr, and he is wearing clothes that look expensive even to me. Expensive yetfortable, clearly showing his wealth or position.

    The young man yfully says something to Finnegan.

    So that''s how it''s going to be.

    He is smiling brightly while talking to people around him, even greeting a few vendors and peasants.

    People are people everywhere, be it on Earth or on the second floor.

    He looks back at me and gives me one more smile. I can barely feel any hostility from his it; it just looks so real and kind.

    The frustrating feeling I had up until now slowly disappears, and I feel myself calming down a little. Up until now, the second floor looked so beautiful and almost safe, as we barely felt any hostility; only a few people punished us for our mistakes with a p on the wrist.

    It left me feeling deeply uneasy. The sensation was akin to someone offering a friendly smile, all the while clutching a hidden dagger, eager to catch me off guard.

    This feels much better.

    In the end, this is still Hell difficulty, even if it''s hidden under the alluring facade of the beautiful second floor.

 Chapter 65: Unresolved matters

    Chapter 65: Unresolved matters

    Henry, seemingly a battle-hardened veteran with a stern expression, carefully observes our group as we gather in the training hall. His keen gaze sweeps over each one of us, pausing briefly on Biscuit.

    He shakes his head, mumbling under his breath, "What kind of monstrosity¡­"

    His brow furrows slightly when he sees my missing arm, but he quickly moves on to assess the others.

    "You''re drifters, and that means you''re expendable. Don''t expect any special treatment or protection. You''re on your own."

    Nice start.

    "You might havee from another world, but you''re nothing more than fodder for our enemies if you can''t pull your weight."

    Emeric is smiling brightly, standing to the side. Finnegan is already gone.

    "The weak die and the strong survive. That''s thew of thisnd. If you can''t keep up, you''re better off dead."

    As if to make a stronger impact with this sentence, I feel a wave of his mana hit us with an effect simr to Cinderbear''s fear.

    "Your background means nothing here. You''re starting from scratch, so you better work twice as hard as everyone else."

    I guess that means we will be forced to work for them? What about the floor quest? Will the end of the worlde out of nowhere? Is it alreadying, but people around here don''t know about it?

    Will it happen in a few years? Few days?

    ¡°Drifters often have more gifts than us, natives of this kingdom, but if you think you can coast by on your gifts, you''re sorely mistaken." his walk stops in front of me, "You, I heard you are decent with manipting your mana.¡± His eyes turn to me. ¡°Too talented for your own good but too dumb to take advantage of that.¡±

    He puts his hand on my shoulder, and I do not attempt to dodge.

    ¡°Defend yourself against my mana. If you hold back and try to hide your skill, you will be punished.¡±

    Then I feel his mana entering my body in a simr way to how Lily does when she is healing. Even the amount of mana is simr; the man is most likely holding back.

    My mana resists his and doesn''t let it enter my body, even without me doing anything.

    But out of nowhere, he starts sending mana towards multiple ces.

    The attacks are still weak, but they are quicker and quicker. Soon, he is pushing against my mana at a dozen ces, and my automatic defense bes confused.

    How much should I show? If I show too little, I will be punished and probably thrown away as someone useless. Maybe even killed? If I show too much, it might be troublesome. The question is, even if I show him my all, how does it measure inparison to them?

    This seems to be a kingdom that is used to handling mana, and there are massive amounts of people handling it, probably for years. What is my 30-day experience inparison to them?

    So, I show it all and do not hold back at all.

    I concentrate my efforts on maneuvering my mana, effectively neutralizing his attack. I not only manage to block his attacks but even exert force to push back against him. I carefully observe and mimic the way he handles his mana.

    At first, it''s challenging, but gradually, I grow more adept. I manage to simultaneously attack in two ces, then three, five, and eventually ten. As the battle progresses, I continue to adjust and adapt my mana maniption in response to his tactics.

    He attempts to confuse me by reducing the size of his attacks, luring me into a false sense of security. I also take note that he consistently attacks in 12 ces, so I strategically limit my own offensive and defensive maneuvers to match this number.

    The experience is exhrating.

    I genuinely enjoy it.

    Though it proves more difficult than it appears, the challenge is incredibly rewarding.

    Adapting once more, the man begins tobine several attacks into one powerful strike. He executes this new strategy with impressive speed, forcing me to respond. The intensity of our confrontation esctes, yet I am determined to keep up with his every move.

    Out of nowhere, he stops.

    "That should be enough." The look in his eyes is hard to discern.

    He continues to look at me.

    "What is your level?"

    Huh, can he not see it? Is he seeing a question mark because he is at a higher level, or are natives here unable to see levels?

    Oh, that would exin why it''s so rude to ask for levels. Knowing someone''s level means that you can measure their strength and might be seen as sizing them up for a fight.

    "Isn''t that rude to ask?"

    For the first time, he smiles. His smile shows his teeth, and he continues to shamelessly look at me.

    "It is," he nods.

    "Twenty-four," I say shortly.

    "Hmmm," he scratches the back of his head, "get back, I will think about what to do with youter."

    He then continues to repeat the test with all of us, and they also tell him their levels.

    Tess is 20, Sophie is 21, Isabe is 16, Hadwin is 18, Maya is 17, Kim is level 18, and the twins are the lowest, level 13. Well, the second lowest. Lily is at 8, mostly thanks to assisting with Cinderbear.

    "Now, what to do with you," he stops in front of the corgi. "You have decent mana in your body, but I''ve never seen such a weird breed of dog." He squats in front of the corgi and reaches his hand towards him. Biscuit only sniffs it and continues to look at the man.

    The man then stands up and turns towards Emeric.

    "I heard it right that you want to help?" the looks they exchange look suspicious.

    "Yes, sir! I already became friends with the one with the missing arm!"

    "Alright, and I would appreciate it if you coulde by from time to time to share your guidance and mentor them in proper etiquette, especially the girl," he points at Lily. "She has healing powers."

    For the first time, I see the honest surprise on the face of the young noble.

    "That''s amazing; the lord will be happy!" Immediately, his behavior changes a bit, and he gives Lily a warm smile.

    Are healers rare?

    "Yes, her current level is low, but we can help her improve before informing the lord. I am confident he would value a more proficient healer, and as a result, the rewards he bestows might be even greater."

    "Ahhh," the blonde noble only nods.

    Lily''s eyes be more scared as we continue to listen to their dialogue.

    In the end, even the oh-so-proud Emeric seems to be a bootlicker.

    A few hourster, they escort Lily away. She remains in shock after the events on the first floor and is visibly frightened as they guide her along.

    We can do nothing but observe them leading her away, silently hoping she will be alright. Based on the previous conversation, I doubt they intend to harm her.

    Prior to this, we had made arrangements to use the Community formunication. I hope that she will be safe and able to join the forum at the designated time.

    Considering the swiftness with which they discovered and took her before Henry and Emeric could help her improve her skills, it seems that healers might be even more highly valued than I initially believed.

    A woman dressed in a ck robees another hourter day. Her presence exudes an air of authority, which is immediately apparent to everyone in the room. Even Henry acts humbly in her presence. He bows to her respectfully and proceeds to tread cautiously in her vicinity.

    The woman''s attire is immacte, and her gray robe is without any embroidery. Her posture is confident, and she moves with deliberate grace.

    As she scans the room with a piercing gaze, the atmosphere bes tense with anticipation. It is clear that her arrival is no coincidence and that she is here with a purpose.

    She immediately goes to Sophie.

    <strong>[Aura Maniptor - lvl ??]</strong>

    The first two question marks we saw sinceing here.

    No words exit her mouth, but it looks like a conversation going on between them.

    After that, she takes Sophie and her sister, and they leave.

    Maya stays behind.

    After eating simple food and cleaning ourselves with cold water, the rest of us are led to our rooms. Tess and Maya get one for themselves, and I end up with Hadwin and Biscuit, while Kim is put in the room with the twins.

    The room features two four-poster beds with carved wooden headboards, exposed stone walls adorned with wrought iron candle sconces, and a handwoven tapestry.

    A modest wooden table sits near a window with thick drapes and a simple carved wardrobe for storage.

    The room is simple butfortable, especially after the first floor.

    The best doggo immediately jumps on the bed and puts his head on my thigh.

    <em>(Food?)</em>

    You just ate, you little twerp.

    Also, I really hope you didn''t mean to eat Hadwin.

    Once again, recalling the beginning of the second floor, I nce towards Hadwin, who meets my gaze as well.

    "I think we have some unresolved matters."

 Chapter 66: You were right

    Chapter 66: You were right

    What shes through my mind are the memories of me dragging my wounded body to the second floor, and all of them waiting there like vultures for an opportunity.

    On the first floor, I didn''t hurt any of them too much because I needed them, and in the end, it was the right decision. It was logical, and Sophie, Hadwin, and Maya did pull their weight during thest moments of the first floor.

    I was so angry, really angry at them for pulling all this on me the moment the first floor ended.

    But I didn''t let it get to my head. I thought it through logically and didn''t hurt them; I kept them around again, and I would do it once more, even if they tried to take my life afterward.

    That''s what I like about myself. That''s how I want to be.

    But now?

    I push Biscuit away and stand up.

    Sure, the second floor seems to be difficult, maybe even more so than the first floor. Everyone around is of a much higher level, and pissing off the wrong person could mean death. Plus, my freedom is so restricted.

    But do I need Hadwin?

    Perhaps? I''m familiar with him and his skills to an extent, but how useful can he truly be? His weaknesses mirror my own. There aren''t any people I need him to lead, and most importantly - he attempted to take my life. I need to show him that it''s not an action he can take lightly.

    I take a step closer.

    ¡°I knew I would regret not finishing you off. You''re not normal in your head,¡± he says, and his mana activates.

    My fist hits his face and bounces back because of some weird field around his body, and then I feel his skill trying to disrupt my mana.

    I let one part of my mind focus on analyzing this skill, and the other part takes care of the rest.

    Mana flows through my body easier than ever with my new passive skill, and with increased mana, I have more of it than ever before, so I don''t focus on efficiency that much. Still, I feel that my circuit is not working properly because of my missing arm, and the flow of mana is far from optimal, once again due to missing a big chunk of my mana circuit together with my left arm.

    I dodge his swing, and my knee hits his belly, making him stagger back, unhurt.

    His constitution is high, his skill adds to it, and he is keeping up his other skill that tries to mess with my mana. But he can''t. My mana is too much for him, and my control is much better than his even in this state.

    I hit his face three more times, and finally draw some blood; he is slow, and not that good at fighting humans.

    He charges at me, trying to grab my waist and pull me to the ground where he would have an advantage with his higher strength and endurance, not even mentioning my missing arm.

    But what wees him is <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong> I use to slow him down and then, with absorbed energy, I boost my kick, and my knee hits his chin, probably at least cracking it even through his tough body.

    Finally, the other part of my <strong>[Focus]</strong> focuses on replicating his skill. It somewhat reminds me of how Henry attempted to infuse my body with his mana, and I''ve seen Hadwin use it frequently back on the first floor. I''ve had ample opportunities to observe him manipte mana and experiment. He even used the skill on me two times.

    Notification sounds in my mind and I ignore it and use my new skill instead. At the same time I activate <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong> and my mana burns even brighter and stronger as I put a lot of it into the skill called <strong>[Disruption]</strong>.

    Efficiency is terrible, the skill is only level one¡­ oh a notification¡­ level two, but the absurd amount of mana makes it work, and I use it against Hadwin.

    The shock in his eyes is satisfying to look at, and with my perception, I feel the barrier around his skin dissipate, then my fist hits him again.

    This time there is more blood, and he falls to the ground, shaken.

    ¡°Fucking monster,¡± he lets out before I kick his head.

    A painful groan escapes his mouth, and he tries to grab my leg, but I step on his hand.

    <strong>Crack</strong>

    I pause for a second and let him look up at me; there is still some fight in his eyes.

    ¡°Tess, you can''t be serious. That guy is fucking crazy,¡± I say. ¡°That''s what you said while trying to kill me, right?¡±

    I control my power and kick his head.

    More blood and another groan.

    ¡°Congrattions, you were right?¡±

    Then I continue to beat him while avoiding breaking anything other than his hand or leavingsting wounds.

    I beat him for trying to kill me.

    I couldn''t do it before. But now it''s different.

    Do you think I am a joke? Did you think I am someone to mess with just because I let you go a few times?

    At some point, he lets out a few words: ¡°I get it, I get it now,¡± he groans. ¡°I swear I won''t try it again.¡± He sounds honest.

    But he still sees me as someone predictable. He thinks I will only beat him to punish him and leave him alone.

    People fear do not fear what they can predict. So it''s better to be unreasonable, unpredictable, crazy.

    So I continue to beat the hell out of him until he barely moves, only then do I let him go. His high constitution should heal him until the morning.

    I don''t say any threats. I just leave him on the floor and get back on the bed.

    Sure, I can kill him, but what would happen then? They seem to have a use for him, and I would get punished. Sure, neither of us seems as valuable as Lily or Sophie, who were instantly taken away mostly likely because of their skills, but let''s not push it too far for now.

    Allowing your emotions to control you is generally not a good idea.

    Now, with my skill, I should be able to destroy the construct in my mind, right? Obviously, it''s a good idea, but I still feel that I can learn a lot from it.

    For example, what if I learn to create a construct of my own? What if I use my <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> instead of Sophie''s <strong>[Maniption]</strong>? I don''t need to create it inside someone else''s mind; I just need to create it inside my own body. That should be easier, right?

    What if I learn a healing skill and create a construct that will use part of my mana to keep that skill permanently active, turning it into a sort of passive skill? A construct that will take my mana and store it somewhere in my body, making it some sort of mana battery and increasing my mana pool. The construct that will protect me against mental attacks or that will permanently keep a field around me that will continue to disrupt mana other than mine.

    It slightly reminds me of having the <strong>[Focus]</strong> split into more parts.

    Limits? Two? Three? Ten constructs?

    So, yeah, let''s study Sophie''s construct for a bit longer.

    The older man on the floor regains consciousness, and I stand up.

    His eyes move to look at me. He looks undefeated; but his will to fight is weaker.

    Good.

    I kick his belly two more times and then kick his head, making him unconscious once again.

    Then I get back to practicing my skills, this time I let mana hover around my missing arm and try to form it into the shape of an arm. It''s incredibly difficult..

    Hey, look, if a corgi could learn it, so can I! Sure, I will never be as good at it as our overlords, animals, the masters of mana, but I will try!

    Oh, you''re moving again?

    Damn, what''s with the look in your eyes?

    Who told you to try to kill me?

    An eye for an eye? A tooth for a tooth?

    If I did that, you would be dead.

    This time, I let him create a barrier around his body and then disrupt it with the same skill he has. Desperation enters his eyes as I once again make him unconscious.

    Then I get back to my practice. Part of my mind focuses on <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> and the other on <strong>[Armament]</strong>. Creating something in the shape that resembles an arm isn''t that difficult; yes, fingers are super hard to create, but even harder is to make it move.

    Obviously, I have no feeling in it, and it''s still translucent, ready to dissipate when I stress it too much.

    Wouldn''t it be easier to learn a healing skill?

    When Hadwin wakes up next time, I let him crawl towards his bed and leave him be this time.

    ¡°Hadwin, tomorrow you will tell me about your skills and ss, okay?¡±

    He pauses, and then our eyes meet.

    Much better look.

    The older man just nods and falls asleep with his body halfway on the bed.

 Chapter 67: Separated

    Chapter 67: Separated

    <strong>POV Tess Hansen</strong>

    The man with a question mark instead of his level leaves us with a warning that we''ll be killed if we leave the room without being asked to and I end up behind the closed door with Maya.

    She is perhaps five years older than me. Her figure bears the marks of a lot of exercise. I think I heard that she was a fitness trainer back on Earth.

    Her eyes turn to me, not even attempting to look friendly. She has a skill called<strong> [Focus]</strong>, and Nat told me it should help her better concentrate on fighting and magic while also helping her control her emotions. It sounds fairly useful, but she doesn''t seem to be that good at it.

    "Great, I have to share a room with Nathaniel''s dog."

    Even without the skill, Nathaniel shows more control over his emotions than her.

    "So why do you even listen to him? Is he your boyfriend?"

    I don''t answer, and she continues.

    "Or are you sucking up to him to survive?"

    "Yes," I agree with her.

    "Phe!" she jumps on her bed and stretches out her body while still looking at me.

    "Is that all you have to say?

    Should I talk to her? Should I warn her? A memory shes through my head. A few days after we entered the first floor, I saw her talking to Lily and giving her advice, helping her a bit while smiling gently. I still remember that act of kindness, so I decide to give her a warning.

    "You should be more careful around Nathaniel. From now avoid him as much as you can."

    "Heh, like I don''t know that. That guy is freaking crazy."

    She doesn''t understand.

    "Be thankful you''re still in one piece. He''s¡­ he''s not the sort who lets things slide. If I hadn''t stepped in back there, you would have been in a terrible state. Hadwin and Sophie too."

    Herugh fills the room.

    "If Hadwin is still alive in the morning, watch carefully the condition he''s in."

    That makes her shut up, and she stares at me with a hard-to-read look.

    I know I won''t be able to sleep tonight, not with her around, but I still lie down and try to get some rest.

    Maya doesn''t say anything more, but I can see her thinking.

    Finally, a day and night cycle!

    One sun, as the universe intended. Even day and night seem to be of simr length to Earth''s.

    My roommate slowly wakes up, groaning. He is still bruised, his hand is broken, and there are bruises all over his body. I expected him to be in better shape. Does he not have as high a constitution as I thought?

    Before I can ask him, our doors are unlocked and open.

    "Follow me," the man with a question mark over his head says shortly after taking a second to look at the state Hadwin is in. But that''s all. He just acknowledges his condition, and we leave the room, following him into a small room with a few chairs and some food on the table.

    "You have five minutes."

    After that, he leaves, and the others join us. A few of them seem to be really surprised by Hadwin''s state, especially Maya, who looks at the man for a long time and then nces at me before turning away.

    Hmm, the "he fell down the stairs" excuse might not be working.

    I move to the side, and Tess sits next to me, with Biscuit impatiently waiting near my leg.

    We eat in silence while I continue to pass some food to the corgi as well.

    What is there to say, anyway?

    After eating, we are brought in front of Henry, and he continues to examine us. There''s no exnation about what''s happening, and no one asks. We just follow orders.

    At first, he splits us up and interrogates us, writing everything down.

    Level?

    ss?

    Amount and names of gifts and their levels?

    There isn''t a single question about the tutorial or where we came from. Is it something they don''t care about, or is it something the system set up?

    But he doesn''t ask about skill upgrades. He also doesn''t ask about the ss passive skill, so I keep that to myself.

    Other than that, I tell him everything.

    When I try to lie once and leave out my <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong>, he hits me, and I nearly pass out. When I finally feel better after what feels like a few minutes, he asks again, not even bothering to tell me what will happen if I lie again.

    So I tell him about <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong> as well.

    While answering his questions, I think. Do they not have passive skills for sses? Can''t they upgrade their skills? Why can they only sense levels while using mana?

    Then he asks me about my stats. When I tell him, he looks at me and asks me to repeat it, and I do so. It seems like he thinks I''m lying, but in the end, he decides against it.

    "What a dumbass,"

    Huh? It''s because of my high mana, right?

    It has to be.

    After we''re done, he sends me to the corner and continues to question the others, too far for me to hear.

    I let mana run through my body, manipting it while once in a while using<strong> [Mana Surge]</strong> to get used to it. The second part of my mind continues to examine Sophie''s construct.

    I get a look from him, as he clearly feels me using mana, even though I can''t feel his at all.

    <strong>[Mana Hunter - lvl ?]</strong>

    How high level is he? Is he only slightly over the range of my identification, so around 45? Or is he much higher? 100? 200?

    What level are the two question marks that took away Sophie and Isabe?

    Once again, I can onlyin about the system that drip-feeds us information, and then info bombs us all at once after the end of the floor.

    Henry then spars with us one after another. No one is able tond a single hit on him. Mana is not allowed, so we use only the strength of our bodies.

    Hadwin does terribly, still wounded, so after a while, he just sends him away and calls me.

    He is much harsher on me than on the older man. It looks like I did upset him by hurting Hadwin. Is either that or he is still somewhat angry that they took Lily and Sophie away from him.

    I try to dodge his fist, but it''s too quick, and my head flies back, making the world spin around me. I hold on and swing my fist at him.

    I am feeling so terribly slow without my mana. Slow and weak. And a slightly higher constitution makes the best punching bag out of me. Our martial arts don''t seem to be that different, and I''m confident I could defeat him if we had equal stats and my arm was restored.

    "That''s enough," he also sends me away and continues to test the others.

    When I sit down on the ground, the best doggoes to me and licks my hand. I pet him in exchange and watch the others.

    Only Tess shows some knowledge of martial arts. I know that her dad is a high-end bodyguard, so it''s only natural that he taught her a bit.

    With her hair tied into a ponytail, she defends against the man and continues to quickly get on her feet every time he knocks her down. In the end, not even shends a proper hit on him and is sent away.

    The others are much worse. Maya''s physical stats are good, but she doesn''t seem to have any experience in human-versus-humanbat and the remaining three, Kim and the twins, aren''t even close.

    For the final time, he turns towards us, his gaze lingering on each and every one of us before he abruptly exits without another word.

    Right after that, we are split up. Tess and Maya are led away together, and so are the twins. Hadwin is taken away by one attendant and Kim by another.

    Biscuit stays behind with one of the guys that work with Henry and before they disappear from my sight, I hear onest message in my head.

    <em>(Afraid)</em>

    I end up alone in a simple room, waiting for someone to arrive.

    After an hour Emeric enters the room with a big smile on his face.

    Young, dashing, and neatly dressed. His smile seems genuine as he looks me up and down.

    "You''reing with me. I promised I''d help you adapt a bit before you''re sent to the frontlines."

    He says I am to be taken to his manor. Apparently, it''s massive and has dozens of servants. The young noble is quick to point out that he is the third son of an affluent family, and this is their summer house.

    While we drive there - me on a horse behind one of his men and him inside a luxurious carriage - I check themunity forum.

    The forum is full of people checking on each other, making sure they are safe, as even they seem to be in fairly simr situations. But I am curious about only a few:

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4)</strong> -<em> Everything is fine here, they are already training us. They want to send us hunting after a while.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4)</strong> -<em> I''m fine, they treat me super well¡­ I miss you guys.</em>

    <strong>StrongestOne (Hell, group 4)</strong> -<em> They treat us like crap, but at least we have food, water, and beds.</em>

    I also let others know that I''m fine and spend the rest of my limit watching the forum. This time, most people ignore my questions, and only the same groups talk amongst themselves.

    The manor is as massive and luxurious as the guy described. It''s huge, and the gardens are beautiful and well-maintained. Emeric smiles at me as I look around, disying an ugly grin.

    The first thing he does is order me to undresspletely in front of about two dozen servants and guards.

    They pour cold water over me while the blonde nobleins about my odor.

    They cut off my hair and shave my head, iming it''s to prevent lice.

    Heughs the entire time, even as I awkwardly put on the clothes they provide, struggling with my one arm.

    Hisughter only intensifies after looking into my eyes.

 Chapter 68: Yes

    Chapter 68: Yes

    "It''s a shame that you''re being sent to the frontlines. Sure, they don''t instantly put you in the most dangerous spots, but in the end, you''re just monster fodder."

    Emeric taps my shoulder; it seems friendly, but it''s anything but that.

    "That old man Henry said you have quite a few gifts. Actually, a lot of them for someone of your level. Unfortunately for you, you''ve messed up; your mana is too high, and it will break your body fairly soon. You''re crippled, too."

    He looks at me.

    "I see that you don''t understand," he says happily. "Your mana is messed up, and its flow is terrible because of your missing limb. You have way too much of it to control with yourckluster skills, and no one will bother enough to help you level up and fix your habits."

    He taps my back, and this time it hurts.

    "You have no idea how much regrowing your limb would cost. They are pretty selective about this kind of service. It''s also unfortunate they took your friend away. She would have been able to heal you given a few months. But now she''s in their hands."

    He shes me a bright smile.

    "Tomorrow, I will have you spar with a few of my men. A bit with weapons and some basic mana exercises. Just in case someonees to check up on you. The day after that, I will let you practice again. Just in case."

    He then stops. We are alone in the hallway. It''s not inside the manor but in a smaller house nearby, most likely housing for his servants.

    "After that, I will make your life miserable. You will exercise until you pass out. They will beat you, you will be given rotten food that was about to be thrown away, and you will sleep in the pig pens."

    His face still looks honest, and his smile is nearly perfect.

    "All of that because of the way you look around," he quietens down, whispering now. "I hate your eyes. The calm look in them as you look around, trying to gather as much information as you can. You should be scared, you should be pissing your pants."

    He straightens up.

    "Before the week''s end, I will challenge you to a duel. I will tell Henry that you insulted my father or something like that, and during that duel, I will kill you."

    This time, he pats my cheek a few times.

    "Your room is at the end of the hallway."

    He walks away. His hate for me feels almost too much. Is he just that rotten, picking someone to torture every so often, or did he see something in me that he really can''t stand?

    I watch his back the entire time until he leaves the hallway.

    Then, I stop moving the mana inside my body and start walking through the hallway. As I thought, his mana sensitivity is terrible, and unlike Henry, he wasn''t able to feel my mana movement inside my body at all.

    So, can I take on someone at least 20, but probably much much more levels higher? In a week?

    If I surprise him, then maybe? But the chance is low, and the risk is so high.

    So, should I run away? I don''t think I will be able to.

    Ask for help? Who?

    Try to get into his good graces? Seems impossible.

    Haaa.

    Iy down on the bed. The clothes they gave me are simple, and the fabric it''s made of isn''t soft or toofortable. But it''s clean and without any holes or blood on it.

    The room is also fairly simple, but after sleeping outside and inside wet caves, it feels like such luxury.

    I stop my second part of the mind from focusing on practicing <strong>[Armament]</strong> and make it try to reduce my mana signature as much as I can. I try to slow down the flow of mana inside my body. My new passive skill and trait help a lot with that and I retain as much mana inside my body as possible while trying to reduce the amount of mana produced by the Mana heart.

    This night, I don''t sleep and practice until the morning when theye knocking on the door of the small room I''m in.

    I receive a wooden sword, and then the training starts.

    My opponent is a level 40 mana warrior, and the training consists of me getting more and more bruises while Emeric sits under arge parasol nearby, drinking something and snacking. His smile never leaves his lips.

    Are you that bored? Go and do something useful.

    Also, give me some of those sweets; they look amazing.

    Thanks to my upgraded <strong>[Focus]</strong>, I continue to watch the warrior''s moves with one part of my mind. Even simple swordsmanship is something new to me, as up until now, I''ve just continued to swing any weapon in any way that I saw fitting.

    Meanwhile, my opponent moves differently. Sparring while holding a sword is different than just using martial arts. His bnce is different, his stance changes at different times, and his feet move in specific ways.

    So, I watch him while I''m getting beaten. Still, I swing at him sometimes and keep my body strengthened to reduce wounds.

    There is only a 16-level difference, but his swordsmanship is much higher, and the same goes for his stats, and he isn''t even using his skill.

    It''s hard topare to someone with years and years of experience after only one month of using mana.

    Emeric is probably even better.

    The mana warrior stabs his wooden sword at me, and I avoid it only because of reading his moves and him holding back. I boost my body with mana to twist it slightly to the side to reduce the impact and then stagger backward.

    For a moment, I stop paying attention to my opponent and focus on Emeric. I try to read his expression and bodynguage.

    Is he enjoying this? Totally.

    I don''t have much time to think as my opponent attacks again. I keep my focus split between him and Emeric, trying to learn as much as I can from this experience.

    My other trainer is useless. It''s probably on purpose, but he''s terrible at handling mana, so I barely focus on him and continue nning and practicing.

    This time, Emeric doesn''t watch us.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>everything is fine here.</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> We were hunting today; there are monsters as well. Right now, mostly boars, kobolds, and also some trolls and goblins, but stronger than on the 1st floor.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>They force me to kill monsters they''ve imprisoned and put my stats in mana and constitution. They are still very nice and want me to learn to heal as much as I can.</em>

    <strong>StrongestOne (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>They are teaching us some basic orders. I think there''s a war going on or something like this.</em>

    I try to get a few more pieces of information, but I get nothing useful.

    Everyone is experiencing simr things, and if someone tries to say too much, it gets censored.

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - </strong><em>Emeric? Nah, we didn''t even meet anyone like that.</em>

    <strong>Lootenant (Hell, WhiteWing)</strong> - <em>We think that one question mark is up to 100-200 level and two question marks are over 200. But we''re not sure now. It seems like asking for a level is considered terribly rude here.</em>

    After a while, I get disconnected and close my eyes.

    I don''t sleep again and continue to practice.

    The next day, it bes even worse. This time, someone stronger spars with me. I learn a lot, but I also get beaten a lot.

    I get a soft, nearly rotten fruit that reminds me of an apple, and I''m forced to eat it while Emeric watches.

    I continue to observe him, and by now, I''m certain I can''t defeat him in a fair fight. His mana sense is terrible, but his stats are high, which he demonstrated while sparring with Henry. He is incredibly fast, and his swordsmanship is sharp and beautiful.

    He tells me to get on my knees and beg, saying that he will spare my life if I do so.

    I do it. I don''t believe him, but I kneel down and even touch the ground with my forehead.

    Dignity? Isn''t survival more important? It won''t cost me anything to bow down to him. Sure, it annoys me a lot, but for me, it''s easy to do.

    Heughs and even throws me some sweets he was eating.

    I eat them as he orders me to. They aren''t as sweet as those from the earth, and there''s some dirt on them.

    Then he says he changed his mind, and I will die at the end of the week.

    I watch him leave while mana continues to flow. Once again, he wasn''t able to feel me using mana inside my body.

    I remember him stating that we are simr, and I can''t help but chuckle a bit.

    You''re unaware of what makes me, me.

    The next day, he doesn''t join to watch my training, and the guards and servants seem to be confused.

    I am still forced to exercise to the point I almost pass out from exhaustion.

    The day after that, the servants seem even more unsure. They start searching inside the manor and in the surrounding area, and there''s a flow of peopleing in and out of the manor.

    They don''t train me anymore, so I spend most of the time locked inside my tiny room, practicing.

    They''re not giving me any food, but I enjoy the peace in my room.

    On the third day after his disappearance, a tall womanes to the manor, and I''m called out of my room. When I join her, I try to check her level, but I don''t see anything. There isn''t even text above her head.

    She appears to be 60 or more years old. Her hair is gray, and her face has wrinkles, yet she exudes an atmosphere of absolute confidence.

    She''s wearing a ck suit that seems more suited for a male, and it only highlights her tall and slim figure.

    "I''ve bought you," she says simply. "If you lie to me, you will die," she says just as simply, and I believe every word she says.

    "Did you kill Emeric Hawthorne?"

    "Yes."

 Chapter 69: A Life Bought and Sold

    Chapter 69: A Life Bought and Sold

    She keeps staring at me as we sit alone in the room with only her attendant nearby. Then she turns away, and to my surprise, I am still alive.

    "Why did you do it?"

    "He wanted to kill me."

    She pauses once more and doesn''t ask more about that, as if my answer exins everything.

    "Do you regret it?" There is a hint of curiosity in her voice.

    I open my mouth, about to lie, but then stop myself just in time, remembering her warning. I still believe that I have no other choice, so I answer honestly.

    "No."

    She nods, "I see."

    Is she not going to ask me how I did it?

    "Why didn''t you run away?"

    "I thought I would get caught, and staying here would be much less suspicious. I also tried to cover it as much as possible."

    She leans back on the couch with one of her legs crossed over the other and still looking at me, curiously. There is some mana at the top of her hands spinning wildly, but I do not dare to try to probe it to see what she does.

    "What will you do if I try to kill you?"

    Try? Don''t be funny. There is no way it would be trying. I will die the moment you decide to do so. Still, I answer honestly.

    "I will try to kill you too."

    A smallugh escapes her mouth, and her attendant, a young redhead woman, seems to be shocked.

    "What do you regret more, killing Emeric or getting caught?"

    "Getting caught."

    "No regrets for taking his life?"

    "The moment he said he would kill me, there was none."

    Mana in her hand spins faster and faster, and I realize that it''s something like a fidget toy for her, maybe also an exercise. The mana continues to spin, then it stops, changes density, creates shapes, and disappears only to be summoned back. All at a terrifying speed, showing her mastery over it.

    "You can ask one question."

    Huh?

    That makes me lose control of my mana for a second, but I quickly regain control and continue to move it in my body, ready to at least try to fight back. I am sure she knows about it. There is no way she doesn''t.

    Yet she looks totally unbothered by it. Is she finding that funny?

    "What do I need to do to stay alive?"

    "Good question. If you asked anything else, I would kill you." There isn''t a single hesitation in her voice, and I am sure she would do just that. "I paid 100 gold for you. How can you pay me back?"

    Is she messing with me? Why did you tell me to ask a question when you aren''t even answering it? What can I even pay her back with? How much is it even worth? A lot? Not that much?

    "I don''t know what I can do for you, but I am good at fighting and have some talent with mana," I say slowly after a bit of consideration.

    Her eyes are piercing me, and she finally stands up. Mana around her hand disappears.

    She is slightly taller than me, looking to be 60 years old. Gray hair tied in a ponytail and neat ck clothes remind me of a man''s suit without a jacket. Only her shirt is gray. It makes her seem even slimmer and taller. She moves the way a trained warrior would. Every move seems sharp and dangerous, yet confident and slow. It''s hard to exin.

    "That''s another reason why you are alive." She steps closer, and I realize that I''m immobilized, unable to move even a single finger. My eyes cease blinking. My lungs don''t draw breath, my heart refuses to beat, and even the flow of my blood and manaes to a standstill.

    I can only stare as she stops in front of me and gently pokes my forehead with her finger. Her mana enters my body with the force of a tsunami and totally destroys my defenses. Then I feel it squeezing my mana heart and doing something with it.

    She leans in closer, her eyes unwavering. I can see the glimmer of curiosity in them, mingling with a hint of amusement. The mana around her forms intricate patterns, almost beautiful if it weren''t so terrifying. The blunt truth hits me and I realize that just like that, my life is likely reduced to a mere source of amusement for this woman. This realization is chilling, but I have to focus on survival so I swallow hard, forcing myself to maintain eye contact, showing her I''m not easily scared.

    Immediately after that, it stops, and I can move again.

    I drop to my knees, taking a breath in and shaking as I look at her. With great effort I control my mana and force myself into <strong>[Focus]</strong>, using both parts of my mind to calm myself down.

    "There is something weird about you and other drifters," she looks down at me and then turns to her attendant. "Take care of him for now." When she is about to leave the room, she turns back to me for a second. "It''s an interesting thing you have on your brain. Rudimentary, but interesting."

    Then she leaves and her attendee finally moves.

    "Oh man, that was the first time in months I saw herugh out loud. It really shocked me, you know," the redhead woman helps me stand up.

    <strong>[Phase Warden - lvl ??]</strong>

    Unlike her master, she is smiling brightly now that the monster of a human being has left.

    "Listen, how did you kill Emeric? I saw your papers, and you are what? Level 24? I think Emeric was close to 100 or something like that? Did you kill him in his sleep? What did you do with his body?"

    Do I have to answer that? Can I lie now?

    "You know, he was a distant family member of the master." She shes me another bright smile, not even waiting for me to answer.

    Ah, I see. She''s one of those types - an extrovert. The sort who relishes in the sound of her own voice.

    My worst enemy.

    "By the way, drifters are really expensive, right? 100 gold is a loooot of money." Her tone is weird as if she is telling some joke only she understands. Then she pulls me towards the door while chirping away.

    I slowly regain my calm now that I am getting my mana back under control, and it doesn''t seem that I will die right away.

    "Oh, but don''t worry, we didn''t tell anyone that you killed him. It''s not like they would believe that anyway, and it seems like you did a good job with covering it."

    We pass by a pigpen, and I look towards it for a second before looking back at the terrifying woman''s attendant. She still continues to talk.

    Actually, isn''t she more scary than the woman from before?

    I slowly feel my energy drain away as I am forced to listen, in case she says something important.

    "Can I ask you a question?"

    "Oh, finally you talk. Sure, go ahead! But I won''t answer most of them anyway."

    Why would you¡­ whatever.

    "Why am I still alive?"

    "I will answer this one because you look so pitiful," She giggles. "It''s most likely because you are interesting and the master found it amusing. She won''t show it, but she is super bored all the time and rarely something catches her interest. That''s why!"

    Huh? Is that a good enough reason to nce over the murder of your family member?

    "Ask more!"

    Please, leave me alone.

    "How much is 100 gold?"

    "I almost forgot, you are a drifter, so obviously you won''t know! A level 50 soldier makes 1 gold a year! 1 gold is 100 silver, and one silver is 100 copper. Bread costs 1-3 copper. A ss of ale costs 2 to 4 coppers. Farmers make 15 silver a year? Something like that. So yeah, it''s a lot of money."

    Oh dang it.

    "Why would they want to throw me to the frontlines if I am worth that much?"

    Herugh is the loudest I''ve heard from her up until now.

    "Of course, you''re not! Drifters are rare but not worth that much. The master is too busy to deal with little things, so I bought you instead of her! Henry sold you for 2 gold to the frontlines, and Emeric paid him 5 gold to let him take you ''under his wing''."

    Then where did the 100 gold amounte from?

    A strong suspicion hits me.

    It can''t be, right?

    "The master is super rich and bad with money."

    Oh no.

    "I told her you would cost 100 gold!"

    "..."

    Yup, it''s just as I thought.

    "I actually paid only 8 gold for you!" Her smile is victorious and proud as she looks at me. "Oh, and it''s expected for you to pay double. 100 for the money she spent and 100 more for her to have a return on investment."

    She is totally shameless as she says this.

    For heaven''s sake.

    Help.

 Chapter 70: Ruby

    Chapter 70: Ruby

    The redhead woman''s name is Ruby, or at least that''s what she ims. The way she tells me makes me think it might be fake. There is a weird look on her face as she tells it to me. She doesn''t tell me her master''s name, nor does she tell me what will happen to me.

    My suspicion is that it''s because it''s more fun this way.

    Look, I understand it. I do. I would find it funny too if I were in her position. I would totally enjoy it.

    But damn, it''s annoying when it''s happening to me.

    "First floor, second floor, system," I say as I walk by her side, but she doesn''t react at all. It''s as if I didn''t say anything or she didn''t hear me.

    Well, it seems like the system is good at censoring. It''s not just based on censoring words, but also my intentions? It''s probably as I thought back then. The system can read my mind.

    Ruby doesn''t even ask me where I came from, nor has anyone done that since we entered the second floor. Isn''t that something people would be at least a little bit curious about? It''s a whole different world.

    Are they even human, or just something like NPCs?

    If they are NPCs, they are done amazingly well. I''ve been here for a few days, and up until now, everyone has acted like a real human being.

    Yet, I did gain experience for killing Emeric.

    <strong>[You have defeated Windde Duelist - lvl 101]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 24 > Lvl 27]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - Lvl 10 > Mana Maniption - Lvl 11]</strong>

    "Hey, I''m asking you something."

    "Oh, I''m sorry." I refocus on Ruby.

    "So, what happened to your hair? Your face is quite handsome, and you have pretty eyes; you just need to do something about your expression. But your choice of haircuts is terrible."

    "It''s Emeric''s doing."

    Hmm, maybe I should try ying on her sympathies? Slowly be the underdog in her eyes?

    "Oh, is that another reason why you killed him?" she smiles.

    Nevermind.

    "Not really..." I try to continue and exin, but she changes the subject.

    "What happened to your arm?" She moves closer and pokes the empty sleeve of my shirt. Her eyes are big and yellowish. Only now do I notice a pattern in her irises.

    What is it?

    "Answer my question." She moves even closer, and I can smell her perfume as she stares into my eyes.

    She doesn''t look more than twenty years old, and I just now notice that she is quite pretty.

    I force a smile on my face, just a small one¡ªenough to make my face look slightly friendlier.

    "No," I say curtly in what I see as a bickering tone.

    Let''s try to be friendly with her.

    Her eyes fill with surprise, and her smile changes from yful to dangerous.

    Oh no.

    Immediately I rush mana through my body and activate <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong> with both parts of my <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    Then I feel pain in my chest, immediately followed by a sting in my jaw, and fall to my knees with my head spinning and barely maintaining consciousness.

    Ruby looks down at me, still smiling.

    Her hand turns into a blurry line, and I feel a hit on the side of my head. The world goes ck.

    Yes, it''s my fault.

    Only mine.

    I miscalcted. I did something so foolish that even I am amazed by my own stupidity.

    She seemed so yful, so easygoing. I thought I could start bickering with her as well, to be friendlier. To put her at ease and gain more information. Maybe even be friendly enough for her to take pity on me or hesitate when putting me in danger.

    How was it? The risk was calcted, but damn, I''m bad at math. Exactly that.

    Also, what the hell is with me getting knocked unconscious by all these jerks? I start to have a suspicion that it might be all my fault.

    There''s a massive blue bruise covering what seems like half of my chest, and I still have trouble chewing.

    At least she was kind enough not to kill me, I guess.

    The room I''m in is slightly bigger than the one I had in Emeric''s mansion and is quite simr overall. Not bad, but nothing to talk about.

    I was already informed that Lady Ruby would be calling for me in about an hour, so I spend it changing into my new clothes and practicing.

    The material of the clothes is better than the ones I had before, and they even feel morefortable on me.

    It''s a light brown shirt with long sleeves. One of the sleeves, obviously, just hangs along my body. The pants are ck and nicely fitting. The shoes are simple¡ªterribly ufortablepared to the ones from Earth and somehow evenpared to walking around barefoot.

    But what can I do?

    I continue to move the mana inside my body. One part of my mind focuses on moving mana through my Mana Circuit and testing out Mana Flow. Another part continues to watch my heart.

    I still have no idea what that person did to my heart, and it''s frustrating.

    However long I watch, I don''t see anything suspicious, nor can I feel anything left behind.

    The only foreign thing in my body is Sophie''s construct, the one I can now destroy any time I want. Either by starving it out by letting one part of my focus cut it off and continue doing so for days or by using<strong> [Disruption]</strong>.

    For now, I continue to observe, trying to learn how to create something simr. I keep sending mana at it and watch it suck it off and power itself.

    Oh boy, I hope I''m not strengthening it too much and digging a hole for myself.

    Is this what you would call ying with fire?

    Okay, let''s be more careful.

    I let one part of my <strong>[Focus]</strong> create a bubble around it and not let any of my mana pass through to it. That should slowly starve it out, but when I see it''s about to "die," I can feed it a bit of mana so I can observe it longer.

    In the worst case, I will go all in with<strong> [Disruption]</strong> boosted by <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong>. That should do it!

    It''s annoying to lose one part of my <strong>[Focus]</strong> for this, as I just acquired it, but I''d rather be careful.

    And so what? I survived with one <strong>[Focus]</strong> up until now. I can do it a bit longer!

    If someone doesn''t kill me because of the look in my eyes, because I lied to them, or because I tried to make a joke.

    Yup.

    Easy.

    The young redhead is sitting in afortable-looking armchair, watching me as I enter with her yellowish eyes.

    The patterns she has in them make me curious, but I don''t dare to examine them too deeply.

    "On your knees," she says shortly, and I do as she says.

    Unlike when Emeric ordered me to do so, she doesn''te off as ill-intentioned. Her demeanor feels more yful, yet serious. The bestparison I can draw is to a mom hitting her child''s bottom when the child does something dangerous or foolish.

    A smile slowly appears on her face.

    "Now, I will tell you one thing," she pauses and pokes me with her heel a few times before pulling her leg back.

    "Do not pretend anything while talking to me. You are free to act as grumpy as you want; you also don''t have to talk until I tell you to do so. You can roll your eyes, sigh,in, and ask as much as you want."

    She stands up and squats in front of me, our eyes on a simr level.

    "But do not dare to try to fake anything with me," she pokes my cheek with her finger, "Do you understand?"

    "Yes."

    "Good," she says yfully and stands up, sitting back in her armchair.

    "Now, do you want to say anything?"

    "What''s with your eyes?"

    "Ehm?"

    "You said I can act in a way that is honest to myself and ask if I want to, so what''s with your eyes? The color is unusual, and there''s a weird pattern in them. They don''t seem too natural."

    "You talk quite a lot when you want to."

    "I don¡ät like small talk and I dislike talking to more than one person at once or having multiple people around me. It''s morefortable this way."

    "Ah, so you''re like that," her eyes look at me as if examining me again, "Master is simr in this way." She crosses her legs and looks at me, as I''m still kneeling. "And back to my eyes, it''s a secret," she winks.

    That''s a bummer.

    Before I get a chance to ask anything else, she asks first.

    "Your name is Nathaniel, right? Level 24 or a bit higher now, 7 or 8 gifts, and with a lot of points in mana," she pauses, "I think it''s kind of dumb, but you do you, though. Can I call you Nat?"

    "I would prefer if you didn''t."

    "Okay, so Nat it is."

    I am not even surprised at this point.

    "Why are you treating me like this and telling me to stay true to myself? You''re stronger than me. I''m way below you."

    "Hmm? It''s more fun that way. And I hate fake people. Someone acting like an asshole is better than an asshole pretending to be nice."

    Oh, I can understand that, but did I just get indirectly dissed?

    "Can I get 92 gold from you, the ones you stole from your master?"

    "No."

    "Can I tell your master that you''re scamming her?

    "Yes," her smile is bright and cheeky, and I feel shivers down my back.

    Okay, totally let''s not do that.

    "What is your level?"

    "Hey! That''s quite rude!"

    "I was told I''m an asshole."

    She nods seriously but her eyes are smiling, "Not telling," she pauses, "now it''s my turn. Why did you put so many points in mana?"

    "Mana fascinates me."

    She nods again, as though she understands.

    "What did you do to make Emeric hate you?"

    "He said he doesn''t like the look in my eyes."

    That makes herugh out loud, and she covers her mouth with her hand while doing so. She seems like a child to me - a child with immense power. yful, enjoying the little things. Still, I''m not sure if it''s only a mask she put on.

    "I can totally understand that. Your eyes are pretty, but you are... how to say it? There''s something about your look that amuses and pisses me off at the same time," she gestures wildly as if trying to exin, "For someone weaker than you, you must seem scary and unapproachable. For your equal, you might look reliable and a bit emotionless, and for people that are stronger than you, it must look like you''re looking down at them. Watching their steps and waiting for the right opportunity to step over them. As if they are just a footstep in your way and your goals are much bigger, even though they are currently so much stronger than you."

    She pokes my chest.

    ¡°It''s pretty funny and annoying at the same time, which makes it a st to watch. People like you either get so strong nobody wants to mess with them, or they screw up so epically, so massively, that the gods will poop lightning and fart thunder whileughing their heads off.¡±

 Chapter 71: Pride

    Chapter 71: Pride

    "Please give me the 92 gold you stole."

    "No."

    So goddamn shameless.

    "Nat, please don''t look at me like that. It doesn''t suit your pretty face."

    Damn it, don''t call me Nat.

    But wait a moment. The main objective of the quest is to witness the end of the world. Do I really need to pay back all this money?

    "How long do I have to pay it back?" I try.

    "A year?"

    Huh? I know that I might not have to pay it all back, but what the heck!

    "You said a level 50 soldier makes 1 gold a year."

    "Yes."

    "I am level 27 now."

    "Yes."

    How does this make sense?

    "Your angry face is funny."

    Okay, let''s calm down.

    Breathe in.

    Breathe out.

    Repeat.

    "So after 12 months, I need to have 200 gold and pay it back, right?"

    The second floor might end much earlier than that, so it would be perfect.

    "Nope, monthly payments."

    "Are you messing with me?"

    "A bit, it''s funny. Master can probably forgive you a bit if you miss a payment or two - if she likes you, but if you push it too much, she will feel as if you are disrespecting her, and who knows what will happen then."

    Great.

    "What are good paying jobs?"

    "Soldier is pretty well paid."

    Breathe in.

    Breathe out.

    "You just said again that they make 1 gold a year if they are level 50."

    "Yes."

    She is quite special, this woman in front of me.

    "Anything else?"

    "You can sell your body."

    Huh?

    "For experiments? Or selling body parts?"

    "Nope, as a prostitute."

    "¡­"

    The what?

    "Your face isn''t that bad, and even though you are missing an arm, there are some people that are into this kind of stuff. You are a drifter too, so that makes you exotic as well, and your body is quite nice."

    She looks me up and down.

    "Oh, and your eyes are quite unusual. One gray and one brown, that''s rare. Plus, some people might enjoy controlling someone as strong-willed as you."

    A smile blooms on her face.

    "I can be your first. 10 copper."

    So, I am not worth more than 4 loaves of bread.

    "Anything else?"

    "I can go up to 50 copper if you agree to one or two role-ys I like."

    Please stop looking at me like that, I am getting scared.

    "We can do it if I be too desperate."

    "Wow, some people would pay quite a few gold coins to even have dinner with me."

    I can imagine that she seems to be a fairly strong and influential person, so it might be worth it for a chance to get closer to her master.

    "I think there is something super rude going through your head."

    Hm?

    Anyway, let''s try to exin to her my stance.

    "You are pretty, and your offer sounds good too."

    "But?"

    "Instead of messing with you, I should focus on growing stronger, so I can not only pay off my debt but also be prepared for the future."

    "So you don''t even have a bit of time?" she teases me.

    "Even as we talk, I am training, and if we didn''t talk, I would be training even more." That would free my second <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    She crosses her fingers under her chin and uses them to support it while she looks at me.

    "But you said you wouldn''t mind doing it if you were desperate. Does it mean you are not attracted to me? I am curious."

    "I think you are pretty, but I try to think more logically. Sure, if you really want to, we can do it right away, even for free, if it means getting on your good side. It might also help me to rx a bit, but I think you''re mostly teasing me and not meaning it seriously, so I would only make a fool of myself if I agreed at the start. Plus it would give you more reasons to make fun of me."

    Our eyes meet, and she nods.

    Another bright smile.

    "You guessed right. But it''s interesting to see your thought process. So you wouldn''t mind selling your body in some cases, you don''t mind kneeling, and I''m sure you would beg and lick my shoes if I asked you to do so."

    I nod.

    "Do you not value your pride?"

    I''ve been asked this question multiple times in my life.

    "Isn''t the pride you are talking about something only the strong can have?"

    There is some curiosity on her face, so I continue.

    "I obviously dislike it, but isn''t that a low price to pay? Kneeling or dying, it''s obvious which one is better. Licking your shoes? Some people would even pay you to do that, as they enjoy this kind of stuff. For me, the pride you''re talking about is something useless and others can have it."

    I look up into her eyes, making sure she pays attention.

    "My pride is different. If I have to eat rotten food, I will do it. If I have to kneel, I will do it. If I have to bite, scratch during a fight, or spit and kick my opponent''s crotch, I will do it. If I have to stand naked in front of dozens of people and watch as they stare at me while they shave my hair, I don''t mind it." I pause for a second.

    Ruby is listening carefully without smiling.

    "I will do it all If it means it will help me to survive. And then, after everything is over, and I am still alive, I wille back."

    She listens without a single word.

    "I will pay back for everything. Not in the same amount. I will be unreasonable, I will be petty. I will be cruel."

    I always did it that way.

    "That''s the way I live, and that''s my pride."

    So in the end, I decided to be a frence hunter, adventurer, or however Ruby called it.

    They are individuals who go into the wild and hunt monsters or animals. Obviously, the owner of thend and the intermediary take a cut and the amount of money a person can get starts at a few copper and can be much higher.

    The reason I picked this path is that I can level up while making some money at the same time, so that''s quite good.

    There are three ways hunters make money.

    First is hunting monsters and bringing back their bodies for people to make use of them. Skins, meat, bones, teeth, nearly anything can be used.

    Second, killing monsters that have multiplied way too much or pose a risk to roads; they can even get hired as guards for caravans if they want to.

    Third is hunting monsters alive. This one is probably the best-paying one, as they will buy a live monster from you and sell it off to someone rich. The main reason is that rich people can kill them inside the safety of their houses and gain some experience to level up. I heard it''s pretty popr among super-rich people, even though the amount of experience they gain isn''t much.

    So yeah, there are a lot of options.

    Before I left with an average-looking sword, a few pairs of clothes, some food and paperwork, and owing a bit more silver, Ruby warned me not to run away and toe back every week to report to her and her. It looks like her master left some sort of marker on me, and I still can''t find it.

    It also surprises me how easily they let me go.

    I could die out there, you know. Aren''t you worried? Is it because of her master? Is it because of Ruby? Is it the system''s work?

    Well, it works for me. It''s just annoying not to know.

    So here I am, walking through Stonehaven, alone. It feels weird now that there isn''t anyone leading me somewhere or giving me orders.

    I stop by the side of the road, making sure I''m not in anyone''s way.

    Thest thing I want right now is to bump into a hotheaded individual.

    I open themunity.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4)</strong><em>- Anyone?</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing)</strong><em> - Sup, Noname. Grumpy was super worried about you, dude.</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4)</strong><em> - Hello, you arete. The other two already spent their allotted time.</em>

    Yes, that''s true. But it''s not like I could use themunity in front of Ruby.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4</strong>) <em>- I couldn''t help it.</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4)</strong> -<em> Is everything fine?</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4)</strong><em> - Yes, you said you were a hunter, are you near Stonehaven?</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4)</strong><em>- They took us to another city and still keep us on a leash, but we are leveling up.</em>

    That''s good to hear. Still, it looks like I will be on my own. I don''t mind it that much; it just means I will have to be more careful.

    I terriblyck any useful information, and I think they''re not for free. Plus, a single high-level monster probably means the end.

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing)</strong><em>- Oh, Noname and Sset! I wanted to tell you something. When both of you were away, a new guy joined themunity. I''m only telling you because he is batshit crazy, and I haven''t seen him before. </em>

    At first, I almost ignore him, not curious about this kind of stuff, but then he says something that catches my interest.

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing)</strong><em> - He was from your group, so you probably know him. He named himself "FoodFood" and kept spamming in the chat, the one word only, and all the time. Either "Food!" or "Food?" or just "Food."</em>

    I sigh.

    Why am I not even surprised?

    Goddamn it, Biscuit.

    I''m d you seem okay, you little twerp.

 Chapter 72: Weredeer

    Chapter 72: Weredeer

    My job? Killing monster boars.

    Pay? 1 to 2 silver per piece.

    Bonus? Level ups.

    A problem? They are heavy.

    Solution? Hire a group with a skill simr to Kim''s <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong> to carry them.

    Price for that group? Thirty percent of every boar delivered.

    God damn it.

    But there is one thing I like about them. They use some glowing stone that they use their skill on and then put it on the corpses. At that point, the stone works like a medium, slowly releasing some mana to keep the skill active even without their presence.

    Sure! Itsts only for a while, but it''s cool as hell!

    It amazes me and I want one.

    But I am instantly rejected. Something about a trade secret.

    God damn it.

    To be honest, I might fall in love with this world for real. It''s full of magic and its uses that fascinate me so much. After spending a few days here, I feel as if we used sticks and stones on the first floor.

    You know, like monkeys, trying to figure out how to ride a bike, while here they are flying around in jets.

    I love it.

    I dodge to the side using absorbed kic energy, and a small bead made out of my mana forms near my shoulder then flies at the monster.

    Unlike during my fight with the Cinderbear, there is damage as it hits the boar''s eye, blinding it.

    I form a few more and send them at the monster, distracting it while I move to its back.

    I cover the de of my sword in an osciting mana and finish up the monster.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Boar - lvl 19]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 29 > Lvl 30]</strong>

    Then I check my stats after putting everything into mana, obviously.

    <strong>Lvl 30</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong>13

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong>14

    <strong>Constitution: </strong>39

    <strong>Mana:</strong> 79

    Good!

    The not rounded-up number on mana slightly annoys me, but hey, it''s only a matter of time.

    Huhuh.

    Finally, my mana is twice as high as my constitution.

    I do not have a problem!

    Anyway, after a few days of hunting, I was able to gain 3 levels and a grand total of 36 silver. That''s surprisingly a lot and makes me wonder what on earth the soldiers are doing to be paid only 1 gold a year.

    Oh, and I also removed Sophie''s construct from my head. I already remembered its patterns, and I am sure the rest is only about some experimenting and practice until I create a construct of my own.

    So yeah, I removed it. You know, just to be safe.

    It totally wasn''t because of my too-high mana.

    It totally wasn''t that I had to let one of my Focuses run permanently and keep my mana under control and then couldn''t fight because the other part of my mind focused on keeping her construct isted.

    Pfff.

    That would be stupid.

    "¡­"

    So yeah, anyway.

    The construct is gone, and I can finally think of doing all sorts of things that do not align with Sophie. staying alive.

    Indeed, I haven''t forgotten, and the next time we cross paths, she''d better make me an offer I can''t refuse or she''ll be out of luck.

    ¡°Boss. We are done here!¡±

    <strong>[Mass Maniptor - lvl 23]</strong>

    The man''s group members are even lower level than me, and they move the corpse away.

    Judging from previous experience, I should get a silver and a half for one of this size. Before their cut, obviously.

    ¡°Aelric, I will need some better-paying jobs.¡±

    ¡°I thought the same! This seems too easy for you.¡± He starts smiling with that creepy smile that scammers like to have.

    ¡°How about Weredeers? Their antlers are really expensive right now, and people always pay a good price for them.¡±

    The were-what?!

    ¡°Oh, sorry! Do you know deers?¡± After I nod, he continues, ¡°Weredeers are something like bipedal deer. Obviously much more dangerous. They like to use body-strengthening magic and some ranged attacks made out of mana. Quite simr ones to yours.¡±

    Oh? That sounds interesting; maybe I can learn a thing or two. From a monster, again.

    People on this floor are learning magic since they are young, they even have schools for this, mentors, and all this stuff.

    Meanwhile, I am here smashing two stones against each other, hoping something will happen.

    ¡°As before, get me as much information about the monster as possible. Levels, variants, skills, weaknesses, plus a map of the area. I will pay, as before.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± he says with a smile, and I am sure that I am paying him a premium.

    But right now, I am almost sure that I don''t even have to save up money to give them all back.

    In the past few days, I did talk to Aelric a lot; I even bought a lot of information from him, and it looks like there is a war going on.

    You might ask, how can that cause the end of the world, which is the objective of this quest?

    Well, it''s obviously because of goddamn humans.

    Especially some individuals possessing overwhelming power.

    Champions, Paragons, Absolutes. They call them many names, and every kingdom possesses a few of them.

    People rumored to be powerful enough to wipe entire nations off the face of the Earth. Living monsters able to delete entire cities if they wish to do so, some of them may even be able to take it a step further.

    That''s what I think is the objective: to watch the war y out, to watch these insanely powerful humans destroy everything.

    The reason? Hell if I know.

    Maybe it''s to show us something? Teach us a thing or two? A warning as to what can happen?

    I also came to think that everyone here is fake, the reason being that I gained experience from killing Emeric, while I didn''t get any when I threw Ethan at the Cinderbear back on the first floor.

    They may be extremely human-like; there also might be copies of someone that existed, but I am almost 100% sure that they were just created for us to experience.

    The flow of my thoughts stops as I feel another presence with my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong>.

    ¡°One more boar.¡±

    Aelric just nods and quickly disappears to the back, rejoining his group while I start walking towards the monster.

    <strong>[Iron Boar - lvl 28]</strong>

    The boar covered in red fur. It''s not much bigger than the one I just killed, but it feels so much stronger.

    I gesture for them to move even further.

    I slightly release the hold my<strong> [Focus]</strong> has on my mana, and it flows wildly through my body.

    One part of my mind continues to manipte and control my mana, and the other focuses on fighting. It still feels weird as my mind splits into two parts, but I am slowly getting used to it.

    <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong>

    <strong>[Armament]</strong>

    I feel the strain on my mind as I use two skills at once, and a spear forms in my hand.

    It''s still translucent and see-through, but thanks to my training, it''s much stronger than the spike I used on the Cinderbear.

    The boar finally notices me, and its eyes seem to glow as it turns to me. The ground under the monster cracks, and it dashes at me, faster than it has any right to.

    I breathe out and bury my feet into the ground.

    For a moment, I release my second focus and use it to strengthen my body with <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong>, then reach back with the spear in my hand. I twist my body, spin, and throw the spear at the boar.

    Immediately after the spear leaves my hand, it starts losing some of its firmness, but that''s okay. I used a lot of mana.

    The spear flies through the air, turning into a blurred line of white-blue light.

    It burrows itself deep into the monster''s shoulder, and its charge staggers a bit before continuing.

    At that point, I reach out towards the boar with <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong> and absorb its energy, making it slow down.

    I groan; the monster is heavy, and the force behind its dash is no joke.

    When it''s almost within arm''s reach of me, I use Hadwin''s skill and disrupt the protective barrier around its body. Feeling the mana waver, I redirect the absorbed energy into a thin cone and aim it inside its eye, making a mess out of the inside of its head.

    It lets out a long squeal and staggers even more, and I jump to the side as its body slides past me and then stops moving.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Iron Boar - lvl 28]</strong>

    I poke the corpse with my foot and gesture at the hiding Aelric.

    ¡°Nice job, boss! And you didn''t even damage it that much!¡±

    I just nod and move to the side.

    Knowing a monster''s weaknesses sure helps a lot, and having skills that counter them is useful, but I am still not satisfied.

    Yes, throwing a spear made out of my mana is nice, and mana orbs too. I can make them stronger in the future, but somehow they feel¡­cking, even as I use my surge to strengthen them.

    I need some stronger ranged attacks that will take advantage of my ever-increasing mana pool.

    And I also need to create my very first construct.

    I need to practice <strong>[Disruption]</strong> as well. In a world where magic is so prevalent, it seems like a really strong skill, and it almost might help me learn to counter simr attacks that could end up being my biggest weakness, as I rely on mana so much.

    Oh, also another <strong>[Focus]</strong> would be nice!

    There is so much to do.

    It''s fun.

    Even though Iin, I am happy.

    I put in an effort, and I get rewarded. I gain more silver, and I can take a warm bath at night and sleep in freshly washed nkets. I eat tasty food and drink clean water.

    Then there is so much magic to study and watch and so much to learn.

    I leave people alone, and they leave me alone as well, not caring if I die or what I do with my life.

    I hope it willst.

    Weredeers?

    Yeah?

    Screw them.

    God damned system.

    Fucking Aelric.

    A terrifying call sounds into the surroundings as more and more Weredeers gather at the edge of my perception.

    <strong>[Weredeer - lvl 26]</strong>

    <strong>[Weredeer - lvl 31]</strong>

    <strong>[Weredeer - lvl 26]</strong>

    There are three of them circling around me, moving on their hind legs most of the time, and sometimes getting on all fours to move faster.

    Their antlers are sharp and glowing, covered in ominous red mana. Their calls hurt my ears, and their skin seems to be glowing, covered in simr tattoos that the Battle Trolls had back on the first floor.

    But the main problem is this guy.

    <strong>[Battle Weredeer - lvl 33]</strong>

    The biggest one out of them. Antlers sharp enough to cut me apart and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The monster moves on its two legs, and its tattoos are glowing in beautiful white light.

    Its eyes look at me like a hunter looks at its prey.

    Then, the mana flows out of its antlers, creating a shape simr to that of an arrow. The mana begins to glow in a color simr to its tattoos and flies toward me at a speed that is difficult to follow with the naked eye.

 Chapter 73: New Side quest

    Chapter 73: New Side quest

    I dash to the side, strengthening my body as I do so.

    The world bes quieter, ck and white, with only mana retaining its color in the world of <strong>[Focus</strong>].

    My <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> works overtime as I continue tracking the four weredeers'' mana signatures around me.

    Thankfully, only the Battle Weredeer seems to be able to create mana projectiles, so I keep running away from them or dodging them after determining their trajectory.

    One weredeer moves closer to me, dropping to all fours. A horrifying noise escapes its mouth as it charges at me, red mana glowing around its antlers.

    I take a step towards it, and my <strong>[Disruption] </strong>res up, causing the glow around its antlers and tattoos to flicker. The monster slows down, and I stab at it with my sword.

    Darn it.

    I immediately absorb some energy and push myself away, rolling on the ground before springing back onto my feet. The spot where I had been standing is bombarded with mana arrows.

    With no more time to think, I dash again, avoiding the charge of another weredeer.

    As I pass by it, I make a deep wound in its side with my sword, coated in osciting mana.

    My body is already heating up, and mana surges through me, held at bay by the second part of my <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    I dodge again and absorb more energy, using half of it to pierce the leg of one of the weredeers and the other half to push myself away.

    The monster''s tattoos begin to glow more intensely, and I can feel all this mana in the air as even my own mana rages through my body.

    Mana Circuit and <strong>[Mana Flow]</strong> both allow it to move quickly, improving my control over it while thanks to <strong>[Focus]</strong> I mold it and send it where It needs to go.

    I''ve already forgotten Aelric''s betrayal. I don''t think about the tutorial, the other people, or my problems.

    I just fight.

    My mana surges, and the osciting mana on my de extends, cutting off the weredeer''s leg. As it falls, I absorb its inertia and remold it into a thin cone that I shoot at its head after using <strong>[Disruption]</strong> to weaken it.

    Half of the head explodes, and the remaining eye slowly loses some of its glow, along with the mana around its antlers.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Weredeer - lvl 26]</strong>

    I jump back. <strong>[Armanent]</strong> creates armor on my forearm, and I redirect two mana arrows from the Battle Weredeer.

    Then I turn and stab my sword at the monster behind me. It dodges, and another one charges at me, but I dodge it as well.

    I create dozen of mana orbs and shoot them at the Battle Weredeer while charging one of my opponents. With my perception, I feel the monster dodging my attack and giving me enough time to disrupt the mana in the tattoos of another weredeer. This slows it down just enough for me to reach it and stab my sword through its chest.

    The sword breaks, and I let go. A sword made with <strong>[Armanent]</strong> appears in my hand, and I stab it into the monster, extending it as far as I can, making it go right through its body.

    Then I have to dodge and jump behind the monster I just wounded.

    The spot where I had been standing is hit by another shower of mana arrows, which also strikes the body of the monster I stabbed

    <strong>[You have defeated a Weredeer - lvl 31]</strong>

    I slowly breathe out and release some tension in my body.

    Then, I <strong>[Focus]</strong> more and take a deep breath in, followed by a slow breath out.

    Ten mana orbs appear around my body, and I feed them more mana. I make them bigger, firmer, and then elongate them, attempting to replicate what the Battle Weredeer did.

    The monster roars, and I shoot my attack at it. Half of the projectiles dissipate after a while, and the other half miss the monster, causing only minor damage to the ground.

    I reduce the number of projectiles to two and continue shooting at them while dodging attacks from both the remaining weredeers.

    My head hurts, and my ears are ringing. I''m breathing heavily, and sweat covers my body and forehead. I even feel it on my hairless scalp.

    Caught in the heat of the moment, I release the second part of my <strong>[Focus]</strong> that holds my mana at bay and use it to temper my mana projectile.

    The other part of my mind activates <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong> and then tries to control the massive output of mana.

    Both mana projectiles shoot off at an incredible speed and blow the head off one of the weredeers charging at me.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Weredeer - lvl 26]</strong>

    I stagger backward and roll to dodge another volley of arrows while both parts of my <strong>[Focus] </strong>work to regain control over my mana.

    My circuit feels like burning, and my head is overheating.

    I slow down and tilt my head to dodge another glowing arrow from the monster. My perception warns me that the weredeer is creating another one, and I dodge even before it shoots it off, already getting better at watching the monster''s skillse to life and predicting where it will shoot.

    I lower my body and start running straight at the bipedal deer, still focusing on calming my mana and only using <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> to watch the monster.

    The glow around its antlers disappears, as do its projectiles, and its tattoos start glowing even brighter. The monster roars louder than before, and its eyes follow me as I run.

    For the first time, it puts all four of its limbs on the ground, and massive mana flows into its legs.

    The ground around the monster cracks and then explodes into the air, leaving a small crater where it used to stand.

    I absorb all of my kic energy, making me stop on the spot, and then I jump to the side using the absorbed energy to push myself.

    The monster speeds past me and crashes through a few trees, bulldozing the forest. I can immediately feel it collecting mana into its legs once more.

    A single mana projectile starts floating near me, and I make it denser and denser.

    For a moment, I use the surge to boost my body and dodge to the side, avoiding a second dash. My ankles feel as if they''re about to break, but I ignore the pain and focus more on the projectile floating near my body. Its color bes a darker hue of blue.

    The monster collects its mana again, and before it dashes, I release my <strong>[Focus]</strong> that is trying to control my mana and put as much as I can into this projectile.

    It shoots off at the monster just as it''s about to charge at me, and suddenly, the forest falls silent.

    The weredeer freezes. The projectile went through its body and exited, still causing some damage to the forest behind it. The tattoos lose some of their glow, but then, with another grunt, they start to shine even brighter.

    The monster is barely controlling its mana as it charges. This time, it misses me and crashes through the forest even more violently than before.

    A pained roar sounds, and I feel the monster trying to collect its mana but failing as blood keeps flowing from its pierced body.

    Slowly, life escapes its body while it keeps trying to stand up.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Battle Weredeer - lvl 33]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 30 > Lvl 31]</strong>

    I exhale softly and calm myself down, feeling as though I am emerging from a trance now that the fight is over.

    Mana?

    Mana!

    I quickly invest all of my stat points and go through the notifications while slowly calming down.

    One part of my mind continues to calm my mana, and the other keeps scanning the area around me.

    Oh, a new <strong>[Side quest]</strong>.

    <strong>Side quest: </strong><em>Get 5 skills over level 10</em>

    <strong>Rewards: </strong>Skill upgrade token

    Huh, that sounds good, doesn''t it?

    <strong>Active skills:</strong>

    <em>Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 11</em>

    <em>Mana Maniption - Lvl 12</em>

    <em>Mana Perception - Lvl 11</em>

    <em>Oscition - Lvl 7</em>

    <em>Kic Redistribution - Lvl 9</em>

    <em>Armanent - Lvl 4</em>

    <em>Mana Surge - Lvl 2</em>

    <em>Disruption - Lvl 3</em>

    Does the already upgraded <strong>[Focus] </strong>count towards it? I wish it would, but I''m more inclined to think that it doesn''t.

    It just doesn''t sound like the system that I know and simultaneously love and hate.

    So, with <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong>, I am over halfway there.

    Another two skills I should focus on leveling up should be <strong>[Oscition]</strong> and then¡­ hmm, which one? The remaining ones are at simr levels, and I can use them all, but it would be more productive to bring one of them to level 10 instead of just using all of them.

    <strong>[Armanent]</strong> just showed me how useful it can be as I finally gained a decent ranged attack.

    It took a long time, but I''m finally starting to feel like a mage and not a cheap, knockoff version from the marketce. A step closer to finally taking advantage of my mana without damaging my body every time!

    But the problem is that other skills are amazing in their own way.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong>, boosted by the surge, feels like straight-up bullying when I use it against someone with worse mana control or lower mana reserves.

    <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong>, on the other hand, gives me an incredible boost to almost everything, taking advantage of my passive skill and trait.

    Dang it, too many good choices! A typical first-world problem.

    I don''t even want to think about all the headaches I will have while deciding which skill to upgrade. Last time I got eight options for two skills. Will I get twenty of them this time?

    One part of me is already scared, but a small, excited part of me screeches in anticipation somewhere in the corner of my mind.

    Okay, I''ll deal with thatter! It sounds like a problem for future Nathaniel! Screw that guy!

    But first, there''s one person I need to take care of.

    The person who gave me the wrong information and sent me here to die.

    Aelric.

 Chapter 74: Biscuit, no!

    Chapter 74: Biscuit, no!

    I enter the bar in the inn Aelric frequents, which is situated in a small vige near the wilderness where hunters gather to hunt monsters.

    Surprisingly, he is there, together with his group. They are drinking happily without a care in the world.

    It pisses me off.

    I walk towards the inn owner, who works from behind the counter.

    Five silver coins leave my hand ¨C half a year''s wage for a farmer.

    "I need to have a ''talk'' with Aelric and his buddies."

    <strong>[Aura Strengthener - lvl 51]</strong>

    Finally, I am able to see his level.

    He looks at me, then at the coins, and then at Aelric. A sigh escapes his mouth.

    "Triple it and no deaths. I don''t want to deal with their godforsaken guild."

    I put the coins out without any hesitation, reducing my saved-up coins by a fair amount.

    The man takes them, and I turn towards Aelric and the four men surrounding him.

    Two of them are level 30 and 35, while Aelric and two more are a bit over 20.

    The group has already noticed and is on guard.

    "Hey, boss! You wouldn''t believe what happened. I swear there should be only level 20 weredeer and not moving in groups! We had to leave too! The big grou¡­"

    He starts, but my fist already burrows itself into the belly of the level 35 man. He groans even though his reinforcement and mana re up.

    Immediately, my <strong>[Disruption]</strong> dissipates his hold over his mana, and my fist hits him in the face.

    I take a step back to avoid the attack of another level thirty, and mana flows through my body as my leg hits his chest, sending him rolling on the ground.

    None of the men dare to use big area damage skills inside the inn that is under the protection of a strong association.

    Aelric, seeing the men he often hires for protection get beaten, bes a bit nervous and takes a step back.

    "Look, Boss, Nathaniel, Nat, it''s just a huge misunderstanding."

    <strong>[Armament]</strong> creates a helmet without any visor around my head, and the bottle smashes against it half a secondter, trying to distract me.

    I continue to watch them with my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong>, and when the level 35 dashes, there is mana glowing in the palms of his hands.

    My<strong> [Kic Redistribution]</strong> slows down his charge to a crawl, and then I shoot absorbed energy back at him.

    Something cracks, and he grabs his leg while groaning on the ground.

    I create a small orb made of mana at the side of my fist and shoot it at level 31, who is slowly getting on his feet. I boost it with <strong>[Mana Surge] </strong>and after getting hit also staggers back, now with a broken arm.

    "Nat, Nat! You have to calm down, you¡­"

    I don''t give him a chance, and my kick hits his crotch, sending him down on the ground with a loud groan.

    The other two level 20s don''t even try to run away, and I break both of their hands and finish them off with a kick to the crotch and then to the head.

    Then I turn back to the man groaning on the ground.

    "V-Viktor, Viktor paid me to do it! He didn''t like you hunting so many boars; it got into his business." He pauses, breathless, but there''s some hope in his eyes.

    It''s as if he thinks I will stop now and change my target.

    He doesn''t know me.

    My stomp breaks his knee, and his screams are now louder as he keeps thrashing on the ground.

    Fear slowly starts to creep into his eyes.

    Could I have done it outside the inn and saved some money? Could I have even killed him for giving me the wrong information and sending me to my death?

    Yes, I could have, and without any hesitation.

    The instant he attempted to take my life, I no longer had any doubts about it and he doesn''t have anything worth enough to make me change my mind.

    But that''s not how it works here.

    I stomp on his other knee, and he passes out.

    So, I pull up a chair and sit on it.

    It''s okay; I can wait.

    I have time.

    Eventually, I leave after breaking both of his elbows.

    Oh, and I also cut off his hand.

    Did I enjoy it?

    Nope, I would have much preferred just killing him. An eye for an eye thing, but the current situation doesn''t allow me that.

    Even what I did just now might anger his guild a little bit, even though he was the first one to mess with me.

    But it''s much better than looking weak.

    The moment I show weakness here, ten more people like Aelric will pop up and try to use me and then throw me away when I''m no longer useful.

    I learned that the hard way aftering here.

    The first day, multiple people made fun of me, called me a cripple, and tried to step over me or take my stuff.

    At first, I wanted to ignore them, but it became even worse to the point where they were about to use me nearly as a ve or cannon fodder.

    So, I fought them.

    I beat a few people with higher levels than me senseless. I broke their bones and cut off their fingers.

    Then no one dared to call me a cripple to my face, and Aelric approached me. After that no one cared what I did or if I died out there.

    Still, It somewhat surprised me that Aelric attempted a simr thing as them.

    He should have known better.

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone)</strong> - <em>No, you should put only 20% of your stats into mana and the same amount into constitution; otherwise, it will mess up your bnce. You can split the remaining points between strength and dexterity as you wish.</em>

    What a dumbass.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4)</strong> - <em>That''s dumb; the more mana you can have, the better. It''s riskier now, but it''s better for you to get used to it. In the future, it will show.</em>

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone)</strong> - <em>Sure, like I would listen to the guy who blew off his arm because of that.</em>

    The heck? Who told him? Hadwin? It had to be him!

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone)</strong> - <em>I don''t care if you killed Cinderbear. I did it too, and it wasn''t even that tough. The monster was just a punching bag if you knew what to do.</em>

    <strong>Lootenant (Hell, WhiteWing)</strong> -<em> Are they at it again?</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing)</strong> - <em>LOL, yes, it''s fun every time I watch it.</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) </strong>- <em>Food!</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4)</strong> - <em>Biscuit! I miss you <></em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing)</strong> - <em>Here we go; the guy is here again.</em>

    <strong>BenDover (Hell, IDK) </strong>- <em>This jerk is pissing me off. Why does he repeat one word over and over?</em>

    <strong>BenDover (Hell, IDK)</strong> - <em>God damned asshole.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) </strong>- <em>STFU; you''re the worst one here.</em>

    <strong>BenDover (Hell, IDK) </strong>- <em>Asshole</em>

    Here we go; they''re at it again.

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4)</strong> - <em>Asshole?</em>

    Huh?

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing)</strong> - <em>Huh?</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4)</strong> - <em>Asshole!</em>

    Oh no.

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) </strong>- <em>Asshole! Asshole! Asshole! Asshole! Asshole!</em>

    Biscuit, no!

    Then I get disconnected from the forum.

    God damn it Biscuit.

    After hunting more weredeer, I level up two times, and even my skills improve. Before going back to my weekly report to Ruby and her frightening master, I check out my stats.

    <strong>[Name: </strong><em>Nathaniel Gwyn<strong>]</strong></em>

    <strong>Difficulty: </strong><em>Hell</em>

    <strong>Floor: 2 - </strong><em>Mana Infused Kingdom</em>

    <strong>Time left until forced return: </strong><em>4y 322d 013h 51m 36s</em>

    <strong>Traits (1/3): </strong><em>Mana Circuit (Passive)</em>

    <strong>Lvl 33</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong>14

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong>15

    <strong>Constitution: </strong>40

    <strong>Mana: </strong>88

    <strong>[Primary ss: </strong><em>Mana Channeler</em><strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Sub-ss: </strong><em>Unavable</em><strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong>

    <em>Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 13</em>

    <em>Mana Maniption - Lvl 13</em>

    <em>Mana Perception - Lvl 12</em>

    <em>Oscition - Lvl 8</em>

    <em>Kic Redistribution - Lvl 9</em>

    <em>Armament - Lvl 6</em>

    <em>Mana Surge - Lvl 3</em>

    <em>Disruption - Lvl 4</em>

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong>

    <em>Mana Flow (rare)</em>

    <strong>[Skill Points: </strong>1<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Stat Points: </strong>0<strong>]</strong>

    Pfft, 20% of stats into mana?

    Not on my watch!

    All in.

    Please, Mr. Focus, hold on! You can do it!

    As I put more and more points into mana, I rarely can allow either one of my focuses to stop watching over it.

    But hey, it''s good training, right?

    Right?

    I partially me my missing arm for making it more difficult even as I use everything to help me handle my mana. My trait, my passive, two of my skills.

    As my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> and <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> improved I realized how much of a problem is a missing arm to my flow and circuit.

    It looks like there are a few important pathways for mana in arms, and cutting them off makes mana switch to other ones. But it''s like you switch from a new highway to a country road.

    So how do I solve it?

    The best solution would be to get my arm back, but as I found out, that could be quite difficult.

    It''s super expensive, and healers here are locked up in luxurious mansions, leaving only to heal people rich enough to afford them. Sometimes they are even tied to strong families, being used to extend the life of old but powerful men and women.

    Even someone with a low level like Lily is highly valued and taken care of.

    So yup, this option might take a while.

    The second option is to try to mess with my body and Mana Circuit and fix it myself. The consequences could be terrible if I mess it up with my currentckluster knowledge and skills.

    The third option is to leave it as it is. Sure, it will continue to mess with my flow, but at the same time, it''s as if I add more weight to myself while exercising. If I survive, it will help me be even stronger, and when I finally restore it, I will be that much more powerful.

    It''s not like there are many options anyway, so I will just go with the third one.

    I also hope that at level 20, I will be able to upgrade <strong>[Focus]</strong> again; that would be amazing.

    I find an inn in Stonehaven after leaving the vige at the edge of the wilderness.

    I enjoy a warm bath that costs me a few coppers, and I eat good food with dessert. I put on my freshly washed and nicely scented clothes.

    With not that full pouch, I reach the mansion where I have to meet Ruby.

    The guards let me in, expecting me.

    I walk through the hallway, following my guide, who leaves me in front of the wooden door.

    After a knock, the door opens and Ruby emerges. Her red hair flows freely over her shoulders, and her yellow eyes almost seem to be glowing as her gazends on me. She is wearing ck pants and a white shirt. They almost look like men''s clothes, but I notice a few changes here and there that entuate her figure.

    "Nat! It''s nice to see you alive and well. Your hair is funny now; you look like a hedgehog."

    Please don''t call me Nat.

    "Master is waiting for you. Come in," she says as she steps aside, revealing the figure of a tall, older woman sitting on the couch.

    Her eyes slowly look at me, and I enter the room.

    Then the door behind me closes with a loud thump.

 Chapter 75: Champion Keiron

    Chapter 75: Champion Keiron

    "You got rid of that rudimentary thing clinging to your brain, why?" she asks me immediately.

    "It was too dangerous to leave it without oversight, and I''m not skilled enough yet to do that many things at once. Plus, I believe I learned all I could from it."

    She stares at me for a second and then slowly nods.

    "You walk a dangerous path."

    As if I don''t know that.

    "Do you like mana that much?" she asks, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

    "Yes," I say without any hesitation.

    There is something in her eyes I have a hard time describing before she turns away, looking at the wildly spinning mana in her hand.

    "You may ask a question."

    "Can I use my mana in your presence?"

    Her smile doesn''t fit her age at all. It''s barely noticeable, just a lifted corner of her lips, but even then, I can feel some cheekiness from it. Cheekiness and a warning.

    "You can try."

    I notice Ruby wildly gesturing at me to stop, but even through all of my senses warning me, I open up my mana and reach out towards her with my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong>.

    At first, I don''t sense anything.

    "Allow me to reveal the path you''ve chosen to tread."

    I start feeling it in my bones, in my insides, on my skin. Impossibly powerful mana.

    Its edges are expanding more and more. It feels like a never-ending ocean, like a tsunami. It feels like the heat of a star.

    And it''s beautiful.

    I release my focus on handling my mana and use all of it to feed my perception and defenses. I want to see more. I need to see more.

    Her mana is too massive for any human to have a right to, and my mana continues flickering in her presence, like a dying candle in a hurricane.

    My ears start ringing, and it''s harder and harder to breathe, and I am already down on my knees, unable to stand. I even feel blood running out of my eyes.

    But I continue to look.

    Like a fly dreaming of reaching the sun.

    "Well, that was dumb. You''re lucky my master only released some of her mana. I''ve seen her kill people for much nicer requests than yours." Ruby sighs, "She must find you quite interesting, doing all of this."

    I am listening to her with only one ear and still going through what I saw.

    "Haa, so annoying," she throws herself on the couch, acting more brazen now that her master has left. She stretches her legs, "I could never understand your type. All of you are goddamn crazy."

    I slowly focus on her words and stand up, my bodyining as if someone danced on it all night. With a groan, I sit on the armchair opposite her.

    "How strong is she?"

    "Who knows? I hope to never find out." Ruby shrugs her shoulders.

    "Stronger than Champion Keiron or Champion Tristan?" I ask, curious since I heard the names of the two strongest people from Rnd.

    "I see that someone has been collecting information," she smirks and, still lying on the couch, continues to look at me, "My master is¡­ she''s special, that''s all you need to know. But don''t even dream about reaching Champion Keiron. The man is ancient, and thest time he fought, he sank an ind, along with a million people who lived there. He is a monster capable of destroying an entire kingdom if he wills it."

    She jumps to her feet, "Enough of that. Now invite me to dinner, and I''ll show you something interesting."

    Huh?

    I end up leaving the restaurant with my pouch much lighter.

    Sure, the food was amazing. So good. But what the heck!

    What kind of dinner for two costs as much as a farmer''s yearly wage?!

    Damn it.

    "Look," I hear from Ruby, and I look where she''s pointing.

    The statue towers over the area, a depiction of a man tall and imposing and adorned inplete, meticulously crafted armor. You could spend hours studying the armor alone, each piece bearing intricate details of painstakingbor and skill. The armor''s metallic sheen contrasts beautifully with the backdrop of the blue sky.

    The sculpted face of the man exudes an aura of unwavering confidence and raw power. Etched with such realism, you could almost see the determination set in the statue''s stone eyes. The man''s grip on the sword is firm, with the de stabbed into the ground in front of him.

    "This is Champion Keiron," she says.

    Ehm?

    That makes me look at the statue once more, making sure I remember the face.

    "It''s nicely made," I start. Was this information really worth that much silver?

    Rubyughs. What''s so funny?

    "You don''t understand. <em>THIS</em> is Champion Keiron."

    "..."

    What?

    "No one remembers now how old he is, but everyone knows that every ten years, he creates another avatar of himself and ces it somewhere in the kingdom."

    No way.

    "There are now tens of his avatars all over the kingdom and the world," she turns to me, none of her normal cheekiness visible on her face now, "Champion Keiron can instantly transfer his mind into any of these avatars and then fight with all his power avable."

    I have a hard time wrapping my head around it. How is something like that even possible?

    How?

    "Some say that he can now awaken all the avatars at once and control them, with each of them containing most of his power," her eyes have the same look I must have now.

    I just don''t know what to say.

    "That is what Champion is capable of."

    <strong>POV Lily Chen</strong>

    "Novice Lily, please hurry up."

    "Y-yes!" I quickly grab my bag with the things I''ll be needing and nce around my room onest time, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.

    It''s huge and predominantly white in color, filled with beautifully carved furniture with gold ents. The bed is massive, much bigger than I need. But the mattress is amazing, so I don''t mind it that much. I still feel like I''m living in a dream, like any moment someone will pinch me, and I''ll wake up.

    Everything is better than sleeping on the first floor''s cold, hard ground. My thoughts drift back to those nights, and I try to shake off all those bad memories.

    I don''t want to think about that. I''m in a better ce now, right?

    "Sorry for keeping you waiting, I''m ready now!" I say as I exit the room, hoping my enthusiasm isn''t too obvious.

    Everyone here is so nice to me, so I try to treat them with the same kindness. I can''t help but feel a little out of ce, though. I mean, I''m just a regr girl who happened to acquire healing powers.

    My guide, Mentor Lyra, smiles at me, and I can''t help but smile back, feeling my cheeks warm up a bit.

    "It''s okay, Novice Lily. Shall we go now?"

    "Yes!"

    I quickly follow her as we walk through thevish hallway that I''m still not used to. It''s too pristine, too fancy-looking. Every step I take feels like I''m walking on clouds, and I wonder if I''ll ever get used to living like this.

    We pass by a few more people, and everyone greets and smiles at me. Some even bow.

    That''s another thing I''m not used to. It makes me feel important, but also a little awkward.

    In themunity, Nat said that healers are super rare in this world and that I wouldn''t have to worry about anything for a while. He told me to enjoy some rest and... I remember something and giggle a bit, suddenly feeling mischievous.

    He also said to "yoink" some expensive things for him, mentioning that he might need some gold fairly soon. I can''t believe he asked me to do that, but it''s kind of exciting.

    "Mentor Lyra, I was thinking, could I ask you for some gold coins?"

    Her eyebrows rise a bit, but contrary to my expectations, she just nods.

    "That''s something we can do for you. We can discuss it when we return from your training and talk about the amount you need."

    Oh, that was easier than I thought it would be. I can''t wait to tell Nat!

    "T-thank you."

    She nods with a smile, and we enter the massive dining room. Huge windows offer a view of the beautiful gardens, and we eat slowly, served by a few dedicated attendants just for us. The food is amazing, and I only regret that the others can''t be here with me, even silly Biscuit. I hope they''re okay.

    "Let''s go and heal a few people, okay, Novice Lily?"

    I agree and stand up, feeling determined. It''s something I have to do to be allowed to live the way I live now.

    And it will help me be more useful in the future, not just for myself, but for the people I care about.

    I will not allow the events from the end of the first floor to repeat.

    "I fed him to the pigs. I cut his body into small pieces and threw them inside the pen, making sure they eat it all," I say quietly to Ruby, who is sitting opposite me.

    She doesn''t smile, only nodding and pulling a card from the game we''re ying. She flips it around and shows it to me again.

    "I won again. Now tell me how you did it."

    I stay silent for a moment, already yearning to forget the situation.

    "I kept an eye on him since he started showing hostility towards me. Then I began to observe his movements and his sensitivity to my mana usage. I was careful, never showing any aggression," memories sh through my mind. "I created a small orb of mana inside my mouth. I''ve learned that everyone''s body has a kind of barrier that partially conceals the mana within, and even though you can sense it if you try hard enough, or if the other person isn''t good at controlling it, I noticed that Emeric wasn''t proficient at it."

    Ruby nods likely understanding where I''m heading with this.

    "He continued to taunt me in the hallway to my room, out of earshot of everyone else.

    He did it every day.

    So one day, I simply waited for him to lean closer, and then I opened my mouth as if to say something, and shot the mana orb through his eye into his brain," I look at her, "he died almost instantly."

    I leave out the part where I had to drag him to my room. I omit the part where I had to go out and immediately clean up the blood.

    I don''t tell her how I had to cut his entire body into pieces while using<strong> [Oscition]</strong> and feeling like I was on the verge of passing out several times, able to continue only thanks to <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    I don''t regret it, I did it all to survive.

    But damn, it feels disgusting.

 Side story - A Nibble to Remember

    Side story - A Nibble to Remember

    <em>It was all just a coincidence. Just a small event that changed everything. Even that should never have happened.</em>

    "God damn it, Biscuit, be careful when you''re taking food from me," the older manins, nursing his slightly bleeding finger.

    With a single drop of blood remaining on the corgi''s lip, something terrifying happens. The small animal licks its lips, and at that moment, it understands.

    It understands the words it had heard before.

    The words that said this ce isn''t real, that this is a facade created by the system.

    And with that understandinges a question.

    If everything is fake, does that mean the food is fake too? Just an illusion crafted by that strange entity?

    <em>(Food Fake)</em>

    Later that night, a young man named Kevin walked through the camp, keeping watch.

    "Fucking Cinderbear, I hope it won''t appear again."

    At that moment, a strange noise surprises him. Momentarily forgetting caution, the young man decides to follow the noise.

    "Hello?" he asks quietly, making his way through the trees of the first floor of the tutorial.

    The silence that responds is filled only by a strange, wet noise, like a messy eater slurping soup.

    Emerging from behind the trees, shock overtakes him, leaving him speechless.

    He sees the older man he had just spoken with an hour ago. A small creature is sitting on the man''s chest, taking slow, deliberate bites out of his neck, seemingly enjoying every bite.

    <em>(Food!</em>) echoes in his mind before a tentacle made of dark pulsating mana decapitates him, and his body falls to the ground.

    The creature swiftly continues to tear at the dead man''s neck, enjoying its meal.

    This food is real.

    This food isn''t fake.

    For the first time, the creature understands the difference, and a bizarre message rings in its head.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have acquired a new skill!</strong>

    <strong>[Devour]</strong>

    <strong>[Devour - lvl 0 > Devour - lvl 1(Max)]</strong>

    <strong>You have perfectly devoured your enemy.</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 3 > Lvl 16]</strong>

    <strong>You have acquired 39 stat points! Invest carefully!</strong>

    The creature doesn''t understand, what are stat points?

    At that moment, everything could still have been fixed. Things could have returned to normal and it was still possible to stop the creature.

    But.

    <em>(Mana?)</em>

    The creature remembers the words it heard from its favorite human so often.

    <em>(More mana!)</em> resonates in the surroundings.

    And then everything is lost, all stat points invested in ways they never should have been, feeding the mana-hungry skill, and allowing it to grow.

    "What the heck, Biscuit!" a young man with different colored eyes screams, some hint of emotion discernible in his voice. The creature''s favorite human.

    The answer is a confused tilt of the creature''s head.

    "Fuck, what the hell!" he continues.

    The creature doesn''t understand, looking down at the body, at the food near its legs.

    <em>(Food)</em> it tries to project, but the man doesn''t understand.

    "You can''t¡­" he starts, then gives up. Mana res up around his body, threatening tobat the creature.

    Threatening to stand between it and the real food.

    Real food? Did they call themselves humans?

    "Lily¡­" another food mutters, and then they both attack the creature, forcing it to retreat from the body of the young ck-haired girl.

    The creature realizes that it can''t fight its favorite human, still feeling some form of attachment.

    So it <strong>[Devours]</strong> the space in front of itself, reappearing far, far away, leaving everything behind.

    In front of it, a giant bear materializes, its eyes glowing with orange light and sparks of the same color floating nearby.

    It feels different, maybe it''s food?

    The creature turns towards it, and dozens of dark purple tentacles appear from its back. Cute barks sound into the surroundings as it attacks the monster.

    <strong>You have perfectly devoured your enemy.</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 32 > Lvl 89]</strong>

    <strong>You have devoured a new skill - [Challenge]</strong>

    The creature curiously tilts its head, a small pink tongue still protruding from its bloodied maw.

    <em>(More mana!)</em> echoes again, new stats making it even more formidable.

    Yet, the enemy this time wasn''t real food. Now smarter, the creature better understands that it''s fake and that only people from its home can be considered real.

    So it moves again, and it <strong>[Devours]</strong>.

    There''s only one human remaining, the creature''s favorite human. It holds him with two of its tentacles, continuously biting into the man''s left arm, the man still alive and trying to fight.

    Yet it <strong>[Devours] </strong>everything, all the attacks, all the mana. Unable to stop, the food it has now is the best it''s ever had.

    <em>(Food)</em> it states happily.

    "..."

    <em>(Food?)</em>

    Silence is the answer and it realizes that its favorite is gone. Gone in the same way the creature''s old owner is gone.

    <strong>You have perfectly devoured your enemy.</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 130 > Lvl 166]</strong>

    <strong>You have devoured a new skill - [Focus]</strong>

    More time passes and a new notification sounds. A month since the start of the first floor.

    The entrance to the second floor appears and the creature, curious and in search of more food wobbles inside while swinging its short tail from side to side.

    <strong>Congrattions! You have cleared the 1st floor of the Hell difficulty tutorial. Wee to the second floor: Mana-Infused Kingdom.</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions! You can now choose your primary ss. Your offered choices are based on your performance up until now in the tutorial.</strong>

    <strong>You have acquired one skill upgrade token.</strong>

    <strong>You have acquired one skill point.</strong>

    <strong>You can now use Community, with a time limit of 10 minutes per 24 hours.</strong>

    <strong>You have acquired 5 stat points.</strong>

    <em>(More mana!)</em> it repeats.

    It also upgrades its skill.

    <strong>[Devour - lvl 1(Max) > Perfect Devour - lvl 1(Max)]</strong>

    More time passes and the floors change a few times. Every time, the creature <strong>[Devours] </strong>everything.

    But then, one day.

    <strong>Wee to themunity tournament.</strong>

    More real food appears.

    Much more time passes and the creature, ravenous, starts to devour the ce it''s trapped in.

    The ce that stands between it and Earth, a ce teeming with real food.

    <strong>Error detected within the tutorial''s 5th round, group 4. Unable to ?*#?¨²¨¦3-</strong>

    The creature continues to <strong>[Devour]</strong>. The creature maintains its<strong> [Focus]</strong>, and then<strong> [Challenges] </strong>the system.

    It won''t stop. It will return to its home, and it will enjoy real food once more. It will continue to consume.

    <em>It won''t stop until everything is Biscuit.</em>

 Chapter 76: Rain, Wind, and Monsters

    Chapter 76: Rain, Wind, and Monsters

    Two mana projectiles created thanks to <strong>[Armament]</strong> and <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>, hover over my shoulders as I dodge the charge of a weredeer. The monster doesn''t seem too pleased and charges at me again.

    <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong> zes up, and I shoot one of the projectiles at the monster''s head.

    The weredeer ignores the wound and continues to charge, so another projectile hits it, finally making it stagger a bit.

    A wildly osciting de made of mana forms in my hand, and I sh it through the monster''s head, dodging just in time to avoid its dead body and the ssh of blood.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Weredeer - lvl 34]</strong>

    <strong>[Oscition - lvl 8 > Oscition - lvl 9]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 34 > Lvl 35]</strong>

    Now, without any hesitation, I put all the stat points into mana. If I had any before, now there is none. I wipe the rain from my head and look at the cloudy sky. It just can''t stop raining.

    "Hey! We''re done here!"

    I just nod and let the mana flow through my body. In the palm of my hand, a weird circr shape made of mana forms with the use of my <strong>[Armament]</strong>. I try to imitate Ruby''s master and continue to move it, reform it, spin it, make it denser or less dense, and almost transparent. I find it to be good practice for my shaping skills, but it must look somewhat silly.

    I slowly enter the clearing, which is upied by a group of ten hunters, all of them on a mission or quest, if you will.

    This time, I was extremely careful and picked a group that looked somewhat reliable. Sure, I''m not expecting them to sacrifice their lives to save me, nor do they expect the same. But at least I know they won''t stab me in the back out of nowhere.

    Probably. Look, it''s difficult, okay? A man''s got to eat. Eat and pay a ton of money, and this expedition is paying super well.

    The main objective is to kill as many weredeer as possible and take care of their boss, who is leading them while hiding somewhere in this area.

    Are they out of quests where I would have to guide someone super slow walking to some distant ce? They don''t need anyone to collect a certain amount of some material?

    Anyway, the group thinks I am at a higher level than I really am, thanks to my unusually high mana.

    Obviously, I joined even though it''s dangerous and might be too risky for my current level.

    The reason? Ruby''s master.

    I just can''t get the image of her mana out of my mind, and to reach her level is impossible without putting my life at stake to grow stronger. ying it safe won''t get me there. It''s as simple as that.

    "Nathaniel, how many did you get this time?" our vice leader asks me.

    "Three of them this time."

    "That''s pretty good. You''re doing well," he gives me a small smile. "You might really save up enough money in a few years to restore your arm."

    Yup, that''s the story I''m going with. I lied to make it easier to get into the group.

    "Thanks, Bram. That''s the goal," I try to act nice. The man is fairlypetent, and he has two skills that I really like, so it''s better to stay closer to him so I can observe them. Obviously, it would be too rude if I did it with my perception and he felt it, but I may be able to ask for some pointers while thinking about the rest on my own.

    Soon, more and more people from our group join us, having finished their part, and I start getting ufortable as so many people talk at once, some of them even talking to me.

    At first, it''s bearable, but I quickly feel my social batteries drain.

    Darn, I miss Tess and maybe even Hadwin. They are both much better than me at dealing with people. On the other hand, I don''t mind sitting to the side and only listening without having to open my mouth.

    I don''t think that will ever change. I''ve tried multiple times, but no matter how much I try, I start feeling ufortable when talking to more than one person after some time.

    Fortunately, we start moving again as the rain bes stronger and the wind picks up. A few times, I try to use my <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong> to absorb some kic energy from the wind, but I fail miserably. It''s still way too difficult for me. The raindrops, on the other hand, are much easier, and I can even absorb some energy from swaying trees.

    Well, it''s only a matter of time until Ie up with a solution. Later, I might even be able to absorb different kinds of energy. As of now, I can think of something like<strong> [Mana Redistribution]</strong> - that sounds like an overpowered skill. And how about absorbing sunlight, gravity, or thermal energy? The options are immense!

    Also, soon I might be able to upgrade one of my skills after finishing one of the side quests:

    <strong><em>Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 13</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Mana Maniption - Lvl 14</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Mana Perception - Lvl 12</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Oscition - Lvl 9</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Kic Redistribution - Lvl 9</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Armament - Lvl 8</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Mana Surge - Lvl 4</em></strong>

    <strong><em>Disruption - Lvl 4</em></strong>

    Three skills are close to level 10. Sure, there will most likely be some bottleneck, but I can do it. But which one should I upgrade after that?

    The skill I''m considering upgrading the most is <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>, but if I get some enticing options for <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong>, I might change it up. Lately, I rely on it a lot to learn new skills by watching other people''s usage of mana, so even if it hurts me in my current situation, it might be a good option.

    Heck, even <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong> could get amazing options for an upgrade.

    Darn, it already makes my head hurt. I''ll get what, 20 options to pick from? Nice.

    "Nathaniel?" I hear.

    Oh, darn it, not again. Lately, it''s easy for me to get lost in my thoughts even as I keep running Perception to check for danger.

    "Sorry, I''ming."

    I quickly rejoin the group. This time, I am careful to stay with the group and train my <strong>[Kic Redistribution] </strong>for fun.

    I''ve found a new way to practice it. I try to absorb energy from a single raindrop out of the hundreds of them that are around me.

    I don''t even have to exin how crazily difficult that is.

    A few minutester, one of our group members dies.

    His head explodes as a mana arrow hits it, also evaporating half of his chest due to the speed of the projectile. The remaining half of the body falls, and panic sets in.

    No one felt anything, not even our scouts, who are most likely well over 50, and their area of Perception is much bigger than mine.

    The arrow just came flying so fast and from so far away that they were unable to sense it forming.

    We continue to look around, with a few stronger and faster members rushing towards the direction the arrow came from, but even theye back empty-handed.

    "I say we get out of here and go back!" one of the men screams, a tall bald man.

    "There''s no need to be so rash. We made a mistake, and we know how to counter it now. Eamon can create a web of mana far around us with his gift. It can slightly change the direction of a projectile if it enters his area," says the leader of our group, looking around. He''s a skilled hunter seemingly around Hadwin''s age.

    "Simon and Ivar will continue to run their <strong>[Detection]</strong> at full power, and we will have our vanguards nearby so they can block any attacks."

    His voice is calming, and even I almost start believing him.

    "We know what we''re up against now, and we will be ready."

    It sounds so easy.

    Maybe it wasn''t such a good idea to join this expedition.

    A few hourster, and after a few fights with a normal weredeer, the leader dies.

    This time it''s not a ranged attack; it''s something much more amazing.

    An idle mana projectile was hovering in the air in the crown of a tree.

    No one was able to sense it; that''s how firm it was and how little mana leakage the projectile had.

    We were only able to detect it as we passed under it.

    Someone crossed a hair-thin thread of mana, which triggered the mana arrow, sending some impulse, and then, as if it were a homing missile, it flew right at the leader.

    The vanguard didn''t even have enough time to try to stop it.

    The mana around the leader red up, and in front of him, a barrier made of mana appeared at incredible speed, followed by another and another. The man was amazing, able to create a fiveyered barrier in a split second.

    Yet the projectile tore through them all of them.

    Half of the man''s chest disappeared in an explosion of innards, blood, and bones.

    He died instantly.

    That''s when I decided it was time to leave, and I wasn''t alone.

    We immediately started moving back the way we came, but what awaited us made it all seem hopeless.

    Dozens, probably well over fifty weredeer, were blocking our way back, with more of them around us. Even I could feel their mana.

    So we just stood there in the rain, which continued to strengthen, and in the strong wind that kept hitting our bodies.

    Threatened by mana projectiles and surrounded by monsters that we could hear roaring even through the wind, rain, and thunderstorm.

 Chapter 77: Prey

    Chapter 77: Prey

    We do the only thing we can do: run.

    We charge toward where the horde of monsters seems thinnest.

    mes surge into the monsters; I hear the crackle of electricity. An arrow from one of our scouts flies ahead of us with enough power to destroy a tank back on Earth.

    Pushing through isn''t the problem; the problem is a sniper.

    Another arrowes flying, obliterating one of the men along with the monster he was fighting.

    Meanwhile, my <strong>[Focus]</strong> keeps running at full power while I loosen its hold on my mana, now burning within my body. The <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong> boosted by <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong> covers arger area than ever before and absorbs the energy of the rain, which I use to propel myself and attack the monsters, either pushing them away or piercing their bodies.

    The world is colorless and quiet under the influence of my skill as I run, striving to stay with the group while keeping someone between me and the presumed location of the sniper. But no arrowes flying, even as we plow through the monsters, killing a big number of them in the process.

    I am thankful for the rain as it enables me to keep up with the group of higher-level men, propelling myself with the absorbed energy.

    After what feels like thirty minutes, we slow down against the side of a hill, a small ce sheltered from the rain. Discussions are already underway among the group, but I only half-listen, continuing to monitor our surroundings.

    Something tells me this is far from over, and I extend my perception as far as possible, in waves, almost like a sonar. My body is tense, bracing for a mana arrow that coulde at any moment.

    My best bet is to counter it with <strong>[Disruption]</strong> and hopefully dissolve it, or to cut it with <strong>[Oscition]</strong>. After seeing it pierce a fiveyer barrier, I can''t rely on <strong>[Armament]</strong>.

    So that''s the n. I will detect it, slow it with the redistribution, and then finish it off with <strong>[Mana Surge] </strong></divbined with either<strong> [Disruption] </strong>or<strong> [Oscition]</strong>, either trying to dissipate it or destroy it.

    Once again, I curse my impatience. Why did I be so greedy after witnessing the power of that woman? I thought I had calmly considered it safe, yet now I feel I didn''t because of my greed.

    Thankfully, the rain is still strong, allowing me to use redistribution constantly. After a brief rest and some heated arguments, we continue moving back, still a few hours away from the city.

    As we proceed, I stop using perception to sense the ranged projectile; instead, I look for simr ones that killed our leader - the ones triggered by thin threads of mana.

    I continue to boost <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> with surge, and even though my head hurts and sweat runs down my face, I keep sending it into our surroundings.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong> helps a lot.

    I don''t notice the first one in time, and the man who wanted to leave first dies, his lower half separated from his chest. He dies looking surprised at his legs lying apart from his body.

    Then we have to fight weredeers. I dodge the monster''s rush, and as it passes by me, a sword made of <strong>[Armament] </strong>appears in my hand, and I sh at its neck, leaving it to bleed.

    Not having enough time to dodge another one, I fire up redistribution again, absorb as much energy as I can, and then disrupt the protective barrier around the were-deer, finishing it by turning the sword into a spear and stabbing it through its neck.

    With the absorbed energy, I propel myself to rejoin the running group, dodging to avoid the mes that one of the men is shooting at the monster behind me. Even in this situation, I use a bit of perception to observe his skill.

    Thankfully, the men are dealing with higher-level monsters, and I''m picking off the slightly weaker ones that I can finish quickly thanks to my skills.

    <strong>[Mana Perception - lvl 12 > Mana Perception - lvl 13]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated a Weredeer - lvl 28]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated a Weredeer - lvl 34]</strong>

    I ignore the remaining notifications and follow behind the men. Two mana projectiles hover over my shoulders, and I keep feeding them mana, inspired by the arrow that killed a few of the men from the group.

    I make my projectiles denser, sharper, and more durable, trying to imitate the sniper''s skill.

    As another monster charges at me with glowing tattoos on its body, I shoot both of them with the help of a surge, even pushing them a bit with redistribution and the energy I got from the rain.

    The monster''s chest explodes into a bloody crater, the tattoos flicker and soon stop glowing, and the monster dies.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Battle Weredeer - lvl 31]</strong>

    Again. I form another two projectiles.

    My mana is enough, so I add one more. This time it makes my head hurt, and the third projectile dissipates as I have to focus on controlling my mana, strengthening my body, and the use of my skills.

    Then I trigger a thin thread of mana at my feet. I only notice it when I feel the thread tearing.

    The world feels as if it has slowed down, and I stop holding back my mana which instantly rushes through my body at a terrifying speed, pummeling my muscles and sending burning pain through my circuit.

    But I don''t care; I even boost it all with <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong>, and my heart throbs wildly, sending even more mana into it.

    My perception epasses a small area and I <strong>[Focus]</strong> with both parts of my mind on it. One part is tracking the thread, the other is looking for a projectile.

    In the ck and white world of <strong>[Focus], </strong>I finally notice<strong> a </strong>thin thread shining slightly in pale blue color.

    When I get a general idea, I shoot my mana projectiles towards the ce where I think the projectile is, at the same time I start strengthening my body as much as I can, knowing that redistribution would be too slow.

    It all happened in what feels like a split second.

    Then I see the projectile flying right at me, hitting my own projectiles and only slightly changing its direction.

    Dozens of small mana orbs appear around me, and I throw them at it, hoping for something.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong> fires up, boosted even more by the surge, and I try to change the area where it''s focusing, making the effect smaller but more potent.

    Another part of my mind focuses <strong>[Kic Redistribution] </strong>in the same direction, instantly releasing all the energy I absorbed, repeating this multiple times.

    The notifications ring in my head as the projectile grazes my side, leaving a deep wound there before hitting the ground behind me.

    With a groan, I fall to my knees, releasing all the energy I was able to absorb, and a strong shockwave hits the trees around me, sends smaller stones flying, and makes thinner trees bend under pressure.

    It takes me a few seconds of effort with both parts of my mind to calm down my mana and get over the pressure of using so many skills so rapidly.

    Unfortunately, it''s not the end.

    The weredeer hits my body, and only at thest moment am I able to create a translucent armor to soften the impact. I fly through the air and then roll on the ground, unable to even focus on absorbing that energy.

    The armor around me disappears, and I crawl on the ground, trying to get as far away as I can from the monster.

    I feel it charging at me again and I pull out the dagger from behind my belt. Slowly, I get up on my feet and turn towards the monster.

    The rain continues to beat my body, the ground is slippery, and it''s getting darker, more like night than afternoon.

    The lightning sounds nearby, and I send one pulse of mana through my body at thest possible moment, just enough to jump to the side and then bury the dagger into the monster''s eye as it passes by me.

    Roar.

    It swings its antlers, and I dodge by falling to the ground.

    Another pulse of mana, just enough to make myself faster and sh against the monster''s neck. The dagger is only weakly coated in <strong>[Oscition]</strong>, but it''s enough. A deep wound opens on the monster''s neck, and blood falls on my face.

    Another pulse of mana and I stab into the monster''s neck.

    Then again and again.

    The blood covers my body and mixes with the water from the rain running down to it. I make <strong>[Oscition]</strong> move faster while using as little mana as possible.

    Multiple notifications.

    I dodge to the side, and the monster falls to the ground, dead.

    Forcefully calming down my breathing, I stand up and move to the side, ending up leaning against a tree. My head hurts and the world spins around me.

    The roars of monsters bring me back to reality, and I send perception into the area, not feeling any humans close to myself, only weredeers at the edge of my detection.

    I am alone.

 Chapter 78: Following the thread

    Chapter 78: Following the thread

    <strong>[Lvl 36 > Lvl 37]</strong>

    I pause briefly to invest my stats. After a moment''s hesitation, I put them into mana; I don''t believe any other stat will help me at this moment. I quickly skim through the notifications, paying no mind to the ones about kills.

    <strong>[Focus - Lvl 14 > Focus - Lvl 15]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - Lvl 14 > Mana Maniption - Lvl 15]</strong>

    <strong>[Oscition - Lvl 9 > Oscition - Lvl 10]</strong>

    <strong>[Armament - Lvl 8 > Armament - Lvl 9]</strong>

    <strong>[Disruption - Lvl 4 > Disruption - Lvl 5]</strong>

    For a moment, I summon my status window while starting to run towards the area with the least amount of monsters.

    <strong>[Name: </strong>Nathaniel Gwyn<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Difficulty: </strong>Hell

    <strong>Floor: 2 </strong>-<strong></strong>Mana Infused Kingdom

    <strong>Time left until forced return: </strong>4y 318d 021h 51m 03s

    <strong>Traits (1/3): </strong>Mana Circuit (Passive)

    <strong>Lvl 37</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong>14

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong>15

    <strong>Constitution: </strong>40

    <strong>Mana: </strong>100

    <strong>[Primary ss: </strong>Mana Channeler<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Sub-ss: </strong>Unavable<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong>

    Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 15

    Mana Maniption - Lvl 15

    Mana Perception - Lvl 14

    Oscition - Lvl 10

    Kic Redistribution - Lvl 9

    Armament - Lvl 9

    Mana Surge - Lvl 5

    Disruption - Lvl 5

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong>

    Mana Flow (rare)

    <strong>[Skill Points: </strong>1<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Stat Points: </strong>0<strong>]</strong>

    I still have one skill point left, which means I only need to get either Redistribution or <strong>[Armament]</strong> to level 10 and then use the skill point to level up thest one. I''d prefer not to do it this way as I have a feeling that breaking through the bottleneck from level 9 to 10 would be better to do on my own, but it''s not like I can be picky right now.

    I gradually increase my speed, each step bing firmer. The aftershocks slowly wear off, but I continue to search for traps more fervently than before. Every step I take is cautious, and could easily be myst.

    My area of perception is smaller, but it allows me to pay closer attention. Now that my mana is over 100, I feel even more how the missing part of my circuit in my left arm interrupts my flow, forcing me to use even a small part of my secondary focus to move it properly.

    Arrows fly at me, thankfully from regr weredeer, not the lethal ones. I dodge them, not even bothering to return fire, still not feeling too well. I stagger slightly, slipping on the mud-covered ground, but quickly regain my bnce before the charging monster reaches me.

    Mana flows only into my legs, just enough to dodge to the side. Immediately, I cut it off and use a bit of mana to absorb the monster''s kic energy, propelling myself forward. I stagger once again before regaining my bnce. With clenched teeth, I continue to run.

    Three weredeer appear some distance ahead of me. I form simple mana orbs around me, spinning them and densifying them, trying to save as much mana as possible. I then start spinning them around my body, making them orbit me like tiny moons, gradually increasing their speed.

    They spin faster and faster, umting a lot of kic energy. When I''m close enough to the monsters, I release them, shooting them like projectiles from a sling. Ten of them fly at the monsters at a terrifying speed, smaller than usual but denser. They pierce the weredeer''s skin and exit their bodies on the other side.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Weredeer - lvl 33]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated a Weredeer - lvl 32]</strong>

    Not having enough time to do it again, I boost my body and jump over the charging remaining monster. While I''m up in the air, I absorb a bit of kic energy from the rain and boost the spear I made out of <strong>[Armament]</strong> into the monster''s back.

    Now the wounded weredeer turns to me, a red glow covering its body. For half a second, <strong>[Disruption]</strong> fires up and the monster staggers as if stung after its skill cancels. I dash forward, and the dagger covered in <strong>[Oscition]</strong> nearly decapitates it, leaving it hanging by a bit of skin.

    But then I run again, ignoring the notification about the kill and dodging arrows or normal weredeer.

    The wind continues to threaten to blow me to the ground and the lightning bes more frequent.

    The forest is dark and the branches of the trees are swaying wildly, cracking in the wind.

    And I run.

    Is it because we made fun of the deer we killed back on the first floor? Because we called him Bambi and did such a bad job skinning him?

    After I get out of this, I swear I will kill any monster that has antlers or even reminds me of a deer.

    My first meal will be deer steak and I will eat it whole whileughing, then order another one and throw it on the ground.

    Damned weredeers.

    I wobble from side to side as I walk between trees, a few more small wounds are on my body and even now I feel as if I''m about to pass out as my head keeps ringing and I have to continuously use my skills. While catching my breath, I stop to lean against a tree.

    It''s already night and I''m mostly navigating with the help of perception that only feels mana and the little light that the moon offers. Unlike Earth, it''s bluish, giving the night an unusual hue.

    At the edge of my reduced perception, I feel another signature that I identify as a weredeer and stop leaning against the tree, stepping a bit away from it.

    One of the mana orbs that hover around me starts orbiting me and slowly increasing its speed. I found it''s much better to increase its speed this way instead of using a surge that puts too much pressure on me in this state.

    Sure, it''s annoying and it takes a bit longer, but the result might be even better than just boosting it. I just anchor the bead to my body and push it to make it spin around me.

    I let the weredeer get closer and then sling the mana bead at him. It hits the monster''s face, tearing off a chunk of its head as big as my fist. My uracy is only getting better and it''s enough; the monster falls down dead.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Weredeer - lvl 36]</strong>

    I already invested my skill point into<strong> [Armament]</strong>, knowing that it would probably have a more difficult bottleneck as I have a feeling that I am closer to leveling up <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong>. Also, the second skill is something that I think is better, and I know I would regret, using the easier way to master it instead of doing it my own way.

    So even as I barely walk and mana continues to threaten to ravage my body, I keep continuing to absorb the energy of a single raindrop out of the thousands that continue to fall around me.

    At some point, I find the corpse of one of the men that was in our group. His body is mangled, limbs torn off, and there isn¡¯t enough of his face left for me to identify, but I remember the dagger that lies nearby. I grab it and continue without looking back. The de still seems to be in good shape.

    A few minutester, I find another corpse. Half of its body is missing, the wound looking simr to the one the sniper''s projectiles caused.

    It''s been a few hours since I concluded this is the work of a human, not a monster. Probably someone paid to deal with thepetition. Someone hired to kill the man that led us and to leave no witnesses.

    The sniper must also have some ability to at least affect the monsters a little bit and they are not too high level, otherwise we would be dead already. They must have nted the triggering mana projectiles around us as we were pushing forward and then started using the super ranged sniping skill, probably with a long preparation time or some setback that doesn¡¯t allow to use it quickly. Or it''s just to mess with us.

    I''ve learned to detect the threads of mana and this way avoided three traps. At thest one, I even climbed on a tree and observed the mana projectile, not too much out of fear to not trigger it, just enough to learn that there are two parts to it.

    One of them is a huge amount of mana that ispressed into an elongated sharp shape, somehow made to not leak mana. The other part is the trigger, a mana thread that will activate something that will send the arrow flying at the ce where the thread of mana touched the person. I already have multiple ideas of how I can use this to improve my skills or to help me in creating a construct.

    Thanks to tracking mana threads, I find the one that is slightly different, even thinner, and leading somewhere else. There are no projectiles around. So I reduce the mana my body radiates. I slow my Mana Heart the same way I did when I killed Emeric, and I reduce the area of my perception by a lot.

    And I continue to follow the thread of mana, slowly, carefully, concealed in the rain and the darkness that nkets the area. The wind continues to howl around me, sending leaves swirling and making the branches creak. Soon, I reach a small clearing, tucked away behind a line of trees.

    There, I find two people, a man, and a woman, standing in between the wilderness where we went and the vige. Even through the rain and darkness, I recognize the figure of one of the men from the group. The vice leader, Bram.

    <strong>[de Sentinel - lvl 51]</strong>

    <strong>[Phantom Sniper - lvl ?]</strong>

    I take a small step to the side and only toote do I realize that I have torn a mana thread even thinner than the ones from before.

    My surge fires up and both parts of my mind focus on redistribution. This time, I don''t hesitate and reach out towards the forceful wind that keeps roaring through the area, causing the trees around us to groan under its strength.

    I absorb the kic energy from the wind, almost instantly filling up the amount I can control.

    I hear them scream something and turn towards me. Mana projectiles form around the sniper and the traitorous vice leader charges at me.

    When he gets close, he hesitates for a moment, recognizing my face.

    I do not.

    His head blows off, hit by the kic energy I absorbed and I refocus my attention on the sniper.

 Chapter 79: The Second Skill Upgrade

    Chapter 79: The Second Skill Upgrade

    Using the remaining kic energy, I propel myself forward, my hand holding a knife covered in osciting mana. I read the direction of the projectiles that the sniper fires at me, a much weaker version of the skills she used to kill so many of the group.

    I dodge two and block thest one, barely avoiding breaking my hand. Meanwhile, I once again absorb the energy of the rain and mold it into as thin a cone as I can, shooting it at her. She dodges it but a few orbs of mana start spinning around me faster and faster.

    I dodge another projectile and, unable to dodge the second, let it pierce through my thigh and sling a mana orb at her, forcing her to dodge again.

    This time, tens of projectiles appear around her and all fly at me. My surge bursts forth and I put everything into <strong>[Disruption]</strong>, causing all the quickly formed projectiles to disappear like candles in the wind.

    I sling a few more orbs at her and boost them with surge and even the kic energy I absorbed. The trees and the ground around the woman be trashed and multiple projectiles hit her. The woman finally staggers, putting a hand on her chest and then looking at her bloodied palm.

    She screams and again tens of projectiles form around her. At that moment, another orb made of mana hits her and she staggers again, half of the projectiles disappearing. Still, she clenches her teeth and the remaining ones fly at me.

    Once again, <strong>[Disruption]</strong> res up and the projectiles disappear. All other than one that she made denser after seeing me cancel her attack before. The projectile hits my arm, which I barely cover in <strong>[Armament]</strong>, and I hear the bone crack.

    The force of the attack sends me to the ground, but I quickly absorb more energy, using it to propel myself back onto my feet and towards the woman who is already preparing for another attack.

    Coming at her faster than she expected, I tackle her, both of us rolling on the ground.

    A quick jab hits my armored chest and another one is aimed at my crotch. I block this one with my broken hand. Then, I swing my head and hit her nose with it, breaking it in the process, causing blood to splurt out. I repeat it. And again, until another hit nearly breaks my <strong>[Armament].</strong>

    Around my hand, I barely create osciting mana and stab it into the woman''s chest, making it oscite as wildly as I can, tearing her flesh while her hateful eyes stare at me up until thest moment.

    Then she dies.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Phantom Sniper - lvl 72]</strong>

    Two level-ups and I put all stat points into constitution, rolling on the ground toy next to her, my heart beating wildly and mouth gasping for breath.

    I rest for a minute while the rain continues to fall on my body and face, washing some of the blood off, then I send a pulse of mana into the surroundings, not feeling any monsters close. Still, I let one part of my mind monitor my surroundings, already knowing about the monsters that can mask their signature.

    With the other, I open the notifications.

    <strong>Congrattions! You havepleted the Side quest and received a skill upgrade token. Currently, there are five skills avable for upgrade. Choose wisely!</strong>

    I pause for a second, really wanting to see all the options, but I know I can¡¯t right now. I''ll check themter to see the possibilities.

    Right now I need to get my mana under control. I can¡¯t continue to rely on<strong> [Focus]</strong> to handle it all the time. Even now, one entire <strong>[Focus]</strong> keeps it at bay and a bit of another as well, not allowing me to use the skills as much as I would like to.

    So I nce over the options for <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>.

    They are the same as before when I was using my first upgrade token.

    <strong>Mana Amplification:</strong><em> Increase the potency of your mana maniption, enabling you to generate more powerful magical effects.</em>

    <strong>Advanced Mana Maniption:</strong><em>Enhance your control over mana, allowing for more precise and intricate maniption of magical energies.</em>

    <strong>Mana Intensification:</strong><em>Strengthen the potency of your mana maniption, enabling you to generate more powerful magical effects with less effort.</em>

    <strong>Mana Sensitivity: </strong><em>Heighten your sensitivity to mana in your surroundings, allowing you to detect and track mana sources more easily.</em>

    Yes, <em>Advanced Mana Maniption</em> it is.

    Half a second after I chose it, the pain hits my body and I groan, feeling it even more because of my pitiful state. My muscles spasm and my brain feels as if someone set it on fire and my heart feels as if it''s about to explode out of my chest.

    Slowly, after a minute or two, the pain dissipates, leaving me lying there staring at the sky.

    These aren''t tears. It''s the rain. The raindrops.

    Yes.

    God damn it.

    I groan and try to push myself up with my hand, toote remembering that it''s broken and a groan of pain escapes my mouth. Great. Just great.

    I carefully get up and send a pulse of mana as far as I can. Still no signs of life. I try to move mana in my body, keeping it strengthened. It feels much better than before but it''s hard to tell properly. Yet another thing I will have to testter.

    Slowly, I move towards the corpse of the woman and start looking through her pockets, being careful not to put too much pressure on my hand. At some point, I even form something like Biscuits'' tentacles to open up the pockets.

    Damn, I miss that little jerk.

    In the end, I be a few gold pieces richer and even find some weird shining stones. I''m not sure what they''re for but they crack and turn into the sand after I touch them. Other than that, she doesn¡¯t have any documents or identification. Not even any other weapon.

    For thest time, I look at her and move towards the corpse of the vice leader of the group whose head I blew off.

    I take his short sword that looks of high quality, some silver from his pockets, and his dagger. Before leaving, I look at him onest time and turn around, leaving both corpses behind me.

    On my way back, I find no monster, only one more man. He immediately attacks, clearly with the intention to kill, but one of my mana orbs, which now spins much faster than before, pierces through his arm. Then I absorb their kic emery and a cone of kic energy explodes his leg and the man loses his will to fight, only begging for his life.

    He is 10 levels higher, but I''m a terrible matchup for him. His main strategy seems to be using telekinesis and hurling small iron balls, reminiscent of bearings, at me. Boosted by his skill, I can envision them inflicting serious damage. Furthermore, he appears to have literally hundreds of them at his disposal.

    As he moved them, he also made them glow in a blue hue, probablybining his telekinesis with something else, but <strong>[Disruption]</strong> took care of that.

    The man is still alive as I get to him, carefully monitoring him with my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong>.

    There are multiple questions I could ask him. For example, I could ask him why he tried to kill me. But the answer is obvious, he was with the two I killed before.

    Another question I could ask him is why they attacked the group. Why did they all have to die?

    However, there is one thing I''m particrly curious about. Who did it? I want to know information about this person, their power, and the number of their men, in case they decide to cause more problems for me. Other than that, I do not care. I am not interested in the reason why everyone in that group had to die. It''s surely something simr to what happened to me when I used to hunt with Aelric.

    Before killing him, I get another use out of the man. He already tried to take my life, so I show no mercy. With my improved<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong> and <strong>[Disruption]</strong>, I send my mana inside his body. Unlike Sophie, I do not have<strong> [Mana Infusion]</strong>, but the result is simr.

    I use him to practice creating constructs and to test a few theories I have. After the third test, he dies. A temporary construct messes with his mana pathways in a harmful way, causing an uncontroble re of mana to damage his insides.

    But I learn a lot.

    When Ruby appears near me, I attack her, not recognizing her at first, but she just hits my chest, almost gently, sending me staggering backward. Immediately, she gets drenched in the rain but she doesn¡¯t seem to mind.

    She looks down at the man near my feet and then back at me, seemingly unbothered.

    "You look like shit," she says.

    Yea, I bet.

    "Well, it''s raining," she says as if she only noticed it right now. "Are you done here?"

    I just nod, too tired to talk.

    The redhead then steps near me. My <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> fires up and I watch, knowing that something amazing is going to happen.

    With me by her side, she takes another step and immense mana erupts into the surroundings. The view in front of us disappears and the world by our sides seems as if shrinking.

    The mana, the world, everything moves so crazily and soplexly that I can''t even dream to follow right now. My head spins and I have a feeling as if someone pulled a carpet under me and stagger forward. Instead of into the mud, my feet step onto the wooden floor of a nice-looking room that we are inside.

    The silence after hearing the thunderstorm and the rain for so long feels deafening.

    With a tired sigh, I slide onto a chair nearby, too tired to even care if I am dirtying it because of the mess on me or not.

    Then something sounds in my head.

    <em>(Asshole!)</em>

    The heck!?

 Chapter 80: Your world sucks

    Chapter 80: Your world sucks

    The small body of the best doggo hits my chest, making me let out a quiet groan of pain. Yet, I still hug the corgi and keep him close to my chest while carefully petting him with my now slightly healed arm.

    <em>(Asshole! Asshole! Asshole! Asshole!)</em>

    Yes, yes, I missed you too.

    Also, we will have to put some parental control on your ess to themunity; you are learning bad words from those guys there.

    ¡°Master wanted me to buy this creature from Henry as well.¡±

    Oh no. Do I want to know?

    ¡°He did cost 10 gold,¡± she says anyways.

    ¡°How much did you pay for real?¡±

    ¡°Two gold? Henry wanted 4 but I ckmailed him, knowing that he sold you to Emeric to die.¡±

    Damn.

    ¡°You must be super rich, why don¡ät you invite me for dinner?¡±

    ¡°Maybe if you grow your hair a bit and dress up nicely,¡± she giggles andes closer to also pet Biscuit and he lets her, just like that.

    Huh?

    Seeing something on my face, Ruby says, ¡°I fed him a bit from my dinner and he immediately became super friendly.¡±

    Biscuit! Stranger danger!

    ¡°So how did you find me?¡±

    ¡°Master left a Resonance Imprint on you and gave me your mana signature and I just tracked it.¡±

    The heck? That sounds so cool!

    ¡°Can you teach it to me?¡±

    ¡°That''s what interests you? You are notining that we are tracking you or asking why I went to take you back?¡±

    ¡°I expected something like tracking and you either went after me because you wanted something annoying or master told you to do so. It also could be because you felt my state and didn¡ät go to check on me.¡±

    But it doesn¡ät matter.

    ¡°Please teach me.¡±

    ¡°Maybe in the future, I will use it as my bargaining chip,¡± she smirks and lets go of Biscuit who sends a message to her.

    <em>(Asshole!)</em>

    Good boy! Go and get her!

    ¡°Your dog¡­ creature is kinda rude, you know that?¡±

    Hey! He can hear you! Do not listen to her, Biscuit; you are perfect the way you are.

    ¡°He keeps saying that, I almost threw him out of the window when he said ¡°Food, Asshole!¡± but never mind that. We will be leaving Stonehaven.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me why?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it''s because of the war. Frontlines will move here soon enough and Master doesn¡ät want to get caught in all of that. Simple as that.¡±

    I continue to pet the corgi, who is slowly closing his eyes and his breathing is calming as I continue to hold him.

    ¡°I heard a few things here and there, but can you tell me who is fighting against who? I would rather have urate information.¡±

    She thinks for a second and then just nods.

    ¡°We are currently what is known as the Mana-Infused kingdom and we are at war with the Sris Empire and to be honest this kingdom is kinda screwed.¡±

    Yeah, I heard that much. I wait for her to continue.

    ¡°The only reason why they didn¡ät attack us properly is because of our Champions.¡±

    ¡°Keiron and Tristan?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the two of them and we also have a few more in their capital.¡±

    I sit up carefully to not wake up Biscuit and ask ¡°They are there in secret or do they know about them?¡±

    ¡°They know about them, but they are hidden. In case the war starts they will mess up their Empire as much as they can. Two Champions should be able to destroy the entire capital in a few minutes if they stop caring about their lives. Millions of people would die instantly.¡±

    She looks at me.

    ¡°The problem is that they have something simr. Unlike us, they call them Paragons, but they are the same thing: living weapons capable of destroying entire nations in a moment.¡±

    The floor quest is slowly starting to make more sense.

    <strong>Floor quest: </strong>Witness the end of the world.

    ¡°The moment the war starts properly, everyone will lose.¡± she doesn''t smile this time.

    ¡°Is it true that the emperor is a mind mage?¡±

    ¡°Yup, the most powerful one that ever lived, most likely. The man is under 40 and controlling their Paragons with his mind. Paragons! And the problem is that he can singlehandedly send them to die, making them not care about that, so that''s it.¡± She moves closer to the firece in the corner of the room and sits nearby, still looking at me.

    ¡°Your world sucks.¡±

    Surprise appears on her face and then a tiny, almost invisible smile follows it.

    ¡°Yes, it does, doesn¡ät it.¡±

    ¡°People are terrible, drifters are too expensive, and the food costs a farmer''s monthly wage.¡±

    Her tiny smile bes a bit bigger, ¡°Higher-ups are assholes, masters are a pain in the ass, and it''s full of people ready to scam you out of a few golds!¡± she adds.

    A few golds? More like 92 golds. But I nod.

    ¡°Overall, I would give it a terrible rating and rmend future visitors to avoid it as much as they can.¡±

    In the end, a soft smile gently appears on her lips.

    A bitter, Ruby uses her skill again and we appear somewhere high in the mountains. The air here feels a bit thinner, but the moment I exit the room and step onto the small terrace, I fall in love with the view.

    I''ve seen some videos of people having breakfast in the Swiss Alps with an amazing view of mountain tops.

    Yeah, they can suck it.

    The view is much more beautiful, even the mountains seem to be so much bigger. Vibrant green grass, trees, and the tips of the mountains as if dyed in white snow.

    For a few minutes, I just stand there and stare, feeling a sense of calm wash over me.

    ¡°Pretty, isn''t it?¡± Ruby joins me.

    ¡°Yes,¡± for the first time in a long while, I feel the corners of my lips lift slightly.

    I tried to warn others, but the forum censored most of my messages. I spent the entire daily limit trying to circumvent it, but in the end, I was only able to warn them about the danger and rmend moving away from the borders and the capital city.

    After a long time, I also checked the numbers.

    <strong>Easy difficulty </strong><em>1638/2000</em>

    <strong>Normal difficulty </strong><em>702/1000</em>

    <strong>Hard Difficulty </strong><em>293/500</em>

    <strong>Hell difficulty </strong><em>53/250</em>

    Noticeably, every difficulty seems to have lost some people. Around 100 in easy. Thirty in normal, 30 or so in hard, and 3 people in Hell.

    Once again, it makes me curious how many floors the tutorial has. It''s hard to guess now, but after the end of the second floor, we should have a better idea.

    Now I only have to find out how to survive this war.

    From how it looks now, it seems that the Champions and Paragons will go wild and mess up as much as they can while the mad emperor, Sophie lookalike, will mess with the remaining few.

    But, can you call that the end of the world?

    Just humans will disappear and after a few years, life will continue as the will still be here.

    I bet the system did cook up something really spicy.

    It fills me with curiosity and worries at the same time. The end of this floor will probably be the most dangerous, just like the end of the first floor.

    Well, at least I have some time and the option to get stronger.

    <strong>Lvl 39</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong>14

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong>15

    <strong>Constitution: </strong>46

    <strong>Mana: </strong>100

    My stats are nice to look at, but I need to level up a bit more to get those spicy side quest rewards.

    <strong>Floor quest:</strong>

    Witness the end of the world.

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    Skill upgrade token

    20 stat points

    Increased daily limit ofmunity usage

    Tutorial Difficulty change token

    <strong>Side quest: </strong>Reach level 50

    <strong>Reward: </strong>Trait strengthening token

    I still haven''t received another side quest instead of the one I got my skill upgrade from, but as always, I can only wait and train.

    Even now, I continue to practice moving my mana. With upgraded <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> it has be much better and I can somewhat ignore the missing mana circuit part in my missing arm.

    It''s still a mess but it''s much better now and my flow has improved.

    Somehow, I also think that dealing with all these troubles with the missing part of the mana circuit is helping me level up <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> a bit more. Still, I want my arm back.

    So, Lily, you''d better put some effort into it so I can freeload on your amazing skill.

    I also found out a bit more about healers and it looks like they are totally like nobles among gifted people. Most of the time, powerful nobles snatch them up, the king also keeps one or two, and the rest are taken away by the temple that uses them to prolong the lives of people that are rich enough to pay.

    Yup, it seems like healers can get to such a level that they are able to prolong lives. If Lily gets back to Earth, she will either be insanely rich or they will try to kidnap her or use her.

    But for that, they will have to go through me.

    Now, seeing how useful healers can be, I am even more decided to keep her close to myself and risk a bit more to keep her alive. At least I will try. I am not that good at dealing with people.

    But hey, she can use me to stay alive and I will use her for healing. It''s a win-win situation.

    I just need to hope that she will see it that way as well, and for that, I need to be more powerful. Strong enough that she will feel safe next to me so I can keep her by my side without letting anyoney hands on her or take her away.

    So, that''s that. I know what I want, and I''m sticking to the n. One step at a time, let''s see where this crazy tutorial takes us.

 Chapter 81: Scary blonde

    Chapter 81: Scary blonde

    <strong>POV Maya Jones </strong>

    I slip into <strong>[Focus]</strong>, and everything goes too quiet forfort. My senses go into overdrive, picking up details that make my head pound. Unsettling feelings, like fear, weaken. Yet I hate it, every time I use this skill, it feels like I''m leaving a piece of myself behind.

    I notice the monster''s left leg twitch and I dart to the left, quick and instinctive. The monster mirrors me, springing my way with its left leg as theunch pad.

    The world around me dulls down, and all sounds not needed for my focus just quiet down.

    I''m face-to-face with the monster now. Its ugly mug is all snarls and drool, revealing jagged teeth. I can hear its harsh breaths, and then its blood spills as I drive my spear into it.

    My <strong>[Armament] </strong>flickers around my chest, but I just <strong>[Focus] </strong>more to keep it up.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 6 > Focus - lvl 7]</strong>

    Ish out with my spear again as the monster''s w scrapes against my armor, and it finally drops.

    <strong>[You have defeated a goblin - lvl 22]</strong>

    When I check my notifications and see a level up for <strong>[Focus]</strong>, my mood sours. I don''t want to level up this skill anymore. Unlike some of my other skills, it''s extremely difficult to level up, and I dislike it despite its usefulness. It''s scary.

    I let out a breath as I exit<strong> [Focus] </strong>and survey the area. We''re nearly done here. A mana signal from one of our leaders reads <em>"Get back"</em> and I start back towards our camp.

    Halfway there, Tess joins me, greeting me with a small smile which I return.

    "You look off, something happen?" she asks.

    I sigh. Damn, she''s good at reading people. Been that way since we hit this floor. She''s got a knack for it, not unlike Nathaniel. But she''s different, she doesn''t mind getting up close and personal after reading them.

    "This goddamn skill creeps me out."

    "Oh, the<strong> [Focus]</strong>?"

    "What else? Why the hell did I even get it?"

    "Don''t you like our theory that everyone got two starting skills that fit them best? One rare skill and one a bit moremon and easier to level? I still think your skill suits you."

    The young blonde nimbly jumps over a log in her way andnds so softly that I suspect she used her skill to soften the impact.

    Great, now I''m beingforted by someone six years younger.

    "Forget about it, Tess. I''ll deal with it on my own."

    "Sure! You can ask me for help if you feel like it," she smiles. "I''ll at least listen to you if not anything else."

    She''s so different from how she was at the end of the first floor, so different from when she was around Nathaniel. Tess is friendly, smiling, and helpful. It''s unnerving.

    Nathaniel, at least, didn''t pretend. He just continued to walk around with his emotionless face, avoiding people as much as he could while carefully watching everything with eyes that made you feel like an interesting animal he was observing.

    But Tess? She''s like a cat toying with a mouse. She can act, pretend, smile, and charm with her innocent face. Like a chameleon, she adapts her behavior to survive different situations.

    With Nathaniel, she mirrored his demeanor, handling annoying people on his behalf while showing them a different side. Now, she does the same with me.

    And I can''t help but be drawn in by her wless performance, how easy it would be to forget. Swiftly and without hesitation, she changes her expressions and behavior to gain the upper hand.

    She ys her part so well that I don''t even know who the real Tess is.

    Is she the cheerful, innocent girl beside me, or the formidable young woman who never left Nathaniel''s side?

    She''s scary.

    A week passed, and I finally did it! An arm made out of translucent light blue mana is attached to my body, but damn, it''s difficult to move it. I even have to use arge part of my <strong>[Focus]</strong> to maneuver it and use it to grab stuff.

    All while Biscuit looks at me with his cheeky eyes.

    <em>(Lazy)</em> I hear.

    "No food for you."

    For a moment, he stops breathing, and even his tongue seems to be stuck out. He seems lost, and his usually cheeky face changes.

    Yeah, what are you going to do now, you little twerp?

    He just turns around and runs away, towards the ce where Ruby is staying. From his shoulders, two tentacles made out of mana reach out and immediately turn into human arms, even the fingers move nimbly, all as if he is making fun of me.

    Then he adds two more arms and uses them all to move faster.

    God damn it.

    You will pay for this, Biscuit!

    Anyway, enough about future archmages. My <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> has improved a lot.

    <strong>Active skills:</strong>

    Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 16

    Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 18

    Mana Perception - Lvl 15

    Oscition - Lvl 11

    Kic Redistribution - Lvl 11

    Armament - Lvl 12

    Mana Surge - Lvl 7

    Disruption - Lvl 7

    Right now, I can onlyugh at my past self who thought creating an arm made out of mana would be easy.

    Such a dumbass. I want to hit him.

    I detect a presence with my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong>, and immediately an orb made out of mana forms near me. It starts growing until it''s as big as my fist, then begins to orbit around me. It spins faster and faster until it lets out a whistling noise as it cuts through the air, circling around me at a dizzying speed.

    I check the mana signature and sling it in that direction.

    The mana ball has a firm texture and is a darker shade of blue than before. As it''s released from my orbit, it flies terrifyingly fast, traversing a distance well over several football fields long.

    Then I get the notification.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Razorwing - lvl 56]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 44 > Lvl 45]</strong>

    As many times before, it almost feels like cheating. The birds don''t have too much defense, so my projectile practically obliterates them, flying at them too fast for them to react. At the start, they were able to react, but then I took some inspiration from the sniper who tried to kill me.

    I made the projectiles as dense as possible and tried to reduce their mana signature as well. Throwing them just by boosting them with mana doesn''t make them travel that fast, but after orbiting them around myself a bit and then slinging?

    So much faster.

    I like it even though the preparation takes longer.

    I detect another three presences, and this time they''re flying right towards me after a detection washes over me.

    Oh, it''s these guys.

    Five balls made out of mana appear around me and start emitting a humming noise as I begin spinning them around my body.

    The first monster dies before it can try to dodge.

    <strong>[You have defeated an Ironbeak - lvl 53]</strong>

    The second one dodges my ba and charges at me. The bird,rger than me with a massive beak that''s glowing and covered in mana, hurls some mental skill at me, trying to stun me. But I <strong>[Focus]</strong> more and push against its mana.

    I absorb the kic energy of one of the balls orbiting around me and use it to propel myself away. The ball, now devoid of kic energy, hovers in the air, and as the monster reaches the spot where I was, it expands. Tens of thin threads made out of mana reach out towards the monster and entangle it, causing it to halt. Immediately they start tearing even without the monster using much force.

    Before it has a chance to break free, another ball flies in and explodes its head.

    <strong>[You have defeated an Ironbeak - lvl 52]</strong>

    Thest one just flies in the air and caws at me, so I make my projectiles spin around me even faster. The two remaining projectiles start emitting a whistling noise as they tear through the air, and I boost them with <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong>, immediately making them smaller and denser, and release one at the monster.

    It barely dodges it, but while doing so, I absorb kic energy and propel myself high in the air, right towards the monster.

    Is it reckless? Yep.

    Is it fun? Totally.

    I reach it in a split second and p the poor monster, probably making me the first human to ever do that.

    The consciousness disappears from its eyes, and I grab its neck with my arm made of mana, and both of us fall down. Before we hit the ground, I absorb the kic energy of both of our bodies, and we slowlynd. The excess energy explodes into the surroundings.

    "That was so freaking fabulous," I immediately hear from Ruby, even before I can congratte myself, "Another one for your testing?"

    "Yes. Lately, they''ve barely shown up, so I''m d I was able to get this one."

    I pull the bird behind me while boosting my body with a bit of mana.

    "Yo, did you do something to make Biscuite andin to me?"

    Who? Me? No way!

    "Don''t look at me like that, Nat, he''s only copying your behavior and learning from you," the redheaded woman just sighs.

    "Anyway, Master is here, and she wants to talk to you."

 Chapter 82: In the Darkness

    Chapter 82: In the Darkness

    She radiates absolute confidence as always, even while sitting in a cheap wooden chair in the middle of the small, simple room.

    The moment I enter, her eyesnd on me. I don''t even feel her mana, yet I know I am being probed.

    <strong>[You have defeated an Ironbeak - lvl 54]</strong>

    A notification sounds in my mind, and I realize that she just killed the monster I left outside. Without a single move. Without any trace of mana from her.

    "Are you satisfied with your growth?" she tantly asks, and I immediately know that there is only one answer I can give her.

    But why is she asking me that? I am growing nicely, improving my skills, and even gaining some levels. Actually, quite a few levels. I am safe, I have food, and even someone to talk to if I wish to do so. The view is goddamn amazing and there''s even this silly dog I can bully and learn from. The bed isfortable and I can take warm baths.

    "I am not."

    It sucks.

    Even though I am safe, I feel like a prisoner, unable to get away from Ruby and she doesn''t let me go far. My growth is slower and in the back of my mind, I start worrying about whether I will be strong enough to survive the end of this floor.

    "Not at all."

    The monsters here, even ones higher leveled than me, are easy to kill. There''s no challenge, no risk. Nothing to make my blood flow. Nothing to push me hard enough.

    "Good."

    Her mana hits me like an avnche and I feel her doing something to me, something I can''t even track. It makes me curious and annoyed at the same time. She then turns to Ruby.

    "Your gift," she says simply, and immediately the redheaded woman activates her skill, the one she used to teleport us through vast distances, making space in front of her shrink, and bend.

    And then, I feel the gray-haired woman do something I didn''t know was possible. She connects to Ruby''s skill with an ease I can''t fathom and she feeds it mana, she takes over it and supercharges it, making it much stronger than it should be. She also does something else that I can only exin as changing coordinates. Her immense mana that makes my body shiver engulfs the room and then I feel a push from behind my back.

    Soft, almost gentle.

    "It was annoying to watch you hunting here so safely," she says.

    Watch me?

    "Do your best to survive, little pup," the older woman''s voice is uncharacteristically gentle and I enter the darkness, then the portal behind me disappears with ast pulse of mana.

    The light disappears as it closes behind me and I''m left in the darkness. I look around, but I can''t see anything. The darkness is absolute. The air feels cold and humid and when I reach out with my hand, I touch a wall that is slightly wet and rocky.

    A tunnel?

    I take a step and my shoulder hits the wall. The hallway or tunnel I''m in is really not that wide. My <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> fires up, but I don''t feel any mana and the skill doesn''t help me to map my surroundings.

    So, I use <strong>[Armament]</strong> to create armor around my body. Even my <strong>[Kic Redistribution]</strong> is ready as I start slowly walking through the darkness, carefully touching the wall with my fingers and stepping lightly.

    My heart is beating faster than usual and my body feels warmer. My breathing isn''t as calm as it usually is, but I still do not enter the <strong>[Focus]</strong>. I am enjoying this feeling as much as I can.

    Getting an idea, I send out a few thin threads of mana ahead of me, using them to probe my surroundings, getting a signal from them when they touch the wall. It''s all inspired by the sniper''s traps who tried to kill me back then.

    Perception continues to fire up more and more often as I''m trying to sense the mana that must be hiding somewhere. I finally enter <strong>[Focus] </strong>and continue to walk for what feels like minutes when what I expected finally happens.

    An attack tears through my <strong>[Armament]</strong> and stabs deep inside my thigh. It''s something extremely sharp and thin, like a needle, and there''s almost no blood flowing out of the wound.

    Immediately, I activate redistribution, trying to slow the attacker''s escape while my hand, coated in wildly osciting mana, swings down, trying to cut into whatever attacked me. I hit nothing and something stabs me again, in the same ce. Perception doesn''t sense anything, threads of mana don''t touch anything, and redistribution isn''t absorbing any energy.

    So, I jump back, hitting the wall with the back of my head covered in ethereal armor, but no other attackes. Only then do I realize a weird feeling of warmth that spreads through my leg.

    A poison.

    The poison doesn''t seem to be dangerous, at least not in the usual way a poison is dangerous. Even after 30 minutes, I only have a minor fever. The problem is what it does to my mana. As time passes, it makes my mana less and less controble. It just messes it up somehow and makes it difficult to control. My mana continues to flow freely, not being held at bay by my <strong>[Focus]</strong>. It''s fascinating. It''s dangerous.

    There are already a few wounds all over my body, inside and out, from my mana shing against it, but I continue to try to control it, using the full power of my <strong>[Dual Focus] </strong>and my<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong>.

    One thing is for sure.

    I had no idea that I had so much mana. I underestimated it, and only now do I realize how much I held it back, my body unable to bear more of it so unconsciously I controlled the amount.

    But now? It continues to sh against my body, tear through the mana circuit, and flow quickly thanks to my passive skill, Mana Flow. The monster didn''te back anymore, so I suspect that it''s a hit-and-run tactic, probably waiting for me to die.

    Just wait, you fucker, just wait.

    Okay, my <strong>[Focus]</strong> and <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> did level up as I just continue to use them, not even being able to use <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> or <strong>[Armament]</strong>. But damn, I am super thankful for the Advanced Mana Maniption upgrade. Without it, I would be screwed.

    Well, it''s not like I''m not in it right now.

    I''ve already walked quite a distance and there''s still only pitch-ck darkness, not a single speck of light. It''s cold, it''s wet, and I''m careful with every step, continuously reaching out with my hand to avoid hitting the wall. I continue to force myself to breathe slowly and deeply to not panic. It''s harder now that I can''t use <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    For the first time in a long time, I start feeling some fear.

    But it''s bearable. I''ve been through worse.

    What the fuck! It''s already been like ten hours?

    No sign of the monster and my mana is getting worse and worse every time I get better at handling it.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 17 > Focus - lvl 18]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 19 > Mana Maniption </strong><strong>- lvl 20]</strong>

    I''ve leveled up my skills again, but it just doesn''t stop. It''s getting worse. Every level-up only increases the time I can hold on but is unable to stop the poison. Still, I did learn a lot and improved my control and my handling of mana. I can now more easily make it flow the way I want, hold it at bay, and direct it to ces inside my body.

    But can I level up fast enough to stop it or will I need to try something else?

    Yep, I can''t hold on.

    Another 10 hours pass and I stop moving, putting my entire mind into handling my mana. Thankfully, the monster doesn''t attack me but I still keep a small part of my mind ready to fight back when it happens. When it attacks again, I will tackle it and take hold of my mana for a second, strengthen my body, and quickly finish it. That will teach him.

    The main problem now is my almost uncontroble mana. For the first time, I feel a hint of fear from it, realizing how dangerous it is. There might even be some regret for not putting more points into constitution. But I won''t give up.

    It''s MY mana.

    It''s MY body.

    I will push through as I always have.

    Okay, screw it. I don''t think I can hold on much longer. Let''s risk it.

    Let''s finally create a construct.

 Chapter 83: The First Construct

    Chapter 83: The First Construct

    First, I forcefully take control of my mana, straining my brain to do so. But I already know what to do. I tried it on the man who wanted to kill me; I also tested it on so many monsters. I gave it a lot of thought and testing. So, it''s time to do it for real.

    I take a wisp of my mana and use it to etch the construct inside my body. Then I add more and more skills to do it.

    I use<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong>

    I use a super weak version of oscition <strong>[Oscition]</strong>

    Then, <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong> fires up, boosting my <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> as I am creating the construct.

    It''s not exactly like Sophie''s; it has simrities to my trait, and mana circuit as well.

    While doing so, the world outside of my mind bes distant thanks to my deep<strong> [Focus] </strong>and I feel a few more stabs at my body, the monster delivering the poison again.

    But I ignore it, and I ignore the mana that starts tearing through my body as I have to focus on creating the construct.

    Every fiber of my being screams against the onught of mana, yet I grit my teeth and endure. I''ve always known that this would be no easy task. It feels like a maelstrom is raging inside me, wreaking havoc on my internal organs and threatening to consume me. The raw, wild energy of mana refuses to be tamed.

    Yet as the world around me fades into the background and my existence narrows down to this singr task, there''s a sense of calm that permeates my consciousness. Like the eye of a storm, calm amidst the chaos. The sensation is surreal like I''m observing myself from outside, detached from the pain. The harshness of my environment, the cold stones under my battered body, cold air, it all be secondary, put to the back of my mind.

    I can almost visualize the intricate patterns of the construct, itsplexity resonating with the very essence of my being. The inelegant yet beautiful pathways. In the end it''s not only about surviving and taming my raging mana, it''s about creating something new. Something mine. I''m just pulling strings of energy, shaping it, crafting it. It''s a task that pushes me to my limits, a constant struggle against the raw, untamed force that is mana.

    My arm twists and cracks, blood starts flowing from my nose and ears, one of my ribs breaks, and bruises start appearing all over my body. But I do not let it bother me. I continue to focus and slowly, carefully etch the pathways for the construct on my bones, connecting them to my circuit as well.

    The construct slowlyes into existence and I make it stronger and more resistant against skills such as <strong>[D</strong><strong>isruption</strong><strong>]</strong>. I cover it in my mana, I hide it under my circuit.

    My ears ring and I feel lightheaded. The pain of creating the construct is even worse than the pain of my body being ravaged by my own mana. It takes a lot of time - it feels like days, but in the end, I seed.

    A notification lights up. My first construct is as simple as this - the maximum I can do right now.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have created your first Construct. The name will be kept as such and it will be shown in the status under active skills and over passive skills. Well done!</strong>

    <strong>You have acquired Reinforcement (Construct)</strong>

    <em>The versatile enhancement that uses mana to bolster the user''s physical, and mental abilities. By infusing specific aspects of their being with mana, it can improve strength, agility, defenses and mental resilience, providing overall support and stability for the user</em>

    Immediately, I feel the pressure of my mana lessen, and quite a bit of the amount starts flowing inside the construct and through the pathways I created. I feel my body strengthening up, almost the same amount as when I''m strengthening it actively.

    The efficiency is not that good and it''s wasting a lot of mana, and it''s running the entire time instead of how I liked to use it - by sending pulses of mana through my body to strengthen the parts I wanted.

    But it''s a start. I am sure I can improve it in the future. I like that it''s boosting multiple things.

    Physically, thanks to my experience with boosting my body.

    Mentally, thanks to my <strong>[Focus]</strong> and the fact that I wanted it to give me some resistance against mental attacks and the testing I did on all those Razorwings that had some sort of mental attacks.

    But finally, some pain alleviates and the mana I have to deal with right now lessens. Maybe 20-30% of it flows into the construct.

    The efficiency is terrible. I could get the same results with 10% of my mana if I used it actively.

    But there is a huge advantage. It''s passive. I don''t have to use my mind to do it and anyways, I can''t use all of my mana right now. And as I found out, the amount of mana I have is much higher than I thought.

    There''s also another advantage. I can turn it off and on any time I want to.

    One part of my <strong>[Focus]</strong> immediately uses <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> and I start sending threads of mana along with it into my surroundings. I also send pulses of mana, using it as a sonar, trying to calcte the room I am in and to find the monster.

    I stop controlling my mana that''s not such a problem now as the Construct sucks it up and uses it, and at the same time, my strengthened body handles it better.

    I am excited. This opens up so many roads in front of me.

    <strong>Your skill [Mana Perception] has evolved into [Perception].</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Perception - lvl 15 > Perception - lvl 10]</strong>

    My levels!

    Give them back!

    The heck!

    What the hell?

    Did I just <em>¡°upgrade¡±</em> my skill? Judging from the name, it''s not it. So have I acquired a skill that''s a higher version of my <strong>[Mana Perception]</strong> and theybined? That would confirm my theory that every skill has a tier or something like this. For example, Lily''s <strong>[Disintegration] </strong>should be an exceedingly high-tiered skill as it allowed her at such a low level to hurt Cinderbear.

    Good!

    I fire up <strong>[Perception]</strong> and much more informationes back to me this time. I can still track mana but there''s more of it. I can create a map of my surroundings in my head. It''s all mostly visual as there is no sound feedback and the area is smaller than before, much smaller.

    But I love it? The reason?

    This little shit glued on the wall right over my head.

    The monster immediately starts running away but I send even more mana inside my body to strengthen it together with my construct and dash at it.

    My speed is higher than I thought so I crash against the wall but I ignore it and dash again afternding on the ground, quickly reaching the monster.

    I still can''t sense any mana from it, even as I grab it by the neck. Suddenly, a tiny me res up from the monster''s mouth, lightly illuminating our surroundings. Now, I can see the text hovering over its head.

    <strong>[Venomous Needle Imp - lvl 40]</strong>

    Another little asshole that gave me so much trouble. Once again I am reminded that even someone much higher level can be fucked over by having a bad matchup.

    Through my <strong>[Perception]</strong>, I continue to observe the monster after tearing off one of its arms, that has a stinger on it.

    It''s simr to a goblin, just smaller and even thinner. Its skin is red and its ears sharp and big. Also, its eyes are massive; they continue to look at me while the monster screeches, trying to kick me.

    What are your skills? Show me. This can''t be all. You are level 40.

    Slowly a fire starts glowing around the monster. Just a few wisps of mes here and there around it but soon it''s set aze.

    Before they can burn me, <strong>[Disruption]</strong> shes against the monster, making its mes die off.

    The monster screeches and tries to do it again.

    And I watch.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong>

    I watch.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong>

    I track the flow of its mana, following it carefully. Watching as firese into existence.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong>

    Unfortunately, the monster stops after a while, totally out of mana and not even screeching anymore.

    So I grab its leg and swing the monster against the wall.

    <strong>Crack</strong>

    And again.

    <strong>Crack. St.</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated a Venomous Needle Imp - lvl 40]</strong>

    I wait for a bit, but nothing happens. I''m still here, and there''s no portal. Okay, Granny, let me show you what I am capable of.

    <strong>[Perception] </strong>fires off, and I start walking deeper inside the web of tunnels.

    <strong>POV Maya Jones</strong>

    "He has a sister?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, she''s five years older than him.¡±

    ¡°Damn, it''s hard to imagine that guy having an elder sibling.¡±

    ¡°I know where you''reing from, but just imagine a female version of him, only more sociable and significantly less forgiving.¡± The young blonde silences.

    ¡°That sounds terrifying.¡±

    ¡°More than you think.¡±

 Chapter 84: Tunnels

    Chapter 84: Tunnels

    Venomous Needle Imps? They''re super easy to deal with.

    Weaklings.

    Fodder.

    Trash!

    Yup. Easy.

    <strong>[Perception]</strong> locates them pretty easily, and in the epassing darkness inside the tunnels, I can fight them without much trouble, even when they start using their fire skills. I dislike narrow corridors that don''t allow me to move as much as I would like, but it''s doable.

    After what feels like another day, the poison from the monster finally disappears, and it feels as if someone lifted a massive weight off my shoulders. Moving mana is now so much easier.

    So, I let another imp stab me with its stinger.

    Yes. I did that.

    And then two more imps.

    Oh.

    One more after that.

    Construct helping me to keep my mana under control? Well, I can turn it off if I want to, right?

    So yeah, I did that too.

    Darwin''s awards? I have a full room of them at this point.

    Obviously, I''m not that suicidal, so I turn it back on if it feels like too much, but I improve more and more. Once again, I am confirmed that I improve the most under pressure, under life and death situations where I have no other choice but to get my shit together or die.

    Partly, I me it on my greed for more power, for more mana, for my goal to get to the level of people such as Champion Keiron who can stop an entire empire from attacking the kingdom just by existing.

    From his vantage point, what does he see? What does this world look like when you''ve got that kind of power coursing through your veins? And mana, that elusive, powerful force ¨C what does it feel like for him? Is it a wild river he''s tamed or a familiar old friend? I want to know. More than anything, I want to stand where he stands, where he and the most powerful of this world stand. I want to see the world through their eyes. I crave that knowledge, that power. The very thought is like a fire in my veins, pushing me on.

    Another reason is also my need for survival. It sounds counterproductive, risking my life to survive, but the stronger I be with an eptable risk - judged by me - the higher chance for survival.

    That''s why I do it.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Crimson Imp - lvl 54]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 46 > Lvl 47]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - lvl 21 > Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - lvl 22]</strong>

    More mana!

    Good.

    Once again, I activate my construct to help me handle my mana which is bing unstable because of the poison, and after a long while, I check the quests.

    <strong>Floor quest:</strong>

    <em>Witness the end of the world.</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>Skill upgrade token</em>

    <em>20 stat points</em>

    <em>Increased daily limit ofmunity usage</em>

    <em>Tutorial Difficulty change token</em>

    Ok, this one is still the same, what about side quests?

    <strong>Side quest:</strong>

    <em>Reach level 50</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>Trait strengthening token</em>

    This one is close enough, and I am already curious about the strengthening of my trait. It''s called strengthening and not upgrade, does it mean I won''t be able to pick an additional effect for it?

    Probably?

    Oh, and the new side quest I just acquired also seems nice.

    <strong>Side quest:</strong>

    <em>Get 3 skills over level 20</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>Passive skill of your choice</em>

    To be honest, it kind of hypes me up.

    I open my status:

    <strong>[Name: </strong>Nathaniel Gwyn<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Difficulty: </strong>Hell

    <strong>Floor: </strong>2 - Mana Infused Kingdom

    <strong>Time left until forced return: </strong>4y 309d 020h 48m 43s

    <strong>Traits (1/3): </strong>Mana Circuit (Passive)

    <strong>Lvl 47</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong>16

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong>17

    <strong>Constitution: </strong>52

    <strong>Mana: </strong>120

    <strong>[Primary ss: </strong>Mana Channeler<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Sub-ss: </strong>Unavable<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong>

    Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 19

    Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 22

    Perception - Lvl 11

    Oscition - Lvl 12

    Kic Redistribution - Lvl 11

    Armament - Lvl 12

    Mana Surge - Lvl 7

    Disruption - Lvl 8

    <strong>Constructs:</strong>

    Reinforcement (Construct)

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong>

    Mana Flow (rare)

    <strong>[Skill Points: </strong>0<strong>]</strong>

    <strong>[Stat Points: </strong>0<strong>]</strong>

    Focus is almost there and then there are multiple skills that can end up there, so let''s wait and see. As with all things inside the tutorial, this should also be based on my performance up until now inside the tutorial, right?

    And as I found out, passive skills have rarities, so the harder I try, the better rarity I get offered?

    Oh, and the system? Please exin the rarities to me. How many are there? What is the highest and what is the difference between them?

    ¡­

    Nothing?

    Okay.

    Screw you.

    Anyway, back to my dinner.

    I enter a deeper <strong>[Focus]</strong> as I continue chewing on a piece of raw meat from the body of an imp next to me.

    It''s already been days, and the darkness continues to make me feel uneasy. The constant battles and the oppressive atmosphere are taking their toll on me. Yet, somehow, I find sce in my progress, in the knowledge that I am growing stronger with every challenge I ovee.

    As I chew on the raw meat, my thoughts wander to Ruby''s master. What kind of person is she? How powerful is she?

    I''ve encountered beings with one or two question marks next to their levels, but is there a higher level of power that even goes beyond that? Is she a Champion of the Kingdom, a Paragon of the Empire, or something else entirely?

    I want answers to these questions.

    The mystery surrounding her strength only fuels my desire to grow stronger, and to be able to stand on equal footing with such powerful individuals. My ambition and my instinct for survival drive me forward, pushing me to take risks and challenge myself to reach that ce.

    One of my goals is toplete the side quest. I am particrly excited about the potential rewards - trait-strengthening token and the chance to get a new passive skill.

    The thought of strengthening my abilities is incredibly appealing, and I can''t help but wonder how much stronger I could be with the rightbination of skills.

    As I ponder my goals and my growing abilities, I can''t help but feel a sense of pride in my progress.

    My mana has increased significantly, and my constitution has improved as well. My skills are leveling up, and I can feel myself bing stronger with each passing moment.

    But I know there''s still a long way to go, and I won''t stop until¡­ until¡­ I don''t know.

    I''ll think of it when I get there.

    Meanwhile all this time, I''ve been trying toe up with a way to punch Ruby''s master right in her face. Unfortunately, I can''t even imagine such a situation. She''s just that powerful.

    Up until now, I''ve met...

    Oh, an imp.

    An orb made of mana appears near me, and I boost it with <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong> and<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong>. It urately hits the monster.

    <strong>[You have defeated an Imp - lvl 59]</strong>

    So, up until now, I''ve met people who were one or two question marks. One question mark meant that they were at least 20 levels higher, but at what point do they turn into two question marks?

    The questions!

    It bothers me not knowing.

    Tell me, spoil everything.

    I need to know!

    ...

    Nothing? Okay.

    Another thing, can''t these tunnels be wider? I don''t like the feeling they summon in me. I''ve never had ustrophobia, but damn, at this point, I might get it, and probably only thanks to <strong>[Focus]</strong> do I function properly.

    I take back everyint I had about the skill. At this point, I''m nearly sure that it''s most likely one of the most OP skills I could get.

    Lily''s <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>? Screw that. Mr. <strong>[Focus]</strong> all the way!

    That reminds me of themunity and in the chilling darkness of the tunnel, I open themunity feed, my heart skipping a beat. A sense of loneliness hits me, reminding me of the istion. As I stare at the list of messages, I feel the overwhelming silence of the tunnels close in around me. But in this istion, I find some calm as well. It allows me to focus solely on my personal growth, on my own journey.

    I tap out a short message on the screen.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4)</strong><em>- I am fine</em>.

    Immediately after, I close it. Reading messages from others while I''m trapped in the tunnels doesn''t feel that good.

    <strong>[Lvl 47 > Lvl 49]</strong>

    After a bit more time passed my mana increased by three points just from struggling alone and then 6 more from level-ups.

    Constitution also went up by two points without even leveling it up. That just shows how much pressure it all put on my body.

    As for skills

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 22 > Mana Maniption - lvl 23]</strong>

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 19 > Focus - lvl 20]</strong>

    <strong>[Perception - lvl 11 > Perception - lvl 13]</strong>

    <strong>[Armament - lvl 12 > Armament - lvl 14]</strong>

    At this point, I started to get a feeling that that''s all I can get from here.

    I activated my <strong>[Perception]</strong>, sending out invisible waves through the dark, damp tunnel. As the waves returned, I sensed the chilling presence of a serpent-like creature nearby. I could feel the outline of its massive body coiling around itself, and the hardness of its iron-like scales. The shape of its fangs, seemingly dripping with venom, emitted a sinister aura as I felt the creature''s overwhelming mana.

    Oh boy, I was wrong.

 Chapter 89: New Passive skill

    Chapter 89: New Passive skill

    Okay, one question first: why is Hadwin such an exceptional cook? I mean, seriously good. Yes, I understand the stereotype of American dads being grillmasters, handling barbecues for multiple families while casually sipping cheap beer, and Hadwin seems to fit that image perfectly.

    But honestly, his cooking skills astound me.

    Soup? He''s got it covered. Main dish? His grilling skills are top-notch, always serving up tender and juicy meat. He can even whip up a dessert, spending just one or two hours each day experimenting to get ustomed to the kitchen appliances here that run on glowing stones imbued with mana.

    Currently, I''m even more pleased with my decision and am considering letting him take over cooking duties.

    As for the mana stones somonly used here? I tried examining one, and Rubyughed at me for several minutes as I continued to scrutinize it. She exined that even she can''t discern their structure or the intricate mana pathways etched inside each stone, simr to circuits.

    She mentioned that many stone manufacturers incorporate fail-safes and traps to prevent theirpetition from replicating them.

    To put it bluntly, I can''t make heads or tails of it with my current skills and decided to give up. Just to be safe, I took a few of them, and Ruby added their cost to my running tab. Right now, though, it''s mostly an inside joke between us; I don''t think anyone really cares about the gold anymore.

    Finally, I lift the corgi into the air using both hands, one normal, and the other formed from pale blue mana. It''s solid andcks sensation, but its mobility is vastly improved.

    The corgi looks at me, surprised, mouth slightly agape, tongue lolling out. Oddly, he seems to be enjoying the experience, his tail swinging side to side, and his free-hanging hind legs iling slightly.

    He also forms two arms from purple mana, which reach out to gently pet my head, simr to how I pet him.

    <em>(Good)</em>

    Hey, you little rascal, just how intelligent are you? Are you mocking me? Making fun of me?

    His face seems too innocent, and I''m in too good a mood due to my sess to argue. I let him down and put him on the ground. Immediately, he turns and dashes towards Hadwin, who''s once again busy cooking something.

    <em>(Asshole!)</em> he sends towards the older man.

    ¡°How many times did I tell you not to call me that? You''re smart enough to stop it by now¡­¡±

    I tune out the rest of his grumbling.

    Who do you think taught our precious Biscuit to continue calling you like that?

    Yes, it was me! Nathaniel Gwyn!

    "..."

    Yes, I am aware that I''m being petty. But back to more important matters. By sessfully creating an almost human-like arm made of mana, two of my skills leveled up.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 20 > Focus - lvl 21]</strong>

    <strong>[Armament - lvl 19 > Armament - lvl 20]</strong>

    I even managed to break through the bottleneck in <strong>[Armament]</strong>, which is a significant aplishment. As if to reward me, Ipleted my side quest!

    <strong>Side quest:</strong>

    <em>Get 3 skills over level 20</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>Passive skill of your choice</em>

    Excitedly, I open the window to check the passive skills:

    <strong>Congrattions, you havepleted your Side Quest. You can now select one of the offered Passive skills, which have been determined based on your performance so far in the tutorial.</strong>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Innate Resilience (Common) -</strong><em> The user''s physical durability benefits from their high mana levels.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Wound Closure (Umon) </strong>- <em>The user''s natural healing rate improves when their mana is above a certain threshold.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Adaptive Physiology (Rare)</strong> - <em>The user''s body adapts to various physical and energetic strains, enhancing overall resilience.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana Veil (Umon)</strong> - <em>The user''s mana emits a subtle veil, making it more difficult for others to perceive and analyze their magical presence.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana Momentum (Umon) </strong>- <em>The user''s mana intertwines with kic energy, allowing them to harness and redirect kic forces with increased efficiency.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana Conduit (Umon)</strong> - <em>The user''s body acts as a better conduit for mana, enhancing the speed at which they can channel mana.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Chaotic Pulse (Rare)</strong> - <em>The rhythm of the user''s heartbeat passively disrupts nearby mana, causing interference in the abilities of others.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Cerebral Harmony (Rare) </strong>-<em> The user''s mind and mana harmonize, boosting their ability to shape and manipte mana.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Parallel Processing (Common)</strong> - <em>The user''s capacity to handle multiple streams of information increases.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Solid Manifestation (Common)</strong> - <em>The user''s ability to solidify their mana improves, enhancing the strength and stability of their creations.</em>

    Oh boy, here we go again.

    <em>Common, Umon, Rare</em> ¡ª these are the skill rarities. Judging by their names, I suppose I should ignore anything below ''Rare,'' even though some of them sound quite appealing. For instance, Parallel Processing, Wound Closure, and even Mana Conduit all sound tempting.

    I''ve also noticed that the system allows me to upgrade skills using skill upgrade tokens. I wonder if there will be tokens specifically for passive skills?

    I check the quest list, but there''s no new information, only the existing floor quest:

    <strong>Floor quest:</strong>

    <em>Witness the end of the world.</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>Skill upgrade token</em>

    <em>20 stat points</em>

    <em>Increased daily limit ofmunity usage</em>

    <em>Tutorial Difficulty change token</em>

    No new side quests appear. I have a feeling that I shouldn''t gamble. Passive skills seem different from active ones because they have rarities assigned to them, so perhaps they can''t be upgraded.

    This likely leaves me with three rare skills to choose from, all of which sound fantastic.

    <em>Adaptive Physiology </em>is probably a result of enduring absorbed kic energy and my excessively high mana. Selecting it could improve my pain tolerance, allow me to absorb more kic energy, and even use more mana.

    It sounds brilliant.

    The next option is <em>Chaotic Pulse</em>, likely tied to <strong>[Disruption]</strong> and perhaps also <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong>. I have a new question: how significant is its effect? The description doesn''t provide much detail, so the effect could be rather modest.

    There''s also a potential downside to Chaotic Pulse. What if I can''t turn it off like my construct? What if it prevents me from receiving healing from Lily or disrupts others fighting by my side?

    Sure, it could enhance my abilities, but it might hurt me just as much. Plus, I already have <strong>[Disruption]</strong>, so do I really need a passive version?

    The final option is <em>Cerebral Harmony</em>, which might be my favorite. It''s definitely linked to<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong> and possibly <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    Right now, I don''t have many issues with my mana thanks to upgrading<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong> and the construct I''ve created. But in the future, this could allow me to infuse more mana into my stats without worry, and even help me utilize my skills faster.

    It could speed up my skill-learning process, improve multiple skills, and even let me work better with Constructs, which is probably the most significant boost I could receive at this point.

    However, <em>Adaptive Physiology</em> also sounds promising. It too could enhance my handling of Constructs and simplify their creation.

    With too many good choices, first-world problems strike once more! But who am I kidding, it''s obvious which one I will pick

    I select<strong> Cerebral Harmony (Rare)</strong>, close my eyes, and brace myself for the impending pain.

    And oh boy, does ite.

    It feels like red-hot nails are being hammered into my brain. I feel as if I might break my teeth from how tightly I''m clenching them. Sweat pours down my body as the system alters me, fortifying me and better attuning me to mana in preparation for the passive skill. Gradually after what feels like too long, the pain subsides, and I exhale deeply, opening my eyes.

    I see my shaking hand, wet with sweat, pressed against my forehead, and I begin to calm down.

    Sensing my distress, the dog runs over and nudges my leg a few times. He continues doing this until I pet his small head, then he looks up at me, his smart eyes slowly blinking.

    I pet him again, graduallying to the realization that I have a soft spot for animals or people that show me affection. It makes me feel warm inside, albeit slightly ufortable, unsure of how to react.

    Itpromises my ability to make rational decisions. Yet, there''s nothing I can do. I am vulnerable when faced with unconditional affection.

    I acknowledge this. I understand that it''s a weakness, one I should perhaps ovee, but at the same time, it feels precious to me.

    To my amusement, one word sounds in my mind.

    <em>(Asshole)</em>

    Yet, it sounds soft, almost gentle.

    God damn it, you little jerk.

    I ruffle his head gently while internally smiling, even though it''s likely, not noticeable on my face.

    Once more, the corgi slowly blinks at me before scampering back to Hadwin. I recline,ying down and looking at the ceiling.

    My mana is even less of a concern now, and I release some of the<strong> [Focus]</strong> that kept it at bay. It feels as if I can move it more easily, as if before there was some dy, someg, and hightency. Now it''s smoother, and the mana moves almost exactly as I will it to move and does what I want it to do.

    I conjure a translucent arm at the stump of my left arm and reach out towards the ceiling. The mana fingers move skillfully, almost exactly like real fingers would.

    Yes, I still have to maintain one <strong>[Focus]</strong> just to use the mana arm, but the difference is significant. The arm even looks more human-like and is shaped very simrly to my right one.

    I will it to extend, and the length of my arm increases. I concentrate, and the fingers be longer with something resembling des at the tips. The hand bes bigger, and the arm more muscr¡ªthough it doesn''t actually change its strength.

    Then I let it dissipate and create a small orb of mana, which I let hover above me. I condense it further and further, start shaping it, dividing it into many smaller ones, and causing them to spin.

    For a while, I justy there and practise.

 Chapter 94: Milestone reached

    Chapter 94: Milestone reached

    First, I release the absorbed thermal energy in an uncontrolled explosion of heat. Then, I dash towards the smander, covering my entire body and head with pale blue armor.

    A sword made of mana appears in my hands. The sword has a de longer than me, and I coat it in widely osciting mana, straining my mind and <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    The heat bes stronger closer to the monster, and it even tries to blind me with another sh, but I''m still keeping my eyes closed since the first sh, and continue to track it with <strong>[Perception] </strong>only.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong> activates, canceling some mes and theva-like skill that covers the monster''s body, making it more durable. A sword with an osciting de cuts through the monster''s head, killing it instantly, and I jump far back to exit the still-hot area while canceling out my skills.

    Good, let''s see.

    <strong>Your skill [Kic Redistribution] evolved into [Redistribution].</strong>

    <strong>[Kic Redistribution - lvl 13 > Redistribution - lvl 8]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated a Scorching Smander - lvl 83]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 52 > Lvl 53]</strong>

    Not again. My levels!

    Sure, I know that my skill upgraded to a better version of it - orbined with a new skill I acquired and the higher-tiered skill couldn''t just stay on the same level. It''s not properly showing my mastery over it.

    But damn it stings.

    Another thing is that this time it was easier than before, clearly the effect of my new passive skill¡ª<em>Cerebral Harmony</em>¡ªshowing. Manipting my mana just feels much better, much more connected to my thoughts and to my will.

    It was a good decision to pick it, even though I am still not over losing <em>Adaptive Physiology -</em> that skill sounds so goddamn good.

    To try it out, I reach out towards the field of molten ground and absorb some of the thermal energy that still radiates into the surroundings. It feels so different and yet so simr to the old skill. I mold the mana and the<strong> [Redistribution] </strong>helps me to collect it, and turn it into a small me that flickers on top of my palm.

    Immediately, I realize something amazing.

    The me vanishes and I absorb all the kic energy I can, the grass stops swaying and the wind bes calmer. Then I turn all that kic energy into a thermal one while my heart is beating wildly from the excitement.

    The efficiency is terrible, the waste is huge, it''s slow, and feels bad to use. But I do it and instead of a thin cone of kic energy, I release a cone of heated air that flickers and burns more of the grass.

    With excitement that I haven''t felt in a while, I turn to Ruby.

    ¡°Hey, do you have more of these smanders?¡±

    <strong>POV Sophie Martinez</strong>

    ¡°She is here, we have to go!¡±

    ¡°How the hell did she find us and what does she want now? We didn''t do anything to catch her interest!¡±

    ¡°It doesn''t matter. Guards won''t slow her for too long, just grab what you can and get ready for<strong> [Transport]."</strong>

    I watch people with two question marks over their heads panic. The people I thought of as being so strong, now seem like normal humans, losing control, screaming, panicking. I and the others are led to a room in the far corner of the facility, and I make sure to hold Izzy''s hand firmly.

    ¡°Leave behind the <em>spell of Disruption</em>, we can''t allow her to track us!¡±

    More screaming, more panicking. Then I feel the ground shaking, the air itself feels heavy and it''s getting hard to move. Enchantings on the wall start glowing all around the facility. Defensive enchantments they were so proud of.

    Another wave of shakes and more screaming and the enchantments start to flicker and slowly lose their glow.

    Finally, an extremely difficult set of spells fire up into existence and I feel getting transferred somewhere else.

    Only a third of us make it, even losing one of the people that I couldn¡¯t see the level of. Paragon of the Empire.

    ¡°We have to report this, the emperor needs to know,¡± Natasha says, her voice shaking, so unlike her usually calm self.

    Only then did I realize that we are not in the kingdom anymore, we are in the empire led by the mind-mage emperor.

    The secret facility in the kingdom''s heart, which used to hide the paragon and empire''s spies, now deserted and destroyed.

    Five more level-upster and 15 more points in mana, I give it a long thought.

    People here usually don¡¯t put that many stats points into mana. It seems that spreading your stats evenly is the most often used solution, sometimes making some stat a bit higher.

    Warriors usually go 30% strength, 30% dexterity, 30% constitution, and 10% mana. Some of them, based on their sses, might go 20% mana or slightly higher into other stat, but that''s it.

    As for mages, they usually try to go 1 point mana, 1 point constitution to handle it. Sometimes they go 1.5 mana and 1 constitution. Everything over it seems to be rare.

    So my stats are currently like this:

    <strong>Strength: </strong>17

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong>18

    <strong>Constitution: </strong>53

    <strong>Mana: </strong>165

    That means I am putting 3 stats into mana and 1 into constitution. Yet, it still feels doable but everyone keeps looking at me like I''m a dumbass. You are the dumb ones, not me!

    So yea, they might be a tiny bit right but there are a few things that work for me.

    My trait, <em>Mana Circuit</em>, allows me to handle mana better.

    <strong>[Focus] </strong>takes over when my body is struggling.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> helps me handle it.

    <strong>Reinforcement (Construct)</strong> takes a chunk of mana and passively deals with it instead of me.

    Andst, my passive skills, <strong>Mana Flow (rare)</strong> and <strong>Cerebral Harmony (rare)</strong>. Up until now, I was offered many different choices, yet I still doubled up on mana-rted ones and probably only thanks to that I can handle more of it, and my mana stat is higher than it should be at my level.

    Yet I feel that I am stillcking, even with my skills improving.

    <strong>Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 22</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong>Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 26</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong>Perception - Lvl 15</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong>Oscition - Lvl 16</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong>Redistribution - Lvl 9</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong>Armament - Lvl 22</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong>Mana Surge - Lvl 9</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong>Disruption - Lvl 9</strong>

    Yes, a few of them have super high potential but I can''t help but feel greedy, starving for something that finally and for the first time allows me topletely use my reserves.

    But step by step, the next goal is rewards for this side quest. I already have a few ideas on how to use the <em>upgrade token</em>.

    Kim is doing really well and quickly growing. In the past few days, he even seems to have be friendlier with others, especially thanks to Hadwin, who to them seems to be someone older, and smarter and they can''t help but look up to him slightly, even the twins.

    All of them are young men, boys, still affected by thinking from back on Earth where it''s normal to show respect to the elders and maybe even listen to them.

    But it''s not just it. I can see Hadwin smartly dealing with them. Apliment here and there, help here, every time seemingly honestly interested and listening to them when theyin or being happy with them.

    Partially it''s a mask he puts on but I see that from a small part it''s the way he is and I realize that there might be some truth to the words he told to me.

    Yet, these two little twin jerks better not think they can trick me. I''m not as gullible as Hadwin.

    Overall, this all is good for me as they are getting trained to work together.

    With Hadwin in the role of tank, the twins can use their skills to confuse the enemy keeping the group connected telepathically. While Kim fills the ranged support role.

    The 15-year-old boy even learned to use <strong>[Gravity well]</strong> to affect only the monsters. Unlike me, who is using so many skills, it seems that he is trying to focus on his two favorite ones and strengthen them and make them as versatile as possible.

    It''s not a bad idea.

    I close themunity after checking on others. Two more people from Hell difficulty died. We don''t know who, only learning about it thanks to the number that now shows two people less:

    <strong>Hell difficulty</strong><em> 51/250</em>

    Over the duration of the second floor, we came to the decision that there are probably 10 groups in Hell difficulty, each starting on the first floor with around 25 people.

    <em>WhiteWing</em> of the 1st group with 15 people.

    <em>IDK</em> of the second group with 4 people.

    <em>Group 4</em> with 10 people and one corgi.

    <em>Alone</em> in group 6 with Savant being the only one remaining.

    <em>TheGuild</em> of the 8th group with 9 people.

    That means there are 13 more people we don¡¯t know about as they never used themunity.

    There are most likely some groups that got killed off in their entirety but yet there are still 13 more people in Hell difficulty and it makes me think about what might have disallowed them to enter themunity.

    Hours turn into days and we fall into a nice schedule. Wake up, train, fight monsters, eat, fight monsters, rest, fight monsters, dinner, sleep.

    That''s it. It''s nice but only until we get the message from the tutorial.

    <strong>Attention, a milestone reached. Entry into Irreversible Narrative Progression has been detected for all the groups. In ordance, the Community Interface will now be deactivated for all groups within Hell Difficulty of the 5th round of the Tutorial.</strong>

 Chapter 103: Desolate Remnants

    Chapter 103: Deste Remnants

    The city is massive. It reminds me of a medieval-age set up with wood and stones used as the primary building materials. The insides of the buildings all seem as if someone left them in a hurry, with years or months-old food on the tables. Layers andyers of dust cover everything, the floor is creaking under our steps, a result of the weather that got in through open doors or windows.

    There are some entire streets that are totally destroyed, either by something resembling an explosion or by fire.

    And the city just continues to stretch on and on, seemingly forever. With barely any signs of life, only diseased rats with bodies covered in pus and riddled with holes that nearly allow you to see through them.

    There is no water and it doesn¡ät seem that it is going to rain soon. So yes, the side quest seems to be the best way to get some food or water.

    I watch as Isabe''s mes burn another group of rats with ease. The main reason I let her fight is to observe her skill and allow her to gain rewards from side quests as well; she got the same one.

    ¡°They smell,¡± sheins, and I can¡ät help but agree.

    While her mes dwindle, I wonder, why hasn''t the city burned down yet? The buildings are fairly close together and the roofs seem pretty mmable. One would think that it would be super easy to set such a city on fire now that we don''t see anyone stop the mes.

    Yet, somehow, the mes flicker out from existence after a while, either a work of the system or something else.

    ¡°Who were the men that wanted to take you away?¡±

    The girl just shrugs her shoulders and, even after further questioning, I''m not sure if they were from this floor or some people from a different difficulty.

    While she continues to burn the vermin, I also think about my new construct, already preparing its base in my mind. Given a little bit of time, I''m sure I will be able to finish preparing something nice. Just in time to take care of my once againining mana and its effect on myparatively low constitution.

    With how I go about things, I''m sure I will continue to have the same problem.

    I pause my thoughts when my<strong> [Perception]</strong> catches a stronger monster.

    ¡°Move behind me,¡± I say and the little girl listens, also preparing some mana.

    With her standing so close to me I can¡ät spin orbs around my body, so I make them spin a bit higher, around my head, ready to turn their energy into any form I might need.

    The monster reveals itself, a misshapen figure shambling out of the shadows of the alley. It is tall and has slender, elongated limbs culminating into grotesque, wed hands. Its flesh seems to ripple with a sickly, pulsing aura of raw mana. The glow of green light in its eyes gives off an almost tangible power.

    It''s repulsive, the sight of it makes my stomach churn. But it''s strong. It''s going to be a tough fight, I can tell, clearly tell. A ¡°named¡± monster.

    <strong>[Alghoul - lvl 89]</strong>

    Feeling something, the girl quickly jumps backward and moves as far away as she can, focusing more mana around her body, ready to defend herself. Sophie taught her right.

    With stunning speed, the monster jumps straight towards the roof we are on, silently, but with its eyes glowing even more.

    Armor forms around my body and I absorb energy from one of the orbs, using it to propel myself towards the monster, destroying half of the rooftop in the process by using it as aunching pad.

    The monster and I meet in the air, our bodies colliding.

    I''m filled with an unnatural strength borrowed from the monster and further enhanced by my own mana, my construct, and the recent upgrade to my <strong>[Redistribution].</strong>

    Another orb stops, quickly reced by one that starts spinning, and yellow mese into existence around my armor, burning the monster.

    In response, sickly green mes surround the Alhgoul that instantly start melting the armor around my body. There is no heat to them and they seem to only burn the mana.

    A cone of kic energy fires and pushes the monster away from me, finally both of usnding on the ground and dashing at each other again.

    Changing strategy, I let one<strong> [Focus]</strong> continue to spin and sling orbs at the Alghoul while another part of my mind continues to absorb energy from an orb once in a while, turning it into more speed.

    A sword made of mana shes against the monster, only to be met by mes that melt it.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong> fires up, unable to cancel them out, so two orbs in quick session hit the monster''s head, making holes in it, yet it doesn''t seem to have much effect. Green mes burn around the monster''s head and it''s restored to its previous state.

    More orbse into existence around my body and start spinning faster, boosted by a surge. My body starts heating up and a distant ringing sounds in my head as I <strong>[Focus] </strong>more, giving it my all.

    <strong>[Osction] </strong>coats my de, yet when I cut off the monster''s hand it gets restored in a ze of green mes. I''m forced to jump back, boosting my body with <em>Symbiotic Transferenc</em>e. I''m getting more and more used to it.

    The monster''s me shoots at me but now that they left its body, I''m able to disrupt them and they vanish from existence.

    In response, my dark yellow mes appear, glowing beautifully as they roar through the air in a cone as thin as my arm, following the quickly moving monster and burning our surroundings. I absorb kic energy from more and more orbs, continuously creating new ones and spinning them around me at a speed that makes a loud whistling noise.

    I continuously shoot the mes at the alghoul, tracking him better and better, reading his movement, and improving my use of thermal energy.

    Finally, the monster dashes right at me straight through the mes, using its own green ones to fight against them.

    I widen the cone, making the cone of mes much bigger and weaker to blind the monster while watching its movement with my <strong>[Perception]</strong>.

    When I feel it''s close, I cancel the mes and my full mind goes into focusing on using absorbed energy to speed up my body and coat the sword in my hands in osciting mana. With a speed that makes my body scream from pain and nearly tears some tendons, I sh against the monster multiple times in a split second.

    I cut off its head, I split its chest, I cut off the limbs, and then cut its falling head again.

    Then, while the monster is falling to the ground, I let go of the sword and <strong>[Disruption]</strong> at full power, boosted by the surge, that epasses the area, finally stopping the monster from regenerating.

    For a few more seconds, I continuously boost and use the skill, straining my brain to the point it makes me feel lightheaded, and then finally the monster dies.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Alghoul - lvl 89]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 75 > Lvl 76]</strong>

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 13 > Redistribution - lvl 14]</strong>

    <strong>[Disruption - lvl 12 > Disruption - lvl 13]</strong>

    On the edge of my perception, I catch two more signatures moving at incredible speeds and a few momentster I identify them as monsters of simr strength to the ghoul I just killed.

    I''m tired, my body hurts and I still feel lightheaded, yet... I burrow my feet into the ground, making orbs made of mana spin around me, this time I make them as big as baseballs, anchoring them to my body and making them spin around me. I add more and more of them until there are a dozen spinning, straining my <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    The world loses even more of its colors, bing quieter, making me only hear the now quiet sound of whistling orbs and see the glow of my mana.

    Finally, after a long while, I feel like a challenge is in front of me, missing this sense of danger that sharpens my thoughts, makes me forget all useless stuff, and just lets me move my body, my mana. I bounce on my feet a few times and shake off some tension from my body while continuously watching two signatures that move straight towards me.

    Three orbs slow down, quickly reced by two more.

    Yet, there isn''t even a dent in my mana reserves.

    Three more orbs lose their kic energy and I feel my body creak under the strain of all the energy I''ve absorbed, ready to redistribute it.

    Finally, two monsters appear. One on the roof and the second one on the ground. Both are ugly, diseased-looking, covered in open wounds, and sickly. Yet their mana feels dangerous as it dances inside their bodies and on their skin.

    <strong>[Gutter Gargoyle - lvl 86]</strong>

    <strong>[Rampart Revenant - lvl 91]</strong>

    Both of them are easily identifiable as <em>named</em> ones.

    Atst, my excitement begins to surge. My heart throbs with audible beats, my muscles tighten, and my mind bes more focused.

    I shape all the umted energy I possess, condensing it into a slender cone of thermal energy, which I thenunch towards the monster on the ground. The cone narrows progressively, transforming into a brilliant column of thermal energy. It strikes the distant monster, several buildings away, in an instant, resembling an arm-thickser more than a me.

 Chapter 115: Dont worry

    Chapter 115: Don''t worry

    <strong>POV Aaron Dalton</strong>

    Damn, why me? Why did I have to end up with these two psychos? Once again, I have to watch as Tess and Sophie stand against each other, their mana ring ominously.

    "It has nothing to do with logic. People don''t think logically in situations like this. It''s you and him that are not normal!¡± Sophie screams at Tess.

    Their confrontation scares me. Tess is terrifyingly powerful, and Sophie is too. But maybe it''s good if they talk this out like this?

    ¡°You don''t need to worry. If he said he will protect her, he will do it," Tess answers calmly.

    Sophie paces nervously, ¡°Look, Tess, I know you understand him better than me. I realize that, but I just can''t¡­ She''s my sister. She won''t even join themunity. How do I know she is fine? I only have his word.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but there''s nothing you can do. So bursts of emotions like this won''t help you much.¡±

    I feel pressure on my mind as Sophie turns to Tess, her eyes deep as the ocean.

    ¡°If you try something on my mind, I''ll¡­ I''ll react appropriately,¡± Tess smiles, remaining calm even under Sophie''s disturbing re. ¡°We don''t have to fight, Sophie. It won''t help me, it won''t help you, and it surely won''t help your sister.¡±

    Tess finally stands up and takes a few short steps towards the other young woman. Both of them stand against each other, their mana forcing me to take a few steps back and making the house creak.

    ¡°Think about this: let''s say you''re able to control me, what do you think he would do if you finally meet without me being there, or if he finds something in my mind?¡±

    Tess steps even closer, her face almost touching Sophie''s.

    ¡°You don''t realize how lucky you are. I know what you did to him, to his mind back on the first floor. Sophie, you don''t know how much he values his own mind, his freedom. At the moment, only your current or maybe future usefulness keeps you alive,¡± her voice drops to a whisper, ¡°But don''t worry, Nathaniel and I have a deal, we work together. So Sophie, work with me too, work with him. We don''t have to fight.¡±

    Finally, Sophie pushes the blonde away, and despite having a much higher physical stat, allows herself to be pushed back.

    ¡°I like you, Sophie, I do. So I''ll help you a bit and I''ll put in a good word for you. So don''t worry, okay? You and your sister will both be safe.¡±

    Throughout this entire time, Tess seems like the one with the ability to manipte others.

    The most amazing fact is that Sophie knows it. She knows that Tess is saying the words she thinks Sophie needs to hear. Yet, even when Tess simply says what she thinks we want to hear, Sophie and I can''t help but be moved by her words.

    She''s scary.

    Do I have to put more stats into my constitution? The inferior stat that pales inparison to glorious mana? Probably. It''s the right thing to do, the smart thing to do. Yet all the stat points from the level up went into mana.

    Must be a bug or something. I me the system.

    Anyway, I''ll endure it. It hurts, it''s risky, but I trust in myself and my decisions. To be stronger in the future, I will risk it now. I gave it some thought, and part of me is worried about what awaits us on theter floors, especially back on Earth.

    If every other tutorial is the same as ours, it means that 4 tutorials have already ended and these people are most likely back on Earth. People who also went through <em>Hell Difficulty</em>.

    I was given an opportunity and something that finally made me feel some sort of excitement and need, so I won''t go through all of this only to find out that I didn''t put enough effort into it and get stepped over by someone else from <em>Hell difficulty tutorial</em>.

    Yet, I wonder, what made me think that mana is the way? Was it my fascination with it, this weird force that I can control with my mind? Was it the feeling of its strength flowing through my body and seeing what is possible with it?

    Partially? There is also some logic I follow. Mana is used to activate and feed skills. It can be used to strengthen the body, burn things, manipte people, or levitate things. Everything relies on mana.

    So isn''t having a lot of mana and skills the bestbination?

    Yes, I could go for a more physical stats-oriented build, and I''m sure I would excel there, as I''m talented when ites to moving my body. Not the most talented, I never was, but I always went a step further than others, and always pushed harder. But, I hate to say it, it never made me as happy as I thought it would and right now, even in the terrible situations we are going through, I feel real.

    I feel like everything I do matters.

    Okay?

    Okay.

    Let''s keep it up.

    I stand up, continuously strengthening my body by transforming the kic energy of my heart into endurance. A few minutes ago, I made the mistake of stopping, and I almost lost consciousness.

    Oh, and I also fell to the ground. It can''t be the fault of my stats, right?

    <strong>[Name:</strong> N<em>athaniel Gwyn</em><strong>]</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong>Difficulty:</strong><em>Hell</em><em></em>

    <strong>Floor:</strong><em>3 - Saint''s Eternal Bastion</em><em></em>

    <strong>Time left until forced return:</strong><em>4y 270d 21h 03m 31s</em><em></em>

    <strong>Traits (1/3):</strong><em>Mana Circuit (Passive)</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Lvl 82</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Strength: 24</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 22</em><em></em>

    <em>Constitution: 72</em><em>

    </em>

    <em>Mana: 251</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>[Primary ss:</strong><em>Mana Channeler</em><strong>]</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong>[Sub-ss:</strong> Unavable<strong>]</strong>

    <strong></strong>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 29</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 29</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 23</em><em></em>

    <em>Oscition - Lvl 20</em><em></em>

    <em>Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 19</em><em></em>

    <em>Armament - Lvl 23</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Surge - Lvl 12</em><em></em>

    <em>Disruption - Lvl 13</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Constructs:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Kic Mana Heart (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Mana Flow (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Cerebral Harmony (rare)</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>[</strong>Upgrade token: <em>1</em><strong>]</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong>[</strong>Difficulty change token: <em>1</em>]

    Unsurprisingly, even my other stats grow even though I''m not investing stat points into them. A tiny bit, but it''s something, right?

    My constitution is growing because of all the pressure I put on it. Strength and dexterity, too, as they are trying to catch up to me almost permanently strengthening my body with mana. It''s not significant, just a stat point here and there, but hey, it''s free.

    I let out a yawn and lean against the wall. All of us are currently in an underground room, and its walls are imbued with some weird material that blocks the perception of mana from wererats on the outside.

    Even I wasn''t able to find it. Only Cipher opening the door allowed me to find them and join them, along with Isabe.

    As for the little girl, she''s already asleep, sitting on the ground nearby. I''m jealous, I want to sleep too, but I can''t because that would mean no strengthening of my body, which equals a lot of pain. So yup, looks like I''ll have to stay awake for a few more days.

    ¡°What?¡± I ask Cipher, who just continues to look towards me the entire time we are in.

    He and his group are sitting close to each other, and the opposite of them sits the family of natives from this floor. They seem to be calmer now, but still far from being friendly or trusting.

    The room we are in is quite cold and underground, heated by the thermal energy that I release into the room deep under the ground.

    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± Cipher finally asks.

    Oh, so that''s what''s bothering you. You don''t like that you don''t understand me properly, right? I can see that it pisses you off, no matter how hard you try to hide it from me. Even though I like to stay on my own, I''m pretty good at reading people''s faces.

    Something I had to learn as a kid or get beaten. Good old times, right?

    I don''t answer him and just close my eyes and filter them out while continuing to send heat into the room and keeping my body strengthened. My eyesnd on the small body of a little girl sleeping andying with her back against the cold wall.

    Ha, little kids shouldn''t go through this.

    I change the way I release the heat to start releasing it only from one side and a bit further away from me, and move closer to Isabe, pulling her away from the wall and letting her lean against me.

    I send some gentle heat towards her small body and notice that she rxes in her sleep, not waking up at all during my actions. Only then do I remember that I had her guard me during the night while I slept. Her, a small 10-year-old girl. At that time, the thought of her age didn''t even cross my mind.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> Isabe is sleeping. Don''t worry, she is fine and I will take care of her.</em>

    I answer Sophie in themunity and lean back with a sigh.

    Being alone is simpler, isn''t it?

 Chapter 121: Mage Hunters

    Chapter 121: Mage Hunters

    It''s been already a few hours, and while running and avoiding the revenants'' attacks, I was able to level up once by burning a group of Rottenfang vermin. I invested the gained stat points into constitution.

    Hey, it''s something, isn''t it? But at the state I''m in, it feels like pouring a ss of water and hoping to save your house from burning down.

    I''ll die if this continues much longer. That''s something I can say with certainty.

    If I don''t find Lily or if there won''t be a healing aura, I''ll die even if I get rid of the Temr Revenant that blocks me from strengthening my body.

    My body is just that ruined.

    Broken bones, bloodied left arm, a few stab and sh wounds from the Rogue Revenant. Pathways, muscles, and insides ruined by my creation of constructs and by my careless use of <em>Kic Mana heart</em>.

    The state I''m in won''t disappear after I rest for few hours. Strengthening my body to ignore it won''t heal it either. So what is the solution?

    Obviously, it''s more abuse.

    More mana flows inside my body, and I loosen my regtors, getting more energy out of my heart, and I seemingly carelessly handle bursts of mana that flow through my body.

    If I have to die, I won''t go down like a slowly dying candle. I''ll burn like a wildfire.

    The speed I''m moving at is now even quicker than ever before. I propel myself, I boost my legs to dash fast, while in the air I propel myself once more, my seemingly bottomless mana easily handling all of it.

    Once in a while, a disruptive skill hits me, and a few times I crash down to the ground, barely strengthening my body against the impacts or absorbing energy from my fall, only to push myself again up and running.

    The two monsters continue to track me with ease and even after I put some distance between us. Every time I stagger and slow down, they are there punishing me with a few more wounds or by making my mana sh inside my body.

    But I''m improving.

    While I push my body to the point of breaking, my skills break through as well. I<strong> [Focus]</strong> as much as never before. Turning the world around me into ck and white colors where only mana shines brilliantly.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 30 > Focus - lvl 31]</strong>

    I grab my mana every time the Temr Revenant disrupts it and I force it under my control, reducing the impact it has on my body. I also continue to try to fight against the monster''s skill.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 31 > Mana Maniption - lvl 32]</strong>

    I keep boosting mana inside my body, making it flow faster and stronger to do as much as possible in the time when the Temr Revenant''s skill isn''t affecting me.

    <strong>[Mana Surge - lvl 16 > Mana Surge - lvl 18]</strong>

    And I continue to try to kill the Rogue Revenant every time it reaches me, but never having enough time to do it because of the other monster.

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 19 > Redistribution - lvl 20]</strong>

    <strong>[Armament - lvl 24 > Armament - lvl 25]</strong>

    <strong>[Oscition - lvl 21 > Oscition - lvl 22]</strong>

    And I continue to kill every monster we meet along the way. Gargoyles, Rottenfang rats, chameleon bats, Alghouls, Wererats. I kill any monster I''m able to.

    <strong>[Lvl 86 > Lvl 88]</strong>

    That makes my constitution a whopping 80 points high, yet my mana is still at 264 and with my battered body and control over mana constantly disrupted, I nearly can feel life escaping my body, only my will and <strong>[Focus]</strong> keeping me on my legs, the monster either unable or not smart enough to disrupt this skill.

    Yet even during all of this, I feel my mind weirdly rx. There are only two oues possible. I''ll either die or I''ll survive, nothing else matters right now, and I''ll put as much effort as I can into it.

    To thest breath. To thest beat of my heart.

    My mana explodes and using as much as I can, I absorb the inertia of my movement and two heartbeats of my heart that''s now getting 40% of my mana. Using all of this energy, I throw myself backwards right towards the Temr Revenant and at a dizzying speed passing by the second monster that is still fast enough to react, and another sh appears on my back.

    But I ignore it and a dagger forms in my hand, the color is solid blue and more notifications sound in my mind as I make it as dense as possible and coat it in disruptive mana. I once again absorb my inertia and kic energy, this time using it to boost my body, making it faster and increasing my endurance.

    The Temr Revenant used its disruptive skill 1 second ago and it seems like his "<em>cooldown</em>" is 4 seconds, judging from attacks before.

    So I sh against the monster, that''s barely able to react, slower than the Rogue Revenant. Squeezing the weapon in my hand as hard as possible and shing against the monster with all the resentment I''m able to collect, I continue to track its movement.

    I''ll hit him. He''s too slow, he won''t be able to dodge, he didn''t show as fast movement up until now.

    The Rogue can''t reach me, it will take him around a second or two to get there. Then it will be toote.

    My dagger will hit and even if Temr Revemant somehow shortens its cooldown and tries to disrupt it, my<strong> [Disruption] </strong>around the de will counter it. If not, then the de itself is dense enough to handle disruption for a while. The de will separate its head from its body.

    I can do it.

    Then, the Tempest Revenant disappears, reced by the Rogue Revenant. The two monsters switching ces.

    The Rogue blocks the attack of my de with both of its daggers, mana coating them and saving the daggers from breaking. A kick hits my chest, breaking one of my ribs and throwing me backwards, right towards the Temr.

    Another disruptive wave hits the dagger in my hand instead of me and slowly dissipates it. Still having my body strengthened I dodge under the Temr''s sh and then throw myself to the side to avoid the Rogue.

    And I run again.

    How much blood does a human have? And how much of it can I ignore with my now inhumanly strong body whenpared to a normal human?

    Also, I''m tired, so tired.

    While running and jumping from roof to roof, avoiding two jerks hunting me and killing some monsters once in a while, I keep wanting to just sit there and give up.

    Everything would be better than this, wouldn''t it? I just need to stop for a bit and it will all stop, I did enough.

    Yup, such and simr nonsense goes through my head. But who am I? Why would I give up now? I didn''t even reach my goal, I didn''t even see what there is to see. There is so much more to do.

    So yeah, I better get my act together and stop sobbing. Just push through like you always did, filter out useless thoughts and focus.

    And keep going.

    I leveled up one more time and invested my stats into dexterity for the first time. As expected, it didn''t help much, but I tried it.

    I also tried to kill the Temr Revenant one more time, this time again the Rogue swapped ce with him using some sort of skill to do so. I partially expected it and still wasn''t able to finish the guy.

    My reward is one more wound.

    Then I finished another <strong>Side quest:</strong><em>Kill 600 enemies</em>

    I ate the little food I got and drank the water and as a reward, I picked a javelin, thinking that a physical weapon might work.

    I did throw it with the full power of my body and boosted it with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>. The weapon broke against the Temr Revenant''s armor.

    The system did not disappoint. Themon rarity weapon was as bad as expected.

    And these two, don''t they have anything better to do? Just leave and go hunt Sophie or something. Now I''m also curious how the heck are others alive when there are jerks like these two around.

    So yeah, just go and hunt others. But don''t worry, after I be a bit stronger I''lle back and destroy you. Oh, I will totally not let this go.

    Unsurprisingly, the duo continues to go after me and even after stretching my <strong>[Perception]</strong> as far as possible, I don''t feel others.

    The only thing that changes are the houses that be nicer and nicer, some of them now even with walls dyed in colors and there are no roads made from dirt anymore. All are made with cobblestones and I''m not sure, but I think I see a higher tower far in the distance.

    It''s hard to say if there is some ambient healing aura but that''s it, as I pass and notice a few marks that point towards the hideout the natives told us how to identify, I decide to finally risk it.

    Mana floods my body and for thest time, I turn and dash towards the annoying duo so used to hunting mages.

 Chapter 129: Lets be more careful

    Chapter 129: Let''s be more careful

    I stand up and quickly throw the weapon I created with all the force I can muster, even boosting it with kic energy.

    The javelin flies, shining in beautiful light blue, light purple, and dark blue colors, leaving a trail of mana behind it. It pierces through three houses before it untangles, releasing all the mana it held in one massive explosion.

    Threads of mana wave from the javelin, shing and cutting apart the surrounding area. Tendrils of three different colors and even a shockwave can be felt as the densely squeezed mana expands.

    As a result, a massive area around the javelin ends up destroyed, breaking apart, and debris of stone and wood falls down with loud noises, releasing dust and small pieces of debris that immediately get blown away by the wind.

    The best part is that it wasn''t even meant to be an attack. All of this was only densely squeezed mana untangling as I released my hold over it and stopped forcing it to move.

    Yes, I said that, the best part!

    The heck, how great is that? Sure, I could do something simr using <strong>[Redistribution],</strong> but that''s not the point.

    Just how strong can my armor be? How strong can my projectiles be if I learn to control it a bit more? And why the heck did I not think of redistributing my mana to make it faster and push through the <em>limit</em> I felt? It sounds so logical now that I get to it.

    I quickly check the notifications.

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 23 > Redistribution - lvl 24]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Infusion - lvl 10 > Mana Infusion - lvl 11]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Infusion - lvl 11 > Mana Infusion - lvl 12]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Infusion - lvl 12 > Mana Infusion - lvl 13]</strong>

    <strong>[Armament - lvl 28 > Armament - lvl 29]</strong>

    Oh my, I like this! Let''s try it again!

    "Nat," I hear, and turn to Tess, who looks at me with a serious look on her face. "That javelin contained more mana than my entire mana pool."

    Tess is there with her stern gaze, her features in a serious expression. The weight of her words hangs heavy between us. She seems to be warning me, indirectly telling me to be more careful.

    Ok, that''s quite scary now that I think about it.

    "Can you keep watch?" I ask instead and don''t even bother sending another signal. If no monsterse after this, nothing will lure them closer.

    The blonde just shakes her head and sighs, yet she still keeps watch. Her eyes continue to pierce through the darkness around us and look for mana signatures moving towards us.

    And I create a small orb of pale blue mana and start infusing it with as much mana as I''m able to. At some point, I have to stop, unable to push more. It just feels like there is resistance as if the orb is full. But then I use <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, which moves a massive amount of mana and quickly, easily pushes against this resistance, and passes through <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> inside the orb.

    This time, I''m more careful and observe as the light blue and purple colors get inserted into a dark blue orb. The colors do not mix to create other colors; instead, it looks as if they all swirl inside the orb. Imagine dropping drops of dye into a ss of water and then swirling it without the colors mixing.

    Actually, it''s quite beautiful.

    Seeing that I can push even more, I force the mana inside the orb, and now I notice that it really has be heavier. How does it even make sense? If mana had such weight, wouldn''t I be heavier every time I use mana?

    Yet it still somehow does, the tricolored orb with mana swirling inside it and with every passing moment threatening to explode right there in my hand.

    As I watch it, it just feels like something I shouldn''t be doing, like something I shouldn''t be <em>ABLE</em> to do.

    At that moment, I hesitate. All my senses warn me, nearly screaming in my head and as I''m about to push even more mana into the small orb, I slowlye back to reality, feeling as if I just woke up.

    This is dangerous; I should give it some time and not push it the way I did when creating my second construct. There, I also hurried too much and made my move earlier than I should have, and it almost cost me my life.

    So let''s wait. Let''s think about it more and examine it more.

    As for the orb, I shoot it as far as I can, and after a few seconds, it expands into a bubble with a surface made of tricolored mana, a bubble as big as an entire house.

    While expanding, the orb''s surface is firm, winning against the material the house is made of and pushing it away while staying anchored to the ce as it expands.

    Then, the bubble made of mana bursts open with an audible pop, and as if affected by some extremely strong siphon force, the pieces of the trashed house are pulled to where the center of the orb used to be, crashing against each other, and some breaking even further as they spin for a while around the center.

    Then, for a short moment, silence ensues before the wind and mist fill out the empty space in the air. The house is gone, destroyed by an orb not bigger than a grape. An orb I could fill with even more mana.

    Yup, let''s be more careful. Very careful.

    What appears after a few more minutes is something we decide not to fight and hide from without any hesitation. We came here to level and hunt, not to die, you know. This is just a straight-up unfair match.

    The monster is massive, easily as big as a house and a bit, walking through the streets without any worry in the world. Its head towers over the slightly smaller houses. One of its eyes is missing, and the other one, milky white, glows in a sickly green color, shining even in the darkness of the city and the mist.

    The monster walks on all fours, weirdly limping yet moving nimbly. Over the middle of its back, three projectiles made of green mana float. Mana arrows, each as big as a car and elongated into a sharp shape.

    Yup, Bambi''s curse is back and stronger than ever before.

    <strong>[Undead Aberrant Deer - lvl ??]</strong>

    So yeah, we both sit inside a house while the massive undead deer passes by. Each of us limits our mana as much as we can and pulls it all back into our bodies in an attempt to stop its leakage outside that could warn the monster.

    There is also a worry that it might find us through heat detection or sniff us out or whatever, but that''s something toote to worry about.

    The massive monster appeared almost out of nowhere and rushed towards where my orb exploded, destroying a few dozen houses that stood in its way, literally bulldozing through them without taking any damage.

    There isn''t a single thought of fighting it in my mind. I touched its mana only once, and the feeling of it disturbed me deeply.

    This is not a fight I should take right now, not even with Tess by my side.

    So there we are, both close to each other, nearly hugging, as I try to create a disrupting field around us, reducing even the small mana particles we leak to smaller ones, all while only controlling my mana.

    Tess''s eyes are firm, and even in this situation, she is reliable as always. She is not using any skills at all, and we are not even looking towards the monster, as there are monsters able to detect even someone just looking at them.

    Hell, the Undead Aberrant Deer could be now easily staring through the window at us.

    The only sense left to us is hearing and feeling the vibrations. Even through the raging wind, we hear the monster''s steps and feel vibrations going through our bodies every time it takes another one.

    The monster continues to destroy a few more houses near the pce where the orb exploded, and we only sit there, waiting for minutes after which the silence ensues after a few more steps the undead monster takes.

    But we continue to stay in that same ce for one hour longer, not daring to make any move and limiting our mana. Only after a long while, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

    We survived, but goddamn it, that was tense.

    Finally, after an hour of sitting in the corner of the room, I open my eyes and lift up my head to look outside at the result of the monster''s attack.

    And there, staring right at me without blinking and from behind the window, is the eye nearly as big as me.

    The deer''s only eye that glows in a green color.

 Chapter 130: How much is your mana?

    Chapter 130: How much is your mana?

    I put my hand on Tess''s shoulder and squeeze it strongly, giving her a warning not to move at all and not to do anything stupid. I can feel her body tense under my hand as she, too, stares right at the monster''s eyes outside the window.

    She then does nothing to fight and continues to suppress her mana while staying quiet.

    The eye continues to look at us, a milky white blind eye of the undead aberrant deer. There are no eyelids to blink, and the sickly green color slightly lights up the room.

    I calm my breathing even further, and even though of the situation we are in, my heart continues to beat calmly. I avert my gaze and just look at the green light that lights up one of the walls.

    A few momentster, the light disappears, and I see the monster walking away after I look outside the window. It moves quietly, not even touching the houses near it. This time there are no vibrations as it walks.

    A few more minutes pass, and then a massive wave of mana hits up. The monster jumps high in the air and then starts running on it as if it''s ground, while small shes of mana light the surroundings every time its hooves hit the air.

    It finally disappears and I let go of Tess, and we continue to hide our mana until the morning when the wind stops and the mist disappears.

    "Well, that was something," is the first thing she says, her voice still bearing some tension. "Maybe we should just try to find monsters next time instead of luring them to us?"

    Maybe we should just not leave the hideout at all?

    "What level do you think it was?" Tess asks.

    "150 to 300. I think that''s the range for two question marks," I say and exin a bit more when she asks me.

    "Interesting. I think I agree with you and I also have a few theories."

    "That makes me curious. Do tell," I say as we walk back to our hideout, side by side. The tension is slowly disappearing now that there is a light.

    "First, the wind is here either created by the field around the city or used to cancel out any mes that could burn the city. It''s probably also partially working during the day, but it''s much stronger at night for some reason."

    "Oh, that''s quite a good theory," did she get that from seeing my mes die out quickly in the wind?

    "The second theory is that the mist somehow confuses the monsters and blocks their ability to sense mana, helping people hide during the night. Only really strong pulses of mana allow the monster to detect the source."

    "Are you maybe really smart, Tess?"

    Sheughs shortly as she jumps over the debris, softlynding on her feet. I can see her using some mana to do so, "It''s just basic observation."

    Not wanting to be left behind, I also add something, "And I think that the version of the story for this floor that the natives told isn''t something we should fully trust. Not because they are lying to us, but because it''s all just rumors and legends they have."

    "Sounds reasonable. The quest objective is to put the saint to rest, which made me think that the saint will be undead, as it says to put to rest instead of killing. That''s quite weird," she says.

    "But it won''t be as simple. It says ''to final rest,'' so maybe he or she really became undead, for a while, after dying and then returned back to life? That could exin why the field around the city is still working." While waiting for her answer, a small orb of mana floats in the palm of my arm, and I continue to infuse it with mana.

    "That makes me curious about what we''ll find in the middle of the city, with hopefully more water and flora. And also, what do you want to do with that Cipher guy?" She looks at me, a slight annoyance shing through her eyes.

    I see, she dislikes the guy as well.

    "Let him deal with the natives. If he goes too far, I''ll do something about it. And we just need to keep him alive for water," I say, and to be honest, I really wanted to try to learn his water skill, but now?

    I reach the point of resistance, and I can''t infuse more mana into the orb. So I use <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, and my mana pushes through that resistance, and wisps of purple and light blue mana start filling the dark blue orb, mixing and swirling inside.

    "I''m still amazed at how much mana you can pack into that thing," Tess''s voice is curious as she stops and observes the orb floating in the palm of my arm. "Is the orb the best shape for training?"

    "Yup, it feels the easiest to use, and it''s the simplest to create," I stop pushing mana inside the orb, and currently, it''s only half as strong as the one fromst night. "But you know, it''s getting kind of scary, Tess."

    "Oh yeah? Did you realize it only now? How much of your mana did you even use on the one from before?"

    "I don''t know, maybe 10%?"

    Her step falters, and she stops and gives me a long, examining look. "You are not joking," she deres, reading it from my face.

    "Why would I lie to you about that..."

    She lifts her hand, stopping me from talking. "Nathaniel, my mana stat isn''t even at 100. How much is your mana?"

    After a quick check, I tell her, "284 and growing."

    Another long pause, and then a sigh. "Let''s ignore the numbers for now, but thest time you created the orb, it felt like something I would need all my mana to create, yet you said it was only 10%. The numbers don''t fit."

    "Oh, it''s simple. Efficiency. I have multiple skills and passives and even a trait that help me with that."

    What do you think I risked my life so many times for? I would be super mad if something like this wasn''t the case.

    She opens her mouth, pauses, gives it a bit more thought, and then opens it again, "You do you, Nat. Just be careful, okay?"

    That''s why I like Tess.

    "Yup, do you need any help with your skills? Maybe I can offer a bit of advice," I offer, and I believe that. I know that I''m good when ites to handling mana.

    And I''m also curious about her skills, to be honest. Currently, I do not have time to learn from her as I have a lot to go through, but just satisfying my curiosity a bit is enough.

    "Well, my main one is <strong>[Psychokinesis]</strong>, and that''s something you probably won''t be able to help me much with. <strong>[Farsight] </strong>is growing nicely; I can see really far, and when I put in effort, I can see mana. And by that, I mean the mana around every person that their body leaks."

    "Oh, that''s quite cool. So it only works with sight, and there isn''t any other sense it affects?"

    "Yes, only sight, as the name says. Is there anything you''re talking about?"

    "Yup, you can evolve your skill¡­" I then exin my past experiences to her. To her, it''s a bit of a surprise, but in the end, she agrees that it makes sense.

    However, she still doesn''t agree with me on one thing. She wants to keep her <strong>[Farsight]</strong> to only include sight and take it to the extreme. It''s not a bad way to go about this, but neither is mine where <strong>[Perception]</strong> includes multiple senses. But hey, we will see.

    "Currently, I''m working on my <strong>[Lightning Armor]</strong>," As she says it, lightning starts to crackle around her body, the same she used in our fight versus the werewolf. "It boosts my stats and also has defensive capability."

    I can see that she is quite happy with the skill, a small smile appearing on her lips as she maniptes the lightning around her body.

    I''m not going to lie; it looks pretty as flickers of red and white lightning crack over her body, making her blonde hair stand up slightly and putting some light on her face, lighting up her smile.

    I think it fits her.

    "Oh, and one more thing, this one is a bit more weird-sounding, <strong>[Deration]</strong>."

    The moment she says the name, I know it''s yet another powerful skill, simr to <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> or <strong>[Maniption] </strong>and probably<strong> [Focus].</strong>

    "So, what does it do?"

    "Currently? Nothing, but I''m trying to <em>Dere</em> this javelin to be mine. If I''m right, it will mean I can move it even if it''s way out of the range of my <strong>[Psychokinesis]</strong>," she then shrugs her shoulders.

    "Maybe you should think a bit bigger. How about you try to <em>Dere</em> that your wounds are healed? Or <em>Dere</em> that your weapon is much stronger than it is?" That makes her look at me, and I can see thoughts wildly going through her mind.

    "Skills with such unclear names usually have a lot of options to be used," I finish. It''s something I''ve given a lot of thought to, and I don''t think I''m wrong.

    Level 30 for a skill? That sounds like a beginning. I''m sure as time passes, the level-ups will be much harder, and the skill will be much stronger. Even Lissandra''s world-ending <strong>[Singrity]</strong> had to start at level one, and the same goes for the skill named <strong>[Dawn]</strong> of the man named Tristan, a skill with a quite silly and not dangerous-sounding name that wiped out the life from the surface of an entire.

    It''s already been 10 minutes since we came back to the hideout when I walk up to Lily, who sits near Isabe and Biscuit, two girls happily talking together while the mighty divine beast endures.

    When I get to them, Lily looks up with a smile. "Hello!" she says.

    "Kitty man!" Isabe shouts, and I silence her with one long look.

    "Never mention it again, and I''ll let you y with Biscuit one more time," I say.

    "Three times!"

    "Two."

    "Deal!" she giggles and goes back to hugging Biscuit, who looks at me.

    Is this disappointment in your eyes? Please forgive me, Biscuit! I''m a weak, weak man.

    But anyway, "Lily, you and I, let''s go out."

    I need to raise her level a bit since it''s too low. Going out with just the two of us will attract less attention when we leave the hideout. Doesn''t that make sense?

    So, Lily, why are you looking at me like that?

 Chapter 131: Lily Chen

    Chapter 131: Lily Chen

    I''m not going to lie. I think I am amazing, like really, really amazing. And I think that''s even underselling it a bit.

    The reason?

    The spear made of my mana that I just gave Lily. It''s dark blue with wisps of light blue mana inside of it. I didn''t push that much while creating it, so there isn''t a chance that it would untangle and hurt Lily.

    Instead, the weapon is just slowly dissipating. If I''m right, it should be able to hold strong for 15 minutes, and after that, it will be much weaker. Then, in five more minutes, it will disappear.

    I used a lot of my mana to create it, yet it will onlyst that long. I could probably increase the duration by infusing more mana, but hey, I don''t want to kill off our healer. That would be dumb.

    Yet, I think I can say with confidence that for these 15 minutes, it is at least as strong as themon weapons I saw here on the third floor and through the rewards for the side quest.

    Oh, and I am also dumb. Like really dumb.

    I realize it only after I gave the massive spear to Lily, and she awkwardly grabs it into her one hand, barely able to bnce it properly. Her eyes turn to look back at me, and I can see that she is trying hard not tough.

    Still, she makes fun of me by waving the stump of her left arm in front of me. The arm has regrown slightly under the elbow.

    Dang it.

    "Sorry," I say, and my voice sounds weak even to myself as I grab the spear out of her hand and make it shorter and thinner. Even though it''s made of mana, it has some weight to it.

    "Don''t worry about it!" she giggles. "It''s kind of fun to see you so speechless. You should see your eyes when you came to realize it." The petite brte covers her mouth as she continues to smile.

    When I hand her the new spear, she grabs it and tries to swing it around, nearly cutting me before I step back to observe from a safe distance.

    It seems much better now. Yes, her handling of it is terrible, but it will improve with time.

    She then hands me the spear back after examining it for a bit. "It''s nice. I can feel how much skill it takes to create it!"

    Oh, apliment! Finally, someone appreciates my talents. Feel free to praise me a bit more. But why are you giving it back to me?

    "Oh, you wanted me to fight with it," she deres as shees to the realization, and a big smile blossoms on her face. "Thank you, but I won''t need it! Let me show you how I fight!"

    So, how does a petite, innocent-looking girl fight? The person who has healing powers and is nice enough to sacrifice their own arm for some maniac she just met?

    You would think from a distance, right? Keeping herself safe so she can heal others. Maybe using a bow? Having skills to increase the abilities of others?

    Nope. Lily fights up close and personal.

    I watch as thest surviving Rottenfang vermin I left alive jumps against her, and she just stands there. The moment it reaches her, Lily punches it with her tiny fist. A sh of grayish mana appears on her fist and eats a good chunk out of the monster''s body where she punched it.

    The vermin doesn''t feel the pain, so it attacks again, only for the girl to nimbly move away. Her stats aren''t that high, so there is a lot of predicting the monster''s trajectory on her part, and she punches the monster again as it passes by. Again, a chunk of the monster''s body disappears.

    When it attacks again, Lily doesn''t dodge, and the monster bites at her. I''m about to kill it before it does, but her eyes turn to me for a second, making me stop.

    So, I do not move, and when the vermin bites into her arm, she nods at me thankfully for not stepping in. Then the monster''s head explodes in a sh of gray mana, half of its head destroyed by her skill and it falls down, unmoving.

    Lily then kicks it one more time, making sure it''s dead before happily moving towards me. As she does so, I can see warm white wisps of mana around the wound on her hand that heal her quickly enough for me to see her wound closing and soon disappearing without any trace.

    She then stops in front of me, shy yet proud as she looks at me, "What do you think?"

    What do I think about this innocent-looking brte with a cute small face and a tiny nose punching giant decaying rats, even letting them bite a chunk of her so she can kill them?

    "Lily, you are so goddamn cool."

    As I said, and I''ll be repeating it up until myst breath. No one from the bus passengers of Group 4 is normal. I''ll practice, and I''ll even create a construct that will activate when I die and will make me move onest time and make say that no one from Group 4 is normal.

    Not a single person, not a single corgi.

    "I much prefer healing. It feels better, and I''m more useful that way. But I know that I have to level up too. But Nat, you should have seen Kim''s face the first time he saw me fight," she giggles deviously, her eyes glowing as she remembers it, "He totally did not expect it, and neither did you! I saw you wanted to help me at first," her expression changes as she moves bangs of her forehead, "But I''m d you didn''t. Kim wasn''t able to and kept trying to help me. It felt like he is looking down at me."

    It''s a bitter, and after a few more fights, as we sit there and she is healing her freshly wounded right arm, I also watch as the wounds slowly disappear, and even her missing piece of a pinkie finger is restoring.

    "I''m stronger now than I was on the first floor," her eyes seem distant as she says so. "So I won''t be a burden, and I''ll learn to control <em>all</em> my skills, not only healing." A small wisp of gray mana, her skill <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>, appears around her hand, only to slowly disappear as she clenches her fist and stands up, "I want you to let me try to fight an Alghoul this time," she is serious as she says so.

    I''m sure it will hurt, hell, it might evene close to killing her. From some point of view, it might seem like a bad decision, but from mine, it seems seems... reasonable.

    People that are nice to me should be able to live their life as they want, to change the way they want.

    "Sure," I say simply. I''m sure she has thought about this a lot, judging from the look in her eyes. She already saw me fighting two Alghouls after her first fight against the rat so she knows what to expect.

    Ten minutester, I watch her stand against one of the lower-leveled Alghouls. It continuously attacks her, much faster and stronger than her. Yet, the girl has surprisingly high constitution, probably even boosted by some skill. Even as she is thrown around, she gets back on her feet, and white mana appear on her wounds, closing them with a speed that is possible to watch with eyes.

    She does not scream, she does not ask for help, and she only nces towards me a few times, as if wanting to stop me from interfering.

    But I just stand there and watch while she is getting hurt.

    At first, it seems to surprise her, butter it only look of determination appears on her face as she continues to try to hit the monster with her skills. She has already seeded a few times, and gray mana has torn off a few pieces of the monster and cut off one of its arms in exchange for multiple wounds on her body.

    The interesting thing is that when the monster activates its green mes to heal its wounds, they do nothing. Lily''s skill damage doesn''t allow the monster to heal.

    So the fight continues, and Lily gets thrown around a lot. The monster even tries to tear off her limbs a few times, always quickly followed by the girl''s gray mana appearing and stopping it from happening.

    What surprises me the most is how fierce she is. She wasn''t like this back on the first floor. Or maybe she was, and I just didn''t see it? Did she change because of her skill misfiring and killing Kevin? Did something happen on the second floor?

    I do not know.

    Finally, after what feels like ten minutes, the monster dies, unable to deal more damage to her truly sturdy body and unable to overpower her healing. Lily''s <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> isn''t as strong right now, but it''s easy to see how powerful it might be in the future.

    As I stand there, watching, she slowlyes to me, her wounds still healing, and white mana makes it look as if there is smoke leaking from her wounds. She is moving slowly, tired, but she is smiling happily as she stops in front of me, tired and wounded. Bloodied.

    "Thank you for trusting me."

    She then passes out, and I grab her before she falls to the ground.

    Silly girl.

 Chapter 132: Level 100

    Chapter 132: Level 100

    I am the most normal here. Yup, totally. Fight me if you disagree. Lily, myst hope, the only person who seemed somewhat normal, showed me the middle finger, wrecked my thoughts and stepped on thatst hope, kicking it away.

    Myst hope is dead, and I''m the only normal here.

    Okay?

    Okay.

    Anyway, it''s kind of fun watching Tess struggle as we try to hunt down one of the sparrows, and the said sparrow continues to dodge all of her attacks, no matter how quick they are.

    Could I try to replicate the traps and maybe create a few more to hunt the sparrow? Yup, I could try that, and that''s exactly what I did, but I gave up after a few minutes. Left without any result, and my head hurting just from looking at the intricate structures etched into the small metal disk.

    I tried to remember as much as I could and I''ll continue to observe it a bit more as it might be useful for the future, but there is no way in hell I''ll be able to replicate it anytime soon.

    So here we are, two hunters stalking our prey and getting our psyches hurt more and more with every failed attempt to hunt them.

    So I do what a normal person would do. A javelin hovers over my shoulder, as long as me, and filled with tricolored mana, threatening to explode any second if I lose control over it. It''s slim, it''s sharp and beautiful. And best of all, it''s dangerous.

    <em>Sparrow Obliterator 3000.</em>

    "Do you want to hunt it or evaporate it?" Tess says snarkily, but I can tell that it''s her annoyance after an unsessful hunt talking.

    At this point, it''s way toote to hold back Tess! The sparrow looked deep into my eyes, examined them, and chuckled in my face. Bambi, sparrows, goddamn were-something monsters on each floor. They all exist just to piss me off. So just for this once, I''ll vent a bit!

    I breathe out and <strong>[Focus]</strong>, and the javelin over my shoulder starts rotating, simr to the way a bullet would after leaving a gun barrel. I spin it faster and faster until it''s just a blurred mess of tricolored mana, and I hear ringing in my ears from how hard I''m trying.

    Then my heart beats, and I wait.

    <em>Two heartbeats.</em>

    I wait.

    <em>Three heartbeats.</em>

    Need more.

    <em>Seven heartbeats.</em>

    A bit more.

    <em>Ten heartbeats.</em>

    Good!

    I push against the javelin with all the force I can muster and even use a surge to give it even more before it leaves my range.

    The javelin flies faster than ever before, a high-pitched noise sounding in the surroundings as it pierces the air, and in a split second, it reaches the sparrow, totally obliterates it in an explosion of feathers, and then continues to pierce houses in its way.

    And it just goes and goes on, and even a few secondster, I can still hear it crashing through the houses until a few momentster we see and feel an explosion far in the distance.

    We then rush towards the ce where the sparrow was and find only tiny pieces of feathers that weren''t obliterated by the javelin. There is not a single piece of meat, not a single bone to bring back to the doggo. The javelin... the <em>Sparrow Obliterator 3000</em> did exactly what it was made for.

    Huge sess!

    Even the looks Tess is giving can''t diminish my happiness. She''d better not think I didn''t notice that tiny satisfied smirk on her face as she nced at what is left of our worst enemy.

    We did a bit more while hunting. I was able to gain two more levels, and Tess leveled up too. Unfortunately, we weren''t able to hunt any sparrows no matter how much we tried. Not a single trap worked. Sneaking didn''t help at all, and they even noticed the tiniest threads of mana that I tried to create.

    That''s when we decided to leave the sparrows to the natives and their traps while asking them to tell us more about the mice they mentioned before, another source of their food.

    So here we are, in the sewage part of the city. Fortunately, it''s been long unused, and only monsters crawl around, so that''s something, right?

    It''s nicely built to the point where it surprised me how much work the builders of this city did, even while hastily building thest livable city on the. The sewage tunnels are made out of gray and red bricks, and in the middle of them, there is a canal with walkways on both sides. On the roof, there is a weird moss growing that emits a soft greenish-yellowish light, illuminating the tunnels.

    This time, Lily is joining us as I wanted her to level up a bit more, so I and Tess only fight when a stronger monster appears, leaving everything else to Lily while providing moral support.

    I''m missing one level to reach level one hundred, and one level to reach level thirty in <strong>[Armament]</strong>. So I''m not getting that much from weaker monsters, but in a group of three, the stronger ones could appear while I also help Lily to level.

    It''s a win-win for everyone other than the Rottenfang vermin that Lily continues to delete from the face of this world. I continue to observe her skill, maybe in hopes that I would be able to learn it, but nope. Nothing. I can barely feel its effects. It''s as if the skill is even disintegrating the mana I use to perceive its effects.

    It''s a truly dangerous one, and the brte is learning to control it more and more, getting advice from me and Tess as well. She also continues to restore her arm, and she is already up to the wrist, forming a hand.

    She giggles as she says she is really trying to make it stronger and thinks that she seeded in making her own muscles firmer.

    I don''t know how much it will show when there are people with plenty of strength stats and yet their muscles look the same as before, but it''s a really interesting test, and I''m curious about the result.

    As we walk and Lily fights the monster, me and Tess have a little disagreement.

    "Nope, I don''t think we will get a subss anytime soon. The earliest is when we enter the fourth floor." I say.

    "The system likes rounded numbers. It might unlock at level one hundred. Both you and I got the side quest to get 3 skills to level thirty and reach level hundred for a skill upgrade. We both agree that this skill upgrade token will be able to upgrade an already upgraded skill."

    "That''s true."

    "So I think there are some requirements the system has for you to unlock a subss. I think one of them is having a twice-upgraded skill and level one hundred." Tess says.

    "I agree with that. But as I said, the system is an asshole. It might give you better side quests after you finish this one, but the subss will be unlocked either on the fourth or fifth floor. That''s just how it rolls."

    Lightning crackles from her hand, and the chameleon bat sneaking up on us falls down, dead and burned, while she continues as if nothing happened. "I still think the new side quest will be to fulfill more requirements, and the reward will be a subss."

    Poor naive Tess, you don''t know the ways of the system! "Nope, some sort of upgrade token at best, or maybe rare gear? But I don''t think that will happen. There is already a reward of rare gear for the floor quest, so the system wouldn''t give it away in a side quest..."

    I''m interrupted by Lilying back, her wounds once again healing, with white mist flowing out of them.

    "Anything fun you guys are talking about?" She fixes her hair a bit while her gaze shifts between me and Tess.

    "I''m exining to Tess how assholish the system is, and she doesn''t believe me."

    "Nat thinks the system works the way he would design it."

    Huh? Did I just get dissed? But there might be some truth to it. I would totally do some things the system does right now and have fun observing people in the tutorial.

    To that, Lilyughs, "You''re right! I can totally imagine Nat doing some things in a simr way the system does."

    Oi, you should be helping me.

    "You know," the petite girl moves closer to the blonde and whispers loud enough for me to hear while looking at me, "Nat is like a cat, and the system also sometimes feels like a cat."

    "What?" Tess blurts out, and the confusion on her face is quite funny to watch.

    "Lily, what animal is Tess?" I decide to tease her a bit more, and Lily pauses, giving it serious thought.

    "Tess is a chameleon," Lily says without any hesitation, as if it''s a sure thing.

    "Because of her eyes?

    As a reward for my innocent joke, a small sh of lightning fires at me, and I cancel it out with disruptive mana I shoot in its way, further annoying Tess.

    A few minutester, we find the first mice. It''s as big as a smaller dog, with a short tail and a well-rounded body, and it moves slowly, wobbling on its short legs, its fur ck.

    An easy hunt, you would say?

    Nope.

    The moment we look at it or send mana towards it, the animal disappears into the shadow, and its presence is gone.

    A bitter, we find another one, and the same thing repeats.

    And then again.

    Even when I try to quickly light up the surroundings with my mes, there is still a shadow under the mice. Not even <strong>[Disruption]</strong> reaches it quickly enough. I barely start forming the skill, and the mice are gone.

    That''s when we decide to rely on side quests a bit more and the traps of the natives, and move deeper inside the city, hoping to find another source of food.

    But first, this.

    <strong>[Lvl 99 > Lvl 100]</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions! You have sessfullypleted your side quest - Side Quest: Reach Level 100. You have acquired - Reward: Body Upgrade Token.</strong>

    Level 100 atst.

 Chapter 133: Caught

    Chapter 133: Caught

    Barely holding back from looking through the options, I return to the hideout together with the two girls. Lily leaves to continue restoring her hand, and Tess goes to deal with some peopley stuff. Like the freeloader I am, I move to the corner of the hideout/cave and finally scroll through the notifications.

    I really want to check the body upgrade and when I open it, the notification pops out:

    <strong>Level 100 status reached. This signifies a further evolution in human potential.</strong>

    <strong>A necessary body upgrade is pending, designed to withstand the rigors of heightened strength, dexterity, mana, and constitution.</strong>

    <strong>The upgrade will prepare your body, heart, and brain for the execution of higher-leveled skills and support stronger passive abilities.</strong>

    <strong>Note: Following the upgrade, your body''s requirements for sleep, food, and water will diminish due to the robust support of stats and mana.</strong>

    <strong>Well done!</strong>

    Oh my my. Does it mean what I think it means? It does, doesn''t it?

    More mana is on the menu!

    Well, it never left the te, not even talking about the menu, but that''s not what I mean.

    I check the upgrade a few more times, as well as my body, and don''t notice any change as of now. The system says it''s a pending upgrade, so maybe it''s a slower process that will be applied over time, further evolving my body? What''s the difference between this and just upgrading stats?

    From the looks of it, something needs to be done for the body to not crumble under all these stats. But isn''t constitution doing something simr?

    It also talks about upgrading the brain, heart, and body, so it''s something that will show, or is it just something that needs to happen, otherwise higher-leveled skills would fry my brain, stop my heart, and crumble my body? That sounds like the main reason for the upgrade.

    Another nice bonus is less water, sleep, and food. I already noticed it in other people, but even though logically our bodies should require more food and water than before, they are still somewhat fine? Is this mana keeping the body going, or can even stats have such effects? Something to think about.

    Overall, it''s nice, amazing reward fitting for reaching level one hundred.

    But now, back to the most interesting part! Skill upgrades!

    <strong>Congrattions, you have acquired a skill upgrade token. The offered options are based on your performance up until now within the tutorial. Choose carefully!</strong>

    As I thought, there are options for only two skills.

    <strong>Focus (Dual Focus)</strong>

    <strong>Enhanced Dual Focus:</strong><em>Sharpen your abilities and enhance the efficiency of your dual focus. This upgrade increases the effectiveness of your multitasking, allowing each action to be performed with even greater proficiency.</em>

    <strong>Triple Focus:</strong><em>Push the boundaries of your mental prowess to focus on three tasks simultaneously. This builds on your Dual Focus skill, adding anotheryer ofplexity and power.</em>

    <strong>Dual Focus Consolidation:</strong><em>Learn to consolidate your dual focuses, channeling them into a single, more powerful force when needed. This can help amplify the power and precision of your tasks, especially when executingplex maneuvers.</em>

    <strong>Dual Focus Overclocking: </strong><em>Push your cognitive boundaries to temporarily amplify the output of your Dual Focus, increasing its efficiency and effectiveness to an extraordinary degree for a short period.</em>

    <strong>Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption)</strong>

    <strong>Expert Mana Maniption:</strong> E<em>xtend your understanding of mana to refine your maniption techniques. This upgrade allows for an even more precise control and intricate shaping of magical energies.</em>

    <strong>Mana Sculpting:</strong><em>Further improve your control over mana to form detailed and intricate constructs of magic. This extends your Advanced Mana Maniption skills, allowing you to perform borate magical feats with a high level of precision.</em>

    <strong>Mana Imprinting:</strong><em>Learn to leave your unique imprint on mana you have manipted. This can be used for tracking, marking territory, or creating unique temporal magical constructs recognizable only by you.</em>

    <strong>Mana Veiling:</strong><em>Perfect the art of concealing your mana, making your magical presence less detectable to others. This can be useful in evading mana sensors or hiding your magical abilities.</em>

    As expected, all the upgrades sound amazing.

    For <strong>[Focus]</strong>, I can improve on my current upgrade, making it much stronger. I can even go for triple <strong>[Focus]</strong>, which, not gonna lie, sounds super useful. <em>Overclocking</em> is also something situational but super strong. It probably allows me to overclock the skill for a short moment, making it stronger than ever before.

    On the other side, <em>Consolidation</em> sounds the weakest out of all of them. It only allows me to turn the dual focus into a single one. It''s not bad at all, but it just doesn''t strengthen the existing<strong> [Focus]</strong> and only allows them tobine.

    It''s something I think I might need, and even if it will be weaker than the other upgrades, in the future, when I get another opportunity to upgrade the skill, it might allow me to get on the right track.

    As always, my bad decisiones back to kick me in the ass.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> is also something I would want. <em>Expert Maniption</em>? Gimme! <em>Sculpting</em>? That would boost my abilities with<strong> [Armament]</strong> even further, and I can''t even imagine how powerful the skill can be if I''m not even using it to its fullest potential right now.

    <em>Imprinting</em>? Interesting, maybe something to do with <strong>[Mana Infusion] </strong>and allowing me to infuse it into items or maybe into the air, leaving behind something like a temporal construct? This one sounds good, like really good, but can''t I also learn it on my own? I think I can.

    So thank you for the hint, system! I still hate you, but it''s nice to learn a thing or two from descriptions since you are so tight-lipped all the time.

    <em>Mana Veiling </em>is nice, but it''s not something that I would exactly need. What am I, a rogue? I''d rather obliterate my enemies than hide.

    Oh, I did jinx it, didn''t I? I''m sure I''ll pay for that sentence.

    Dang it.

    But yeah, back to the skill. I already know what I need to pick; it''s just that I''m too weak to do it. So let''s ignore it for a bit; it might solve itself if I ignore it for long enough.

    Tess has already left to deal with some people, and I keep sitting in the furthest corner of the hideout, practicing and observing others, without being bothered. I kind of like it being like this.

    I let them deal with people, food stuff, water stuff, and making ns. If everything goes well, there is no need for me to step in.

    Leech? Freeloader? Totally not!

    In case any monster appears, they just need to point at it, and I''ll tear it apart! Problem with Cipher? The guy is careful around me; just a few words are enough. Natives being annoying? I''ll tell Biscuit to calm them down.

    Actually, am I not the leader here? But that''s job is for extroverts. I''m the shadow eminence, whispering the words from behind the throne. It''s kind of give and take. I take a lot, but I also allow them toe to me and ask for reasonable things in exchange. Almost like the Divine Beasts natives talked about.

    In the end, me and Biscuit are not that different; it''s just that he is much more terrifying. He still can''t fully ignore my<strong> [Disruption]</strong>, but he is getting close, so I use it sparingly. The doggo, as if knowing all of this, continues to tease me by walking on his big human mana arms, like a spider, with his short legs hanging in the air.

    He knows that I hate it, so he challenges me to use my skill against him so he can learn how to counter it. Probably to be able to get more food or something.

    Once again, I''m reminded that the world belongs to animal archmages.

    "Hello," Lily''s soft voice sounds, and she sits next to me. Noticing my nce at her hand, she lifts it up, her palm nearly restored, with only the fingers missing.

    "I still don''t get how you could continue to move around and fight with an arm missing. It''s so much harder to control mana like this," she continues while looking down at her arm. The same as mine, it''s also strikingly pale and without any hair or blemishes.

    "It''s good practice," I answer her, and I mean it. It did help me improve a lot.

    She moves a bit closer; this time, she looks at my hand and puts hers next to it. Both of them are the same paleness. Both of them restored by the girl. Lily smiles as if something made her happy.

    "You and your practicing, don''t you get tired of it?"

    Hmm, do I get tired of it? I don''t think so. I mightin, but... "It''s fun," I say.

    She nods and then her hand moves through her long ck hair; she seemingly tries to tie it with a single hand. Why won''t she just cut it? Long hair must be so annoying here. I continue to watch her for a bit and then sigh, taking another look at her missing fingers.

    "Come here," I gesture to her, and for a moment, she looks startled. "Come on, with your back to me," I hurry her up, and she finally moves with her back to me. She looks so small, so weak, yet I saw the determination in her eyes as she fought.

    I take a second to remember and then start tying her hair into a three-strand braid. I think that''s how Victoria used to call it. First, I carefully split the hair into three sections and then start crossing them over and into the middle, and continue from there.

    I do it slowly, delicately, careful not to pull her hair, and make sure to make it neat.

    "Lily, you know, I''m not stupid. You could ask other girls to do it, but then started acting off in front of me," I know she knew I would do that. Somehow, I''m getting easier to read for some people. What am I doing wrong?

    "Hehe, was I caught?" she giggles, with some happiness clear in her voice.

    It annoys me slightly, so I stop for a moment and gently p the back of her head, "Stupid girl."

    "I''m not stupid!"

    "Only a stupid girl would sacrifice her..."

    "Sacrifice her arm for some maniac stranger," she jumps in. "You keep saying that all the time!"

    "Because it''s true." I know I''m right! And I''ll continue to repeat it until the end!

    Well, it''s not like I''m not stupid either. I have already decided to go and hunt the Undead Aberrant Deer, the two-question mark monster we encounteredst night. That might be a bit worse, just a little bit, right?

 Chapter 134: Undead Aberrant Deer

    Chapter 134: Undead Aberrant Deer

    Yup, in the end, I decided on <em>Dual Focus Consolidation</em>: learning to consolidate my dual focuses, channeling them into a single, more powerful force when needed. It may be the smallest upgrade out of all the options, but I need some good basics for the future. I''m sure that, in this way, <strong>[Focus]</strong> can be much stronger. I already have a few ideas on how to use it in the future.

    So yup, and yes, the pain of upgrade was... easy to endure. Totally easy.

    I also leveled up once, and my mana stat is now just three points away from a beautiful 300.

    Well, first things first. It''s already almost night, and this time I''m going out there on my own.

    Is it stupid? Probably. Is it risky? Totally. Will the rewards be worth it? Maybe.

    I just can''t get the two-question mark monster out of my head. I keep imagining the fight with it in my head. My moves, the monster''s moves. The ways to hurt it, ways to kill it, ways to run away. I don''t think I''m without a chance.

    I believe I can do that. I actually think that. Even though the monster is at least 50 levels higher, I know I can prepare, I know I have plenty of advantages.

    It''s hard for it to find me as the mist is making it harder for monsters affected by D<em>ecay</em> to find humans. And I have a strong attack, and this might be the biggest reason. I just want to go all out and test it. Shooting it against alghouls, buildings, gargoyles, or rats isn''t that satisfying. The deer is a beautifully massive target.

    So I have already prepared plenty of excuses for why it''s a "good" idea.

    Also, it''s toote to turn back, right? I''m already sitting in the room, a small amount of mana running through my body. I send a pulse of mana through one of the threads of mana that is as thick as a hair, and it makes one of my orbs, filled with tricolored mana, explode.

    Far away from me, the orb expands, and then the massive bubble bursts and an immense sucking force makes debris rush and spin at the ce where the center of the orb was.

    Another pulse of mana filled with <strong>[Disruption]</strong> makes the thread that connected me to the orb dissipate without leaving any trace of my mana. Then I wait, forcing my heartbeat to slow down, collecting mana as carefully as possible to not let it leak outside my body.

    And I watch. I do not use <strong>[Perception] </strong>and only stare with my eyes that can barely see anything through the mist, looking for that green light the aberrant deer had. And thankfully, I do not have to wait for too long.

    The world around me vibrates, and waves of mana hit even my body as the giant deeres from the air andnds at the ce where the orb exploded.

    This time, even its antlers are glowing, and three car-sized projectiles hovering over its back start to emit a simr light. I can''t see it properly, but they seem to be spinning.

    A horrifying sound hits the surrounding buildings, and I feel the pressure on my body as the monster rages, destroying the houses near it.

    I can do it.

    I CAN do it!

    I stand up, and three more pulses are sent through three more threads, quickly followed by disruptive mana.

    <em>My heart beats.</em>

    Another house explodes into a bubble of tricolored mana, making the monster turn its attention to it. One of the massive projectiles over its back flies towards the bubble and pierces it, and the ensuing explosions send a massive wave of mana into the surroundings.

    Another heartbeat, and I open my mouth. An orb the size of a golf ball flies out, filled to the brim with light blue, dark blue, and purple mana. The orb threatens to explode and delete my head and entire body from existence.

    The deer starts turning its head towards me and the humming orb of immensely squeezed mana. Then another bubble bursts into existence, triggered by the second of three threads that I used.

    The projectile flying over its head hits it, leaving only one more. The explosion grabs more of the monster''s attention, and I activate <strong>[Focus]</strong>. I push it to the brink, consolidate, and then elongate the orb into the shape of a javelin, while more of my skillse to existence, pushed to their current limit with my new upgrade of <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> moves a massive chunk of my mana, finally making me feel a sizable dent in my mana reserves.

    <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong> boosts the skills even further, making the mana move at dizzying speeds, aided by <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>.

    And then, all this mana moves through <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> into the javelin that I can feel it bing denser with each passing moment. The tricolored mana swirls wildly inside the weapon made thanks to<strong> [Armament]</strong>.

    Another heartbeat and more kic energy flows inside my body. The undead aberrant deer once again turns to me when thest orb bursts into a massive bubble, meant to take its attention away from me.

    It doesn''t work.

    Through the mist, I can see its glowing blind eye staring right towards me and thest remaining projectile over its back spinning even faster and glowing intensely.

    Both of our projectiles shoot at the same moment.

    My javelin, longer than me and as thick as my arm, boosted by all the kic energy my <em>Kic Mana Heart</em> generated. Deer''s sickly green projectile, as big as a car and as long as a bus.

    The projectiles crash against each other in an immensely short moment. Not even enough time to blink or twitch a muscle. Yet, under the influence of consolidated dual <strong>[Focus]</strong>, it feels as if the ck-white world came to a halt, and the only mana that has any colors exist.

    Two attacks meet, and two projectiles. One of them is so much smaller than the second. The explosion of green mana lights up the surroundings, making the houses around shatter and the entire street block get destroyed in what feels like even less than a split second. The shockwave even sends my body against the wall of the house I''m in, ignoring the massive tricolored shield floating in front of me and throwing me through the wall and rolling outside.

    But then there is nothing. Silence. Not even the wind roars, as it''s canceled by the massive shockwave that even clears a huge area of the mist, offering a clear view of the aberrant deer.

    It stares right at the javelin stabbed at its feet, the green mana floating around it and covering it inyers andyers of barriers. Then there is a shift. The tricolored wisps of mana stop moving, and the javelin turns bright white.

    I close my eyes and only continue to perceive as I build barrier upon barrier around me, all made of tricolored mana and dense to the brim.

    Then the javelin explodes, and a short but immensely strong st of heat and shockwave hits the surroundings, expanding from the epicenter and pushing everything away while burning the wood, heating iron parts of houses to the point they glow yellow, and destroying the massive area of buildings, even pushing and throwing me away with my barriers glowing around me.

    The ring of shockwave and heat destroys half of my barriers and expands even further behind me, setting the houses on fire at the same moment as destroying them.

    Out of nowhere, a short moment of silence ensues, and my <strong>[Perception]</strong> turns to the deer, the monster now only burning bones and a little bit of meat and fur, yet alive and with its mana still strong.

    And then, all the air and debrise flying back towards where the javelin used to be, filling the vacuum left after the explosion. All are affected by the immense force and pulled back, the force tearing houses, ground, and everything, to fill the vacuum.

    The Undead Aberrant Deer gets pulled in first, all its limbs twisting and breaking, even as its mana fights against it. The monster''s body gets squeezed and twisted into a shape and size reminiscent of a beach ball while what remains of my creation sucks in even more of the surrounding area.

    Finally, as quickly as it came, the force pulling me in disappears. Explosion and then implosion, it all took barely more than a second.

    The mist rushes back in, and the wind starts to blow again, and I decide to quickly, very quickly leave the area.

    Ten minutester, I sit inside another hideout, barely bigger than a single room. My hands are still shaking, and my heart is beating wildly as I continue to calm it down to the point where I can properly<strong> [Focus]</strong> and then open the notifications.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 31 > Focus - lvl 32]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 31 > Mana Maniption - lvl 32]</strong>

    <strong>[Armament - lvl 30 > Armament - lvl 31]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Surge - lvl 19 > Mana Surge - lvl 20]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Infusion - lvl 13 > Mana Infusion - lvl 14]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Infusion - lvl 14 > Mana Infusion - lvl 15]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Infusion - lvl 15 > Mana Infusion - lvl 16]</strong>

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 24 > Redistribution - lvl 25]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated the Undead Aberrant Deer - lvl 156]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 101 > Lvl 104]</strong>

    <strong>C+*g#atul@t1ons, y>u h$ve m3t two o$ t%e r@qu!rem&nts to e@+er %e^*@d D#ff!culty</strong>

 Chapter 135: Using Upgrade token

    Chapter 135: Using Upgrade token

    I see. Hmm, interesting. Now it all makes sense. Now I understand everything.

    "..."

    AS IF!

    What the heck, system? If you want to give me notifications, at least do not censor it just to not give me a notification. Dang it.

    But it''s fine. Not even the system being an asshole will ruin my mood! I did pretty well, didn''t I? I did amazing. I was amazing. Someone praise me, I want to show off.

    No one?

    It''s fine then. I''ll be happy by myself. As for Bambi, screw you! Not this time! I won''t let another monster keep bullying me the same way Cinderbear, screw that guy, did.

    Get totally destroyed. Easy, not even close.

    "..."

    Okay, I really need to calm down. Slow breath in, hold it, breathe out. Much better.

    As I observe my body, I notice that my mana is still not fully back, and this is surely the first time something like this happened, like ever? For the first time, I actually spent what feels like a good chunk of my mana. Maybe fifty, forty percent? It''s hard to guess. More testing is needed.

    I''m also really proud of myself. This time, I didn''t wreck my body to do something. I''m learning, slowly but surely. My control over mana is better now, and I can also strengthen my body much more than ever before, allowing me to handlerger quantities of it. And that''s good, really good.

    As for the attack, to be honest, I did not expect the effect it had. Did the heat and shockwavee from the mana expanding after I stopped holding it in the shape of a javelin?

    The explosion was seriously strong, the shockwave is something I did expect, and the heat is a bonus. But the clear winner of the day is the following implosion. Even standing as far as I was, I was able to feel the sucking force as the air came back to fill the vacuum left as the mana expanded, even sucking in the level 156 named monster.

    Poor Bambi did not have a nice end, not at all. Yet, I''m sure the curse of Bambi will return to bother me on the next floor. In the same way, I''m sure that my left arm will get broken and explode a few more times. It''s something I just need to get used to.

    While investing my stat points into mana, I once again go through the fight, thinking about the ces where I could improve or change my reactions, or even create a better n. I know that I was able to take it down only thanks to taking advantage of my surroundings and distracting the monster.

    The goal is to take on the next one in a fair fight. Well, it''s not like I''m ashamed of what I did today, totally not. If I could, I would without hesitation cheese the deer. I just want to be strong enough to not have to do that.

    As I enter the hideout, I spot Lily talking to Cipher and Goldie. Cipher is even smiling at her a bit, while Goldie just stares at the petite brte. Then Lily notices me, and a big smile flowers on her face. She immediately ignores the duo andes running to me.

    I notice a short sh of annoyance on Cipher''s face before it disappears as if it never existed. The man then waves at me and points at a few filled bottles near Tess, and I nod at him. Surprisingly, Goldie seems to be even more annoyed than him, and she is not hiding it that well. But Cipher just grabs her arm and pulls her away.

    Should I beat them up?

    "Look, look!" But Lily is already here, waving at me with her fully restored left arm. The color is still pale, the same as mine, but she doesn''t seem to be angry about it and even confirms it. "In the middle of the restoring, I learned how to give it some color, but I decided to keep it pale." Her eyes keep ncing between her and my arm, and when I try to catch her gaze, she averts it.

    She is really amazing, isn''t she? I remember how I had to nearly force her on the first floor to scratch her arm to practice healing it, and now there she is, regrowing arms.

    "I also thought about my skills," she makes sure I''m paying attention before continuing, "I think I might be able to make myself taller, change the size of my nose, how tanned I am, and such stuff."

    Oh? What the heck? Doesn''t that sound super cool?

    She probably sees something on my face because she proudly lifts up her nose and smiles brightly, "I think I might be amazing, like really amazing! You know, while I was restoring my left arm, I learned how to influence a few things. I''m sure I made my bones a tiny bit stronger and my skin tougher. But then I did this..." Lily then shows me one of her fingers that is noticeably longer than the others, "I made this finger longer to test if I could, and it did work! Now I''m learning how to make it shorter without having to cut it off and regrow it again."

    The petite brte then pauses, and the silence hangs between us as she looks at me as if expecting something, her eyes big and scarily direct. Knowing what to do after spending days with Isabe, I can guess what she wants to hear.

    "Lily, that''s super cool. Are you maybe a genius?" To that, she giggles. Even though I didn''t say it as enthusiastically as some people would, she seems to be happy, and I don''t mind it that much.

    While walking towards my usual ce and leaving Lily to y with Isabe and poor Biscuit, once again snatched by the girl, I continue to inspect people around me. I''m especially checking for suspicious mana close to their brains, Sophie''s mana.

    I don''t find any yet. Sophie feels my probing, and I''m sure she is realizing what I''m doing and why I''m doing it. Yet she doesn''t say anything. There isn''t even an angry look on her face as she stares at me.

    I then again and especially carefully check Lily, Tess, Biscuit, Kim. Only Tess notices my probing, and I feel her mana moving away after she realizes it''s me, letting me probe her without any resistance.

    There is nothing.

    "Nothing?" Tess asks as I sit down.

    "Nothing," I confirm.

    "Did you kill it?" she asks.

    Huh? How did you know?

    "I''m not dumb, Nat." Tess continues without me having to answer.

    "It''s dead," I decide not to hide it and tell her about the hunt, to which she nods.

    "I also reached level 75 and got an upgrade token." Her eyes meet mine, and she asks, "Are you going to use it the way I think you will?"

    Why are you so smart? Why do you know me so well? I''m trying to be mysterious here.

    "I think you don''t have to hesitate. I already used mine." A small smile shes across her face, "I still didn''t meet all the requirements, though, I''m missing three and I don''t think you met them all either." Then she stands up and leaves, going for another hunt, I''m left alone in the corner of the hideout. Carefully sipping the water from one of the bottles, enjoying every drop, and then eating a small piece of sparrow that the natives hunted with their trap.

    I check the tokens I have.

    <strong>[Upgrade token: 1]</strong>

    <strong>[Difficulty change token: 1]</strong>

    I wanted to wait a bit longer to not be enticed the entire time, but now I think I can resist, or maybe it just won''t work as I didn''t meet the requirements.

    I move my eyes over my stats. I''m sure I can upgrade my trait <em>Mana Circuit.</em> It would probably help a lot, but it''s not what I want. I can also probably upgrade my ss and my skills. Maybe even my constructs and passive skills are possible to upgrade.

    Any of these options would give me a massive boost to my strength, but there is something even more alluring. My eyes move again and pause at one word: "<em>Mana</em>."

    Yes, I think it is possible to upgrade my attribute, and just the thought of it sends shivers down my back. The boost would be immense, I can tell for sure. Yet, I still hesitate. I''m not totally sure if I will be able to upgrade my attribute, and I can''t even try it as the system rarely offers a confirmation window. So if I decide to do it, the upgrade token will be gone.

    But there is something else I saved it for. I wanted to use it even since the first floor, but then stuff happened. The petite brte that was too nice to me for her own good. The brte that I owe a lot and can''t leave alone before paying it all back or at least making sure she will be as safe as possible.

    So I kept saving the token, careful to not get lured by it, and used it in a moment of weakness. Still, I decide to trust Tess, "Use the upgrade token on the difficulty change token," I whisper softly, and the upgrade token disappears from my status.

    New notifications appears.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have fulfilled three out of four conditions required to use the %e^*nd D#ff!culty entrance token!</strong>

 Chapter 136: The Wall

    Chapter 136: The Wall

    <strong>Congrattions, you have fulfilled three out of four conditions required to use the %e^*@d D#ff!culty entrance token!</strong>

    That''s it, just one single sentence.

    It almost makes me want to scream. All this time, I thought I would just get an upgrade change token that would take me to a higher difficulty, always luring me to use it. Yet, I was bamboozled.

    Goddammit.

    The only change is that both of my tokens are gone, reced by this:

    <strong>[%e^*@d D#ff!culty entrance token - 3/4 conditions met]</strong>

    So what are the conditions? Use of the upgrade token is one of them. The second and third could be either me reaching 300 points in the mana stat, me killing a monster 50 levels higher, or me creating an especially strong attack. Heck, even seeing Lisandra''s <strong>[Singrity] </strong>could be one of them.

    I do not know, it could also be all the thingsbined to fulfil one of the requirements. Maybe there''s something else I didn''t think of. But it doesn''t matter that much as there is still one condition, and the system didn''t give a hint. There is nothing at all.

    At this point, I''m not surprised at all.

    As usual, I show the middle finger to the status window before closing it and lean backwards to stare at the ceiling of our hideout.

    What is higher difficulty like, and why did I decide to go this way instead of just upgrading my attribute? It''s quite simple - higher difficulty means higher danger, and higher rewards. In the long run, it should make me much stronger than just upgrading my Mana attribute or skill.

    But it''s still quite funny, knowing that higher difficulty than Hell exists. Normal people would use the difficulty change token to go to lower difficulty, yet out of all the surviving members of group 4, no one did that. Quite opposite, Tess and I both used our precious token to get to a more dangerous ce. How can I call Lily stupid after all of this? That would be way too hypocritical.

    I pause my thinking, and instead, I decide to check the quests, and finally, there''s a new side quest joining the one existing.

    The old one:

    <strong>Side quest:</strong>

    <em>Kill 800 enemies</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>Common gear of your choice</em>

    <em>Food and water rations</em>

    And the new one:

    <strong>Side quest:</strong>

    <em>Get all of your skills over level 20</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>The passive skill of your choice</em>

    It''s simr to the first one that rewarded me with a passive skill. It''s just that this one, instead of requiring three skills to reach level 20, requires all of my skills to reach it. From learning about the levels of skills of other people, it sounds like something difficult to do. What if you have a skill you are not that good at and it is stuck at a really low level? In that case, this quest would be super difficult.

    But not for me.

    <em>Focus (Dual Focus Consolidation) - Lvl 32</em>

    <em>Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 32</em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 26</em>

    <em>Oscition - Lvl 23</em>

    <em>Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 25</em>

    <em>Armament - Lvl 31</em>

    <em>Mana Surge - Lvl 20</em>

    <em>Disruption - Lvl 19</em>

    <em>Mana Infusion - Lvl 16</em>

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong> one level and four levels in <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong>, and I''m ready to go.

    The morninges, and with it, the day we decided to move. That means a lot of screaming and crying. Cipher is there with the Icy guy and Goldie, taking away the trap used to hunt the sparrows. Natives are staying behind as they would slow us down, yet it would be stupid not to take a trap with us. Plus, the bigger group means more danger.

    They are fake in the same way Lissandra and Ruby were. A copy of people from a world dying under the <em>Decay</em>.

    Isabe sobs while Sophie holds her, and a few more people awkwardly look around. There is guilt on their faces, and Kim and Aaron are already outside, too young to deal with it. I can understand that, yet I decide to stay and watch. I won''t be hiding behind Cipher doing it just so I can pretend I didn''t have anything to do with it.

    Tess is also outside, but not because of guilt. The young woman is already scouting ahead, and I''m sure if she were here, she would do the same as I do, unlike Lily, who looks at all of this with sad eyes.

    Finally, Cipher grabs the trap from them while they even knock off a few natives that continue to look towards Biscuit, begging. The doggo is uncharacteristically quiet.

    "Nat," Lily says, and as I turn to her, I notice her firm gaze.

    "Yes?" I ask simply.

    "I want them to keep the trap," she says, her eyes serious and so unusually firm. There isn''t even a speck of hesitation.

    "We need it," I say.

    "Yes."

    "They are all fake."

    "Yes."

    "We will suffer because of it."

    "Yes."

    "Did you think it over?"

    "Yes," she answers simply.

    Our eyes meet, and for a few seconds, I just look at her. There is no wavering, just clear and firm decisiveness, "Okay." I answer her.

    "Uh?" For the first time, she is surprised and blinks, confused.

    "Cipher, natives are keeping the trap," I say to the man who turns to me. Mana shes in his eyes, and he examines my body, and my stance, and looks at my face. He then nods, and when hispanions startining, he just shushes them and throws the trap towards the natives, who just catch it. The man then gives them thest disgusted look before leaving outside.

    "Nat, why..." Lily asks quietly while walking by my side.

    "I owe you," I answer simply. Why is it so hard to understand? When I decide that I owe something to someone, I do not say it easily.

    Risking my life? Enduring hunger? I should be able to do at least that much. It''s pathetic to owe to someone only when it''sfortable to do so.

    Mana arrow hovering over my shoulder shoots ahead, tearing through the monster and hitting the ground. Three more projectiles appear, and I continue to infuse them with mana, using the skill as much as I can in an attempt to level it.

    I also create a sword and infuse it with mana. The sword is dark blue with wisps of light blue mana going through it, and the de gets covered in<strong> [Disruption] </strong>as I try to do anything to level up the skill. I have already kept practicing with Tess and Lily, disrupting their mana and trying to improve the skill, yet it''s still refusing to pass through the bottleneck of level 20.

    So I change the tactic; mana arrows disappear together with my sword, and a thin barrier of mana appears right on my skin, barely noticeable and almost invisible. Then I start infusing the barrier with <strong>[Disruption]</strong>, copying what a few monsters did.

    It doesn''t work that well and the barrier disappears, so instead, I just try to infuse my skill with disruptive mana, focusing on trying to make it flow through it and radiate it to the close area around the skin.

    When another Alghould appears, I just strengthen my body with <em>Symbiotic Transference</em> and get into the melee, each hit of my fist weakening the monster''s mes without letting them hurt me.

    When the mes strengthen, so does the disruptive mana leaking from my skin, and I continue to<strong> [Focus]</strong>.

    The monster''s hand leaves a bruise on my side, but I ignore it and grab its neck. More bruises and more blocked attacks, and my mana continues to fight against the green mes, stopping the monster from regenerating and not allowing them to corrode my mana, unable to wound my strengthened body.

    When the monster finally dies, the skill''s level is still 19 and I send the monster''s corpse crashing through the side of the house.

    This might take a while.

    Then I feel a pulse of mana from Tess. <em>Ahead of us, two monsters, strong, fight.</em> I trante it as such and jump back on the roof, which is not noticeably better than the ones before. Even the houses are bigger and taller buildings start appearing.

    I join Tess, and together we fight the monsters. Me in melee, practicing my skills, and with each hit I deal, I try to infuse the monsters with my mana. When I get to hold the monster for long enough and use <strong>[Focus]</strong> and surge, I move a massive amount of mana, pushing against the monster''s resistance, and my mana literally tears the monster apart from the inside.

    Unfortunately, it doesn''t work on every monster, but even something like this is interesting enough. Right now, it''s too slow and simple, but with osciting mana, it would be quicker and much more mana effective. But still, it might be more useful in the future.

    After getting to thest monster, I reach towards it with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, and the zing rat stops its movement, unable to move at all. I then reach out and start absorbing the heat of its mes and from the surrounding area, noticing that it is getting noticeably colder as all the heat gets sucked to me.

    Then Tess finishes the monster with her lightning javelin that immediatelyes flying back to her, and I release all the heat in front of me in a strong st of dark yellow mes.

    I reposition a bit, moving closer to blonde while looking in the distance at a massive wall that towers over the city. Tess says we are still miles away from it, yet even now, it seems massive.

    The wall is beautifully white, almost without any blemish, and Tess says she can even see some mana around it or going through it.

    In this massive city that is so full of empty houses, monsters lurking around, and a permanently gray and cloudy sky, the massive and beautiful white wall seems amiss.

 Chapter 137: What are you doing?

    Chapter 137: What are you doing?

    Sophie tries to catch the sparrows with her<strong> [Maniption]</strong>, but unfortunately, she was unsessful. The moment her mana reaches towards them, they fly away.

    On the other side, I was able to kill multiple of them, yet every time not much was left of their bodies. My attacks needed to be too fast in order to kill them, obliterating them in the process, barely leaving anything behind.

    When I try weaker attacks, they just bend around the birds or miss them. The sparrows are even able to sense the mana threads I create in an attempt to trap them.

    It''s annoying, it really is, and more so now that we are without food.

    Aaron and Lily are sometimes too weak to even walk and need to be carried, although all of this is alleviated by the water that Cipher creates. But he doesn''tin, not to me. He doesn''t tell me how dumb of a decision it was to give up the trap. He is too smart for that.

    Hispanions, on the other hand, give me angry nces when they think I don''t see it.

    Inparison to others, I don''t seem to be so bothered by theck of food, water, and even sleep. The body upgrade is showing more and more as time passes. I don''t know if it''s just a simple effect of the body upgrade or if the upgrade allowed my body to use some of my mana to keep going. Both options are equally probable.

    "More?" I head from beside me and turn my attention back to Kim, who stands next to me, catching his breath after a fight we just went through. There are massive circles under his eyes, and even his body bears the marks ofck of food, and his lips are dry. Yet the 15-year-old boy continues to push, showing surprising mastery over his skills.

    "Take a break," I answer him.

    "I can still cont¡ª"

    My mana res up for a moment, and he stops, immediately closing his mouth and then just sitting on the edge of the roof next to me. Both of us looking towards the giant white walls far in the distance.

    I then stare at the palms of my hands, the left one is still itching annoyingly, but I ignore it and once again try to replicate Cipher''s skill and create some water. Yet, as before, the structure of the skill just refuses toe into existence and always crumbles the moment I try to push some mana through it.

    It doesn''t work no matter how careful I am, no matter how much mana I''m using, and no matter how carefully I''m watching Cipher do it. But I do not give up and continue to try.

    "Do you think there will be some food and water behind the walls?" At Kim¡äs question, I take my eyes off my hands and also look at the wall.

    "Most likely," I answer shortly.

    Knowing the system, there will be more danger and better rewards, and the closer we will be to the end of the third floor and finding out what''s happening here.

    In themunity, the system continues to censor everything about the ce behind the wall. <em>Group Whitewing</em> and also Savant seem to be already be there, yet we haven''t learned anything.

    Another annoying thing is that we haven''t met Hadwin yet and didn''t see any of the areas covered by poisonous clouds that he talked about. After a bit of talking, he, Maya, and Dennis decided to stop waiting near it and move closer towards where the white walls should be. Well, not much we can do about it, right?

    "Go ahead and ask what you wanted to ask," I say to Kim, who, ever since we started hunting together, continues to nce at me, clearly having something he wants to ask but not brave enough to actually do it.

    "Oh," he mutters, surprised. His reaction only reminds me how young he is, the youngest out of our group after Isabe.

    I keep forgetting that.

    "I''m sorry... you know... with Lily and all of this." The skill I''m trying to replicate once again fails, and I start trying again, nodding to him to continue.

    "I... would never..." he starts again.

    "I understand," I stop him, and this time, I give him my full attention. "You did a good job protecting her, and I owe you because of that. So if there is something you would like in exchange, feel free to ask."

    There is no need to be so roundabout about all of this. I already told you I owe you.

    "I really mean it when I say you did a good job. It must have been hard for you." I continue with thepliment, and I see his eyes light up. It''s as if he is craving recognition as if he wants to hear it from someone.

    As for why it makes him happy hearing it from me and why he looks up to me, I don''t know. I really don''t. I might be somewhat strong and decisive, but I''m totally not someone a young boy should look up to.

    Still, it''s not a problem topliment him once in a while. It doesn''t cost me anything, and it seems to make him happy, so what''s wrong with that?

    "Please train me again, help me to improve." This time his eyes do not waver, and he looks straight at me. I notice his slightly shaking hands and noticeably twitching lips. He is so nervous; it almost makes me want to bully him a bit.

    Well, at least he finally got out what he wanted to say.

    "Kill that rat from here and with this," I give him a small stone as big as my fingernail and point at the rat far in the distance, way out of Kim''s usual range.

    Unlike Tess, he seems to focus on mid to close-range way too much, and his long-range attacks are terrible, so that''s something we will start with.

    He opens his mouth as if about toin, but then he stops and I feel his mana gather up.

    Good.

    We return when both my <strong>[Disruption] </strong>and <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> are at level neen. I once again tried to hunt sparrows and even only boosted some stones with kic energy or created projectiles as small as needles, yet everything failed. I was also unsessful in trying to replicate Cipher''s skill.

    I will also need to do something about <strong>[Disruption]</strong> and<strong> [Oscition]</strong>. The two skills feel too simr to each other. I have some ideas, but I''ll need a bit more time.

    Then there is a problem with Lily. The girl nearly ignores drinking the water before others have it, feeling some regret that we are now a few days without food because of her.

    Seeing her just sitting there, looking hungry, and weak annoys me even more. Yet, I keep my calm, and as always, I just use <strong>[Focus]</strong> to push all the emotions to the back of my mind.

    Little Isabe probably notices that because shees to me and looks up, her face angry and brow furrowed.

    "You can''t keep doing that, it''s not good," she pouts in her soft voice, and I just pinch her cheek and caress the top of her head.

    "Go and y with Biscuit, okay?" She is too young to worry about useless stuff. I can handle myself.

    Isabe listens, but onest time, she gives me an angry look, which makes her look more like an angry kitten than threatening.

    So that''s how I''ll end up, even little kids worrying about me. I wouldugh if I could.

    I return from another hunt, tired and even more annoyed. The only sess was leveling <strong>[Perception]</strong>. There are still about two more hours of light, yet I decide to return to the hideout, finding everyone already back inside.

    As I enter, I see Cipher talking to Lily, who just sits and nods to what he says. Both of them smiling slightly. Behind Cipher, there is Goldie staring at the girl.

    Sophie is sleeping in the corner with Isabe on her chest. Tess is talking with Kim and Aaron.

    So should I bully Biscuit a little bit...

    Wait. What is that?

    My eyes move back to Lily, Cipher, and Goldie, and I notice a weird shine in Goldie''s eyes that I didn''t see up until now. It doesn''t contain any mana, and it only looks like fractured light. Yet, it does something, and it is clearly aimed at Lily.

    WHAT

    ARE

    YOU

    DOING.

    <strong>POV Kim Min-Jae</strong>

    It came out of nowhere. A sound that reminds me of a heartbeat yet impossibly strong, and right after, I notice my movements slow to a crawl. Panicked, I try to move my arm, but it''s hard to do, and it moves terribly slowly.

    Then I feel mana, his mana.

    It explodes into the surroundings and fills the entire hideout, making the walls vibrate, and everyone is immediately up, feeling the threatening pressure.

    My eyes slowly turn to Nathaniel, and there he stands. Thin, messy, yet so strong. His gray and brown eyes seem to glow in the dimly lit hideout, and he stares at the group of three people in the corner of the room.

    "What are you doing?" His words are quiet, yet in the silence, everyone hears them, and they send shivers down my back. They are so cold.

    He takes a step towards them, another heartbeat sounding like a gong vibrating the room, and the air bes colder as I start seeing my breath be visible in the chill.

    "Nathaniel, I can exin," the man named Cipher says, seemingly calm even as Nathaniel takes another step towards him, "Please think calmly, you need me, Lily needs me," Cipher says, and that makes Nathaniel stop in his walk.

    There is a short moment that feels like an eternity as both men stare at each other. Then his mana weakens, and the air gets back some of its warmth.

    "But I don''t need her," Nathaniel turns to woman next to Cipher, and as his mana rises up, there is a sharp sh from Goldie''s eyes, and something hits him.

    "Goldie, No!" Cipher screams desperately, yet it''s toote.

    "Huh, I wanted to block all his skills but only managed to block one. It''s called Focus?" Goldie blubbers out as she probably reads the notification. She sounds confused, and scared, probably not even realizing what she did as her eyes continue to tick around.

    "Oh¡­ fuck," I hear next to me, shocked, I realize that it was Tess who spoke, making it the first time I''ve heard her swear.

    Then slowly, augh sounds in the room, augh that I do not recognize. It''s a soft, gentleugh. It''s not cruel, it''s not mocking. It just sounds like something incredibly funny happened, and they can''t help butugh at it.

    Only then do I realize that the oneughing is Nathaniel.

 Chapter 138: Hypnosis

    Chapter 138: Hypnosis

    <strong>POV Kim Min-Jae</strong>

    Nathaniel,ughing, looks so different from his usual self. His face seems softer, friendlier. He even appears handsome now.

    This time Cipher seems to seriously panic and quickly starts talking, ¡°I''ll do everything you want. I won''t ever talk back to you. I''ll do anything, just let me¡­¡±

    ¡°Shhh,¡± Nathaniel just lifts one of his fingers and Cipher stops moving. Only his eyes continue to tick from side to side. The man is terrified. Nathaniel closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath, a big smile on his face, ¡°That''s an interesting experience, I don''t think I''ve ever turned off my <strong>[Focus]</strong> so totally ever since the tutorial started. The weird thing is, it also slightly affected my emotions,¡± he opens his eyes again and takes one more step towards the duo that is unmoving, ¡°well, it''s not like it matters.¡±

    On the opposite side, Lily is not affected at all and continues to look at him without saying anything.

    ¡°That''s it, I guess, you stepped over a line you shouldn''t step over,¡± his eyes move back to Cipher and the pressure intensifies.

    He doesn''t say anything else and Cipher just continues to stand there, unable to do anything under Nathaniel''s gaze. His chest stops moving and consciousness slowly disappears from his eyes, and then he dies while standing. The same thing happens to Goldie.

    Both of them die just like that and Nathaniel just tilts his head, almost as if surprised, and then he chuckles, "So weak," Right after, mana fires up from him and the bodies of Cipher and Goldie explode into pieces. Not a single piece is bigger than a fingernail and the blood sshes everywhere. A lot of it hits Lily, who doesn''t react even after all of that, and continues to look at Nathaniel with big eyes.

    Nathaniel looks around and he seems almost refreshed, as if getting rid of something that kept annoying him for a long time. Again, he smiles, ¡°Sophieeee,¡± he says, turning to the brte sitting in the corner of the room.

    A javelin made of mana immediately forms over his shoulder.

    My javelin misses and embeds itself into the wall right behind Sophie, only leaving a deep scratch on her cheek that starts bleeding immediately. She is still not moving, her eyes wide, and I can see fear in them. So I turn my gaze to the person that made my javelin miss.

    ¡°Nathaniel,¡± Tess is standing in front of me, lightning cracking around her body and her hair slightly lifting up with lightning cracking around them as well. She is the only one able to move through my <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>.

    ¡°Can you <strong>[Focus]</strong>?¡± she asks, taking another step and stopping just an arm''s reach away from me. In between me and Sophie.

    ¡°Yup, who do you think I am, Tess? Her skill surprised me, but that''s it. She was terrible at using it.¡± Just a few seconds were enough to find out what her skill did to me and to be able to cancel it.

    ¡°So why don''t you<strong> [Focus]</strong>?¡±

    ¡°Because I don''t want to. You know her skill didn''t only affect my skill, it also did something to my emotions. It''s hard to identify what exactly, but it doesn''t feel that bad. But don''t worry, I should be fine in a few minutes. So please, can you step away so I can kill Sophie in the meantime?¡±

    ¡°I can''t allow you to do that,¡± she says firmly.

    ¡°Why? I know I''ll feel much better if I do that. It''s too irritating to keep dealing with her and her skill.¡±

    ¡°I promised it to her.¡±

    That''s annoying. ¡°Is your promise to her more important than our promise?¡± I rouse up my mana a bit more.

    Yet, she doesn''t even flinch and continues to look into my eyes, ¡°No, it''s not. But I''m sure you''d want me to stop you, if you were thinking logically.¡±

    That makes meugh. ¡°Tess, I don''t want to think logically.¡± I put even more pressure on her, yet she fights against it.

    ¡°You''re scaring people, Nat. Just look at Lily, look at Isabe.¡±

    ¡°It doesn''t matter. I don''t need them to like me. I just need to pay back what I owe.¡± Finally, her body seems to be getting affected by my <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> and I feel her pushing more mana into her <strong>[Lightning Armor], </strong>¡°Tess, get out of my way,¡± she won''t stop me.

    ¡°This is not you, not even back on Earth, not even without your skill. Can''t you see that she did change the way you think, even if it''s temporary?¡±

    Oh, that''s a good point. Goldie''s skills did affect some of my feelings and part of my behavior as well. I know I can turn on<strong> [Focus]</strong> anytime I want and get rid of these effects. Yet I hesitate. I know when I activate it, I''ll stop and push my feelings to the back of my mind. My annoyances, my rage, my sadness that I''ve been hiding, all the stress I''m feeling.

    My eyes move over Tess''s shoulder and I see Sophie who just stands there, unable to move at all. Only her scared eyes move, staring at me. She doesn''t even use her mana, probably scared of annoying me even more.

    Then I move my gaze a bit lower and look at Isabe. The little girl is clinging to Sophie and also looking at me. In her eyes, I do not see fear, nor anger. Just pity as she touches me with her skill.

    So annoying.

    My mana moves again and while hearing the notification, I disrupt the mana around Tess. A pulse of kic energy then throws her away from me. With speed even faster than before, another javelin appears over my shoulder, this time bigger and with a hint of light blue mana in it, and tempered with all the anger I feel at Sophie.

    I know that I''m smiling as I do so, about to throw it at her.

    ¡°Nathaniel,¡± a soft quiet voice from behind me sounds from behind me. The voice immediately makes me stop the javelin.

    When I turn around, Lily is still sitting on the ground, covered in the blood of the exploded bodies of Cipher and Goldie and pieces of meat and bones. Her entire face is covered in blood and only her eyes shine through.

    ¡°Even you, Lily? What do you want?¡± You better talk quickly, I already feel the effects of Goldie''s skill dissipating and reasoning back to me.

    Lily then pulls out a knife from her pocket and stabs it towards her own heart.

    The world feels as if it slows down as I put both <strong>[Focus]</strong> into boosting my body, dashing towards her, moving faster than my mana would be able to reach her.

    Just before the tip of her knife pierces her chest, I grab her hand and stop it from moving. Then her mana engulfs me and the remaining effect of Goldie''s skill disappears and I''m back to my rational self.

    Right afterward, Lily ps me and I don''t dodge, only tilt my head a bit so she doesn''t hurt her hand too much.

    Well, I kind of screwed up, didn''t I? Just a little bit. Our water dispenser is gone. Lily is pissed off and still shaking. I nearly killed Sophie. I scared everyone, and I even hurt Tess. That''s quite a list.

    Damn it, if only Cipher and Goldie had tried to control me instead of Lily. In such a case, I would have been able to stop. It would have been just an attack on me. But seeing them doing this to her, just snapped something inside me.

    Goldie''s skill was something simr to hypnosis. It used only a really minuscule amount of mana that entered her eyes and refracted the light to affect her target. To be honest, I still don''t fully understand what it did. But I know enough to realize that she was probably the reason the trio rose to the top of the Hard Difficulty tutorial. Her skill even allowed her to block skills and influence people.

    Sure, her usage of it was trash, and I would have been able to unblock my skill in a split second, I just didn''t want to. At the time, it felt weird to not think about the consequences. It felt good.

    Now, I realize how stupid it was, but it''s not like I can me myself too much. The best solution would have been to beat Goldie and then let Sophie mindblender Cipher, but yeah¡­ things went differently.

    I reach out and pet Biscuit who seems totally unaffected by what happened and he snuggles closer to me. He is already sleeping, but his warmth is nice and calming.

    "It''s okay," Tess says, her body already healed by Lily and she really doesn''t seem to be ming me too much, "I knew the risks, yet I did what I thought was the best decision."

    Goddamn it, her being so cool makes me feel worse.

    "Should I punch you to make you feel better?" she asks and immediately I lift my head.

    "Would that work?" I ask.

    Tess sighs and ignores my question, "I''m sure they''ll realize you weren''t yourself, so just give it some time. As for the water situation, we''ll deal with it somehow. We still have some left."

    That''s it, I guess. We''ll have to push on and finish the quest.

    "But what were they trying to do to Lily?" Tess asks.

    I pause to think before answering, "They probably wanted to hypnotize her gradually, bit by bit. I didn''t notice it back then, but they had spoken to her a few times before. Cipher likely wanted a healer on his side," I shrug. "I''m not exactly sure how Goldie''s skill worked."

    They didn''t try it on me, probably worried that I would notice. Cipher, with his perceptive skill, read people well, picked his targets, and then gradually won them over using Goldie''s skill. Not bad, but far from sufficient for Hell Difficulty. Such tricks won''t work here.

    They made a big mistake by switching difficulties, and then they made an even bigger one that cost them their lives.

 Chapter 139: Group 4 Reunion

    Chapter 139: Group 4 Reunion

    <strong>shback - Nathaniel Gwyn (11 years old)</strong>

    A young boy, barely over ten years old, slowly opens the door to the apartment. It squeaks as he closes it and locks it. His face bears no emotion as he looks around.

    After checking the floor and not seeing another pair of shoes, a small smile shes on his lips. He quickly takes off his old, battered sneakers and removes his bag from his shoulder. The entire time, he is careful to use only his right hand.

    Then he rushes towards his room, and his smile bes even bigger when he notices the light shining under the closed door. Without knocking, he barges in, only to be rewarded by a long, annoyed sigh from a girl sitting behind a table, reading.

    Her posture is near perfect. She sits without rounding her shoulders and holds the book in front of her to avoid slouching and bending her neck. There is amp next to her, shining on the book that she now puts on the table as she turns to her brother.

    ¡°Nat, how many times¡­¡± she pauses and her eyes move up and down her brother.

    Another long sigh.

    The boy seems somewhat proud as he carefully puts away his bag and sits on the edge of the bed, turning to his sister, ¡°Is Mom not home yet?¡±

    ¡°She''s still working and won''t being home anytime soon. And Rob is¡­ who knows where,¡± a slight hint of disgust sounds in her voice as she talks about the man she should be calling ''father'' instead.

    The boy only nods, and it''s clear that he is waiting for his sister to ask something.

    Victoria sighs for the third time and just asks, too curious to tease her cute brother any longer, ¡°So, Nat, why is your left arm broken?¡±

    Nathaniel smirks proudly, seemingly not bothered at all by his broken bone and the pain he must surely be feeling, ¡°I broke it!¡± he sounds proud as he says so, and in the dimly lit room, his eyes seem to be shining.

    Before Victoria can ask, he continues, ¡°The older kids tried to bully me again today, and they called mom names¡­¡± There is a dangerous glow in his eyes as he says thest part but he quickly hides it, ¡°This time more of them came, but I managed to run away,¡± he giggles.

    The entire time, his sister quietly listens, a curious look on her face as her brother exins. As he talks, she is sitting there, her posture perfect, her hands on herp, and her eyes bearing a hard-to-identify emotion.

    ¡°They were always careful not to hurt me too much, so I can''t tell on them. So, I learned when the director leaves the school and which way he takes. Then, I broke my arm and acted as if I had run into him by mistake. I even pretended to try to hide it!¡± heughs, ¡°I made him ask me who did that. At first, he even thought it was Rob,¡± he quickly corrects himself.

    His brown and gray eyes shine even brighter as he continues to exin to his calm sister, ¡°I tried to cry, but you know, Vic, I''m bad at that. So I just pinched myself really hard and looked at the ground, pretending to sob, and then told him that the other kids did it.¡±

    As if waiting for her reaction, he pauses.

    ¡°That''s smart, Nathaniel, but what if the other kids have¡­ an alibi,¡± she says carefully.

    ¡°I thought of that! I did all of it when they were hanging out outside and remembered who was there. I¡­¡± he pauses when both of them hear the front door unlocking and the creaking sound echoes through the apartment.

    ¡°That''s Rob¡­ now, get that smile off your face, Nat.¡±

    For an answer, the boy only nods, and the smile disappears. His face looks as emotionless as when he entered the apartment. His sister mirrors him, and soon a man''s shouts reach their ears.

    ¡°I''m sorry!¡± Lily lowers her head and when I stay quiet, she carefully looks up with a look on her face that makes me want to pinch her nose.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I don''t have to exin anything! I just really want to pinch her tiny nose. Also, why are you like this? Shouldn''t I be the one to apologize?

    Probably seeing my confusion, she continues, ¡°I''m sorry for pping you.¡±

    Ohhh. She''s still bothered by that? It''s already been like¡­ two hours? To be honest, I think she hurt herself more than me when she pped me, and I kind of made a big mess, so she did have the right to be a little bit angry.

    Hmm, wait a moment? Should I spin it to make her feel bad for me and make her owe me a bit? I once again look at her face and then I can''t bring myself to do it.

    I''m truly getting weaker.

    ¡°It''s fine, Lily, I''m sorry I didn''t notice them trying to hypnotize you earlier and also for¡­ this mess I made.¡± It''s true that I could''ve been a bit more delicate.

    But as we talk, I look at her and ask, curious to see if the death of two people in front of her caused some damage. I know for a normal person it should be¡­ traumatizing.

    ¡°It''s fine.¡± she says, ¡°They were bad people, trying to hurt me and you as well.¡± Her eyes are serious as she says so, ¡°They deserved that.¡±

    Oh boy.

    I''m definitely the most normal here.

    I pull Biscuit''s cheek and boop his nose and continue to ignore his woofing while I think over what I should do with Sophie. I really don''t feel like apologizing and I won''t do it. The rtionship between us is delicate, to say the least.

    Lately, I''ve started thinking that I''ve kept her alive only because of little Isabe, so Sophie can take care of her sister and not make a little girl sad or hate me.

    Sophie is annoying to deal with constant worry about her <strong>[Maniption]</strong> and always sitting on the border of worth and not worth to be kept alive.

    ¡°Biscuit, what should I do?¡± I ask probably the smartest and most normal member of Group 4 after me, obviously.

    <em>(Food?)</em>

    ¡°Nah, we can''t eat her.¡±

    <em>(Food.)</em>

    ¡°Yeah, we could feed her to monsters.¡±

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    ¡°No, you still can''t eat monsters, you will get sick. But we were talking about Sophie, It''s annoying to deal with her, isn''t it?¡±

    <em>(Asshole!)</em>

    ¡°Yeah, she is?¡±

    I pet the top of his head and the best doggo closes his eyes.

    Hmm, I should teach you a few more words. We''re going to have you surprise Hadwin.

    I give most of my food to Lily and a bit to Biscuit and then once again leave our hideout. Alone. I need to clear my head a bit and give others some space.

    Tess is fine, Lily and Kim also seem to be somewhat unaffected. On the other hand, Aaron avoids me even more than before and Sophie is staying out of my sight as much as possible, keeping Isabe with her.

    I guess she didn''t take my feelings seriously when I let her peek at them while she was strengthening my body and helping me handle my mana. This probably opened her eyes a bit.

    I check the new side quest and it''s as I thought.

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em>Kill 800 enemies</em>

    Other side quests just need me to get <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> to level twenty and I''m ready to get a new passive skill.

    As for my reward for killing 700 enemies...

    <strong>Short Sword (Common)</strong>: <em>A practical choice for any adventurer, this iron short sword boasts a sturdy de and a reliable leather grip. Perfect for those beginning their journey, it''s simple yet effective for mostbat situations.</em>

    I then tie one of my mana stones to the de and continue trying to infuse the stone with my mana as it holds it much better than the sword, and then have the stone continuously infuse the de with the mana.

    I even etch some pathways into the de and try to keep them working thanks to the mana from mana stone.

    But as before, the sword cracks and breaks, mana leaks terribly, and pathways are not working. But it''s fine, I''ll learn from my constructs and create one for items as well and instead of my mana heart, the mana stones will keep them working.

    How cool is that?

    The icy guy, now alone, is now one of Sophie''s pets if I can call it like that. When Sophie sees that I noticed that she looks at me, her eyes firm, as if asking me to say anything.

    But I do not. It might be myck of interest in the guy and not caring what happened to him or maybe a half-step back to allow Sophie to keep some face. It could easily be either option.

    Butter that day we finally are close to the walls. The way there was easier than before, a lot less monsters moving around and close to the wall. We also hurried to meet with Hadwin, Maya, and Dennis as they acquired one of the traps used to catch sparrows. I do not ask from where but it''s easy to guess.

    For thest five minutes, we are led by Aaron that finally gets within reach tomunicate with his twin brother and soon enough we finally meet thest three members of our group.

    Like all of us, they are thinner, messy, with wrecked clothes, and looking more like wild animals after days on the third floor.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Hadwin says simply as we meet, while Aaron is meeting with Dennis and Maya awkwardly keeps looking between Tess and Sophie.

    Good, finally I can dump everything on Hadwin, but first, Biscuit go!

    Feeling my thoughts, the best doggo on the third floor moves in front of me and speaks telepathically toward Hadwin.

    <em>(I require sustenance)</em>

 Chapter 140: Selling the corgi

    Chapter 140: Selling the corgi

    "What are you even¡ª" Hadwin pauses, sighing as he looks up at me.

    What? Why is everyone sighing so much around me?

    "You are ruining this corgi," he says, stepping closer. I notice he is holding a nicely crafted shield, and I can even feel some mana emanating from it.

    I''m not ruining Biscuit! He was ruined from the start. I mean perfect. He was perfect from the start. Moreover, I have to do things like this once in a while. It continues to make me feel better, even though it might seem silly.

    But now, "Show me your shield," I gesture to Hadwin. The man, not even surprised at this point, hands me the shield.

    <strong>Reflective Shield (Umon):</strong><em>A shield that creates a weak shimmering barrier and reflects a portion of iing attacks back at the enemy. It strengthens with each reflected assault but requires mana.</em>

    Oh ho, isn''t that interesting?

    "You can''t have it," I hear somewhere in the background. I decide to ignore it, already sending my mana into the shield to observe it.

    The moment my mana enters, it gets sucked inside, moving through thin, circuit-like paths into what I think is a mana stone. Then, inside the stone, something happens and mana is sent outside again, this time with some reflective properties. Terribly weak, but surely interesting.

    "You can y with Biscuit three times if you give me the shield," I say without thinking.

    "The heck, I don''t want..."

    "Five times," I quickly add. When I hear Biscuit woof at me, I look up and finally remember that it''s not Isabe I''m talking to.

    Oh, awkward... But that makes it better, "I''ll be taking it for a few hours," I say, and boost my body tounch myself around the room, "Go and talk with Tess. You guys can take care of everything."

    Huhuh, good job Haddy! You can cook, you bring me nice shiny new stuff, you will deal with people instead of me. I''ll make sure to pay you back somehow!

    But now, let''s examine the shield. After seeing Tess keeping a watch, I lift my eyebrows in a question, and I swear she sighed before nodding, indicating that she''ll be on lookout.

    So, Ibine both parts of my <strong>[Focus]</strong> through its new upgrade and send my mana into the shield.

    I broke the shield.

    Hadwin is asking for the shield from down the street, so I tell him I need more time to examine it.

    After a few more fights with monsters that I do not join, Hadwin is asking for the shield again.

    Now I start panicking.

    What the heck! How the hell is the shield so weak? I only sent a minuscule amount of mana inside it. It''s umon; it should be better! Maybe it was broken even before I touched it? Could I say that to Hadwin?

    Okay, okay, let''s focus.

    Once again, I send my senses through the shield and this time, look at the circuits that are hidden under the surface of the shield, leading from the handle towards the mana stone that is safely imbued inside the thickest part of the shield.

    This one seems fine. This one is good. Why is this one so oddly shaped? This one isn''t leading anywhere? What the heck does it do?

    Oh, this one is slightly burned. Now then, I consolidate my <strong>[Focus]</strong> and <strong>[Oscition]</strong> and activate them as I carefully send the tiniest thread of oscition mana through the destroyed part, then reach towards it with <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>.

    It doesn''t work. I can''t reactivate the circuit. So, I use <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> together with <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> and examine it closely while sending the tiniest bits of my mana towards it.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 32 > Mana Maniption - lvl 33]</strong>

    This is so weird. Is the mana able to stay semi-permanent because of the metal the shield is made of? Oh! What if it''s the mana stone? I quickly reach towards it and send a bit more to wake it up, then try to connect the newly fixed circuit to it. I stop thinking and just let the feeling lead me. My heart beats calmly as I delve deeper and focus more on the task in front of me.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 32 > Focus - lvl 33]</strong>

    The world bes ck and white, and within it, the thin threads of circuits filled with my mana shine. Not even realizing what I''m doing, I send my mana towards the parts that I consider poorly made and circuits that look damaged either by the passage of time or by ack of care during the shield''s creation.

    Full of satisfaction, I watch as the mana stone starts humming, absorbing the mana that continues to flow into it and then creating a weak reflective effect in front of the shield.

    Just now, I notice that the mana stone itself has circuits etched all over its surface, and even more inside. A dense web of twisting and beautiful circuits.

    Okay, this should be enough for now. I stop and let my mana dissipate, exiting the deep focus I was in, to be weed by Tess sitting next to me.

    "You broke the shield," she says, her voice t.

    "Pfff, as if I were that stupid. You can check it; it''s totally fine."

    "Hadwin risked his life to get it," she points out.

    Fine, fine, I already said I''ll pay him back. Darn it. Even I''m not that evil to destroy another man''s toys.

    "Nat, tell me, what level is your highest-leveled skill?" Tess asks.

    Huh? Did you get curious? Anyway, it''s not a problem so I tell her.

    A long pause then hangs between us.

    "I guess it makes sense, you being you¡­ mine is 23." She then stands up, jumps from the roof we''re on,nds softly on her feet, and rejoins the others.

    When I return the shield to Hadwin, he instantly grabs it and sends his mana through it.

    Oi! You''ll hurt my feelings. Do you think I''d break it...ehm...do you think I''d break it twice?!

    Biscuit, defend me!

    Feeling my distress, the best doggoes running and barks at the older man,<em> (I require sustenance!).</em>

    Good boy!

    "Why does it feel stronger than before?"

    "Of course, it''s not brok..." What? Stronger than before?

    "Did you upgrade it?" He sends more mana through it and then tries to hit the wall next to him with the reflective barrier in front of the shield, "Oh, it really is better."

    Uh oh.

    "Sorry, I thought you broke it and yet you were trying to upgrade it for me. I apologize for suspecting you."

    "It''s fine," hehe. I quickly look around, trying to detect little Isabe and, as I thought, she is nearby. Her eyes are wide and focused on me. Her expression clearly says that she knows as she reads my feelings.

    Dang it.

    I lift my hand, showing one straightened finger. She shakes her head silently and lifts her hand showing three straightened fingers. Then after exchanging a silent nce, we both lift hands showing two fingers and she smiles.

    I''m sorry Biscuit, I sold you out once again.

    Hadwin uses the trap twice and catches two sparrows that are bigger than usual, allowing us to have some food after a long time. My piece is the smallest as I give half to Lily and then some to Biscuit.

    Right now, I feel that my body is fully upgraded and ready for more levels of skills and more stats. It''s not like now it''s not a problem to dump most of my stats into mana and ignore constitution. Nope, this part is still a problem.

    Another issue is the itching palm of my hand. It started a few days ago and it''s getting more and more annoying, yet I''m still unable to detect the reason. I''ll have to continue to observe it carefully.

    The body upgrade just made me less reliant on food, water, and sleep, and I still don''t know exactly how it works. The system obviously didn''t give me detailed descriptions, but I did continue to observe my body the entire time, looking out for some noticeable changes.

    There are none, or what is most likely, I''m not able to observe them at my current level of skill.

    Nothing unexpected.

    "Are you scared of me?" I ask Kim during a moment of boredom while both of us keep watch. It''s morning and we''re letting others rest a bit before we move the final stretch towards the wall that is now much closer, making us realize it''s even higher than we thought.

    "I...I don''t know." he says.

    That''s a weird way to answer. You either are or are not.

    "Partially, I understand that you won''t hurt me the way you did to Cipher and Goldie, not if I don''t try to hurt you first or betray you," Kim says cautiously, clearly still worried about my reaction, "But I''m still nervous and can''t help it. It''s not because I''m nning to hurt you, it''s just..." He pauses and thinks, looking for the right words, "I''m scared that I''ll make an unintentional mistake and you''ll treat me like your enemy."

    He looks at me. A young 15-year-old boy, someone with an inferiorityplex because of his talented siblings and overreaching parent. In my eyes, he''s still just a kid.

    "It''s scary, Nathaniel, you are scary."

    I see, that''s also a way some people see me, and I don''t think the way he thinks is unreasonable or untrue.

    "I''m not worried about what happened to Cipher and others. They tried to control Lily and always acted so arrogantly, and you didn''t even see how they treated the natives," he shakes his head. "I think all of us have already gotten used to all this blood and stuff."

    I remain silent and listen to him.

    "But," he moves a bit closer and our eyes meet, and this time I do not look away, "Tess, Lily, and Izzy don''t seem to mind, but everyone else? Sophie is always walking on tiptoes around you. Aaron and Dennis are scared of you, Maya avoids you, and Hadwin is very careful about how he treats you. You just seem like you could snap at any moment." Kim finishes his sentence.

    "Thanks for telling me," I tell him.

    This time it is he who nods.

    He might not know, but I''m trying; I really am. I''m trying to stay patient, I''m trying not to cast people away, and I''m trying to open up slightly to some of them.

    I don''t even know what I am expecting from that, but I think that''s something time will tell.

 Chapter 141: Two question mark monsters

    Chapter 141: Two question mark monsters

    Tess receives five javelins made from my mana. I made them a bit denser this time so they shouldst around twenty minutes. She says they''re a bit harder to control because they''re made of mana that isn''t hers, but it''s not that bad.

    I also give around a hundred small orbs to Kim, which are also made of my mana, and Hadwin gets a mace. That''s how we reach the wall and stop in front of it.

    I can feel mana all over its surface and it''s towering like a skyscraper over us, all around the horizon. There are no holes, no gate, the wall is smooth and it doesn''t even seem like it was made from bricks. It''s just a single massive piece of¡­ something. To test it out, I create and shoot one javelin at it and it burrows itself into the wall, yet the damage is minimal.

    ¡°Okay, as we said before. Nathaniel and I go first, Tess will support us. Kim, if you will.¡± Hadwin says.

    For thest time, he checks if everyone is ready and then we stand on the massive piece of iron tform that Tess and Hadwin did twist and connect from multiple iron doors, pieces of the roof, and materials we found.

    Kim then uses his <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong> and everyone gets affected by it, feeling lighter as well as the tform that he now starts moving slowly up, controlling it so no one will lose bnce.

    I grab Hadwin and propel us far high into the air, much quicker than the tform. Transforming the kic energy of my heart, I propel us a few more times until we reach the top of the wall where I lower the output and wend softly. Quickly joined by Tess further away from us who did something simr with her <strong>[Psychokinesis]</strong>.

    Then I look at what lies behind the wall.

    Down there are beautiful vast fields full of flowers and with white trees that have almost golden-like leaves. There are no houses as far as I can see and in the distance, yet another wall towers towards the sky. This one is of a beautiful blue and intertwined by veins of lighter blue, seemingly all of this creating some patterns.

    There is also something a bit more interesting. A shallow stream of water that flows through vibrant green fields full of colorful flowers and golden leafed trees. But there might be a problem.

    <strong>[Undead Deer- lvl ??]</strong>

    <strong>[Undead Bear - lvl ??]</strong>

    <strong>[Undead Wolf - lvl ?]</strong>

    <strong>[Undead Wolf - lvl ?]</strong>

    <strong>[Undead Boar - lvl ?]</strong>

    Damned system.

    ¡°I can take them,¡± I say.

    ¡°You just said two of them seem to be around level 150, Nat.¡±

    ¡°Yup, I can take them.¡±

    All of us are already on top of the wall, looking deep down at beautiful fields and immensely strong undead monsters that continue to walk around in the distance, some of them powerful enough to kill all of us if caught unprepared.

    ¡°Can''t we just jump down, get some water and run away?¡± Hadwin asks.

    ¡°Where is the fun in that?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Nathaniel, we came here to get some water and maybe some food,¡± the older man ads.

    Oh, that''s true, isn''t it. My eyes move towards Lily and her parched lips. Out of all of us, she drinks the least of our remaining water. The silly girl probably feels that it might be because of her that we lost our source of water.

    ¡°One question mark shouldn''t be a problem for me and Nat. Or maybe we can have Sophie controlling them and send them to distract the two question marks while we get some water,¡± Tess says.

    Is Tess maybe a genius?

    ¡°I should be able to control the wolves for a bit, but I''m not sure about the boar. And there is no chance for me to control two question marks. At most i can stop them for a second or two.¡± Sophie adds.

    There are five monsters in the area we can see. Closest to us are two Undead wolves, the boar is a bit more to our left and closest to the stream and then two question mark Deer and Bear are further in the distance, each of them as big as a house and simrly strong to the undead aberrant weredeer.

    ¡°How about we have Sophie manipte the wolves and have them ready in case the two question markse closer. Meanwhile, we will kill the boar and get some water before climbing back on the wall?¡± Hadwin offers.

    ¡°I wouldn''t rely on the wolves being able to stop the Bear or Deer. Maybe for a few seconds, but not much longer.¡± I say.

    ¡°Well, thatplicates things¡­¡± the older man sighs while I continue to observe the Deer and Bear.

    How strong they are, I want to hunt them. I want to trick them in a simr way I did before and I want them to push me even more than the undead aberrant deer did.

    Should I try to snipe them from up here? I''m far enough and if I create an attack strong enough I might be able to one-shot them. But in such a case, how would the remaining two question marks react? Would they rush at us? Climb the wall? Would I be able to fight back, probably tired after killing the first one?

    Others be too noisy as they start talking and brainstorming ideas, so I stand up and move a bit further away from them. I sit on the the wall, my legs hanging from the edge, and I swing them a bit while I observe the monsters far in the distance and the beautiful fields down there.

    A few minutes pass, and they''re still going on, so I filter out the background noise and only focus on observing my body after the upgrade, especially my left arm. There''s something weird with it, some disruption in mana flow in the palm of my restored hand. I''ve felt it ever since the start of the third floor but mostly ignored it because I thought it was a tiny mistake that happened because of the low level of Lily''s skill.

    It also doesn''t affect me or my mana at all, so I didn''t pay much attention to it and only came to observe it once in a while. But now, after the body upgrade, it bes worse. It''s still not affecting my body at all; it''s just this weird feeling, as if the palm of my left hand is itching slightly. It''s weird and hard to describe.

    Anyway, I can cut off my hand if it bes weird or dangerous. I can have Lily slowly regrow it in the worst case. For now, I''ll continue to observe it.

    I stop filtering out the background noise, and they''re still brainstorming, worried about the monsters or unexpected situations. Even though they all are getting weaker as time passes. Most of us are thin, lips parched as we go without much water for days. I even notice that Lily is barely keeping herself awake and is trying to hide her suffering by constantly using some of her mana to heal her body.

    The heck, why are all of you so careful? You need to be a bit more adventurous. You''re in Hell Difficulty. A strong will and decisiveness to take risks are a must.

    I stand up, and a javelin appears over my head, and I start feeding it with mana. The first one to notice is Sophie, and she immediately pokes Tess, and both of them turn to me.

    "Nathaniel?" Tess asks.

    The javelin is already getting denser and longer, easily twice my length, "Yes?"

    "What are you doing?"

    Wisps of light blue mana start flowing through the weapon as I infuse more and more mana into it, "Sparrow Obliterator 4000."

    "..."

    Wisps of purple mana appear, and I feel the javelin bing heavier, the weapon as thick as my upper arm and longer than ever before. I <strong>[Focus]</strong> a bit more and twist it, shape it a bit so when it flies through the air, it will start spinning, the spinning stabilizing its trajectory. I also add a bit more weight to the middle to bnce it better.

    "It''s easy, get ready to jump off the wall to get back behind us, Mrs. Mindblender will control the wolves in case they all rush us and somehow climb the wall. Twin jerks can use their skill to create some illusions to our right in case the monsters get up top," I say.

    "That''s not a very detailed n," Hadwin joins, but I see him stretching slightly.

    "Nothing ever goes ording to n, Haddy, just get ready to bullshit our way out of it if something happens."

    "Haddy¡­" the older man shakes his head.

    The javelin starts humming, and I put all of my attention to holding its shape and stop the mana from exploding while I redistribute and infuse more into it. The tricolored mana wildly swirls inside the weapon, and I realize that I''ve reached my current limit, so I release my <em>Mana Regtor</em> a bit more, and my heart beats loudly.

    I control both, the kic energy flowing through my body as well as the javelin that threatens to explode and probably kill us all.

    "They don''t seem to feel your mana," Tess says.

    "That''s quite good, isn''t it?" Now then, slowly breathe in, infuse a bit more, a tiny bit more. Good.

    Ignore the notification. Good.

    Grab all the kic energy. Good.

    And this time, don''t push the javelin from behind, try to apply all the energy to the front of the javelin where it''s heaviest to make the kic energy pull it instead of pushing and wasting so much of it. No, tot like this, this is way too inefficient. I quickly correct the way I do it. Now anchor it, let the mana flow.

    Oh, and control the mana a bit more, the weapon almost exploded. Good.

    NOW.

    The javelin disappears, and I get thrown to the side almost falling down from the edge of the wall because of the shockwave from shooting the weapon. Hadwin grabs me and helps me stop, and while changing my regtor again, I look towards the javelin that is already stabbed inside the deer''s hind leg, glowing white and about to explode.

    The undead deer''s antlers start glowing too and his eyes turn towards the top of the wall where we are, and then he takes a step and disappears into his own shadow. That leaves the javelin behind to explode in the ce where the deer used to stand.

    My eyes immediately turn to my own shadow, and it starts growing bigger, much bigger. Inside of the shadow one of the Undead deer''s giant eyes appears

 Chapter 142: Undead Deer - Lvl ??

    Chapter 142: Undead Deer - Lvl ??

    "Stay on the wall," I shout and propel myself far away from the others, right over the edge of the wall, and I start falling to the ce in the city where we came from. Right in between ruined houses and empty streets.

    The deer''s mana starts to swirl around me, and I feel my shadow expand more and more, and soon enough the deer steps out of it and starts falling towards the ground together with me.

    In quick session, Tess''s javelin filled with lightning stabs itself into its back, followed by even stronger lightning that uses the javelin as a lightning rod.

    The monster roars, certainly feeling the attack, and for a moment ignores me, turning its eyes towards the top of the wall. I feel its mana move and before it can jump into Tess''s shadow, my mana explodes.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong> boosted by <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong> hits the monster with the full power I can muster, and it cancels out its "jump", the monster once again turning to me.

    Then we finally reach the ground, and both of usnd somehow elegantly, without taking any damage.

    The deer''s mana shines from its antlers and the houses around us start to crumble, only for its debris to be lifted up into the air, floating around the deer. The debris is thrown at me in quantity and with a speed of a terrifying level, and to counter it I create a shield in front of me. The shield is shaped as an oval to make it as small as possible, I also make the front of it thinner and sharper, reaching a bit in front of me and cutting all the debris while thinner sides of the shield let the debris pass by me without the shield taking too much damage.

    Debris just keepsing and getting smashed against my shield I continue to strengthen with tricolored mana.

    I feel a few more of Tess''s attacksnd on the deer and even Sophie''s mana reaches towards the monster, stopping its attack for a few seconds, giving me a bit more time to fill my shield with mana.

    Then, not unexpectedly, I feel my shadow swell and grow bigger, and to answer that I ignore it. Instead, I push even more mana inside my shield, and it starts vibrating, getting harder and harder to stop it from exploding.

    When my shadow expands and the monster appears right next to me, I brace myself, strengthening my body through <em>Symbiotic Transference</em>, and propel myself with more force than before, making me send flying through the debris and smashing them apart with my strengthened body.

    I propel myself a few more times in the split second, even hitting a few roofs and houses in my way.

    Meanwhile, the tricolored shield behind me I created starts shining brightly, about to explode right after the deer fully steps out of what used to be my shadow.

    Good, now let''s see how you will tank this.

    The mana inside the shield starts to turn into a shining white color and then the shield disappears.

    Huh?

    Instead of exploding next to the deer, the attack appears right behind me, in my shadow, transported there by the deer''s skill.

    I see, so that''s how we y. I clench my teeth and rouse up my entire mana and then instead of running away, I reach out towards my shield that''s about to explode and force it back under my control. A groan escapes my mouth, and my head feels like it''s about to explode together with constant grinding that sounds in my ears.

    My skills activate one after another, trying to force this monstrous mana back under my control, and I continue to squeeze the shield into a more manageable shape, an orb as big as my fist.

    I force all of this mana into the shape that continues to fight against me and threatens to explode at any second, the tricolored mana swirling wildly inside the orb and shining brighter than before while letting out an audible hum.

    Meanwhile, the monster''s antlers shine once again and the houses around it crumble only to be lifted up and thrown at me and then halfway to be redirected to the sides as if a wave splitting in front of the wall.

    A wall that is a young blonde woman.

    Tess stands there, lightning cracking along her body while her mana continues to feed her <strong>[Psychokinesis]</strong> that doesn''t push against the monster''s much stronger skill, she just redirects it slightly, making it pass by our sides and hit the houses behind us.

    Then a rain of dark blue orbs that I made for Kim hits the monster''s head, barely doing any serious damage, but clearly pissing it off.

    As I continue to try to stop my mana from exploding, I don''t have time to feel the deer''s mana, but it''s easy to guess that it will try to jump into Kim''s shadow. But before it does that, Tess''s javelin stabs itself deep into its neck and then explodes with lightning mana that tears apart pieces of its Undead neck and that''s enough to stop it from jumping away.

    The monster turns to Tess and the world around us explodes. Entire streets and dozens of houses crumble in a split of second, hitting our bodies and throwing us rolling on the ground, and then they continue to fly high in the air, almost as high as the wall is.

    At the same time, the monster''s telekinesis reaches towards us and glues our bodies to the spot. The deer uses enough mana to ignore our bodies'' natural barrier which should make something like this extremely hard to do.

    With another pulse of mana, all the debris that cover a massive piece of the sky starts falling too, speeding up the entire time, pulled to the ground with the massive force of the monster''s skill.

    I elongate the orb hovering over the palm of my hand into a long, sharp shape, a javelin that''s smaller than the one before, just that much denser.

    At the same time, multiple things happen.

    Another rain of orbs hits the monster.

    Tess''s mana explodes around her, and I feel her pushing against the pressure around and reaching towards the debris that is flying where we are.

    And I also feel Sophie''s mana reach towards the deer, and then the deer''s eyes jump from me to Tess. As if the deer forgot about my existence.

    My javelin flies at the monster, leaving a trail of mana in its path and then stabbing itself deep into its head without the monster even noticing it, its eyes still on Tess. Then I release my <em>Mana Regtor</em> to fifty percent and my heart thumps, sending vibrations of kic energy through my body, pushing it to its current limit and pummeling it.

    <em>First heartbeat.</em>

    Kic energy around me explodes and I propel myself towards Tess, immediately grabbing her.

    <em>Second heartbeat.</em>

    I use all the energy to propel us high in the air.

    <em>Third heartbeat.</em>

    The debris in our way gets pushed again and redirected by Tess, just enough force to change its trajectory and not hit us, and I use another wave of kic energy to propel us even faster, feeling the mana behind us expand.

    Wend on the wall, and I again activate my <em>Mana Regtor</em> at the same time as I start creating a shield of tricolored mana in front of all of us.

    Then the javelin stabbed deep into the deer''s head explodes, threads of tricolored mana untangling and shing around, cutting apart the deer, and then an explosion follows. A ring of shockwaves immediately followed by a ring of fire expands in a split second into the massive area under the wall.

    The shockwave destroys some of the buildings and the following heat melts the stones and any iron ting it reaches, and as the wave hits the walls it quickly follows its force and flickering waves climb on the side of the wall, until they reach the top and mes and vibrations continue higher, the side effect of it hitting us and pushing us a bit further from the edge.

    I notice Isabe weakening the heat, and everyone endures the shockwave on their own.

    For a fleeting moment, silence ensues, and immediately after there is an immense sucking force as the air rushes to fill up the void left after the explosion. The now-dead body after its head exploded gets folded and squeezed and pulled to the ce where the javelin used to be, followed by more and more debris, mes, and air that rush back in.

    As before, all of this takes just a second, explosion quickly followed by implosion. The only difference is that this one was even stronger than the one I used against the Undead Aberrant Deer, not being left with any other reasonable choice after my attack got flung against me.

    "What a shitshow," I sigh. It doesn''t matter what I do, it almost never goes as we would like it to go, and in the end, it alles down to improvisation. But there is no point inining, I don''t think it will change.

    I cancel out the barrier of my mana and for thest time, I look down at where the explosion started, then I turn around to check on the others. A few of them are shaken and barely standing, either because of their help during the fight or the aftereffects of it.

    Izzy is smiling, and I nod at Sophie. This time the mind maniptor missy really did help. But what''s with them? Why do you have to look at me like this? It was just a small explosion. Everyone should be capable of something like this at around level 100.

    As my eyes skim by them, I notice a weird movement on the edge of the wall behind them. Something flickers there, and then a massive paw with each w as long as Isabe reaches up and grabs the edge of the wall.

    My mana starts to move again when a giant head pokes over the top of the wall.

    The head of a giant bear with one eye missing and terrible scars across its decaying body.

    <strong>[Undead Bear - lvl ??]</strong>

 Chapter 143: Undead Bear - Lvl ??

    Chapter 143: Undead Bear - Lvl ??

    The monster pulls itself higher, and finally, even others notice it, a few shouts sounding into the surrounding.

    Kic energy turned into mes hits the head in the form of a bright yellow me that I continue to strengthen with each passing second as my heart pumps more energy through my body. Soon after even Isabe''s blue mes join them and start to burn the monster, the disgusting smell of burned fur and flesh hitting our noses.

    Tess also used her lightning attacks, Kim activates his gravity skill, and I know he is applying it on the monster in hopes it will lose its grip and fall down.

    But nothing helps and the bear climbs over the walls and a shockwave hits all of us, pushing us away from him and stopping our attacks on the monster.

    When the mes and smoke disappears the beast''s head is revealed, only a skull barely with any fur and muscles. Yet it still continues to look towards us, calmly as if not seeing us as a danger.

    Maya, already in full armament and with a spear in her hand, stands in front of it with Hadwin by her side as the bear tilts its head and swings its paw at a speed that seems nearly impossible judging by its size.

    Both of them are thrown away and sent flying over the wall.

    But we can''t give them any more thought as another attack hits us. Another simple yet strong shockwave throws Sophie and Isabe over the wall and pushes others even closer to the edge, and I barely catch Kim and Lily before they fly over.

    Seeing Sophie fall over, thest remaining member of Hard Difficulty jumps over the wall as well, seemingly about to help them.

    In that short time between the attacks, I make my decision and put Lily into Kim''s arms and push them both over the edge, leaving only me, Tess, and the twins on top. The twins are already much further on the wall, both of them boosted by their skill<strong> [Haste]</strong>.

    <em>(We will try to use [Sensory Deception] at the right moment!)</em>

    One of them sends into my head and only then I remember Biscuit, making me look around with a hint of panic. Thankfully the corgi is fine and dangling from the edge of the wall by one massive purple tentacle that continues to stretch, slowly lowering him down.

    (Gone) he sends me and continues to lower himself faster.

    Good boy.

    Another shockwave hits us and I absorb most of the kic energy of the attack and throw it behind myself to propel myself ahead.

    Tess endures as well, the lightning armor around her body crackling in red and white colors.

    ¡°Lure it away and run?¡± she shoots me a question.

    ¡°It will follow others,¡± I say while dozens of mana projectiles pop into existence and shoot towards the bear only to be shrugged off as nothing together with Tess''s lightning-imbued javelin.

    The monster takes another step towards us and this time I feel Tess push against the shockwave and even weaken it enough to have almost no effect.

    Again the bear tilts its head, a skull with empty eye sockets, and an even stronger shockwave hits us, strong enough to render my projectiles flying at it useless and even blow off the me I try to throw at it.

    Okay!

    Fine!

    Thrown over the edge of the wall I push myself back only for armor to appear around my body and then a helmet with a smooth front and without any holes for eyes. <strong>[Perception]</strong> epasses the area and I<strong> [Focus] </strong>more.

    Then I release my <em>Mana Regtor</em> a bit more and kic energy starts pummeling my body from inside only to be immediately turned into physical strengthening through my <em>Symbiotic Transference</em>.

    When another shockwave hits me I absorb most of its energy to strengthen myself even further and immediately start infusing my body and my muscles with mana with the help of <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong>, which allows me to release my <em>Mana Regtor</em> even more and strengthen my body further.

    The armor around my body is still transparent but in a darker shade of blue, and a sword appears in my hand, made of dark blue mana that I infuse with more and more of it until light blue and purple wisps of mana start flowing through the de.

    I did not put every avable stat point into mana to fight melee! Damn it.

    I dash at the bear my body strong as never before and my sword glowing with wisps of mana flowing inside of it. I absorb another shockwave only to immediately throw it at the monster and it just dissipates on the surface of its fur, causing no harm at all.

    Reading the monster''s movements I duck under the paw that barely misses me and cut against it with as much force as I can.

    The sword just bounces off and I absorb another shockwave, using it to further speed up my body while osciting mana coats the de and I sh again, this time leaving a deep groove on the bear''s paw.

    I avoid the bite and watch its movements to dodge another two swings and step to the side, letting a shockwave pass me by while I angle my sword and sh again.

    The de, even coated in oscition, bounces off, doing damage only to decaying muscles and bouncing off the bones.

    Needing to release some energy generated by my <em>Kic Mana Heart</em>, a bright yellow me explodes around me in a simr shockwave to the bear''s and burns its fur and muscles.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong> then fires up and I immediately follow it by shing against the paw I used disruptive mana on. The sword bounces again and I push myself far away from the monster as I feel it collecting even more mana.

    A strong shockwave hits me even in the distance and throws me from the wall only for me to propel myself back up.

    Such a tough asshole, I groan.

    The monster doesn''t seem that dangerous or strong, at least not to me, but its defense is annoyingly strong.

    A shockwave that works like attack and defense at the same time. High physical stats and then the bones that seem to be impossible to destroy yet the monster still reacts carefully every time I get too close to its chest and probably its heart while totally ignoring attacks on its head where the brain should be.

    For a moment, we just stand there: me, the bear, the twins far in the distance, and then Tess jumps back onto the wall.

    "Others are safe," she says before turning her attention back to the bear.

    Hearing that my sword flies in the air only to be stretched and pressed into the shape of a javelin I start feeding with more mana. Let''s see how you will endure this.

    I notice the twins start running even further and even Tess is getting ready to jump down from the wall.

    The bear tilts its head again, looking at me. He looks at my chest where my <em>Kic Mana heart</em> beats. And then, out of nowhere, its own heart beats loudly, loud enough for us to hear.

    <em>One heartbeat.</em>

    The bear widens its stance and opens its maw.

    The bear''s second heartbeat sounds deafening.

    A massive wave of kic energy is thrown at us and I know if it touches us, it will tear our bodies apart. It''s an attack and energy I know that well.

    So, for that moment, I let go of my control over the javelin and instead, my dual <strong>[Focus]</strong>bines into one and I put my full attention into absorbing the kic energy thrown at us. There is so much of it, much more than I can output with my currently regted <em>Kic </em><em>Heart</em>.

    Yet, I do not hesitate. It''s the energy that I know so well, the energy I handle so often.

    I reach towards it all. Not to weaken it, I reach out and grab it in its entirety and using some of it to further strengthen my mana-infused body and shoot the remainder in a thin cone of kic energy towards the bear, tearing apart the muscles and fur on its chest and revealing its ribs and its shining giant heart.

    Its heart is covered in green mana and each thump strengthens it, generating kic energy in a simr way to my construct.

    The monster somehow copied me.

    Another heartbeat and the bear uses another shockwavebined with kic energy.

    This time Tess helps and her <strong>[Psychokinesis] </strong>pushes against the shockwave while I absorb kic energy and use it to propel the already white glowing javelin that pierces the monster''s chest, barely missing a rib, it stabs its heart and while tearing it apart flies outside of it and further in the distance where it explodes without affecting us at all.

    Finally, the monster shows some reaction, and more of its mana rushes into its chest while I stagger a bit.

    When I reach out and check my mana reserves, I do realize that I have barely ten percent of my mana left. Because of my massive mana pool, I didn''t even think about limiting my mana and didn''t limit it at all, using so much of it for my attacks.

    Slowly, the bear takes another step towards us and its heart starts healing, covered in green mana. Then it beats strongly and I can hear its bones vibrate under the kic energy the heart sends through the bear''s body.

    Another heartbeat reverberates through its body and the monster stops, once again tilting its head as if in a confused manner.

    With another heartbeat the bear''s kic energy rages through its body, tearing apart muscles and revealing more of its pearl-white bones.

    I start forming another javelin when I feel Tess''s hand touch my shoulder.

    "We should run while we can," the blonde says and it makes me stop, realizing that I barely have any mana left.

    The heartbeat sounds into the surrounding and the bear opens its mouth in a soundless growl. Kic energy flowing through its body tears more and more of it apart, every beat audibly shaking and vibrating the bones that absorb some of this energy. The kic energy does more damage to the monster than we did.

    I give the bear onest look and together with Tess, we jump over the wall.

 Chapter 144: Peacemaker

    Chapter 144: Peacemaker

    Down below, we find the others, most of them in a terrible state and herded to one ce by Hadwin who doesn''t seem that hurt even after falling from such a height; his <strong>[Strengthening]</strong> is probably good enough to help him endure.

    Sophie and Isabe are also fine, but thest member of Hard Difficulty, the Icy guy, is really hurt. Both of his legs are broken, an arm twisted and one of his eyes is blind.

    Maya is in a simr state with bones poking out of both of her broken shins and sweat on her forehead as she clenches her teeth in pain while Lily heals her.

    ¡°Kim went to get the twins, they connected with him,¡± Hadwin says, and I now see that he is missing a few of his teeth and is bruised all over, with also a broken arm and probably multiple ribs.

    Well, that''s dumb if I have to say so myself, but it''s Kim''s decision.

    To make matters even worse, Lily heals one of Maya''s legs and then passes out, her breathing short and weak and the petite girl shaking and sweating. Malnourished, dehydrated, overtaxing herself.

    Biscuit moves closer to her and a few tentacles appear over him as he protectively stands in front of her after licking her hand a few times. The dog whimpers and looks towards me.

    <em>(Gone?)</em>

    Immediately after he whimpers again and steps a bit further, taking his eyes off me.

    I quickly control myself and force my mana and mind to calm down.

    As I step closer, I reach out and let Biscuit lick my hand, and after that, I pet his tiny head. "Sorry for that, I didn''t want to scare you, it''s just that I''m not in a very good mood right now."

    From atop the wall, I can still feel waves of kic energy as the bear''s heart continues to thump and generate it and trying to take it all under its control.

    I''ll be back for you, you can be sure of that. How dare you try to copy my construct.

    Goddamned bear.

    Now then, back to this silly girl. When I lift her up she feels so light and weak.

    <em>(We will go over the wall on the opposite side, the bear seems to be busy right now and we can avoid the others!)</em> Sounds in my head and after that, the silence ensues.

    Well, I guess we don''t have to bother waiting for Kim anymore.

    Just a few minutes have passed since we entered one of the hideouts and I made sure it''s working, and I''m already impatient to leave and go back outside.

    I keep opening and clenching my fist while watching my mana fill up bit by bit. It''s quick, probably much faster than for others, but for me, it feels as if too slow. I''ve already gotten used to not having trouble withcking mana at all.

    Another annoying thing is the Icy man, Cipher''s oldpanion. Unlike others that left me alone, feeling or seeing my bad mood, the man crawled to me. Using only one arm to pull himself closer.

    His legs are broken, one of his arms is also broken and he is missing one of his eyes. Yet there is still some will in him and I even notice that his wounds are covered in ice a bit. I don''t know how much it helps but the man still does it.

    For a long moment, he looks at me and I look at him. I do not know him, I never bothered knowing him. Out of the trio, he was probably the least memorable and I didn''t even bother with the other two.

    Yet here he is and he is crying.

    ¡°I''m scared,¡± he says, and his voice is audibly shaken. A man a bit older than me sobs quietly and I do believe him, I can hear the fear in his voice.

    ¡°That girl¡­ that woman is doing something to me,¡± he says, ¡°I don''t know what and I can''t even fight against it, but I know she does something,¡± he pulls himself even closer, groaning from pain, ¡°I almost died and maybe will die because of her. I do not know her yet I did jump over the wall and even wanted to sacrifice myself to keep her sister and her alive.¡±

    He then pauses.

    ¡°It''s terrifying, I don''t even know if I''m me anymore,¡± his hand touches me and his voice bes full of pleading, ¡°Please, I beg you, stop her.¡±

    ¡°Did you know about what Cipher and Goldie did to Lily?¡± I ask.

    His silence is all the answer I need.

    ¡°So why should I even bother?¡± I hear that my voice bears some annoyance in it, ¡°You are lucky to be alive.¡±

    ¡°This is not life if I''m not myself!¡± he screams and more heads turn to us, ¡°Do you think she won''t control all of you if given a chance? I thought Goldie was scary with her hypnosis, but this woman,¡± he points his shaking hand at Sophie, ¡°she is much worse!¡±

    ¡°I see, should I help you then?¡± I stand up and a sword forms in my hand, ¡°Just one word and I''ll end it all.¡± His eyes be full of fear and it makes me almost smile, ¡°Just one word and you are free.¡± As I say it, I keep poking his body with the tip of my sword and he doesn''t say anything.

    Unsurprisingly he is not like Lissandra that destroyed her world and herself the moment she got a suspicion someone is controlling her.

    ¡°Now then, to make it clear and not beat around the bush and say it out loud,¡± I say loudly enough for everyone in the hideout to hear it. Sophie, Isabe, Tess, Hadwin, Maya, and even barely conscious Lily are listening.

    ¡°I swear on the life of my mother and on the life of my sister, the most precious things in this world to me.¡± A short pause is filled with deafening silence, ¡°Sophie, if you ever try to control me or people I care about again, I''ll kill you. I''ll do it without hesitation and I won''t care if it happens in front of your sister."

    The silence bes even deeper, and now everyone is looking at Sophie, who is also looking at me. She seems to understand, but if not, she can ask Isabe. I''m sure the little girl can tell her how serious I am.

    After saying that out loud I feel much better. There is still a lot of anger at Sophie and her meddling with my mind, but saying these things feels as if I can''t now take a step back in case she does something like this. I won''t be able to pressure myself into thinking logically, I''ll just have to do what I said I would do.

    ¡°Okay, now that we are all on the same wavelength, there are a few things we have to do. First, Sophie, go and infuse Lily with your mana, keep her strengthened. Hadwin, you go out and use that trap to get us some sparrows. Tess, you will protect them just in case. If Lily tries to use even a speck of her mana to heal someone, you can zap her and make her unconscious until Ie back with water or send Kim and the twins back with it.¡±

    My eyes nce around the room and no one seems to beining, no one other than Lily.

    ¡°You!¡± I point a finger at Lily, ¡°Stay put. Maya will heal on her own and if her bones don''t fix themselves normally we can break them again and then you will heal her.¡±

    Lily doesn''t seem to like it. She exchanges looks with Tess. The young blonde woman smiles at Lily but her eyes remain somewhat cold, clearly indicating she will <em>zap</em> her if needed.

    I ignore Maya''s terrified look and I do not even mention the Icy guy.

    Then I leave the hideout. As many times before, even this seems to be my fault. I shouldn''t have killed Cipher and I should be more careful when attacking the deer. But at the same time, things could be much worse if I did not do these things.

    But consequences are here and the best thing I can do now is to help Kim and maybe these two little brats, get some water and beat up some copycat bear.

    And there is one more thing.

    I quickly put some distance between me and the hideout, once again under the wall and when I send my mana towards the top, I still can feel waves of kic energy. Is the bear trying to learn how to control it? Goddamned monsters in hell difficulty.

    But first things first. I open up my left hand and look at the palm that has continued to bother me ever since the start of the floor. The weird feeling of itching is now even worse and for the first time, I can feel intricate patterns of mana inside of it. Circuits I''m barely able to perceive, yet I know they are there, and on the skin of my palm, a pattern appears.

    A pattern looking exactly like a <em>Peacemaker,</em> the strongest defensive item in the world of the second floor. An item that I got from Lissandra and that I held with my left hand, exactly as the pattern is etched into my skin.

    Interesting isn''t it, but this much is enough.

    I coat my right arm in an osciting mana and cut off my left hand.

 Chapter 145: Envy

    Chapter 145: Envy

    I nce at my severed left hand and burn the stump with thermal energy to stop the bleeding, immediately after I form a hand made of mana. Testingly, I move the fingers and increase the density of the mana.

    For now, this should do. I can''t have Lily restore my arm in the state she is in now.

    Now then, since I''ve calmed down a bit, I should pick my rewards, right?

    The kill of the level 159 deer got me a whopping 2 levels and I alsopleted my Side Quest that required me to get all of my skills over level twenty.

    It''s time to get my rewards before I start moving.

    <strong>Congrattions, you havepleted your Side Quest. You can now select one of the offered Passive skills, which have been determined based on your performance so far in the tutorial.</strong>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Kic Momentum (Rare)</strong>

    <em>The user''s maniption of kic energy bes fluid and seamless, allowing them to effortlessly transfer kic force between their body, weapons, and projectiles, increasing overall impact and damage.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Resilience (Rare)</strong>

    T<em>he user''s resilience strengthens with their current mana reserves, boosting resistance to physical strain, and also enhancing resistance to various energies.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana Convergence (Rare)</strong>

    <em>The user''s mana maniption abilities allow them to merge multiple streams of mana into a concentrated form, amplifying the potency and efficiency of their mana-based attacks and defenses.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Swift Recovery (Umon)</strong>

    <em>The user''s natural healing rate is slightly elerated, allowing them to recover from injuries and wounds more quickly, particrly when their mana levels are high.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Thermal Conversion Mastery (Umon)</strong>

    <em>The user''s expertise in converting kic energy to thermal energy expands, allowing them to efficiently convert a higher percentage of kic energy into intense heat, resulting in more potent thermal-based attacks.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Thermal Channeling (Umon)</strong>

    <em>The user can channel thermal energy into their mana-infused weapons or constructs, imbuing them with scorching heat that increases their damage potential.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana Forge (Umon) </strong>

    <em>The user''s mastery of mana maniption enables them to shape and mold mana into slightly more intricate and powerful constructs, granting their creations enhanced durability and destructive capabilities.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana Overload Absorption (Rare) </strong>

    <em>The user''s mana pathways have the capacity to absorb excess mana, mitigating the negative effects of mana overloads and preventing potential mana instability or bacsh.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Energy Channeling (Rare)</strong>

    <em>The user has mastered the art of channeling various energies into their mana-infused weapons or constructs, achieving a seamless integration of different energy types.</em>

    As often, the options are beautiful, but is there a need to think? I know what I need right now.

    I pick <em>Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Resilience (Rare)</em> and close my eyes to endure the pain.

    There was only one option that made me hesitate. <em>Passive Skill: Energy Channeling (Rare)</em>. It''s something that could give me an immediate and massive boost, but it''s also something I know I''ll solve on my own and improve on my own.

    <em>Mana Forge</em> sounds good, but I''ll learn it on my own, I''m already halfway there.

    <em>Mana Overload</em>? That''s for weaklings. I''ll control my mana, I won''t allow it to go wild. A bit of danger spices things up a little and forces me to improve my hold over my mana much faster.

    And as many times, something tells me that in the long run, it''s better to learn stuff on my own rather than just rely on the system and automatic usage of skills. I saw the difference between me and people from Hard Difficulty.

    After the pain stops, I squat and look down at my cut-off hand. The changes going on in it are now much faster now that my mana doesn''t passively fight against them and the hand closes its fist and is now shrinking. With <strong>[Perception]</strong> I can barely feel anything no matter how I look at it and as before, even now,<strong> [Disruption]</strong> doesn''t seem to have any effect on it. None at all.

    Is this some dyed hidden reward for finishing the second floor on a higher difficulty? Is this an aftereffect of using the strongest defensive item on the, an item whose rarity is way beyond ¡°rare¡±?

    Well, I''ll deal with itter. I grab the cut-off hand and throw it inside one of the houses, making sure to remember which one it is and then I release my <em>Mana Regtor</em> and observe my body.

    Good, the new passive seems to work beautifully and I release the <em>Mana Regtor</em> even more and my heart pumps massive amounts of kic energy through my body. Yet even then the body seems to be okay with that much strain.

    My current passive is a weird one. The higher my mana levels are the better it works, but if I use 30% of my mana to create another javelin or orb full of tricolored mana, the efficiency will dramatically reduce, surely enough for it to feel like a lower rarity than ¡°rare¡±. But, me being me and having massive amounts of mana, the passive feels much stronger than it should be.

    I breathe in deeply and then slip into<strong> [Focus]</strong>, making the world lose its colors as I propel myself high in the air with only one push. The eleration strains my body; a huge burst of kic energy umtes as well, but it''s okay, the new passive deals with all of it.

    When Ind on top of the wall, a wave of kic energy is thrown at me. I absorb and hold it as I slowly walk towards the bear still at the top of the wall with its heart tearing and healing constantly as it produces kic energy the bear isn''t able to hold.

    That energy is shot into the surroundings or reverberates its bones that audibly vibrate.

    The bear now barely has some fur on. A giant monster has half of its body covered in decaying muscles, with no fur, and its head is just one massive white skull with its face melted from before. Its mouth is open in a soundless roar.

    I absorb two more waves and then shoot all that energy at the monster, my wave piercing through its defense and pushing it backwards.

    My heart beats in the same rhythm as the bear''s and I throw more kic energy at it, stripping it even more of its flesh and damaging its heart.

    The green mes roar into existence, covering its entire chest and blocking my next attack that pushes the bear even further, the monster tilts its head and shoots kic energy at me in a simr way, only for me to totally absorb it and shoot it back at him, finally throwing him off the wall.

    As he is falling down I jump off and follow him, transferring energy generated by my heart into bright yellow mes that are hotter than ever before, tunneled into a thin stream that heats the air as it roars through it, engulfing the bear in mes.

    At the same time, a mana projectile forms behind me, and I start <strong>[Redistributing]</strong> and infusing mana into it, helping myself with surge as much as I can, my body able to endure it all now.

    When the burning bear falls down, creating a small crater, the projectile flies at him while I propel myself higher and immediately after hitting him it explodes in a massive heatwave followed by a shockwave and then a terrifying implosion that pulls even the bear''s massive body closer to where the center of my projectile used to be.

    I let myself fall down and with a push of kic energy, I send away all the dust and reveal the bear that is still there, green mana glowing around his body, restoring its muscles, its fur, even his eyes reappear.

    Then its heart beats and all of this is destroyed again by rampant kic energy and then the bear ignores me, putting his attention back to his heart.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong> levels up as I shoot it at the monster. <strong>[Mana Surge</strong>] levels up as I continue to boost my weapons coated in osciting mana.

    I shoot projectiles at its chest, I burn its body.

    The bear continues to ignore me the entire time while all of his attention is on his heart.

    <strong>POV Kim Min-Jae</strong>

    <em>(What the hell is that guy doing?)</em> Aaronins in my head.

    <em>(Usual stuff, exploding people, nuking the city, raising eldritch abominations. You know, typical psycho stuff.) </em>Dennis adds and I can''t help but agree. Nathaniel isn''t exactly normal.

    <em>(We should hurry while he''s got the attention of the bear and wolves.)</em> I send as well through their<strong> [Connection]</strong> that they joined me to. It doesn''t feel that bad, the wordlessmunication is nice, and listening to the two of them it''s easy to guess how used to it they got.

    <em>(At this point I''m more scared of that guy than the bear.) </em>Aaron says

    <em>(Don''t forget the dog, he can interrupt and join our [Connection].) </em>Dennis ads.

    We quickly move through the area, especially fast now that I''ve lowered our weight with my skill. Far away from us, I feel Nathaniel''s mana constantly exploding after he fell from the wall together with the bear, his mes burning the monster even while he was falling down.

    That was the moment we decided to jump down and quickly went to get water as it also meant that the two one-question mark wolves moved to check what was happening.

    Still, I can''t help but feel a hint of envy, hearing the way the twins talk about Nathaniel. Even cheeky as they are, I can hear reverence and admiration in their voice.

    <em>I want that.</em> I want people to admire me, to talk about me in the way they talk about Nathaniel. I want them topare other people to me.

    It''s silly, I know, but I can''t do anything about it. Ever since the start of the floor, I can''t help but keepparing myself to him.

    I thought it would be different here, but in the end, it''s the same. I keepparing myself to others the same way I keptparing myself to my siblings back on Earth.

    So when the one question mark Boar appears in between us and the stream of water, I do not hesitate.

    I try to imitate the stance Nathaniel likes to take every time he gets serious and look towards the boar as even my mana res up in a simr way.

    I won''t run away.

 Chapter 146: Lesson

    Chapter 146: Lesson

    So, what now?

    I move mana through my body and strengthen the pulses of my <em>Kic Mana Heart</em>. The bear tilts its head and tries to copy me. It fails, and energy continues to destroy its body while green mana continues to restore it.

    It''s now confirmed that the bear will die on its own after its mana runs out.

    But we can''t have that! What about my experience points? You won''t take them away from me!

    But one thing is interesting, the bear learns, slowly but surely. So, I keep showing him how I handle the kic energy my heart creates, and it tries to copy me. I sit there and observe it all.

    It''s all very interesting. The bear, maybe because it''s created by the system, maybe because it''s undead, or maybe because it''s an animal, continues to try to handle kic energy in a much different way. So, I continue to watch it.

    Oh! This one was nice. I like the way it lets the energy vibrate its bones, then absorbs a tiny bit of that energy. It feels a bit more high frequency than the one generated by my heart. Good job, undead Winnie! Try it again!

    But he fails, and his body gets torn apart. The monster opens its mouth even wider and ms them shut, sending a vibrating wave of kic energy into its surroundings.

    I absorb it, mold it, and shoot it high in the air.

    Why was I even scared before? The monster is weak; its only strong point is its high defense, and it made a terrible mistake.

    You tried to copy the wrong thing! My<em> Kic Mana Heart</em> is not something a chump like you can handle.

    Hehe.

    Finally, Kim and the twinse from behind me, all having bags filled to the brim with water. They move extremely carefully and pause for a second, their gazes on the corpses of two one-question-mark wolves.

    Well, what remains of them.

    ¡°Did you kill them?¡± Kim points at the wolves, and I see that once again, he is getting into a bad mood. The kid is stillparing himself to me.

    That''s dumb. I''m not exactly normal, so don''t do that.

    ¡°They were weak,¡± a few concentrated sts of kic energy were enough to deal with them.

    ¡°Your hand¡­¡± Kim says out of nowhere, and the twins look at each other.

    ¡°It''s fine, nothing to worry about. Oh, and you, two little jerks. I can feel you talk behind my back. I feel your connection. If you want to talk, say it out loud, okay?¡±

    That makes them instantly shut up, and the connection between them cuts off.

    The bear fails again, and a massive wave of kic energy explodes from him at the epicenter, destroying thend around him and deepening the crater he is in. When it reaches me, I absorb it, and not even the trio behind me gets affected.

    Now then, the system offered me a passive skill:

    Passive Skill: Energy Channeling (Rare)<em> - The user has mastered the art of channeling various energies into their mana-infused weapons or constructs, achieving a seamless integration of different energy types.</em>

    It''s something I have already tried before, but now I can try a bit harder with my <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience</em> allowing me to push my body further and handle a little bit of misuse.

    A sword appears in my hand, and I transfer the kic energy into thermal, then try to infuse it into the sword instead of shooting it outside of my body. Carefully, I consolidate both parts of<strong> [Focus]</strong> and put it all into this task. I slowly move it outside of the body, then through the handle and towards the de.

    Oh, it almost broke; let''s change the mana a bit, make it denser. Leave some space for thermal energy.

    Good!

    Oh, it almost exploded. Better put it more under control.

    The bear shoots another wave of kic energy and I absorb it and shoot back. A thin cone of energy piercing touches its chest and obliterates its heart only for it to be restored by green me-like mana.

    I put my<strong> [Focus]</strong> back on thermal energy and lead it a bit more carefully. Then when the de explodes after a small mistake, I absorb the thermal energy of the explosion and, after reforming the de, I continue to try to fill it again.

    Kim says something but I can''t hear him as I delve deeper into what I''m trying to do. Putting my entire <strong>[Focus]</strong> makes it feel as if the world around me has slowed down and I watch it with my entire being.

    Then, as if by a snap of a finger, Ie to a realization and change the way I do it a even more. I use <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> as a inspiration but make slight modifications to it, then I switch from thermal to kic energy.

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 26 > Redistribution - lvl 27]</strong>

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 27 > Redistribution - lvl 28]</strong>

    Yeah, who needs passives offered by the system anyway?

    Now then, what about this? I sh the sword against the tree that is some distance away from me and release the kic energy and the tree gets shed diagonally, the cut being extremely clean.

    Well, that''s disappointing. I could do something simr with <strong>[Oscition]</strong>. I reform the sword into a javelin and fill it with kic energy and throw it at the bear. The moment the javelin hits the bear, a thin cone of kic energy shoots at the point of contact, piercing the bear and allowing the javelin to dig deeper.

    That''s it? A little bit more piercing damage? I could do that by boosting the javelin more or not even bothering with that and shooting kic energy directly. It wouldn''t be as concentrated but it would do a lot of damage.

    ¡°Nat, are you sure it''s fine to attack it like this?¡± Finally, I hear Kim and it reminds me that we need to get back with the water.

    ¡°You guys go back, I''ll join you soon. Oh, and a moment, Kim, how would you fight this bear?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn''t? I would run away.¡±

    Smart guy.

    ¡°If you had to?¡± I ask and he pauses.

    ¡°I would try to destroy its head and heart at the same time. Stuff like that often happen in games.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°I''ll go then, okay?¡± He nces at me while leaving.

    ¡°Good job with the boar, I watched how you guys killed it.¡± I say before they leave and then turn back to the boar, unable to look at Kim much longer.

    I did watch them the entire time, and Kim better not think I didn''t notice him trying to copy me. What is he? A cosyer?

    But they did well, the three of them against a boar that seemed to be only a bit over or under level one hundred.

    Kim slowed it down with his <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong>, the twins continued to confuse it with their skill, and then they slowly destroyed the monster, piece by piece. The poor boar only showed some lightning attack that Tess wouldugh at, and then the trio easily dodged, fighting like matadors dealing with a bull.

    What I said to Kim was just a simplepliment, so why was he so damn happy?

    Oh boy, it''s so bad. I''m d I decided not to go with this passive. The idea of infusing thermal or kic energy into my weapons sounds good but they all pale inparison to my tricolored projectiles that remind me of mini-nukes.

    If my projectiles were weaker I think I would be happy. Long-range projectile infused with thermal energy for some extra damage? Sounds good!

    Projectile with extra piercing power. Very nice.

    While bombarding the bear for a bit longer, I came up with a few ideas that could be super interesting to use, but are currently way out of my reach.

    What if I infuse my projectiles with kic energy and make it so this kic energy activates once in a while, boosting the projectile. With a bit of work and some marking on my target that would allow the projectile to follow, I could be able to make homed projectiles.

    I could also infuse kic energy into my armor, making it explode towards my attacker if I get hit. I think some tanks have it, it''s called Reactive Armor or something like that. Or I can use it to do a simr effect to<strong> [Oscition]</strong>.

    For thermal maybe I can create a mana orb that would constantly radiate some heat and heat up the room while I sleep or I''m not there? I could set stuff on fire from a long distance? me sword? me armor?

    I''ll have to think a bit more. Overall, it''s not terrible but it''s also far from good. The best thing about it is that it will allow me to infuse energies I get in the future and that might work better with my mana projectiles.

    Well, now back to Undead Winnie. Even after such a long time, the bear wasn''t able to control kic energy and I can feel his mana reserves dwindling, so I just try MY new idea.

    I''ll try to destroy its head and heart at the same time!

    Yup, that''s quite a good idea I say. I might be a genius or something.

    So I shoot two orbs, one passes through the bear''s eye socket and into its brain and the other one hits its chest. Tricolored mana explodes and implodes as many times before while I watch from the distance and the nearly manaless bear finally dies.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Undead Bear - lvl 158]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 109 > Lvl 111]</strong>

    That was kind of underwhelming. Let that be a lesson for all the monsters not to try to copy me!

    After I invest my stats I glimpse at them. Not bad at all.

    <strong>Lvl 111 </strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong>33

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong>31

    <strong>Constitution: </strong>92

    <strong>Mana: </strong>327

    Before leaving I also fill my bag with water and wash my face and entire head in it. I can''t even exin how refreshing it all feels. I also take a small sip and decide to wait a bit longer to see if it''s safe. Tess will surely tell others to do the same. We will see how well the water will do in this world under the <em>Decay</em>.

    After climbing the wall I pass by a few houses and enter the one I remembered. The one where I left my cut-off left arm. The arm is gone and instead of it, there is a <em>Peacemaker</em>. But there is one huge difference from the defensive item from before.

    This one is totally made from my flesh and bones. The item doesn''t radiate any mana I could perceive, yet I can feel an edge of mana circuits that are soplicated it makes my head spin just to try to perceive the tiniest part of them.

    When I try to inspect it, no text appears, and the item just lies there, looking extremely creepy.

    Should I burn it?

    The item moves as if it''s breathing, and I notice veins and short hair on its surface as it pulsates.

    I totally should burn it.

 Chapter 148: Imprint

    Chapter 148: Imprint

    I did have my suspicions, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I did hope it won''t be like this.

    Obviously, I ended up being right.

    "How much do you know?" First, I need to find out how much she knows, and how much she is under the influence of the system.

    "Little pup, I''m <em>Absolute</em> of my. Obviously, I know a lot," she answers once again. This time I observe it a bit more and find out how terrifyingly difficult what she does is. She uses the tiniest amount of mana to vibrate the air to create soundwaves; she is even skilled enough to make them mimic her original voice.

    Who the heck would even bother with that?

    "System, tutorial, second floor, floor quests, third floor, repeat that."

    "I do not appreciate your tone," she says before continuing, "System, tutorial, second floor, floor quests, third floor," she just repeats it all.

    Oh boy, this is getting fun. I move closer and sit in front of the thing that used to be my left hand. Just from a few sentences we exchanged I notice that she is a bit different from the Lissandra I knew. How to say it, her personality is a bit off?

    "Could you exin it to me?" I say.

    "I could, but first, I have to say that I''m quite disappointed by your usage of mana, little pup. I find it really inadequate."

    "I find yourck of an actual body more inadequate."

    "..."

    "Go on, try to poke me again, granny, you are not so scary any¡­"

    Before I finish, a small pulse of mana can be felt from the fleshy item on the ground. The amount is so ridiculously small that I almost do not bother defending against it. It just feels like someone blowing a little bit of air from their nose. That''s how minuscule the amount is.

    Yet, I do remember who Lissandra was and send disruptive mana at it, even creating a shield in front of it.

    The whiff of mana sent at me then absorbs the disruptive mana and reflects it at me. That mana then proceeds to delete my shield from existence and engulfs my entire body, totally breaking my hold over my mana. Then it hits me, sending sharp pain through my entire body.

    It''s as if someone kicked my crotch, just the pain repeating all over the entirety of my body. The pain disappears as quickly as it came, but the feeling lingers behind.

    "My usage of mana is trash," I groan quietly.

    The item lets out something resembling augh, and Lissandra continues, "You were always fun to observe, little pup."

    The Lissandra I knew on the second floor is dead, like actually dead, and the thing in front of me is something more akin to a fingerprint or imprint, as it calls itself.

    So yeah, she did try to transfer her mind to me during herst moments but wasn''t able to do so; the system is just set up that way. It doesn''t want natives of the floor to mess with our minds. Destroying out minds is fine, taking over them is a no-no.

    So she came up with a n after being unable to escape from under the influence of the system. She left her imprint, the fingerprint of her mind inside the <em>Peacemaker</em> she gave me and set it up to try to infuse me when the item breaks.

    She did hope I would observe her as long as possible, in hopes that her <strong>[Singrity]</strong> might disrupt the system a bit, she also threw the <em>Peacemaker</em> in a way that I would use my left hand to grab it. All for a tiny chance that the hand created within the tutorial might help with all of this.

    The entire n then relied on me staying as long as possible and the <em>Peacemaker </em>breaking on the second floor, as she is sure passing through the portal would wipe out her imprint from the item.

    And yes, the woman partially knew about the system, before the end she learned a bit about it without letting it know. She did it all under the influence of the system that kept messing with her head.

    The woman is a monster, absolute and terrifying. Even as a copy, a much weaker version of her original self, she was able to mess with the system and show it a massive middle finger.

    So in the end her n did work and did not work. It did work because she was able to leave her imprint on the palm of my left hand, bearing a tiny amount of her mana.

    The problem, for her, not for me, is that she wasn''t able to leave my left hand and rewrite my mind. She also wasn''t able to absorb my mana to slowly restore herself either.

    She says it without hesitation, easily revealing that she would have deleted my mind and reced it with hers if she could''ve.

    Probably thanks to the system still somehow limiting her or imprint being imperfect, she is unable to do so and unable to get more mana, having to rely on the tiny amount she has now.

    "So how did you even listen up until now?"

    "I simply tranted vibrations as you talked into words, and I often used a small amount of mana to observe a bit more. It''s all basics."

    Only someone like her could call things like this basics.

    "Should I burn you? I don''t think you can do much more than cause me some pain. The system won''t allow you to rewrite my mind. Plus if you use up all of your mana, you will disappear."

    "Both of us know you won''t do that."

    The storm already starts to rage outside. Strong wind, ever-reaching mist, and it''s dark inside. Yet I don''t care and continue to observe the thing in front of me. How much I can learn from being like her? How dangerous it even is to keep this thing near me.

    ¡°Now then, shall we make a deal?¡± she says.

    I move even closer and infuse one of my orbs with thermal energy, making it glow and radiate heat while it floats in the air, creating flickering shadows as the house I''m in continues to creak under the strong wind.

    ¡°It is most likely impossible for me to get a new body or continue to exist after I spend all the mana within the imprint. The system won''t allow that. So, little pup, to make it worth your time I''ll teach you and I will help you fix some of your terrible habits. Just enough to strengthen you a bit and share some knowledge, but not so much that it makes things too easy for you. Doing so would hinder your growth,¡± she pauses and then continues, "and for that, I want a simple thing."

    This time even though its voice is made only with the help of mana, I can hear deep anger and hate in it.

    ¡°I''ll give you coordinates of my world, of a most likely dead world where only I''m still alive. When you are strong enough, you will get there and pass to me the message I will leave you.¡±

    Even though the item contains only a tiny amount of mana, I can almost feel the terrifying pressure of someone strong enough to be called <em>Absolute</em>. Being way beyond any logic and someone even the system was unable to replicate or contain fully.

    "And then, when the original me learns that this cheeky system dared to copy her, she will go and find it,¡± her words are full of despise, ¡°And when she finds the system or being responsible behind it, she will fuck it up.¡±

    I''m not going to lie, Lissandra is scary, like goddamn. Who creates a copy of her consciousness just to try to screw over someone who pissed her off and dared to use her for the tutorial. Talk about holding a grudge.

    I would totally do the same.

    The thing is that I believe that she might just try to do that. The second floor showed us the end of her world, which was caused by the Mind Mage Emperor manipting Champion Tristan into sacrificing his life and using <strong>[Dawn]. </strong>I believe she would survive that if that''s how her word ended.

    It doesn''t matter if everyone on the died or if the system copied it thousands of years ago. I''m sure she would still be alive.

    ¡°First, we will do something about your body. From watching you, I understand how you like to go about things, but to be honest, it''s inadequate. Having mana keep threatening your own body is good, but it stops being funny when you keep getting wrecked by it.¡±

    Oi, there is no need to be such a douche about that.

    ¡°Putting stats into mana is good, it''s just amazing that you didn''t use it to temper your body actively and only let the passive strain of your mana temper it.¡±

    Temper what? Active tempering? Passive tempering? Why does it all sound so interesting?

    ¡°You have to talk, I won''t be wasting my mana just because it''s bothersome for you to open your mouth.¡±

    Ouch, that did sting a little.

    ¡°Tell me more about active tempering,¡± I say.

    ¡°I still dislike your tone, even now it somewhat pisses me off. Your eyes were the same,¡± even as she is saying it, I can hear a hint of amusement in her words, ¡°That''s what made it so fun to watch. But enough nonsense, there are multiple ways to go about it, but the easiest would be to do what you were doing up until now, just more actively.¡±

    Why do I have a feeling that this is going to hurt?

    ¡°There is no need to wait. We can start right away. We will use the thing you created around your heart to send strong waves of kic energy through your body and pummel it until it either breaks or bes stronger.¡±

    I knew it.

 Chapter 149: Active tempering

    Chapter 149: Active tempering

    Lissandra is built differently, oh, I don''t mean her current state she is in right now. Nope, the woman shares with me multiple ways to manipte my mana to be able to go through what she called active tempering.

    I don''t understand at all.

    She continues to dumb it down more and more to the point where sheins that even animals could do it.

    I won''t refute that. I know multiple deer, bears, and one corgi that would totally be able to do that. I''ve long known that the most dangerous mages will be from the zoo.

    Lissandra then tries to exin and I can hear her getting more and more annoyed. I would expect her to be a lot more patient, being as old as she is and as powerful, but she has absolutely no patience with her students.

    She is impossibly powerful and talented beyond belief so for her something like moving mana on a subatomic level sounds like basics.

    ¡°Okay, I''ll dumb it down even more, little pup. You will activate the thing you call <em>Kic Mana Heart</em>, then you need to use the thing you call <em>Mana Regtor</em> to feed it as much mana as you can handle. After that I want you to weaken your passive skill otherwise it will weaken the effect of tempering. First, we will temper your body with kic energy. You will have to change output a bit, frequency should be like,¡± she says some mumbo jumbo difficult terms I do not understand, ¡°Then you will use different frequency on your bones, but at the same time you have to temper your muscles too, also with different frequency.¡±

    It all sounds reasonable and the results she promises are all amazing. Nothing too excessive for first active tempering, but I can continue to improve on it.

    ¡°You will have to keep infusing your body with your mana, but not as you usually do. That''s what amateurs do, you need to be more precise and not just throw it around uselessly. You are wasting so much of it.¡±

    It''s all good, but damn, somehow she pisses me off. Is it because we are so simr?

    ¡°Your tone pisses me off,¡± I say out loud.

    Short silence.

    ¡°Would you say that to me when I had my body?¡± she asks, annoyance clear in her voice.

    ¡°No, you would beat me up.¡±

    ¡°... I would.¡±

    It takes half a night and enough testing to make my head spin, but I''ve somewhat taken a grasp of that and we will try it on my arm first before going at it with my entire body.

    So now, I''m taking a short break to rx and calm down before we get to it. All while the air still rages outside and the room continues to be lit with a mana orb filled with thermal energy that I made a bit bigger.

    From past experience, I know that there are barely any monsters so close to the wall, even during the night we didn''t meet any so the entire process shouldn''t be interrupted.

    ¡°Why are you so slow? Move your mana faster.¡±

    Yeah, the mighty<em> used-to-be-absolute-but-is-now-creepy-brooch-made-from-flesh-and-bones</em> continues toin.

    ¡°Again, you are controlling it like a kid doing its first mana exercises. Be more delicate and do not waste so much of it.¡±

    Are all the geniuses like this? Is it because she is a grumpy old grandma? Actually, is she even a grandma? Ruby was close to one hundred and she did look barely over twenty. Could even Lissandra look to be twenty years old if she wanted to?

    ¡°Actually, I might even have seen kids better at handling mana than you,¡± the brooch made of flesh and bones continues.

    Is she not going to stop? I''m staying quiet in hopes that she will stop, but unsessfully.

    ¡°This is better, now make it a bit more dense and even. You can start sending kic energy through your body, do not forget about the frequency."

    How could I when you keep <em>reminding</em> me every five seconds?!

    ¡°You are thinking something rude, aren''t you?¡±

    ¡°Your personality seems to be different from yourself I met on the second floor,¡± I say and I mean it. This version of Lissandra, the imprint as she calls it seems to be a bit more talkative and less dignified.

    ¡°That much is to be expected, it was the first time for me to create an imprint of my mind,¡± Lissandra answers.

    "What?¡°

    "I knew only a bit of theory and logic behind it, it''s not like I had any want or need to duplicate my mind before.¡±

    That monster. The imprint she did leave on peacemaker and that got transferred to the palm of my hand is so delicate, infinite amount of thin mana circuits. Working with a tiny amount of mana, yet was able to copy her thinking and keep so much of her skill. A skill so close to creation.

    And no matter how hard I try I can''t get to observe it properly. Even when I perceive the tiniest edge of the imprint my head starts hurting in between my eyes.

    ¡°But, now focus or you will lose your arm again. From what I heard it''s something you are used to at this point, but it''s kind of pathetic.¡±

    She also really knows where to hit to make it hurt.

    I breathe in and filter out the noises from outside after checking my stats one more time.

    <strong>Lvl 111</strong>

    <strong>Strength: </strong>33

    <strong>Dexterity: </strong>31

    <strong>Constitution:</strong><em>92</em>

    <strong>Mana: </strong>327

    <strong>[Focus]</strong> activates and I consolidate it through the newest upgrade and the world bes ck and white, even feeling as if the time somehow slows down. Lissandra says something but I don''t listen to her anymore.

    From this point, it''s up to me.

    I calm my beating heart and then set <em>Mana Regtor</em> to 20 percent and start sending kic energy through my body.

    While my heart beats audibly and the energy flows through me, I move my mana in the way Lissandra showed me and start sending it everywhere. I infuse my bones and muscles, I infuse my ligaments and nervous system, and my veins. As always when I focus a lot, my head starts hurting and I hear ringing in my ears that also quickly gets ignored by my<strong> [Focus]</strong>.

    Taking another deep breath, I release that energy tentatively into our surroundings. I change the frequency beforehand and unlike when I''m normally using it, the waves are smaller and the noise it makes is more pitched.

    That seems good so far.

    In the next step, I weaken my newest passive that helps me to endure strain on my body. Then I also turn off the <em>Reinforcement construct</em> and make sure I''m not using <em>Symbiotic Transference</em>. Lissandra, after observing me for a bit, said that setting my Mana Regtor to 20 percent of the output of <em>Kic Mana Heart</em> should be fine and that I should try to temper only my left hand to get used to it.

    But, how about 30 percent?

    My regtor setting changes and thirty percent of my mana starts flowing into the <em>Kic Mana Heart</em>, sending waves of kic energy through a nearly as weak as possible body.

    Left arm? How about if I try it on my entire body? I delve deeper and the voice of Lissandra gets filtered out as well as the wind outside and the creaking of the house.

    Right now, only me and my body exist.

    Deep breath in. Hold. Deep breath out.

    Let''s go with 40 percent.

    I change the regtor once again and focus on infusing my body with mana in ways I just learned, while also grabbing hold of kic energy and collecting it in my body, which starts to react to the pressure much stronger now that I''m not strengthened by reinforcement and the passive is weakened.

    As soon as I feel my body is infused properly, I grab hold of the kic energy and start sending it, this time not out of my body, but through my body. I adjust the kic energy slightly and also alter its frequency.

    Immediately, I feel as if someone started pummeling my body with a massive hammer while shaking it impossibly quickly. It''s getting hard to focus, and the pain feels omnipresent and constant, and I get bruised even in the parts where I feel I''m doing it perfectly. The energy just continues to pummel, to temper my body, putting a lot of strain on it. Only thanks to my body being properly infused with mana and thanks to the special frequency of kic energy, my body absorbs some strain so I do not get torn apart. Yet, it hurts, it hurts so much.

    I keep getting more and more wounds every time I lose my focus even for a split second, but I force myself and continue.

    A minute passes.

    Two minutes.

    Three minutes.

    One of my eyes explodes because of me losing my focus and the frequency of the thread of kic energy changes for a second.

    Four minutes.

    Five minutes.

    Lissandra said five minutes is a good start and the maximum I should do on my first try.

    Six minutes.

    Seven minutes.

    Another wound that feels somewhat serious, but I continue.

    Eight minutes.

    I change the setting on my <em>Mana Regtor</em> again, but this time I''m not even sure to what percentage. The world for me bes just my body and two energies I have to handle - the kic energy that can kill me at any second and the mana that I use to infuse my body with.

    At some point, I notice some imperfections and change the frequency a bit, and use a bit less mana to infuse my body.

    The pain strengthens but the efficiency improves.

    Good.

    Then, who knows how muchter, I stop. Right after, I set up my regtor again and at the same time turn back on <em>Reinforcement</em> and the passive, as well as start to strengthen my body with <em>Symbiotic Transference</em>.

    I open my eyes... my single eye, and turn it to the fleshy brooch still lying there, on the ground in front of me.

    This time Lissandra doesn''t say anything.

 Chapter 159: Official challenge

    Chapter 159: Official challenge

    It''s such a nice day, even this fleshy abomination on the floor won''t ruin my mood. My mana doubled. The weather is as nice as it can be here on the third floor, and that improves my mood slightly. My mana doubled. I survived the first phase, floor, sorting test, or whatever of Beyond. My mana doubled. Thanks to that, my stats went up quite nicely.

    I also improved my skills a lot, dealt with a few people, and gave Tess a gift. My mana doubled.

    Did I forget something?

    Oh yeah, my mana doubled!

    Like, what the heck? It feels illegal. I am a measly level 123, and I know for sure that Lissandra, the person able to destroy an entire, was well over level 450, maybe closer to thousand? Who knows! It just feels super illegal to have an attribute upgrade that doubles my stat.

    I love it, obviously, even though it threatens to tear apart my body. The system just wants me to put stat points into inferior stats such as constitution. Pff, what bullshit.

    Anyways, send help.

    This is dangerous, isn''t it? The increase is too quick and out of nowhere, and it makes my mana 6 times higher than constitution. That''s 6.4 mana to 1 constitution. Most of the mages around my level I met up until now barely went for 3:1.

    So, why am I so happy? Is there something wrong with me? Why am I getting excited and drunk on all of this power? Maybe I''m not that normal?

    It just can''t be! Surely, I''m the most normal out of our group, right?

    <em>Reinforcement</em> and <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience</em>, please hold on. I will have to rely on you once again, just for a bit. Damn, it would be kind of really bad if I didn''t pick <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience </em>as my passive.

    I have already tried<em> Mana Regtor</em>, but as expected, it doesn''t work on that. The thing only regtes the amount of mana the kic heart is getting.

    Another round of Active Tempering maybe? That doesn''t sound like a good idea. I am still getting used to my expanded mana pool, and attempting to use it to temper my body could result in unfortunate consequences¡ªby "unfortunate," I mean actively untempering my body out of existence.

    ¡°Natssandra, any ideas?¡±

    ¡°How did you call me?¡± the fleshy brooch asks threateningly.

    ¡°Lissthaniel, finally ept it, your imprint is imperfect and somehow you ended up affected by my personality. Real-fake-Lissandra would tear me apart multiple times already and wouldn''t act so¡­ inelegantly.¡± She was a psycho, but a formidable one.

    ¡°It was the first time I have ever tried to create an imprint. Some¡­ imperfections¡­ are to be expected. But little pup, I really dislike the tone you are using while talking to me.¡±

    ¡°I dislike that you killed Ruby, I dislike you throwing me into tunnels, so get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Little pup, did you seriously get attached to that fake? Ruby was just a shadow of her real self that is most likely dead for millennia. She would disappear the moment all of you left. Her dying by my hand is mercy inparison to her just disappearing.¡±

    Again, she and her twisted logic. Yes, there is some truth to that, but I don''t have to like it.

    ¡°This tutorial, this ce. Nothing here is real. So do not let emotions get in your way. Kill who you need to kill, use people, throw them away. Steal, pige, cheat. Get as strong as possible. That''s what you should be doing. Without a speck of regret and without any hesitation.¡±

    For a moment, depressing silence fills the room.

    ¡°Do not let useless emotions get in your way,¡± the brooch finishes, and this time I don''t know if it''s the part that is Lissandra talking or the part that is affected by me.

    ¡°What I do will be decided by me and me only. But enough of that. Any ideas on how to deal with high mana, low constitution?¡± I answer her.

    It takes just a moment, but I feel a single thin thread of mana reach towards me, touch me, and disappear, and that''s all it takes for her to get enough information.

    ¡°Usually I would rmend slowly increasing your mana, but right now it''s toote for that. Looking at your level of mana mastery, there are three options: <em>Mana Venting, Mana Cycling</em>, and <em>Harmonic Resonance</em>.¡± Lissandra then pauses for a moment, ¡°<em>Mana Cycling</em> might be the right one for you.¡±

    I then sit there quietly and listen to her exnations, once again feeling like cheating. As if other people are ying a game normally, and I''m reading advanced guides.

    But hey, I will take whatever I can. Looking at the rewards I got, I think the next time I enter Beyond, it will be much more dangerous. Also, it''s not like Hell became easy immediately. As before, there are always easier ways to clear a floor, and then there are some harder ones that are more rewarding when ites to levels. I don''t even have to mention which ones I prefer.

    Anyways, <em>Mana Cycling</em>, to dumb it down, I just need to cycle mana through my body.

    But that sounds too easy! Some people might think, and I would totally agree with them. Mana already flows through my body, and well, isn''t that the problem? How would more mana flowing through my body help?

    Well, as Natssandra says, control is key. Right now, mana is flowing inside me like a river - after the increase, and I have to control it, tame it if you will.

    The main problem is that my mana is higher than my body can handle and I keep on going only because quite a big chunk of my mana gets taken away by <em>Reinforcement</em> and the rest is used through my newest passive to strengthen it. I me the inferior constitution stat, which always holds me down.

    But yeah, with <em>Mana Cycling</em>, I would regte that flow, slow down my heartbeat, and throttle some mana.

    Another step would be finding the best route through my body and guiding mana through stronger pathways.

    Cycling mana through my body on my own would also increase the efficiency of <em>passive tempering</em>, and together with infusing my body with mana, it would make my body stronger faster.

    So yeah, on the surface, <em>Mana Cycling</em> might just look like letting mana flow. But really, it''s about taking control, guiding the flow, training my body, and managing the pressure. Not just letting mana flow however it wants, but doing it on my own. It''s something I instinctively did on my own, but this will take it a step further.

    It requires a lot of work. I need to have some part of my mind cycle that mana to the point where I get used to it so much it bes as easy as breathing.

    Another and the most annoying part is learning about mana pathways and a bit of their anatomy.

    The heck? That feels like studying? Even in a hellish tutorial, I''m not safe, and I thought I was done with it after finishing school.

    Many hourster, I leave and Lissaniel stays behind. I still refuse to touch that thing so it stays on the floor of the house.

    After returning to the hideout, I just lie down and stare at the ceiling.

    Should I just give up? A little bit of mana running through my body can''t be that bad; I''m used to worse, right?

    Damn it, I hate studying, and even more when Lissandra is so goddamn annoying. I never met a teacher like her. "No, you can''t move your mana like this. Why didn''t you remember this pathway? I''ve seen animals with better mana control. Your control is trash."

    The more I talk with her, the more I separate my image from her from the Lissandra I saw destroy the world. This Lissandra, made from my hand, is just not her, even if she bears some simrities and knowledge.

    Now that I think about it, since she took something after me, isn''t that telling a bit? Me being so annoyed by her personality¡­ such self-disses are quite rare.

    As always, when I''m in such a mood, Biscuites running. This time not even using mana arms. He just wobbles on his short legs, woofs at me, and puts his head on my chest.

    Such a good boy.

    I start petting him immediately, and he closes his eyes, and his tail slowly moves from side to side.

    Should I have Biscuit eat Lissthaniel? Knowing the doggo, he might absorb all her skills and knowledge to rise up as the first absolute from the earth.

    "..."

    Okay, that is too scary; let''s not do that.

    In revenge for making me think such scary thoughts, I pull his cheek, still keeping some part of my mind focused on dealing with my mana and awkwardly trying to cycle it.

    While I''mying down, another little body sneaks closer, lies next to me, puts her small head on my chest, and snuggles closer.

    "What are you doing, Isabe?" I ask.

    "I had a fight with Sophie," the little girl says, her mouth pouting.

    Oh my, she is using her full name instead of "Soph"; it must be serious. Still, it''s not my problem, so I just stay quiet.

    "You''re not going to ask me why?" Isabeins.

    "No," I answer simply. Knowing her, I''m sure she will tell me anyways. I spent enough time with her on the third floor to know that.

    "I keep telling her to go and be friends with you, but she keeps refusing." she says.

    As I thought, and what the heck, Izzy?

    "You are strong, so we will be safer if we be friends." Isabe continues.

    That''s so shameless. Then, even without me answering, little Isabe continues to talk. I don''t even have to talk, and she just reads my mood or emotions or whatever she does and reacts to that. It''s something I got used to, and even though it''s a bit annoying that she can read me, it''s not that bad because it''s a little girl that holds such ability.

    "It''s not like we would bring you nothing! We would be friends, so we could help you. Sophie is strong, and so am I!" Isabe defends her idea.

    I pet Biscuit and still don''t say anything, just letting her read me.

    "We are not as strong as you, but... but..." she quiets down, and her eyes be a bit wet, the little girl seemingly close to crying.

    But I know her! She is too devious; I know crocodile tears when I see them!

    Getting a read on my reaction, she just sighs and stands up quickly.

    Her tears are gone as if they never existed, and the little aspiring actress just points at me, "You will be friends with Sophie!" she stomps her small leg and then points at Biscuit, "And I will take the doggo from you!" she stomps again, and this time I notice she is even more serious.

    The little girl then turns around and rushes back to her sister.

    So that''s it, the great Biscuit war has started. I did receive the official challenge, and now it''s up to me to defend this burrito-like doggo.

    I turn and look at Biscuit, who just continues blinking slowly, unbothered at all. The best doggo of the third floor then yawns, and before he closes his mouth, I put my finger into his mouth, and he bites on it gently as he closes it.

    He blinks again, this time with a hint of surprise.

    You are mine.

 Chapter 164: Time to say goodbye

    Chapter 164: Time to say goodbye

    So, that''s it. The fourth construct is something I would consider a huge sess. The mantle takes around ten percent of my mana, which continues to change through the mana pathways that cover the entirety of my body.

    I can turn it off or on when needed, but I decide to have it permanently running in the background.

    Then there''s the <em>Reinforcement </em>construct that takes thirty percent of my mana. The two constructsbined take quite a nice chunk of my mana, but the effect is a strengthened body and mana that only someone exceedingly powerful can take away from me. In the future, I will upgrade them further and tweak them, but right now, it''s great.

    In a good mood, I stand up and, after thanking Tess for keeping watch, I leave to give a few pointers to Maya and the kids.

    <strong>POV Hadwin Harper</strong>

    It''s already night, and we can hear the wind from behind the white wall. Yet, the ce where we are is nice and quiet, illuminated by multiple orbs that Nathaniel created and filled with some kind of mana fire. Some of them are bigger, and others are a bit smaller, but all of them emit a soft, dark yellow light and even some warmth against the cold air.

    Nathaniel created them in a few seconds, and surprisingly, even after a few hours, they still emit some light and warmth. Weaker, but still present.

    "For example, look at the orbs filled with thermal energy he created," Lissandra, the fleshy brooch on the ground, says. "Do you guys even realize that if he made them even slightly unstable, they would explode after a while and most likely kill a few of you?"

    As many times before, Lissandrains about Nathaniel. It''s weird to hear that. In my eyes, he is exceedingly talented and daring, yet she seems to think it''s not enough.

    I yawn and look around. Others seem to be already sleeping, so I move a bit closer to her to catch some warmth from the orb that''s near her.

    "It''s not like we have much choice but to push and risk it. You might not care, but a few of us have families back on Earth," the brooch listens as I talk, "Mothers, fathers, siblings, friends. They are still there, and if we are right, four rounds of the tutorial have already ended."

    "You said you would be forcefully returned to Earth in five years. Doesn''t that mean the first round was summoned 20 years ago and got out 15 years ago?" Lissandra says, and I know she is mostly polite. She is really smart, so I''m sure she has thought about it much.

    "There are multiple options I could think of why we didn''t notice anything," I yawn and move a bit closer. It''s really cold outside. "The first one is that everyone died and no one got out of the tutorial. This one is a bit weird since there''s an easy difficulty."

    I pause, and Lissandra listens. She is quite polite today, but I don''t mind. It''s a wee change from her grumpy self that slightly reminds me of Nathaniel.

    "Another option is that there is someone policing them, taking all the returners under their control and not allowing them to do anything." I say.

    "As if something like that would be possible," she says.

    "I agree with you. Then there''s also the option that the system has something to do with it even after the tutorial."

    "This one is a bit better, but I can think of more," Lissandra interrupts me, and her voice, the vibrations she creates with a minuscule amount of mana, gets quieter.

    How amazing it is to talk with someone who has lived for hundreds or maybe thousands of years. My only regret is that she seems to be an imperfect imprint of the original from the second floor.

    "Time dtion. All the rounds will end at once, no matter when people enter. The first round could start and end in a few seconds after starting, and the others as well. Meaning all the rounds will get out in a short amount of time." When I want to say something, she doesn''t stop and talks over me, "Yes, I understood that you guys heard about disappearances a few weeks ago already, so another option is that the tutorial summons people every few days and then lets them out all at once."

    "What if everyone returns without their powers, and that''s why nothing happened?" This question worries me the most. Like all of us, I''ve already gotten used to our powers and our bodies that now heal faster, feel stronger, and slowly heal all the imperfections and older wounds.

    I once again feel like a young, energetic man and would have a hard time saying goodbye to that.

    "Power given by the system cannot be taken away by the system." Lissandra''s voice is now even quieter. At the same time, the orb near her starts blinking, and the area where it releases heat bes smaller.

    Weird, Nathaniel''s orbs usually don''t do that.

    So I move closer to catch the head, but still stay careful not to get too close. Nathaniel warned us enough.

    A silence ensues.

    "Is Nathaniel really as talentless as you say?" I ask. It''s something that bothers me a lot. Because if he is talentless, most of us are much worse.

    In the silence, the light from the orb bes even weaker.

    When I reach out to push myself up to stand, thinking that she won''t answer, she says something in a quiet voice, "He is not."

    I pause in my movement and lean a bit closer, wanting to hear the answer more than any of the other questions I asked today

    "He has great talent when ites to mana." Her voice bes even quieter as if responding to the light that also became weaker, "He could be considered one of the greatest talents back on my. Talented enough to be the apprentice of a Champion and maybe even rece him in the future, but that''s it. He would have a hard time getting further with his talent alone."

    The light bes weaker.

    "But that''s only when ites to talent. The little pup... Nathaniel... sometimes he terrifies me. The look in his eyes, the hunger and willingness to push himself to the brink of death. The absolute confidence he has in himself. He will either die young or reach ces we thought were impossible."

    The light blinks and turns off, and I feel something touch my hand and quickly pull it back.

    "But it also inspires me. I long forgot how it feels to put your life on the line and push to the point of breaking apart. I want it, I want to do the same."

    Then the light lights up again, and I nce down. The brooch is still the same and in the same spot, and where I kept my hand, the grass sways under the gentle light.

    I let out a quiet, awkwardugh. What am I, getting scared by some grass touching me?

    Then I ask another question.

    My new construct? Good, very good!

    I had Haddy try to disrupt my mana, and he couldn''t do anything. I didn''t even fight back; I just let my construct work, and Hadwin''s attempts became a whisper in the wind, useless the moment they touched my body.

    Sure, the mana outside of my body can still be affected, but the Mantle doesn''t allow him to reach inside me and stop me from strengthening my body. I even went a bit further back and found an interesting duo of monsters. You know, those two mage hunters ¨C Temr Revenant and Rogue Revenant.

    Those poor guys were literally no match... well, they were super easy to deal with now. Sure, I made itst as long as possible, tearing them apart piece by piece, which helped me soften some bad memories I have of them hunting me for hours - all while I barely kept my body from breaking apart.

    Ah, good old times.

    Anyway, the Temr Revenant''s disruptive skill didn''t do anything. Nothing at all. I let him hit me multiple times. He was only able to disrupt some external mana, but anything beneath my skin wasn''t affected at all.

    It made me happy, almost as happy as kicking his severed head around. This will surely be one of my fondest memories.

    I then spent a few more days giving pointers to others. Maya may seem reluctant at first, but when you push her hard enough, she follows through. I''ve realized that she''s someone who needs someone else to follow to make decisions for her. Probably so she can me anything wrong that happens on that person instead of having to deal with it herself.

    That''s why she so quickly joined Sophie, that''s why it was so easy for Tess to deal with her when we got split on the second floor, and that''s why I see some relief in her eyes when I tell her what to do.

    The scary part is how thoughtfully she is following through. After some resistance, she just goes with it and even improves on the process, taking it a step further.

    In the end, it''s interesting to watch her <strong>[Focus]</strong> and see her calm gaze that takes in all the information and logically processes it before acting and improving on it.

    Up until now, I thought that some members of Group 4 were weaker than others, with Tess, Sophie, and I probably being the strongest, and Lily showing massive potential. But I''ve changed my mind now. I think it''s more that they didn''t have an opportunity to shine and grow.

    So, here''s a question: Should I focus on my own growth or help them a bit more? Arger group of capable people can be valuable, and if they be stronger, there are things I could learn from them. On the other hand, there''s a question of whether learning from them would give me more than training on my own would.

    It''s annoying to decide right away so I will keep doing what I do now and I''ll see how it goes and deal with itter. It''s another problem for future Nathaniel. Screw that weirdo.

    Ie back to reality and cut off my thoughts, turning my attention back to Lissandra on the ground. In the past few days, I did gather as much information from her as possible, along with some methods I n to use in the future. Still, I try not to follow it all. I''ll create my own way and gain my own strength. I won''t mindlessly follow in her footsteps.

    Lissandra teaches a thing or two to almost everyone in the group while sharing some interesting information they were curious about.

    Now then, I should burn her before we move to the blue wall. Taking this thing closer to the highly regenerative aura of the Saint doesn''t sound like a good idea. Not at all. I''m sure that if she gets there, she will be able to restore her body somehow and I don''t trust her enough to allow her to do that.

    "I think it''s time for you to give me coordinates and say goodbye," I tell the brooch.

 Chapter 172: The last king

    Chapter 172: Thest king

    The third andst warrior we meet inside the tower is a woman called Nylian. A tall redhead with a sharp look in her eyes. She also wears simr armor to the other two but it''s bracketed on her left arm that is connected to somewhere in the middle of the tower.

    In silence, we walk through the hallway, our steps echoing around the hall. Walls on each side are painted with beautiful sceneries of mountains, forests, orkes, and are lit by lights at the ceiling that have a shine that lights the hallway in a light that reminds of daylight.

    We reach something that I quickly identify as an elevator and step in, only for the elevator to stop moving upwards, slowly but without any shake. It''s to the point it almost feels as if the world around us is sinking down.

    Out of nowhere, Edwal giggles but quickly stops. The other two ignore it as if it''s something they''ve gotten used to.

    ¡°How long do you think they willst?¡± the tall man called Aias asks redhead Nylian.

    The woman looks all over and even sends some mana toward us, ¡°Few hundred years? The one with differently colored eyes will probablyst much longer, I know his type.¡± She then shrugs her shoulders.

    <strong>[Ethereal Battlemage - lvl ??]</strong>

    ¡°Nylian, that''s quite rude to say in front of our guests,¡± Edwal keeps smiling and turns to me, ¡°Apologize, my colleague, Nathaniel. She can be quite rude sometimes, however, she is a great servant of the king.¡±

    ¡°I guess, sorry for that. It''s hard to keep my act together after all this time so I tend to slip up,¡± surprisingly the redhead apologizes with a sigh.

    Then the tall man moves a bit closer, ¡°It''s all up to the king how we deal with them. If he says so we will kill them. If he decides to keep them we can befriend them afterward. It''s useless to do anything right now.¡±

    <strong>[Steel Sentinel - lvl ??]</strong>

    ¡°I personally hope to keep them. They are fun to watch. They spend days going through the city, collecting trinkets,¡± Edwalughs a bit but quickly apologetically waves his hand at us, ¡°Nothing against that, it''s just that I find it funny, that''s all.¡±

    ¡°Edwal, when was thest time you slept?¡± there is a hint of worry in Nylian¡äs voice. The woman''s face even shows something I could describe as pity.

    ¡°You know I don''t like to sleep, Nyl,¡± At that moment Edwal looks somewhat sad but then he quickly smiles, ¡°Let''s not talk about such things in front of our guests, there is no need to worry them with frivolous matters. Anyway, we are almost there.¡± The elevator finally stops and the doors open on their own revealing another hallway.

    Again in silence, we follow the three warriors towards the silver door at the end of the hallway. As before, they also open by themselves and we enter a surprisingly small throne room.

    There is a table made out of white wood in the middle of the room. The top of the table seems to be carved from grayish stone, at the top of the table there is a chair that could be a throne, massive, yet somewhatfortable looking even though all of the luxury.

    Next to the throne, there is a smaller chair of simr style. On the opposite side of the table, there are three more chairs.

    Five chairs, one for the king, another one for his saint, and three for the king''s warriors.

    Five chairs for thest remaining people from the era that started thousands of years ago.

    The king is an ordinary-looking man. He is dressed in casual clothes, of average height and his hair is brown and curly. On top of his head, a simple crown rests, a crown made from silver metal with blue ornaments that is connected to somece in the middle of the tower in a simr way to Edwal''s armor, Nylian''s bracelet, and Aias''s sword are.

    There is also a short sword on the king''s waist, also connected to that ce.

    ¡°We will have to kill them,¡± that''s the first thing the king says. His voice is firm and bears no hesitation, but there is something like a hint of sadness in it.

    His warriors do not even hesitate, as if they practiced it they put their right hands on their chests and bow slightly, ¡°Yes,¡± they say all at once and Edwal adds a question, ¡°Right now, Your Majesty?¡±

    ¡°There is no need to do it right now, we are not savages. We will offer them thest meal and then they can decide if they would like to die on their own or by our hands.¡± The king fully turns to us and his eyes are beautifully green as he looks us up and down.

    <strong>[Harmonic Disperser - lvl ??]</strong>

    ¡°ck-haired girl with healing powers will stay alive,¡± As if that''s all the king turns around.

    The three warriors immediately rece the table with a bigger one and bring in more chairs and start setting up the table while we watch it. I don''t even have to have Isabe''s skill to feel how nervous others are, surrounded by people much more powerful than them and probably insanely hard to kill.

    I told them before, but the healing aura is much stronger for them thanks to the connection their equipment has to that ce in the tower. ce or a person, the Saint.

    "So Miss Saint was the <em>Absolute</em> of your?" I ask as I sit down, and at that moment, everyone freezes. My group, warriors, even the king.

    Yet, I continue, still the only one sitting and already reaching out for sweets on the table, "I think it''s unfortunate that she died," I ignore the king''s aura that starts pushing on me, "You know, I have a really funny theory," I say as the steps sound in the room; it''s the king moving towards where I sit, mana already moving through his body.

    "I will make it quick. Ms. Saint died. Mr. King didn''t want to die yet, so he kept it secret and somehow kept her body alive to keep generating a healing field. Then the <em>Decay</em> appeared, twisted mana that started radiating from her body after her death together with her healing aura. Am I close?" I ask.

    The king stops, and I move my hand, throwing one of the sses off the table. The sound of shattering ss deafeningly resonates in the eerily quiet room, "Oh my bad! Silly me. Anyway, you said we could have dinner before you kill us, right? A king wouldn''t go back on his word, right?"

    I''m calm, so calm it nearly scares me. My body is heating up, my mind is sharp as always when I fight, and my heart is beating wildly. I also feel the intense heat from the orb full of thermal energy that is at the point it''s starting to leak some, and constant heat burns my insides, only to be healed by the regenerative aura of the Saint.

    My hand is not shaking at all when I grab the ss and pour myself some drink from the table.

    The king''s oppressive pressure disappears, and he smiles at me; it''s a gentle, understanding smile as if he is dealing with a silly child, "Obviously, I won''t go back on my word," then he gestures, and with a sh of golden lightning, Edwal appears next to him, pulling out a chair and seating the king.

    Three warriors then start moving around, seating others as well before disappearing outside, probably to prepare some food.

    The king stays alone with us in the room, yet there is no worry at all; he is smiling gently and totally ignoring others, his eyes fixed on me, "Nathaniel, I guess?" he asks, and like everyone else, he doesn''t touch any sweets on the table nor takes any drink, but I guess his reason is different from the remaining members of group 4.

    "Edwal did mention you, and I have to agree with him; you are really something else," the kingughs again. It''s the fakestugh I ever heard; there isn''t even a hint of honesty in it. It''s the learned and thousands of times practicedugh, augh that lost its meaning a long time ago.

    It''s as if a programmed machine does that, not knowing why, but knowing that it shouldugh. The king is the same. An empty shell of the man who once was powerful enough to lead the entire kingdom.

    "So, Nathaniel, it''s as you said. Miss Saint is dead, and she has been dead for a long time, and trust me when I say a long time, it really is a long time," he pauses, and when I do not react, he continues, "You are using the word ''<em>Absolute</em>'' freely, but I can hear in your tone that you do not understand its meaning fully. <em>Absolute</em> is a title that isn''t lightly given and nor should be mentioned flippantly. I would like to say that you will learn about that more in the future, but that''s not the case," He then adjusts his already perfect clothes and slightly shifts his sword and crown on his head.

    "Ms. Saint was such a person. An <em>Absolute</em>. She was thousands of years old before I was even born. Powerful and eternally beautiful," For the first time, his eyes seem a bit alive, yet that hint of life doesn''t reach his face, "You should have seen her back then. I never met a more regal person in my life and never will."

    At that moment, the warriors, Edwal, Nylian, and Aias enter the room, all of them holding silver tes full of food. Even as they barely enter, I can smell the amazing aroma of it all.

    They move nimbly as if they have gotten used to it and serve it all on the table.

    First for the king, who also patiently waits as they do so. They are silent the entire time, and their movements are machine-like.

    For me, all of them look like empty shells pretending to be humans and waiting to die. Minds broken and twisted after thousands of years of near solitude with just the four of them around. Unable or unwilling to befriend surviving natives.

    "One day Miss Saint died. I still don''t know if she took her life or if some old enemy found a way to kill her. Yet even then, her body stayed alive; there were no wounds visible, all healed by her powers. Her heart, her skills keeping her body in perfect state even after her consciousness disappeared." King''s eyes be distant.

    I sit in the middle of the table, and to my right are all of the warriors, with members of group four sitting in between me and thest king.

    "I see her every morning. She lies on her bed, looking as if she is about to wake up at any moment, her heart beating even after she died and radiating all of this beautiful power. At first, after her death, we left her like that; hoping that she would heal. Then, after years of mourning and waiting, my court suggested keeping her body alive so that we and everyone in the city could live longer, as none of us have attained such a level of longevity." The silence that ensues feels full of shame, and the king smiles again, so fakely, "Then the <em>Decay</em> came, and we finally tried to destroy her body, but we were unable to do so. Unsurprisingly, someone hired assassins to kill all the people who might be capable of overpowering her healing or possessing skills at a high enough level to counter it."

    He fills his ss and gestures at me, "But it doesn''t matter now; we won''t ever try to hurt her again. No one other than me will ever look at her. Forever she will be mine, and I will guard her and defend her until she heals her own mind." the king''s eyes shine with a crazy light as he says so, "But now, then, Nathaniel and your friends, let''s start dinner! Thest dinner of your lives, as I promised. And after it''s done, we will kill you."

    "I see," I say. I use <strong>[Resonance]</strong> and dig my hand into my belly and pull out the orb. I lift up my hand with the orb and point it at the three warriors on my right side. Expressions on their faces quickly change from confused to dangerous, yet they move slowly, not worried and relying on their healing they got used to over the millennia. Only Edwal seems to feel the danger.

    I release all the thermal energy I was collecting while reducing the area they affect to make the mes much more concentrated. A ze of golden mes envelops part of the room in front of me and the three warriors, burning and melting everything in its path without even leaving the ash behind.

    <strong>[You have defeated the Ethereal Battlemage - lvl 183]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated the Steel Sentinel - lvl 179]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 124 > Lvl 127]</strong>

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 35 > Redistribution - lvl 36]</strong>

    I then stand up; the orb from my hand is gone, depleted of all thermal energy in a single brilliant st of golden mes.

    "Thanks for the offer, but I''ll pass," I say to the king.

 Chapter 176: System Shop

    Chapter 176: System Shop

    As always, there are no exnations. Just a few sub-sses are offered by the system.

    This will take a bit more thinking. I already have an idea of how the system works at ces, so it should be better than before. Plus, I have some information from Lissandra. I also have told others to wait with their subsses for a bit. I can tell them bits of what I learned. But, I bet there are already some impatient people who have already picked their subss.

    Anyway, I''ll give myself some time to think and check out the shop in the meantime.

    "System shop. " I say out loud.

    The window that appears in front of me is bigger, and there are even some pictograms, hinting at the category of the shop. In the top right corner, I see the amount of currency I own: 100 shards I got as a reward from Beyond.

    I quickly go through the offer, and it looks better and better the more I look; the only problem is the prices that are so damn high.

    There are weapons, there are armor, food, sweets, clothes, and such stuff. There are passive skills, skill upgrade tokens, and trait-strengthening tokens. There are some options I don''t even see the price of, and that are partially censored or fully censored.

    Common-grade weapons are 20 shards, some of them a bit more or less. Umon grades are around 40, and rare are around 200. Some of them are a bit less or more.

    Common passive skills are around 40, Umon are 80, and rare are well over 400 shards.

    All the cool stuff is just way too expensive, and I don''t buy anything yet. I don''t know how to get more shards, and I might need more of them in the future, so again, I will have to check the shop multiple times and have others do the same before buying something.

    What did catch my interest are Coordinates, Mana stones, hell, even Epic passive skills that are eight thousand shards, and more. Coordinates are even more expensive.

    There seems to be a big jump going from Rare to Epic. Common, Umon, and Rare increase their prices gradually. Umon is 2x of Common, and Rare is 5x of Umon. But then there is Epic which is 20x of Rare.

    There are also consumables, antidotes, food, and water. The highest rarity of items or passives that I can see is epic, and there are plenty of censored items that I''m either too weak or poor to see.

    I get an idea and look at the longsword in my hand, "I want to sell this longsword to the shop," I say out loud, and a new window pops up.

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 200 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Longsword of Lasting Refuge (Epic):</strong><em>Elegantly designed longsword with extreme durability. Used to be bonded with a revered saint and connected to its healing powers.</em>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    I decline and check the other items epic items I got from the 3rd floor, and they are all for the same price.

    The heck? I just went through the shop, and most of the Epic weapons are starting at 4000 shards. Is the system trying to scam me?!

    "I want more shards than 200 for the item."

    The notification doesn''t change.

    "250 shards, and I sell it right now."

    Still the same.

    "249?"

    Nothing changes.

    Dang it.

    So yeah, the system is a total scammer. I don''t care if it''s because of some cut it takes, or because it''s an epic weapon that is now only a bit hard to destroy and doesn''t qualify to be sold as epic. In my mind, the system is and will be a scammer.

    Even as impatient as I am, I do put off the skill upgrade while moving to where others are. As I do so, I check the rare item reward for clearing the 3rd floor.

    <strong>resteel de (rare) -</strong><em>Crafted from a rare metal that can absorb and channel heat, this de can store thermal energy from fire spells. Uponmand, the de releases the stored energy, engulfing the weapon in mes and adding fire damage to the user''s attacks.</em>

    <strong>Runic Ward Amulet (rare) -</strong><em>This amulet is adorned with ancient protective runes. When activated, it creates a temporary magical barrier that absorbs and nullifies iing magical attacks, providing a shield against spells and enchantments.</em>

    <strong>Galewhisper Dagger (rare) -</strong><em>Forged from the feather of a mystical storm bird, this dagger resonates with the power of the wind. When wielded, it grants the user the ability to create gusts of wind with their attacks, knocking opponents off bnce or even pushing them back.</em>

    <strong>Shadowmelder Chestte (rare) -</strong><em>Constructed from shadow-infused metal, this chest te grants the wearer the ability to merge with the shadows. By activating the chest te, the user can be nearly invisible in dim light or darkness, granting them increased stealth and evasion.</em>

    <strong>Venombrand Tattoo (rare) -</strong><em>This tattoo depicts a coiled serpent with dripping fangs. When activated, the tattoo''s venomous energy can be channeled into a weapon, temporarily infusing it with a venomous effect that poisons enemies upon contact.</em>

    I just go through them quickly, and there is nothing that seems to be interesting, nothing that I would need or that sounds stronger than what I can do. Maybe a tattoo sounds interesting, but why would I try to poison some monster instead of killing it in one hit? I didn''t struggle with managing my mana just to patiently wait for my enemy to die. Sparrow Obliterator spears all the way!

    So I just pick the amulet, and as I get into the cave where others are hiding from the wind, I put it near Lily, who is sleeping. Someone bought a nket from the third floor, put it around her, and also moved her close to one of the bigger orbs filled with thermal energy I created.

    The cave isn''t that deep and barely blocks us from the wind, but it''s better than nothing. Our bodies are much more durable, yet we still feel some cold, meaning that the air here is cold enough to affect our strengthened bodies.

    "I will take over," I say to little Isabe, who just nods and stops using her fire skill to heat the surroundings.

    She doesn''t have as much mana as me, so it''s better if I do it instead. So I start sending more mana to my <em>Kic mana heart</em> and then turn generated kic energy into thermal that I start releasing into our surroundings while also creating a few more orbs to light up the cave a bit more as it''s getting darker outside.

    It feels quite cozy and looks like it. Some of the others might not share my thoughts, but that''s how it feels to me.

    I look around; Hadwin is in the corner, and I can see that he is still not in a very good mood, probably ming himself as he holds the ce where his arm used to be. He will have to wait a bit for Lily to get to him.

    A few others also have some wounds like broken bones or cuts, some burns, and such. To be honest,tely, I barely consider such things as wounds.

    <em>(Food?)</em> Biscuit asks while moving closer to me, I point at Min-Jae, and Biscuit runs there, repeating the question until the boy opens one of the bags and gives him something.

    Yup, Min-Jae, Aaron, and Dennis, three greedy teenagers, were able to take some bags with stuff even during all this.

    Greedy little twerps, I love them.

    In the bags they have, there is some water, some clothes, food, and plenty of jewelry. I find it quite funny how money-struck these three teenagers got by seeing all this gold, jewels, and delicately crafted items. I still remember them talking over them and thinking how much it would be worth on Earth and if they would be able to buy some cool, yet useless stuff.

    They still live in the past and do not realize how much stuff will change if they get back on Earth. We will either end up being hunted by every country and some of us either be ckmailed or paid to do some dirty work or just work as scarecrows for other countries.

    Let''s say only 500 people survive each tutorial, that would mean at least 2,500 people if we, the 5th round, are in the round. If there are more of them, it could easily double.

    Yes, even a few thousand people aren''t that much when you take into consideration the billions that live on Earth, but how strong will we end up? Level 200? Level 300? As strong as Champions that could kill an entire continent of people or as strong as the gray-haired humanoid cockroach that destroyed an entire world?

    "Nat, you said we should wait with subss so we did. Do you have any information?" Min-Jae interrupts my thoughts, and I see everyone turn to me other than the sleeping Lily.

    Especially the boys seem to be impatient to try out a new sub-ss. As I look at them, I think of something else. What happened to me from the start of the first floor? The person that was ready to throw them away at any time, hurt them, beat them if needed.

    Is it something I thought of only because they were strangers to me, and now it''s harder as I know them a bit? Is it<strong> [Focus]</strong> that helps me make more rational decisions and decided that being in a group is safer? Another thing I will have to think about.

    I truly suck at this.

    I start exining, "There are seven <em>Radiances</em>¡ªLust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride¡ªand seven <em>Blights</em>¡ªChastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, Humility. As for what each of them means or manifests, you should already imagine easily." I create another orb and move it closer to Lily, who seems to be shaking a bit. Tess notices it as well and moves closer, taking Lily and hugging her close to her chest. Lily in her sleep calms down a bit.

    "The information I have is from Lissandra. Yup, the creepy brooch and exhibitionist naked young woman that beat our asses and made us run away from the third floor. So take it all with a grain of salt and think about it on your own and deeply," I give them a warning and then continue, "She didn''t share much, probably on purpose, and as the system said, it''s difficult but not impossible to change your subss."

    Biscuites to me, and I absentmindedly start petting him as he puts his head on my leg, "There should be four stages to each <em>Radiance</em> or <em>Blight</em>. The first one is <em>Initiate</em>, the second one is <em>Adept,</em> and the third one is <em>Master</em>. There is fourth one, but Lissandra refused to tell me anything about it. As for upgrades of stages for your subss, there are two ways to level it. One of them is through the system and the second one is through hidden requirements that are different from person to person and sub-ss to sub-ss, so that''s it."

    "What subss did Lissandra have?" Hadwin asks. I didn''t even notice, but he moved closer, and there is some firm expression on his face. The man looks angry. Angry as Lissandra.

    "She didn''t tell me, but I would guess maybe Greed or Pride?" I answer him, and only after saying that out loud do I realize how simr she and I are in some ways.

    Hadwin then nods and continues to listen.

    "After picking a subss, you will receive a single passive skill, nothing else. The skill should be called, for example,<strong> [Initiate of Greed]</strong>, and that''s it," I pause to let them take it in before continuing, "That passive will affect your body, your mana, your skills, and maybe some other things. It can affect one of these things or all of them. It varies from person to person. With each stage, it will get stronger. It''s hard to say how it will show off." I stop as I feel my voice getting excited.

    I love it; I love all this theorizing and all the options we are offered. It''s fun.

    "For example, Isabe, let''s say she will get Gluttony," I ignore the little girl''s quiet shout, "The passive she would get would be<strong> [Initiate of Gluttony]</strong>, and maybe, it could make it so her mes are better at burning stuff or "eat them up". It could make it possible for her mes to burn metals and other materials. Or maybe they wouldst longer, and be stronger. Or as you all know, she has a skill that allows her to read out emotions. What if the passive would allow her to ''eat'' our emotions or weaken them a bit?"

    No one says anything, and I can see the gears in their heads spinning. There are so many options, and so many different ways it could affect each person.

    "It''s somewhat simr to a skill upgrade, with the difference being that it might affect your mana, body as well. So give it some time, theorize a lot, brainstorm with others, and only then pick one of the offered options. It will affect each one of us differently. It might not strengthen you much, as it''s only the first stage, so don''t be disappointed."

    I then share a few more examples with them and let them think on their own. In the end, it''s their decision.

    When Min-Jae and a few more otherse to me for advice, I only give them examples of how I think it could affect their skills, body, or mana and send them away. I don''t want to pick for them, they should trust in themselves a bit more.

    As for myself, I already have a favorite of mine but will go over them a bit more. I knew about sub-sses from Lissthaniel, but I didn''t know what ones I would get offered by the system, and all three sound fun. Patience, Greed, and Pride.

 Chapter 177: Choosing Sub-class

    Chapter 177: Choosing Sub-ss

    <em>Pride</em> could be offered because of my own pride and confidence in myself, which sometimes borders on recklessness. Yet time and time again, I choose to trust in myself to the point that it might kill me one day.

    Sounds good.

    <em>Patience</em> could be something I got due to my willingness to endure pain and patiently work on my skills, often preferring future results instead of immediate ones. I think I''ve proven multiple times that I''m willing to just shut my mouth and endure whatever the tutorial or monsters throw at me.

    As for <em>Greed</em>, that one is obvious: my greed for more mana and power, and my desire to learn all the skills, sometimes at the expense of others.

    Somehow, I also feel a really strong pull to pick <em>Greed</em>. It''s as if it''s an old friend reminding me of itself. It''s a really weird feeling.

    I''m sure any of these would be a good enough decision, and I believe that I could reach the top even without them or with any other subss.

    So what can sub-sses offer? If I pick <em>Pride</em>, maybe it will improve my abilities, perhaps increase the speed at which I master them? Maybe my efficiency will improve. Maybe it will allow me to fight someone with a simr level of skill, giving me an edge because of my <em>Pride</em>. It could also allow me to perfect my skills or reach a deeper understanding through arrogantly trusting in myself.

    As for <em>Patience</em>, it could help me endure¡ªendure the strain of mana or perhaps the strain of constantly running stronger skills? Maybe my mana projectiles and weapons made of mana will be firmer too.

    <em>Greed</em> could improve the speed at which I learn new skills, or allow me to learn them faster, maybe even steal them in the future?

    There are so many options, yet as always, Ie back to trusting myself and my decisions. I do believe I will do well no matter what I pick, and it''s slightly annoying how <em>Greed</em> keeps calling out to me. As if someone or the system is trying to influence my choice. This is my decision to make. Only mine.

    <em>Pride</em> it is. I choose, and a new passive appears.

    <strong>[Initiate of Pride]</strong>

    There is no level, no rarity; it just appears in my status right next to the subss.

    Immediately I try to move my mana, and it feels like there is a slight change¡ªit moves more smoothly. I might just be imagining it, so I ignore it for now and will revisit itter. As of now, it feels like my hold over mana is better¡ªhow to put it¡ªa bit more dominating? It''s as if I don''t have to expend as much energy in controlling it.

    I try multiple skills, and it feels the same. It''s not that the skills themselves have improved, but rather that they''re easier to control. When I create armor around my body, it also bes more intricate and firmer. Before, I didn''t care much about it, but now it seems as if my <strong>Pride</strong> doesn''t allow that. The armor doesn''t be overly decorated, just looks more borate, and firmer, with some simple ornaments. It looks quite nice.

    I continue to activate all the skills I have and use them for a bit, and each seems to be affected. They are easier to work with, and now I start to realize that this affects my mana as well. The effect isn''t terribly strong yet, but I can feel it. I''m sure I will improve on it with time and maybe explore more of the new subss. But for now, it''s really good.

    Still, I can''t help but be slightly disappointed. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had hoped it would be as strong as my attribute upgrade, but perhaps I''m wrong or haven''t fully explored it yet. I will have to look into it a bit more and observe the changes after the rest of the group picks their sub-sses.

    Anyway, my mana is noticeably easier to handle, and it''s easy to guess what that means!

    But since I''m thinking of my mana, I should upgrade my skills, shouldn''t I?

    Thest time, I went and upgraded<strong> [Focus]</strong> instead of <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>, and I still think it was the right decision to go for <em>Consolidation</em>, as it allowed me to <strong>[Focus]</strong> a huge amount of mana into a much smaller point than my other skills allowed me. I used more mana than before to create nuke-like javelins, even though the shape was much smaller¡ªjust a dagger.

    It''s not something I''ll be able to replicate anytime soon. It was only the situation I was inst time that allowed me to do so: a healing aura that kept me alive as I released everything that held my mana at bay and used its beautiful entirety to create that small ck dagger.

    My answer to the <em>Potency</em> attribute upgrade that Lissandra chose instead of my <em>Amplification</em>. Mana that should be much stronger than what I usually use. Mana that seems to dominate all the surrounding mana to the point of taking it under control.

    I''ll need to practice with it more, but I just can''t right now; I would quickly end up dead just trying to get a little bit of it. In the future, I''ll do it, and I''ll create a construct that will passively temper my mana into this one. I''m already excited, thinking about how it could affect my skills.

    But first, I use a skill upgrade token, and the <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> upgrades are the same as before.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption] (Advanced Mana Maniption) </strong>

    <strong>Expert Mana Maniption</strong>: <em>Extend your understanding of mana to refine your maniption techniques. This upgrade allows for an even more precise control and intricate shaping of magical energies. </em>

    <strong>Mana Sculpting:</strong><em>Further improve your control over mana to form detailed and intricate constructs of magic. This extends your Advanced Mana Maniption skills, allowing you to perform borate magical feats with a high level of precision. </em>

    <strong></strong>

    <strong>Mana Imprinting</strong>: <em>Learn to leave your unique imprint on the mana you have manipted. This can be used for tracking, marking territory, or creating unique temporal magical constructs recognizable only by you. </em>

    <strong>Mana Veiling:</strong><em>Perfect the art of concealing your mana, making your magical presence less detectable to others. This can be useful in evading mana sensors or hiding your magical abilities. </em>

    I have already upgraded<strong> [Focus] </strong>at level thirty. I''m unable to upgrade <strong>[Resonance]</strong> since it''s not at level thirty yet, and it seems that upgrading it for reaching level ten won''t work. This skill I acquired bybining two different ones seems to work a bit differently or it''s impossible to do a level ten upgrade for such a skill.

    The<strong> [Armament]</strong> options are still quite disappointing, and <strong>[Perception]</strong> has some nice offerings, especially Mana Flow Analysis, which I also likedst time.

    <strong>[Perception]</strong>

    <strong></strong><strong>Mana Echo Reading:</strong><em>Enhance your skill to perceive the residual trails of mana, enabling you to track past magical events or spells. </em>

    <strong>Kinesthetic Perception:</strong><em>Hone your ability to perceive the movement and position of your own body, increasing agility, bnce, and uracy inbat. </em>

    <strong>Perception Shielding:</strong><em>Upgrades the skill to mask one''s own mana perception, making it more difficult for others to detect or trace your mana-sensing activities. </em>

    <strong>Mana Flow Analysis:</strong><em>Develops the capacity to identify nuanced patterns and rhythms in the movement of mana, offering deeper insight into how skills are invoked and controlled. </em>

    Then I hesitate. All the upgrades feel weak right now,cking even. The ones I really likedst time feel like something I could easily achieve and most of them I''m already using on my own. For example, Mana Flow Analysis, which I used to like so much, is something I''m sure I can mostly do on my own, even without upgrading. The same goes for Perception Shielding or most of the upgrades for <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>.

    Should I really upgrade it? It''s a shortcut that would immediately make me stronger but could also lead to a bottleneck that I won''t be able to break through because I relied on mastery over the skill that the system gave me, rather than trying to learn it on my own.

    Then, after thinking it over I decide to trust in my abilities, and I resolve against using the upgrade token.

    From now on, I will use skill upgrades only for skills I do not consider that important. It breaks my heart not to be able to receive some juicy upgrades, but I''ll be fine. In the long run, it will pay off. I''m absolutely certain of that.

    Oh, wait a moment. Should I try selling it?

    "I want to sell a skill upgrade token," I say out loud and a new window appears:

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 2500 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Skill upgrade token</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    WHAT! What the heck is that! That''s straight-up daylight robbery! I saw that I can buy a skill upgrade token for five thousand, so how the heck is this even allowed?

    Just wow. WOW.

    Okay, whatever. Let''s sell it. Starting now, no skill upgrade tokens. I will master my active skills properly and I will do it because I know it will be worth it.

    I check my shard bnce and it shows 2600 shards. Huhu, now then, let''s find some nice rare passive skill with a healing effect.

    <strong>Passive Skill: Enhanced Mana Recovery (Rare) -</strong><em>By attuning their body to mana''s flow, the user experiences elerated healing. The potency of this regeneration is directly proportional to their current mana levels, making their natural recovery swifter when mana is abundant.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Kic Resurgence (Rare) - </strong><em>The user''s connection to kic energy bolsters their recovery. Each movement bes a catalyst for healing, with kic energy propelling the body''s natural regeneration.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Pyrokic Resurgence (Rare) - </strong><em>The user taps into pyrokic energies to fuel their regeneration. By channeling controlled bursts of heat, they expedite the healing process, using fire''s transformative nature to mend their wounds.</em>

    After going through what''s probably hundreds of passives, I find three that I really like. I also have to try really hard to not pick a different kind of passive.

    It''s time. I''m an adult so yeah, it''s time to make a smart decision and finally improve my healing a bit.

    Yes, my body is now super tough, but I do not believe that I won''t get hurt ever again, plus Lily won''t be near me forever, so yes, even a rare passive should be good enough for now.

    I did check and I''m still far from buying a Unique passive skill. They are starting at eight thousand shards and I have only a bit over two thousand.

    As for passives, each of them could be even a bit stronger than their rarity might suggest, as they would fit me super well, so they could end up feeling halfway to Unique or as one of the stronger Rare passives.

    <em>Enhanced Mana Recovery</em> would use my ever-increasing mana to elerate my healing. Nothing too difficult to understand. More mana, and faster healing to the point where rarity itself doesn''t allow it to be faster. In my case, it could be instantaneous. Obviously, the system won''t exin how strong rare passives are.

    <em>Kic Resurgence</em> could have a bit stronger healing effect, but it''s less of a passive if I can say it like that. I would need to actively use some kic energy to feed it to the passive for faster recovery. It''s not such a problem, though.

    <em>Pyrokic Resurgence</em> would rely on my thermal energy. So it''s a janky way, as I always go about it. Mana into kic, kic into thermal, and then strengthen my passive; but from the description, the healing effect seems to be the strongest out of three.

    There are a few more decent ones, but these three are something that seem to be fitting me the most. I also picked them on purpose in hopes that I could learn from them to heal my body. Somehow, I had no luck copying Lily''s more "traditional" healing or Hadwin''s, so maybe I will have more luck with these ones.

    I give it a bit more thought, but in the end, I pick the most expensive one. It must be the best, right?

    <strong>Do you want to buy the following Passive skill for 700 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Pyrokic Resurgence (Rare) - </strong><em>The user taps into pyrokic energies to fuel their regeneration. By channeling controlled bursts of heat, they expedite the healing process, using fire''s transformative nature to mend their wounds.</em>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    I confirm it and buy passive skill.

    So, I have 1900 more shards; should I buy one more healing passive?

    It takes only a few moments, but I decide against it. Right now, I do not have a feeling that I desperately need one more, nor anything from the shop, so I decide to keep my shards. There might be a better use for them a bitter.

    After checking that no one is around, I clench my teeth and break my finger and also cut my leg. Then, I start transferring kic energy into thermal and keeping it inside of my body, ready to be used.

    Almost immediately, I feel something inside me siphoning some of that energy and transforming it into something entirely different. That new energy quickly circles my entire body and then rushes to the ce I wounded. I then observe as the wound on my leg starts closing and even the broken finger starts twisting and returning back to its original ce.

    I try to connect to that energy and create a more intense heat inside, and the process speeds up even more and the wound quickly heals. It takes a few seconds, but I believe that I can speed it up even more if I condense thermal energy enough to the point where my mes would turn golden instead of yellow.

    The effect isn''t as smooth as Lily''s, nor does it feel like I would be able to restore missing limbs, but overall I''m quite happy with it. The best thing is that I had a feeling that this is something I can work with. Unlike Lily''s skill, it was easier for me to follow the process, and there was even a hint of understanding.

    Good! I became stronger once again. Pay to win, I could say. Still, System, you are such an asshole.

    Before returning to others, I open and check the floor quest.

    <strong>Floor quest: </strong>

    <em>Destroy one of the four Cmities</em>

    <strong>Rewards: </strong>

    <em>Epic Passive skill </em>

    <em>Skill upgrade token </em>

    <em>2000 Shards </em>

    <em>60 stat points </em>

    <em>ess to other Communities</em>

 Halloween Special - Nibble to Remember (2)

    Halloween Special - Nibble to Remember (2)

    <strong>Item #: SCP-3127</strong>

    <strong>Object ss: </strong>Absolute Unit

    <strong>Special Containment Procedures:</strong> SCP-3127, informally known as "Biscuit", is to be contained in a 100m x 100m chamber made of reinforced endurium walls interwoven with epic-graded mana circuits. These measures ensure resistance against the force of its mana tentacles and other abilities. The chamber is to be anchored with anti-magical runes and SCP-3127 must always be supplied with a high amount of food to prevent Biscuit''s agitation. ess is restricted to Level 9 personnel, the highest level. Prolonged direct visual contact with SCP-3127 is strictly prohibited.

    Personnel assigned to SCP-3127 are required to undergo advanced psychic resistance training and must possess defensive items specifically designed to resist Biscuit''s telepathic abilities. Telepathicmunication should be approached with extreme caution and only by individuals of Champion rank.

    Under <strong>NO CIRCUMSTANCES</strong> is direct physical contact with SCP-3127 permitted.

    <strong>Description:</strong> SCP-3127, or "Biscuit", is a mysterious entity. It resembles a dog and though it appears externally like a Corgi, its true nature is far from ordinary. A dark purple aura surrounds it, and tentacle-like mana constructs eerily emerge from this shroud. These tentacles, both solid and intangible, have been observed stretching up to 10 miles during Biscuit''s return to Earth, moving in patterns that defy all known physicalws.

    SCP-3127 has highly potent telepathic abilities. Those who attemptmunication often suffer psychological disturbances, including paranoia, vivid nightmares, and episodes of catatonia. Followingmunication attempts, five personnel members took their own lives, theirst word being: ¡°<em>Asshole</em>¡±. The meaning of this message remains a mystery.

    Despite SCP-3127''s tendency to hover slowly, it can exhibit surprising speed and agility, especially when threatened or seeking its favorite sustenance: food. It has an insatiable hunger, particrly for foods that were once alive. In past containment breaches, SCP-3127 sought live prey and disyed a horrifying method of consumption termed <strong>[Devour]</strong> by researchers. The aftermath of this method is a void where nothing exists.

    Tests indicate that its preferred food is dried deer meat, which is used sparingly to pacify SCP-3127. Large quantities have been secured.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-S: </strong>SCP-3127 returned to Earth from a realm named the "Hell difficulty tutorial", which seemingly consisted of nightmarish challenges. Out of nearly 3,000 individuals who entered the fifth round of this "tutorial", only SCP-3127 survived. The fate of the others remains undetermined.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-P:</strong> A research team, aiming toprehend SCP-3127''s capabilities, listed potential sub-sses based on observed behaviors. Leading theories suggest it might be a <strong>[Master of Gluttony]</strong> or an even higher rank. The exact nature and full extent of its power are shrouded in terrifying mystery.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-O:</strong> On October 31, SCP-3127 sent a psychic message to all personnel within its containment facility, stating, <em>(I require sustenance.)</em> Immediate effects included severe nosebleeds among exposed staff. Enhanced security measures were enacted, and deer jerky was provided. The motives behind SCP-3127''s message are being probed.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-O:</strong> During a maintenance inspection of SCP-3127''s chamber, previously unseen symbols were found inscribed on the floor directly beneath SCP-3127''s hovering position. Efforts to interpret the symbols have been unsessful as extended exposure leads to severe gastric distress in researchers.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-K:</strong> Surveince footage revealed SCP-3127 emitting a low-frequency hum in its rest phase. Analysis shows the hum contains multiyered tones. Listening induces intense hunger and a profound sense of existential dread. All recordings are archived and restricted to those with appropriate clearance. All other copies have been carefully destroyed.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-Y:</strong> Interviews with returnees, individuals who experienced "the tutorial", suggest that participants were subjected to escting challenges designed to "elevate" or "transform" them. SCP-3127''s unique abilities and its emergence as the sole survivor of the fifth round have prompted researchers to theorize that these rounds were designed to grant participants eldritch abilities. Efforts to find the entrance or remnants of "the tutorial" continue.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-B:</strong> A recent incident involving SCP-3127 led to Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€''s disappearance. While presenting a live sample for SCP-3127''s consumption, the entity''s tentacles enveloped and drew the doctor to itself. Before on-site security could intervene, both SCP-3127 and Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ vanished from the visible spectrum. They reappeared minutester with Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ in shock and SCP-3127 appearing satisfied. Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ is now under quarantine and receiving a psychological assessment. He repeatedly murmurs the word, <em>(Asshole.)</em>" Further investigation is required.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-I:</strong> After the incident with Dr. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€, SCP-3127 began to disy new behaviors. It intermittently projects images of a young man with heterochromia onto its containment chamber walls. Observing this projection, SCP-3127 bes extremely calm, momentarily resembling an ordinary corgi. The intent or meaning of these projections is yet to be deciphered.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-S: </strong>SCP-3127 appears capable of "marking" select individuals. Marked individuals describe hearing whispersbeling them "Asshole" and recount dreams of infinite banquets where they y both the diner and the meal. Attempts to neutralize or reverse this marking have been unsessful. Subsequently, three staff members took their own lives a few dayster.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-C: </strong>A minor containment breach transpired on <strong>[REDACTED]</strong>. Surveince revealed SCP-3127 producing an unusuallyrge tentacle, which effortlessly breached the chamber''s door. The entity lingered in the corridor for exactly three minutes and seventeen seconds. During this time, nearby personnel experienced paralyzing hunger and fear. SCP-3127 then retreated to its chamber, and the tentacle retracted. While no fatalities urred, affected staff needed medical and psychological treatment. Containment measures have been revised to stop simr incidents, and several Champion disciples have been dispatched to monitor the entity.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-U:</strong> Over a five-day span, from <strong>[REDACTED]</strong> to <strong>[REDACTED]</strong>, SCP-3127 demonstrated an uncharacteristic calm. Its signature purple aura faded notably, and the entity remained motionless, without any tentacle manifestations. Throughout this interval, researchers felt a serene atmosphere near its chamber. Psychic members of the SCP team sensed profound sorrow radiating from SCP-3127. The rationale behind this demeanor is undetermined.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-I:</strong> On <strong>[REDACTED]</strong>, SCP-3127 breached its containment. Cameras caught SCP-3127 turning a deep ck shade, followed by a rapid, forceful tentacle expansion that damaged the chamber and incapacitated adjacent staff. The facility was immediately locked down. During the breach, SCP-3127 navigated the facility, seemingly in search of something or someone. A disturbing telepathic message was ryed to every mind within a 50-mile radius: <em>(I require sustenance.)</em> The entity subsequently disappeared, having eliminated most of the guards. All SCP instations are on maximum alert, and re-containment of SCP-3127 is the highest priority.

    All Earth''s Champions have been notified.

    <strong>Addendum 3127-T:</strong> On <strong>[REDACTED]</strong>, a synchronized psychic transmission from SCP-3127, more powerful than any preceding message, was sent through the Earth. Themunication, unsettling in its simplicity, dered a mysterious message:<em></em>

    <em>(Food Food.)</em>

    In the immediate aftermath of this message, SCP-3127 materialized outside itsst known containment location, radiating a more potent purple aura. Global anomalies urred almost immediately. Satellites captured the terrifying scene from space: vast, swirling vortices of purple energy manifested in every major city worldwide. When these vortices touched the ground, they started consuming buildings, nature, and life itself. SCP-3127 began releasing unprecedented amounts of mana, which started altering physicalws.

    Major world governments, in coboration with the SCP Foundation,unched emergency procedures to tackle this escting threat. However, conventional weapons were ineffective against SCP-3127-1. More concerning, one of Earth''s Champions, the leading candidate for the title of Earth''s Absolute, Victoria Gwyn, confronted SCP-3127. Absolute candidate Victoria Gwyn disyed an intense hatred towards the entity. This seems to be linked to the disappearance of her brother during the 5th round of the tutorial, where Biscuit also participated.

    The ensuing battle between SCP-3127 and Champion Victoria Gwyn destroyed most of Europe. Two other Absolute candidates died when they tried to intervene, along with dozens of other tutorial returnees.

    It''s impossible to determine the exact toll on civilian lives, but estimates suggest hundreds of millions died within hours of the conflict, with many more dying due to the Mana Radiation resulting from the two beings shing.

    Champion Victoria Gwyn ultimately retreated, gravely injured with her mana depleted. Her left arm was lost, and no known skill could restore it.

    As the days turned into weeks, the world descended into chaos. Biscuit gently hovers and moves across the globe. Satellite images now show our once-blue filled with vast patches of purple mana that devour everything.

    Foundation researchers, operating from secret locations, are urgently seeking a solution. SCP-3127, or Biscuit, remains mysterious and unbeaten. Its goals, while devastating on a global scale, are still not entirely clear.

    The world is on the edge of annihtion, yet unified against amon, extremely strong enemy.

    We will fight until ourst breaths, we won''t stop and we won¡ät be <em>(Food.)</em>, yet we are worried, the fight in front of us seems impossible.

    Someone, please, help us.

 Chapter 178: Pairing

    Chapter 178: Pairing

    Interesting floor quest, to say the least. At least we have an option to pick one of the four Cmities. As for what the Cmity is, I think we will find out as time passes. As before, we could easily spend a few months here.

    Another interesting thing is Community. I''ve joined it a few times and there are just us, the group 4.

    Savant either hasn''t cleared the floor yet or doesn''t talk, so that''s it. It also means that we can talk only to people from groups that are on the same floor, or it means that we can''t talk to them because they still have theirmunity blocked due to narrative constraints and system censorship.

    We also got another hint, the name of the floor: <em>Waning Realm</em>.

    It looks like it''s yet another world close to dying or ending, simr to the second floor''s Mana kingdom, which was about to get destroyed, and the third floor''s Saint''s Eternal Bastion, which was about to end because of <em>Decay</em> spread by the Saint, and that slowly overpowered the healing powers of the dying body of the <em>Absolute</em>. This floor, judging by the name and floor quest, seems to be simr.

    I walk through the night and find the shallow cave where the others are. It''s lit by my orbs, and in the surrounding dark area and snowy tops of the mountains, it feels somewhat cozy. I get in and start generating a bit more heat, which I send around me without worrying that my mana won''t be able to keep up.

    Lily is currently awake and her eyes examine me. "You did get a healing skill or something simr," she says after her mana touches me gently.

    Being a healer she seems to be able to sense my passive which improves my regeneration because of the increased heat around me. The passive is working even though I do not need it to.

    "It''s a passive skill," I tell her.

    She doesn''t say anything, but I can see that she is overthinking once again.

    "Lily," I say, and she turns to me. "I''m not going to throw you away..." I pause and use <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to block out the sound around us, "or the others. Not unless you give me a reason to do so."

    "But why? You could be much better on your own or with Tess," Lily asks and her expression seems somewhat sad.

    "It''s more fun this way, Lily." I answer.

    "Fun?" she blinks slowly, confused.

    I decide to open up to her a bit. "I thought about it a lot, you know. I even lowered the effects of my <strong>[Focus]</strong> to think less logically and to understand properly what I feel," I pause. It''s so hard to share feelings, yet it feels right. "I''m strong, Lily, very strong, so I want to be more honest with myself," As I continue, I get a sensation that is also my Pride, allowing me to open up and trust in my decision. Not the sub-ss. My own pride.

    "And since I''m strong, I will do whatever I want. And what I want right now is to give us, being a group, a chance and have some fun, and maybe... only maybe, we will slowly be friends." I say. I know this is what Tess hopes for, and I know we just got beaten by Lissandra. There are so many people stronger than me.

    For now.

    "This is what I honestly want to do now," I wave my hand. "Obviously I won''t open up to everyone. I won''t stop being myself or stop annoying you guys when you start talking too much or do not give me space. But I will try, Lily. I will do it because it''s what I want."

    When I reach out and pinch her small nose, I notice that she seems as if she is about to cry. This time it''s not because she is sad. Still, she is such a crybaby.

    "I would also like that, Nathaniel." Lily''s voice sounds as if it''s about to break, "So I will help you, you and Tess." The look in her eyes changes, "and if someone tries to get in the way of that, I will delete them from existence," this time I almost have a feeling as if dark grayish mana swirls in her eyes, "because this is also something I want."

    She soon falls asleep after using all of her mana to continue to restore her limbs and sitting near her, I watch the others.

    Min-Jae is trying to carefully watch Tess, thinking she won''t notice.

    Tess is talking with Maya, who nods at something, and that makes her hair fly around her head.

    In the corner, there is Biscuit licking Isabe''s hand to her happyughs, and that also makes her protective sister smile gently.

    Aaron and Dennis are sleeping, both close to each other, and Hadwin is sitting close to the entrance, looking into the darkness and keeping watch. His face is still hard, and I see him clenching his teeth and holding his empty sleeve where his arm that turned into Lissandra used to be.

    I still don''t like them all; some of them are more important to me than others. I also know that I wouldn''t be that sad if some of them died. It''s probably terrible to say that, but that''s how I am, the result of my childhood and my not-so-normal personality.

    Yet, I got to know most of them somewhat, and I didn''t lie to Lily when I said they are fun to watch.

    Tess told me about camaraderie, the young woman hoping to create a deep bond with others, even in this ce. She just decided to give it a chance, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

    And she is partially right; there is also a hint of a bond I feel after seeing their sometimes annoying faces for 3 floors.

    I won''t change easily; I won''t be friendly or treat them nicely right away. If they try to kill me, I will do the same. If they treat me nicely, I will also try to do the same. That''s it. Because I want to.

    The future will show the rest.

    I will beat up Savant, and I will find out who the third Beyond explorer is. I will win the Community tournament. I will clear this floor no matter what it throws at me and find a way to scam the system.

    And then, when everything is done, I will look back at my decisions with pride.

    <strong>shbacks - Earth, 3 weeks before Nathaniel got into the tutorial</strong>

    ¡°Cathy, just don''t watch it. They keep spewing bullshit anyway,¡± a man says to his wife, annoyed by her bothering him once again.

    ¡°But Bobby! It''s really weird that out of nowhere people started disappearing! Do you think the government is behind it? Maybe they kidnap them for testing or try to cover something?¡± the woman called Cathy asks, her eyes still glued to the TV where the reporter continues to talk, ¡°Look! They say this time even an entire ne disappeared! It didn''t even happen somewhere without a signal. The ne flew right over the city!¡±

    ¡°Your brain will rot if you continue to watch that garbage, just go and¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you hear? An entire school bus disappeared, 20 kids with it! Do you think they will give us holidays?¡±

    ¡°That would be nice. Or they could at least give us less homework,¡± a young boy smirks at his friend, and they both giggle.

    ¡°It''s not like you do yours, Tom; you keep asking Oliver to do them for you!¡±

    ¡°It''s fine; I pay him, and he doesn''t mind. But hey, did you hear about that bear attack?¡±

    ¡°Sir, people started disappearing again. We are getting messages about thousands of disappearances all over the world. It''s the same as a week ago. This time even a group of our soldiers disappeared along with three vehicles and a lot of supplies. Around 20 marines, sir.¡±

    ¡°Any chance of ambush?¡±

    ¡°No, sir! They were constantly monitored by one of our drones. They just... disappeared. We have footage of that if you look here¡­¡±

    ¡°How the fuck can a bunch of people disappear during a simple museum tour!¡±

    ¡°I don''t fucking know, Sam. Why don''t you tell me? Maybe try calling some goddamn prophet so we can both know!¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut the fuck up! Better think about how we are going to exin it to the police! And don''t just stand there; tell them to check the cameras once again!¡±

    ¡°Did you hear? Just yesterday, they saw the biggest grizzly bear ever! There was this video on the inte of this bear trying to catch the jeep. I swear even his eyes glowed!¡±

    ¡°Probably fake so they can sell this video toptors for some cash.¡±

    ¡°But it looked so real.¡±

    ¡°It''s easy now; even a kid can do that, Tony¡­¡±

    The hunter breathes out in relief and kicks the corpse of the deer he just shot, ¡°Damn it, do you see how big this one is? I''ve never seen a bigger one.¡±

    The second man just nods knowingly while examining the deer, ¡°I think this has to be a record; just look at these antlers. What the heck did he even eat?¡±

    ¡°I hope it is the biggest,¡± the first hunterughs, ¡°Do you remember that fe Donald? He is staying here for a week to hunt, and just a few days ago, he also a got a really big one. I thought he was lying about how big it was, but now I think he might not have been¡­¡±

    <strong>shback - ???, 3 weeks before Nathaniel got into the tutorial</strong>

    ¡°We have been paired again, my lord. A new has been added to the system. They just entered their non-attack phase, and the tutorial started. As far as we know, mana just started to awaken there, and they don''t have an <em>Absolute</em>, nor are they part of any alliance or under the protection of any ruler.¡±

    ¡°Good, collect all the information you can, and then we will wait. Also, find out if they have any <em>Beyond</em> explorers as well.¡±

    ¡°As you order, my lord.¡±

    "When was thest time our got paired?"

    "I think it''s a bit over one hundred years."

    "The cycles are getting shorter. Someone must be messing with the system."

    "Do you think it''s the Ruler of Greed again, my lord?"

    "Possibly. But enough of that, get in contact with the Pce and spread the news that another pairing has started."

 Chapter 179: Trying to find a way

    Chapter 179: Trying to find a way

    A bitter Hadwin asks to talk with me and I agree.

    His first question is, ¡°She went easy on us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think she just wanted to punch me a few times. Don''t ask me why; I always treated her nicely,¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°She most likely wanted to keep us on the third floor. Maybe to do some experiments. Maybe to get one of our Mana Hearts. Who knows.¡±

    ¡°She sounded different from the brooch, and her form didn''t look like her on the second floor,¡± Hadwin says carefully. He keeps asking a lot of questions since the end of the floor. I think this was something like a wake-up call for him, and he decided to take this much more seriously.

    So he is starting with collecting information to understand it better. Well, I''m still in a decently good mood, so I will answer some of his questions, but when he starts being too bothersome, I will send him to Tess.

    ¡°The brooch was slightly affected by my personality because her imprint was imperfect, and she was made from my hand. She also knew that and knew that I would destroy her. She realized it even before me, as she probably felt the healing field even earlier than Lily,¡± I yawn and scratch the top of my head.

    It''s already morning, and the days and nights seem to be a simr length to Earth. It''s still cold, and the wind continues to blow loudly, yet we still decided to stay here for a few more days, maybe a bit longer. Just until Lily fully heals.

    ¡°The imprint she left on you was much better, and she even separated my influence from it,¡± quite a monster, that woman. ¡°Then she just waited until we got closer to the Saint, connected to its healing aura, and regrew her body from your arm,¡± before he says anything, I lift my hand, and that makes him stop. ¡°Lissandra isn''t someone who makes the same mistake twice. I don''t think she is influenced by you or anything. But Haddy, do you know what''s fun? She didn''t have any mana or at least none I could feel. She kicked our asses only with the strength of her body.¡±

    I believe mana is still the best stat, but maybe the other ones aren''t that inferior. ¡°As she regrew her body, she influenced the process and made it as strong as possible,¡± Again, what a monster.

    ¡°Logically, she is still from within the tutorial, so she should have disappeared after we left the floor, right? Together with it,¡± the older man braces against the wind while looking at me.

    ¡°It''s just a theory, but I think she confuses the system a bit. The imprint already passed through one floor, and that confused the system. She then remade it, and that confused the system again. Also, she was first made from my hand and then from your arm instead of trying to get the Saint¡äs body. I think that was done on purpose. Bodies of humans from Earth that the tutorial treats differently. Heck, I would be surprised if all this stuff didn''t mess up the system a little bit.¡±

    ¡°So there is a chance she will be like us? With quests, rewards, and leveling within the tutorial? She also looked different from before.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn''t be surprised if she were able to do so. As for her looks, I think it was how she looked like thousands of years ago, or she just made it look the way she wanted. Either way, it doesn''t matter that much.¡±

    Lissandra being a beautiful young woman might confuse our three teenage boys, but not me. I totally won''t hesitate to punch her face.

    ¡°How many more questions can I ask?¡± Hadwin looks at me.

    Oh? Isn''t that quite nice of him to take my personality and growing annoyance into consideration? Good reaction, Haddy! Plus two questions.

    ¡°Five more questions, and then you can ask Tess; she knows most of what I do.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Nathaniel, I appreciate that,¡± he nods, and I feel some honesty in his voice. In his own way, he also seems to be trying to find a way to me.

    ¡°Not five but six more questions,¡± I say.

    To that, heughs a bit and asks what he wants to know.

    Last night, after Lily and some others fell asleep, the sky cleared. It became almost cloudless, and during that, those of us who were awake saw something surprising high in the sky.

    Not exactly high in the sky, but probably on the orbit of the. Thousands, and maybe tens of thousands, of giant pieces of what can be debris of some old construction orbiting the. The white stone-like material reflecting the silver light of the moon so simr to Earth''s.

    I think it''s debris because plenty of that things have sharp angles and are too non-naturally shaped. They just can''t be rocks that are orbiting the like they do around Saturn.

    The current theory we are running on is that it''s probably some old construction that they built on the orbit. Dennis likes the theory that it used to be a massive city that someone teleported from Earth to orbit to kill all the people.

    Well, I''m sure we will find out.

    Also, my other theory was proven right as we got a new side quest:

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em>Reach level 150</em>

    <strong>Reward: </strong><em>Primary ss upgrade/change</em>

    Tess didn''t seem as impressed as I thought she would be, but that might be because I did the <em>"I told you so"</em> thingy.

    Well, I can''t have everything. The world is trying to hold us smart people down.

    I''m also thinking of selling four low-value epic items I got. Tess was also able to take Edwal''s chest armor with her, and now it sits inside of the cave. It''s not fitting her that well, but she says it''s really great for the conductivity of her lightning, so she keeps it in hopes she will be able to change it. In the worst case, she can sell it to the system shop.

    As for me, I''ve already picked the crown, the least useful item from the bunch, and started experimenting with it. I''m doing it in a simr way to how I did with Hadwin''s shield before, or withmon weapons I kept picking up from side quests and tying mana stones to them.

    This epic crown is without any effect now, but it''s extremely durable and cool-looking, not that it helps. When Lily heals up, I n to give her one piece and maybe she can do something with it. My theory is that she might be able to connect the item to her healing in a simr way to what the Saint did, and that would allow her to heal us over greater distances.

    I''m quite happy with it, and even if I somehow destroy one of the items, it will be worth it if I learn to create something that I see as a construct, but on the item instead of inside my body.

    So that''s how I spend my "free time," holding the crown in my hands and consolidating my <strong>[Focus]</strong> to examine it, at first trying to find out how exactly it works as I follow the circuits that are ever-present there.

    The crown is also set up to not take any energy from the user; instead, it has something like a receiver that is used to ept the Saint''s healing mana and transfer it to the user. So the first goal is to change it. To make it so the crown can receive my mana instead of only the Saint''s healing one. Then I will try to see if it can turn my mana into healing and heal me.

    I think this won''t work and I will totally render the current circuits useless if I try to do so, so I''m already preparing to make a new ones.

    It''s a good n, and it''s fun to tinker with it. Sure, I''m destroying the item even further, but who cares; It''s just an item. It can disappear or be taken at any time. The knowledge I will get from it will stay with me forever.

    I feel a presence moving closer to me and don''t react, and soon Biscuit boops my leg with his nose.

    <em>(Sustenance.)</em>

    "Oh, are you bored, Biscuit?" I stop focusing on the item in my hand and jokingly put it on Biscuit''s head. He lets me do it while his eyes are patient, as if I''m a small kid he has to deal with.

    Not going to lie, Biscuit with a crown that''s too big for him on his head is quite cute. I totally should get something more fitting for him.

    But there''s one more interesting thing: "Why are you wearing clothes, Biscuit?"

    The cutest corgi on the fourth floor is wearing something that could be a warm-looking jacket made for a small child or baby. It''s clearly not meant for a burrito-like shaped doggo, but someone did cut it a bit and fixed some ces so it''s more fitting for Biscuit.

    So now he stands here, big crown on his head and a dark orange jacket on him. It even has small sleeves that his short legs are stuck into, and that are shortened.

    This might be the first time I actually regret not having my phone anymore. Maybe there''s a camera in the shop?

    <em>(Sustenance!)</em> Biscuit brings me back to reality, and I look down at the patient doggo and pet him.

    "That''s Isabe''s work; I saw her forcing Sophie to help her with that even inside the mansion, and they collected everything they needed," Maya steps closer and exins while squatting and extending her hand toward Biscuit.

    The best dog sniffs it and then offers her his head, which she pets.

    "That''s surprisingly calming," Maya says after a while and then picks out a small piece of jerky from a pouch and gives it to Biscuit.

    It almost looks like a transaction between them because Biscuit just takes it and moves closer to me, putting his head on my leg and holding the piece of meat with his front legs while slowly eating it.

    For a moment he pauses and looks at me. <em>(Food!)</em> sounds in my head.

    "One more and you can pet him a bitter," I say to Maya, at which Biscuit turns to her and woofs shortly.

    The womanughs and puts two more pieces in front of him, at which point I feel him sending a message even to her before turning back to his food.

    "I did talk with Lily a bit, and she made me realize something," Maya starts carefully but then sighs. "I won''t just walk around it; I''ll be honest with you. I still remember you beating me on the first floor, probably so you could learn <strong>[Armament]</strong>, and I still want to get back at you for that. You know, punch your face at least once."

    "That''s quite reasonable," I agree with her, to her surprise. "What, do you think I didn''t realize that? I know I''m an asshole and the things I do sometimes aren''t exactly nice."

    "And you still have no problem with that? Throwing Ethan to the bear, beating me up and Hadwin. Acting as if you are ready to just leave everyone behind?" Maya doesn''t seem to me me, she just asks curiously.

    "I long since got used to the fact that I''m not exactly normal. You could say that I do not hesitate to act on my decisions and I can set my priorities straight," this time I pause and look for the right words. "At the start of the first floor I did act quite harsh at times, and if there is a need for that, I would do it again. If there is not, I won¡ät. Its as simple as that."

    "If I were younger and more naive, I would maybe get more angry and ask you how can you talk like that. I''m still young," Maya puts emphasis on word young before continuing, "but not <em>that</em> young. I have a bit more experience than the most others here so I understand. But I still want to get back at you at least once."

    "You are free to try anytime." I tell her.

    "I didn''t expect anything else," her face is serious, and before she leaves she says one more thing. "Still, Lily made me realize a few things, and one of them is that most likely most of us wouldn''t be alive if it weren''t for you. I don''t like that fact, but I''m not hardheaded enough to not ept it. So thank you, I guess, and also thank you for helping me to improve. I know you most likely only do it because Tess asked you to, but I still wanted to say that."

    Maya leaves without saying anything else.

    Wow, isn''t Lily a sneaky one? What is she trying to do after our conversation fromst time? Is she working on boosting my public image?

    I turn my attention back to Biscuit, "What do you think?" I ask him, and he also turns to me while chewing.

    <em>(Asshole.)</em>

    Dang it, Biscuit.

 Chapter 180: The hole

    Chapter 180: The hole

    Days have passed and the night hase. This time all of us are awake and staring up at the clear sky, at the debris that orbits the, reflecting the light of the moon. Some pieces are giant, probably much bigger than we think as they are so far away; other ones are much smaller and look more like dust shining when direct lightnds on it in an otherwise dark room.

    It''s pretty, and there are so many questions thate to mind that, in my eyes, make it even more alluring as I stare up there.

    "Tess, you can see really far, can you tell what it is?" Min-Jae steps closer to the blonde woman he has a crush on. I have noticed that he is calmer than before in the mansion as we are once again surrounded by unknown dangers, yet sometimes he tries to find an opportunity to talk with her.

    "They are too far away even for me, but it''s probably debris, as Nathaniel said. Some shapes are too perfect to be just some random rock orbiting the. Maybe it used to be some construction that orbited the long ago? Looking at the name of this floor, <em>Waning Realm</em>, we might end up dealing with some post-apocalyptic."

    "The second floor was close to being destroyed in a world war, the third floor was a dying world, and the fourth one again. The system sure has some interesting ideas," Hadwin says.

    "Do you think these floors are ces that really exist?" This time it''s Dennis who joins the conversation as we slowly move from the entrance and sit inside the cave, surrounding my orb that is as big as an orange and radiating nice heat.

    I''m getting better and better at it, and theyst much longer and are more stable so I can make them bigger. At first, I thought that infusing my mana with thermal or kic energy might be useless, but there seem to be some interesting uses for it.

    "There are multiple options. The floors can be made from scratch by the system, whatever the system actually is," Hadwin turns to me. "Nathaniel, on the other hand, always thought that the floors are copies of worlds that existed millennia, maybe even millions of years ago, and the system keeps reusing them. They could even be copies of worlds that currently exist," Hadwin''s voice bes unsure. "We could spend hours theorizing, but in the end, it doesn''t matter that much."

    Dennis frowns, "But couldn''t they be real worlds that the system sends us to?"

    To that, his brother, Aaron, gently ps the back of his head, "Don''t be dumb, every group got the same world, the same floor."

    "I know that, you dumbass," Dennis also pokes his brother. "I meant as if parallel universes and such stuff. It would surely be easier to just move us somewhere than create the world for each group."

    Then they continue to throw multiple theories around, and I listen to them while not joining the conversation. Some of them are straight-up dumb, some are thrown there jokingly, and some of them are depressing as hell.

    "I know we did talk about it on the first floor already, but I wanted to ask again. What did you hear about the disappearances back on Earth? Before the tutorial?" Hadwin changes the theme when the conversation stops getting anywhere, and I start to listen a bit more.

    Even Isabe, who is sitting next to me and petting Biscuit, perks up. "Dad said it''s all bullshit. Same stuff like UFOs!" she says.

    "Izzy!" Sophie quickly says, "No cursing, I told you!"

    "But that''s what Dad said..." the little girl pouts, to which Biscuit licks her hand and she quickly forgets about that and starts to pet the doggo.

    "I have mostly ignored it. Sometimes they med it on idents or just threw some conspiracies around," Maya shrugs. "People alwayse up with some exnation."

    "I have heard about it too, but it always felt like clickbait titles or something to get you to watch the news. Stuff like ''ne disappeared in Bermuda Triangle'' or ''Group of tourists lost in the mountains, you could be the next.''" Sophie pauses, opens her mouth, and then just shakes her head and doesn''t say anything else.

    "We didn''t hear about it at all," Dennis says and Aaron nods. "News is for old people," he continues, and Aaron nods again, what makes Min-jaeugh a bit.

    Still smiling, Min-Jae also says something. "I only heard from a friend that some colleagues of his brother disappeared from the office. Around twenty people and a big chunk of the building with them. They med it on an explosion, but there was no debris, no bodies. Now that I think about it, it''s the same as the entire bus disappeared with us."

    After that, silence ensues as everyone thinks on their own.

    "The biggest question is what happened to other rounds? If it''s as we and othermunity members think, and as the system hinted, it means that four rounds of the tutorial already ended. Meaning there are already probably hundreds of people with powers, some of them probably from Hell as well, and it''s hard to imagine how strong they got after 5 years in Hell difficulty."

    Hadwin looks around, his eyes staying on me a bit longer than on others. "I know about disappearances a bit more than you, as they are things I usually notice or had to notice when I worked as a policeman. The first disappearance started happening around four to five weeks ago. If each round of the tutorial is the same, it means there are 10 groups for each difficulty. Easy starts with 2 thousand people, normal with a thousand, hard with 500, and hell with 250. That''s 3,750 people for each round, times four¡ªas we are the fifth round¡ªaround 15,000 people disappeared before we even got into the tutorial."

    The wind now blows even louder than before, and I even start absorbing some kic energy so it doesn''t reach inside the cave, and turn that energy into heat. It''s nice practice and it also makes the cave morefortable. I even add <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to the mix and block some sound of the blowing wind, making it a bit quieter.

    Hadwin continues, "To be honest, it might sound like a lot, but in the context of the entire, it isn''t much, especially if most of these disappearances probably didn''t even get mentioned in our news as they happened somewhere in smaller countries. I did talk with Lissandra," as he says her name there is a hint of some emotion in it. Maybe anger? Hate? Disappointment? Anger at himself and not her? "It could be that all the groups get back on Earth at once because of time dtion. It''s all based on the fact that the tutorial won''t start a new round before the one before it has ended. There is also the possibility that each week the round starts and the system doesn''t have a problem running all the rounds at once, and people will return to Earth after 5 years of Earth time and within tutorial time."

    At this point, I stop listening and focus more on practicing my <em>Mana Cycling</em> and examining my healing passive working.

    I''m obviously curious about all these questions, but it''s not like they matter too much right now. I won''t let them distract me from getting stronger and from the floors themselves.

    I will deal with it when I get there, and meanwhile, I will hope that my sister and mom are fine. Unfortunately, Victoria is¡­ at a ce from where it''s hard to take care of mom, but she is smart; she wille up with something.

    So I hope for the best, but if Ie back to Earth and something happens to either of them, then Lissandra will be the least of the system''s problems.

    I slide into <strong>[Focus]</strong> and feel these worries get pushed away, and not needing to sleep that much, I stay awake for the rest of the night, keeping watch and practicing.

    "It''s a hole," Min-Jae says.

    "No shit. Do you know how deep it is?" Dennis answers him.

    "I can see through some darkness, but this one seems to be much deeper than I can see." Tess examines the hole before taking a small step back.

    "Wow," MIj-Jae, ends the short conversation the three of them have.

    Currently, most of us stand around it, leaving Hadwin and Aaron in the cave with Lily. The twins are constantly keeping up <strong>[Connection]</strong> in case something happens. The rest of us are here, even little Isabe and Sophie, and we stand close to the hole.

    It''s perfectly circr, and its diameter is as long as a small swimming pool. The sides of the hole are somewhat smooth but not to the point of feeling like they were made by a machine; there is some roughness to them. We can see a bit into it, and then there is perfect darkness.

    We can''t even see to the bottom. So Min-Jae throws in a stone as big as his head.

    "Kim! Do not do such stuff on your own," Tess tells him, but then even she listens, and we don''t hear anything. The stone doesn''t hit the wall, nor does it hit the bottom we could hear.

    Dennis throws in another stone, this time even bigger than the one Min-Jae threw. He throws it at an angle so we hear it hitting the walls, the sound echoing from the side and falling down.

    "Fool of a Took!" Min-Jae shouts at Dennis, and both of them giggle, and even Maya seems to be smiling while Tess rolls her eyes, probably giving up on them.

    "Nat, Nat, throw in one of your glowing orbs," Min-Jae pauses, "or a bomb! The one made from tricolored mana!" The boy is excited as he says it and continues to poke me. At that, even Dennis perks up and joins in, trying to make me do so.

    "Min-Jae," I start, "Do you not know all the clich¨¦s? The moment I throw in something, we will awaken some ancient evil."

    "It''s nice that you say that, Nat, but why are you already creating one of your orbs?" Tess''s tone is t as she says so.

    "You wouldn''t understand that, Tess. If you are a boy and you see a hole, you either try to make it deeper or throw something inside!" Min-Jaees to my defense.

    "Exactly," Dennis says while throwing in another stone, "it''s in our genes."

    Seeing us do that, even little Isabe starts throwing in some smaller stones. "You too, Biscuit!" she shouts happily, and the dog, just creates a single tentacle and pushes a smaller stone over the edge into the hole. That makes Isabe even happier.

    I listen to their bickering while I push more and more thermal energy into the orb. It''s exactly as Min-Jae said. A need to throw stuff into any deep hole you find feels like a reflex you need to have if you want to call yourself a man.

    It''s a must! It''s not childish! And I will pretend I do not see Tess rolling her eyes. At least Maya seems to partially understand, and Sophie is supporting any silly thing Isabe does if it means it will make the little girl happy.

    Soon, I am done and throw the orb that is as big as an orange into the hole. The orb is glowing as it starts falling down and lighting its surroundings.

    In the darkness of the hole, it shines especially brightly and continues to fall.

    One minute.

    Two minutes, and the orb starts hitting the walls and still continues to fall.

    A bit longer, and only Tess sees it, and I notice some members stepping away from the edge of the hole.

    One minuteter, it disappears even for Tess.

    "Kim, you''re good at math; calcte it," Dennis nudges the other boy.

    He does just that and It takes a few minutes for him to do the calctions. He asks us how long we think the object was falling and a few more questions before attempting to recalcte. In the end, he appears shocked and tries the calctions once more.

    He does it a few times and then just gives up, "I think this hole is deeper than the height of Mount Everest," he says.

 Chapter 181: Not a cloud

    Chapter 181: Not a cloud

    On our way back from the hole, everyone is surprisingly quiet, deep in their own thoughts. Learning about how deep that hole was, I also start to watch our surroundings more carefully.

    The mountains that surround us are all terribly tall. Yet there is something that I do realize: they are a bit weirdly shaped. I can''t exactly point it out, but something feels off about them, and now that I look, they start feeling off more and more.

    "Maybe we should leave a bit sooner than expected. I or Maya can carry Lily. I know she probably won''t like it, but this ce starts feeling off," Tess says, echoing my thoughts.

    "Yes, let''s do it," I agree with her. "I will check where we should go."

    I split from the group and generate enough kic energy to push myself higher. Unlike before, it''s much smoother now, and I lift off quickly yet somewhat stably. It''s like I am applying a constant push instead of the short thrusts of energy that I used before. I continue to send more and more energy under me, and it starts getting colder the higher I am, so I turn some of that energy into thermal energy to keep myself warm.

    The day is quite clear, so I can see a great distance. When I feel that I am high enough, I stop pushing and instead focus on keeping myself floating at a single spot.

    There are mountains as far as I can see. In one direction, there is more snow; most of the mountains are totally covered in snow. On the opposite side, the mountains are getting smaller and smaller.

    I spend a bit more time looking and thennd back near the others, finding them with my <strong>[Perception]</strong>. "I think this is the way we should go, but I didn''t see far enough. Can you check it?" I gesture the direction to Tess.

    "I won''t be able to get myself that high; you will have to help me," Tess shakes her head and puts her hand on my shoulder.

    I put my arm around her waist and pull her closer. "Ready?"

    She nods, and I push us up in the air, this time generating a bit more heat for Tess as well.

    When we are high enough, I start keeping us afloat. "I have to say, the view is amazing," Tess says and collects some mana in her eyes.<strong> [Farsight]</strong> activates, and she carefully looks around. It takes her around one minute, and then she taps my shoulder. "We can go back."

    When wend again, I let go of her. "So?"

    "I think you were right; there seem to be fewer mountains, and they are smaller that way and there are also some ins far in the distance. So let''s grab the others and start moving there. But Nat, we will have to rely on you to keep us from freezing in case it gets worse. I don''t think Isabe will be able to keep her skill running so long, and some of us don''t have high physical stats to endure that."

    "I will be nice enough and do it, so no worries, Tess," I then look at Izzy. "Who is the better fire user now?" I poke at the little girl.

    "You are just a radiator! My mes are much better!" Isabe fights back, but it''s no use. I know the truth.

    Even though I do it in a super janky way and waste more mana than she does, it doesn''t matter with my reserves.

    The best fire user in group 4 is me!

    Or at least until Biscuit learns that plenty of food tastes better cooked and learns how to use fire skills as well.

    To move as quickly as possible, Min-Jae lowers our weight with <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong>. Afterward, he and Tess try to keep the group from splitting apart as others either know how to lower their defenses and let Min-Jae and Tess use skills on them, or they just hold onto people who can do it.

    Meanwhile, I''m the engine, and the blonde woman and young boy hold onto me while I continue to generate enough energy to move us through the air.

    Dennis says it''s the most <em>ghetto</em> thing he''s seen since the start of the tutorial, and I can''t help but agree with him.

    It takes some time to get used to it, and I almost throw us against the top of one of the mountains. There is also an ident where Maya gets separated from the group and nearly crashes to the ground. For that, Min-Jae continues to apologize.

    After a few dozen minutes, I get used to it, so I rx slightly and, while still generating enough heat to keep others warm, I create arms made out of pale blue mana and grab every member of our group. Either around the wrist, ankle, or waist.

    Then I start moving faster and faster. My doubled-up mana easily allows such expenditure. To move faster, I also have to generate more heat, until Tess uses her skill to push against the wind, creating something like a bubble around us, and it bes immediately quieter, and the wind bes almost no problem.

    Once in a while, I move us up so Tess can scout again, and we continue. Some members of our group dislike it. Actually, they seem to be hating it, but they have to clench their teeth and deal with it. The distance we have passed would have taken us days on foot.

    While traveling, we also spot more holes simr to the first one we saw, and the mountains be weirder and weirder. It''s as if they are man-made instead of created by nature.

    But after a few more hours, we start seeing fewer and fewer holes, and the mountains be somewhat more normal again.

    "Ant," Tess says out of nowhere.

    What?

    I stop us at the spot and turn us toward where she is pointing. In the distance, there is an ant looking toward us. The ant is dark red, and his antennae are moving from side to side as he holds onto the side of the mountain.

    He is too far away for me to feel mana from him, yet his eyes seem to have some soft glow to them.

    The ant is as big as a bus.

    The creature twitches and, with movement that is surprisingly quick, he dashes toward one of the immensely deep holes nearby and climbs inside.

    "Nat, I think we should leave, quickly," Tess says, and without answering, I collect more of my mana than before and push us away from where the creature disappeared.

    Fucking bus-sized ants.

    Sure, normal ants are somewhat cute as they try to pull a big leaf and as they call their friend collect some sugar from the ground, but this?

    They are massive, meaning that it''s easier to see the details of their faces. Short hair-like things sticking out from some ces. Metal-like looking carapace with eyes that seem so lifeless yet so dangerous.

    Currently, dozens of them pop up on the mountains all around us, probably from the holes that are ever-present here.

    The creatures move quickly and continue to appear in ces we pass by. They do not attack, just watch.

    "Fuck, do you think these mountains are anthills?" Aaron says out of nowhere, and I nearly crash us against the mountain. This can''t be, right?

    I check once again but soon find that the boy might be onto something, but it can''t be right? There are thousands of these mountains.

    Soon we enter the trap; there are a few dozen of ants between us and where we are going, and even more jump from the side around us.

    Most of them are around level one hundred, with very few being closer to one fifty.

    At first, they stand on their legs and bend their bodies slightly, shooting yellowish mana from their bottoms at us. The attack is seemingly organized; all the ants attack at once.

    I move us away from the first attack, and Tess uses her <strong>[Psychokinesis]</strong> to push away the projectiles that are about to hit us.

    Then I notice a few ants turning and starting to attack their own, and I realize that Sophie has already started working, and her attack does surprisingly well.

    At first, the ants ignore their own tearing them apart, biting off their legs, or shooting yellowish acid-like substances at them, so multiple ants die. But then, with movements that feel full of anger, they turn against ants controlled by Sophie and attack them, ignoring any attack thatnds on them and even ignoring us. They literally tear apart the four ants Sophie took control of, and when they turn back to us, they seem angrier than before.

    I continue to focus on avoiding attacks and flying us higher and away from them while others deal with defense or with attacks on them. High in the air, the attacks be much less dangerous, and after a while, I feel others calm down slightly.

    Then flying antse at us, only a dozen of them but each even bigger than the ones from before. The only difference, other than size, is that they seem a lot thinner and have massive wings that flicker at immense speed.

    Min-Jae''s small projectiles shoot toward the monsters, and I even feel that he is trying to increase their weight with his skill, but they are hard to hit. Even Biscuit helps by creating a single, long purple mana tentacle that attacks the ants'' wings, sessfully causing some damage. I can also sense him sending telepathic messages to the ants. Hopefully, he''s not asking them for food but perhaps calling them assholes.

    Tess''s javelin, filled with red and white lightning, pierces through the air and one of the ants; then it flies back and kills another one while returning. At the same moment, two of the ants turn around and start attacking their own, while even Isabe''s blue mes ze up and hit the closest ant which is immediately set aze and starts falling down while burning and twitching, covered in blue mes.

    Another javelin trailed by lightning flies, and one more ant dies. Just a few more seconds and they are dealt with, their dead bodies falling to the ground.

    "Nat, can you go faster?" Tess asks.

    Huh, who does she think I am? I''m still limiting the speed we are moving at to not make them vomit all over me. Our current speed is nothing.

    "Yes, that is not a problem. Why?" I ask her.

    To that, Tess points toward a dark cloud far behind from where we came. Hmm, what''s with that?

    I turn to her and she still solemnly continues to point there, "Not a cloud," she says.

    Huh? I look again at the not-a-cloud thing and notice that it''s moving weirdly.

    Oh, I see.

    My heart thumps wildly and I use more energy to move us away from that. From thousands and thousands of flying ants that darken the sky and head right toward where we are.

    I ignore screaming; I even ignore Maya''s udylike throwing up as I continue to move us between the mountains and sometimes changing the direction a bit to avoid smaller groups of flying giant ants.

    It takes us an hour to get rid of the goddamn ants, and it''s good because I already start feeling my mana depleting to dangerous levels. The amount of maneuvering and myck of experience lead to inefficient use of kic energy for flying. Then, I have to spend additional mana to create more energy while also heating the area around us and using mana arms to hold others, which is quite draining.

    It''s nice training, of course, and it became a bit more fun when others stopped screaming every time we almost crashed against something.

    But atst, the ants stop following us and stay in the mountains or anthills or however, I should call them. The ants stopped right after we reached the ins. They just sit there right before the ins and continue looking toward us soundlessly while snapping their mandibles and moving around angrily.

    Yeah, screw you too. It''s dead certain I will be back

 Chapter 182: Solo hunting time

    Chapter 182: Solo hunting time

    The ins spread as far as I can see, and only Tess says that she sees some hills in the distance. It''s noticeably warmer here and the ground is rocky with patches of grass here and there, and some trees once in a while. But best of all, there are no bus-sized nightmarish red ants.

    I mean, some oversized ants might be fine, but it stops being funny when they start flying. Creepy jackasses.

    I would have shown them something if I didn''t have to taxi our small group. Oh boy, I would love to test the limits of my mana reserves, my bought passive, my mes. I also need to properly test <strong>[Resonance]</strong>. I have a feeling that I am only scratching the edges of what it''s capable of, and there are plenty of ideas on how to utilize skills that are made from abination of<strong> [Disruption]</strong> and<strong> [Oscition]</strong>.

    As we continue to move further away from the giant anthills, I do not stop checking in the distance for suspicious cloud-like things. Tess does the same as we move on foot.

    There is no road, so we have to jump over some stones, and small streams of water, and jump over some tears that scar the ground.

    We don''t spot any other monsters or animals; it''s just an empty in. But I''m not that surprised. What kind of maniac would want to stay so close to the thousands, maybe tens of thousands, or maybe even millions of ants? Did I also say that they are bus-sized?

    "Our water and food should be able tost us for around one week. You said you and Nathaniel don''t need that much water or food anymore after the body upgrade. By how much?" Hadwin is asking Tess.

    "I''m not sure exactly, but I think I''m fine with 50-60% of what I used to eat before? Nathaniel maybe needs even less than that," Tess answers.

    "Less than you; is there any difference between your upgrades?"

    "I don''t think so, I think it''s because he has more mana than me and that might affect how much food or water he needs," Tess says as she moves over the fallen tree and turns to me, "Am I right, Nathaniel?"

    "It''s most likely as you said," I answer. There is still so much we don''t know, and that makes things annoying at times but also more interesting. What is life without some secrets or things to strive for? Things like more mana!

    But I think we''ve rested enough, and all this walking is getting boring, "Ready to fly again?" I ask.

    Some of the reactions are far from enthusiastic, and I feel personally attacked. So I may or may not have flown a bit more turbulently at some ces.

    After a few days of walking and flying, we finally spot something other than empty ins.

    "It''s a city," Tess says smartly.

    "Are you sure, Tess? We wouldn''t like it to be another anthill."

    "Nat, I''m sure I can now recognize an anthill from man-made towers."

    "Tess, what if there are bipedal ants or some simr nonsense? Maybe were-ants, or deer ants, cinder ants."

    "You sound annoyed," Tess asks, yet she still continues to look towards the city only she sees in the distance.

    "People are way too nice; it''s creepy," I answer her honestly.

    "That''s what happens if you treat them somewhat nicely and teach them some stuff and save their lives once or twice."

    "Bullshit, I beat Hadwin and Maya, I punched Sophie and tried to kill her too. I exploded two people in front of them, and probably more nonsense. I tell you, Tess, they are nning something."

    "Hadwin tried to kill you, so he deserved that. Beating Maya was quite rude, but I think she thinks you paid back for that by helping her improve. Sophie understands what she did to you, and I wouldn''t be surprised if she expected even harsher behavior from your side. As for exploding two people, you weren''t at your senses, and to be honest, some of us also did simr things, maybe just not in such a way," Tess pauses.

    There is a short silence in which the two of us look into the distance, trying to catch more of the city that might be there.

    "Some of us are murderers, and almost all of us did things that would terrify us back on Earth," she hesitates, "Or maybe not, maybe all of us are here for a reason - because we are not normal and we never fit into society. Maybe only people like us have a chance to survive here."

    The light falls on her, and her long blonde hair tied into a ponytail shines in that light as she turns to me.

    Her steel gray eyes are piercing as a smile slowly appears on her face, "Nat, I already told you, but I want all of us to berades. Friends. Even you. So just leave it up to me. Do not worry about what happened back on Earth; I have already forgiven you. Just think about it and maybe open up a bit, and I will deal with the rest. I believe you will enjoy having friends," the light seems to make her hair glow as it shines in it, while her unwavering eyes look at me.

    I leave after saying something I do not remember. She is scary. She reads people easier than Isabe; she maniptes people better than Sophie with her skill. She knows what words to say to make it hurt, as well as to make me feel things I do not want to feel.

    To me, Tess is the scariest out of this group.

    It''s solo hunting time! I''ve decided to spend a few days on my own. I need to vent a bit without any people around me.

    I exchange a few words with Lily, who, after a few days of traveling through the ins, has one missing leg and a big part of the second one back. She doesn''t seem too pleased, but it will be fine. The girl seems happy about the rare-rated amulet I gave her before. I also tell her the times when I will be in themunity, so that seems to ease her a bit.

    My goodbye to Min-Jae, Hadwin, and Maya is shorter. On the other hand, the twins and Sophie seem to be not exactly happy that I am leaving, just a little less unhappy than the others. Especially Sophie, who I''m sure still remembers the incident when Goldie turned off my <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    Isabe is stuck between happy and unhappy. Happy because she will get to keep Biscuit for herself and unhappy... well, I don''t know, maybe she got a bit attached to me during the start of the third floor?

    Still, she doesn''t have to cry; it makes things awkward.

    So, I pet Biscuit a lot and tell him to take care of others. A reliable doggo should be able to.

    Tess isn''t there, but I meet her a minute after flying away from where I left the people of group four.

    The blonde woman is smiling knowingly.

    "What? You pushed too hard and too soon," I tell her. I still think it''s more fun to stay with others, but with Tess organizing everything and even Lily doing some PR for me, things are moving too quickly for ol'' introverted me.

    So, I need some breathing room. A bit of leveling and fighting so I can clear my mind. The group will be fine as they are all capable and might even be able to grow more without me being there. It''s something Tess and Hadwin both seem to agree with.

    "I don''t think I did push too hard," she takes a short step towards me and then hugs me. It''s a short hug. "Take care of yourself, Nat. I would miss you if something happened to you. I don''t have that many friends to lose one of them."

    "You take care as well; I will be back soon. We will stay in touch in themunity," I wave at her one more time and lift off right after, using kic energy to pierce through the air.

    I move towards the ce where we came from. This floor has a serious ant problem I might be able to help with.

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em>Defeat 100 ants.</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><em> 5 shards. </em>

    A new side quest pops up the moment I start moving towards the aforementioned monsters. The rewards are quite cheap, in my opinion, but I already know that the system is a scrooge.

    Also, I have nned to use them to level up anyway, so it''s just a small addition to it.

    I have a smaller bag with me and within it some water, food, nice snacks, and recement clothes. It''s all the stuff I can buy through the system shop right now, but why would I waste precious shards when I could take it from Hadwin, who is taking care of rationing and inventory? I might have taken a bit more sweets than he liked, but the man didn''t say much about it.

    As I continue to travel through the air, I check themunity once in a while, just for a second or two. The main reason is that I want to see when the other groupse to the 4th floor. Currently, it looks likemunication with people on different floors is impossible.

    That also confirms my theory that one group can return to Earth¡ªin 5 years¡ªwhile being for example on the 9th floor, and another group will, at that time, be only on the 4th floor. It makes sense, and it''s another reason to clear the floors quickly after getting all you can from them, as the next floor can make you stronger than staying on one floor too long.

    Curious, I also join the Beyondmunity.

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>Hey, Savant, are you still on the 3rd floor?</em>

    There is no answer, so for a moment, I think thatmunication through the floors is impossible, or Savant just ignores me, but then an answer appears.

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em>Are you on the 4th floor?</em>

    Yes! Yes! Hahaha.

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>Suck it! All the cool guys are already on the 4th floor!</em>

    <strong>Savant - </strong><em>By cool guys, do you mean yourself? Well, whatever. It looks like those of us from Beyond can talk through the floors while other people can''t.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Yup, do you have trouble with the 3rd-floor quest?</em>

    I can''t help but poke.

    <strong>Savant -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>A little bit, but nothing I won''t be able to solve. The system will censor everything useful you could tell me, so just screw off.</em>

    Then Savant disconnects, and I am left feeling much better than before. Yup, I know I did have a cheat code called Lily and her <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>, and that also makes me wonder how else I would clear the third floor.

    I noticed that Edwal''s lightning did have some anti-healing properties, so maybe by talking with the guy and having him help me? Maybe even the king could be lured to our side and influenced to help kill the Saint. I do not believe that he wouldn''t know how after thousands of years. He most likely just didn''t want to.

    As for me, I could probably do it with that weird-ass ck mana that the king seemed to recognize. Or I could once again create a strong enough thermal orb and burn the Saint''s entire body at once. I just think I would need to be much stronger than the one I used against the two warriors. Much, much stronger.

    Well, it''s all in the past, and let''s not think about Lissandra who stayed there. Let''s hope she won''t get her hands on the ck dagger I left behind, which could dominate and devour mana a bit. Yup, she totally won''t get her hands on it. It totally won''te back to bite me in the ass.

    I miss Lissthaniel.

    Well, not that much, but it would be better than Lissandra, who is so close to her original self. That cockroach-like Abolute is scary as heck.

 Chapter 183: Favorite kind of monsters

    Chapter 183: Favorite kind of monsters

    So the ants are still there, waiting on the mountains but not entering the ins. Car and bus-sized nightmarish monsters with their dead-like eyes are crawling creepily over the rocky surface of the mountains or anthills or whatever it is. Even though they have no human-like eyes, I keep getting the feeling that all of them are staring at me.

    Hundreds of them are there. Fewer than when we were running away and I already see a few of them leaving, maybe to call more friends.

    There are even flying ones that are currently on the ground.

    Good.

    I breathe in and use the <em>Mana Regtor </em>to increase the amount of mana my heart is getting, and I start feeling kic energy flow through my body. As always, it threatens to tear it apart the moment there is too much of it, but I ept the feeling. I got used to it and, after dealing with the energy time and time again, I wee it.

    I <strong>[Focus]</strong>, and the world loses its colors. Useless thoughts disappear, and there is only me, my skills, and the enemies against me.

    Armor forms around my body. The effect of <strong>[Initiate of Pride] </strong>makes it more beautiful. It''s not to the point where it bes overdecorated; it just seems masterfully crafted, simple, effective, and somewhat deadly.

    More mana flows into the armor, and it takes on a dark blue hue with light blue wisps flowing through it.

    Then I start turning all kic energy into thermal and fill ten or so mana javelins that float over me with that thermal energy. The pale blue projectiles start glowing with a dark yellow color that seems like cracks go through them.

    I decide that first, I will test my new passive that heals me the more heat I have, and I will try to improve my mes.

    When I charge towards them, the ants do not attack; they just wait. But the moment I step on one of the mountains, they charge at me. Not all at once, but in smaller groups. Smart monsters know that there isn''t enough space for all of them.

    The first ant dies the moment my javelin pierces through its head, and it then explodes into mes near another ant, hurting it badly.

    <strong>[You have defeated an Ant Warrior - lvl 95]</strong>

    me explodes in front of me like a methrower, scorching and melting another ant.

    <strong>[You have defeated an Ant Warrior - lvl 92]</strong>

    Two more attack from behind my back, and two javelins kill them. One of the javelins kills another ant in the explosion.

    In quick session, I use the javelins to target more ants, mainly flying ones. Before shooting them, I fill them with more thermal energy, so that when they explode, they kill more ants.

    Ant monsters are big and quick; there are a lot of them, but it''s not a problem. I continue to move quicker than they are able to, and when they get closer, my mes melt them, making them il on the ground. The ones using ranged attacks, I kill with mana projectiles.

    The ants are not as dangerous. Sure, they have high stats most likely, and they are quite massive, but their biggest advantage is their numbers and amazing coordination. It''s like someone is leading them, or they aremunicating in a way I can''t notice.

    After killing most likely a hundred of them, I get the notification and also shards.

    A new quest appears:

    <strong>Side quest: </strong><em>Defeat 200 ants.</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><em>10</em><em> shards</em>

    A few more antster, another notification pops up.

    <strong>[Lvl 125 > Lvl 126]</strong>

    Good, so now then. Let''s see if I can get to level 150 quickly and upgrade my Primary ss finally.

    I feel gravity pulling on me much harder as I fly over the mountains. The new kind of ants that I met prove themselves to be quite annoying.

    Smaller than Ant Warriors but the same shade of red. Their heads are a bit bigger, and they love to use some kind of gravity skill to make me heavier. In the notification, they are called Gravity Ants.

    Yup, the system doesn''t bother toe up with a cooler name for them.

    But this time there are too many of them; probably a few tens of gravity ants are able to target my body, and Ie crashing down. My strengthened body doesn''t take any damage, and the armor also helps, but the moment I stand up, I feel intense pressure pulling me back to the ground.

    A new variation appears: Stone Ants. They just crawl from the ground. There are no tunnels; they just phase through the earth like it''s not there.

    I try to move, but the pressure intensifies even more, and I feel myself crashing down.

    Stone Ants quickly reach me, and a few dozen of them surround me, biting on my armor, which resists them, and I take no damage. Yet they continue, and stronger and stronger ants start appearing, some of them even reaching close to level 140.

    Cracks start to appear on my armor, and soon I feel the bites on my skin. Yet I am durable. The mana, my constructs, make my body even stronger than the armor that I made, and there is barely any damage; only sometimes do they draw some blood.

    So I lower my defenses a bit and keep collecting kic energy inside my body.

    Wounds collect, and more blood is drawn. Deep cuts and bites appear on my limbs, on my neck as they try to bite off my head, and more and more ants surround us. A hundred, two hundred. They create a circle and wait for their opportunity while gravity ants hold me.

    My blood seems to excite them even more, and the ones that draw blood even let them twitch their antennae excitedly. The monstersmunicate soundlessly between themselves.

    Soon it reaches the point that I''m sure my body is impossible to see through all these ants, so I flip the imaginary switch. All the kic energy that I was collecting immediately turns into thermal, and brilliant golden mes explode into the area like a giant wave, melting every monster in their way.

    Dozens, hundreds of notifications ring quickly after each other, and all but a few ants around me fall down dead. I boost my body and use<strong> [Resonance]</strong> to get rid of the annoying gravity skills'' effects on me.

    I slowly walk out of the area where the stones on the ground are melted, looking more likeva. There are hundreds of monstrous bodies around me. The area of effect is massive, and I feel a huge chunk of my mana disappear.

    And in all of this, my injuries heal quickly. The blood stops flowing, cracked bones heal, and wounds close with speed visible to the naked eye. The effect is not as good as Lily''s, but over time my newest passive heals my battered body easily.

    I quickly locate the annoying gravity ants and rush at them. My sword shes through them easily, even without me having to use my skills. It''s that epic weapon whose connection to the saint of the third floor I cut with my ck mana dagger.

    When I''m done with the entire group, I am 10 shards richer and 1 level higher. A new side quest appeared this time with the goal of killing 300 ants for 15 shards.

    I reduce the amount of mana my body leaks with the help of my Mantle and my control over it. To make it leak even less, I do Mana Cirction, and it continues to move mana through my circuits.

    With such a reduced signature, I try hiding a bit to delve deeper into the mountains.

    A day or two pass and even though I have fun hunting ants I decide to check themunity.

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Yes, there are people in the city and something else¡­ I would like to tell you, but Kim, Aaron, and Dennis keep telling me to keep it a secret to surprise you.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>You are making me curious.</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> It won''t hurt you; you will see. Anyway, the city is full of tall towers, and the situation here is¡­plicated. There were some problems, but now it''s somewhat safe, and we are already looking for a ce to sell some of the valuables the boys brought from the third floor.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Nathaniel, Biscuit misses you; you shoulde here as soon as possible.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Who is Nathaniel?</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Oh¡­ but Tess used our real names too!</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>No, Noname is right. We should avoid using our real names. Right now, we are probably the only ones on the 4th floor, but some of them will surely clear it. I made a mistake.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Well, it probably doesn''t matter anyway, but just in case. So you n to set up the base and then go on quests outside of the city?</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Yes, the system gave us plenty of quests, and some of them even offered shards as rewards. There are a lot of monsters in the underground tunnels, ins nearby, or in the forest that''s a bit further. So we will level up as well.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Sounds good. I will connect again at the time we mentioned.</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Stay safe.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Stay safe! (???) /</em>

    I close the window and look toward one of the holes that are deeper than Mount Everest and a continuous stream of ants that continue to climb out of it. This time, most of them are either two question marks or close to it, meaning that hundreds of around level 150 ants crawl around, probably looking for me.

    I open my mouth, and two orbs fly out. Orbs made of tricolored mana that already start turning white and are about to explode.

    Some of the ants notice that, and tens of monsters turn to me with their lifeless-looking eyes as I sling two orbs toward them, feeling around half of my mana leaving my body.

    A big group of a new variation does something that feels likebining their skills and targets one of the orbs, which gets slowly untangled by them and dissipates even before reaching, just exploding halfway.

    The second orb reaches them and hits something like a mana barrier that is kept up by another group of ants. Even though they try to stop it, the orb explodes and tears apart the barrier, and the shockwave followed by heat hits the monsters, scorching plenty of them and then sucking in more of them.

    Bus-sized monsters are unable to resist the implosion, and their bodies get broken, folded, and pulled toward where the center of the orb is.

    <strong>[Lvl 129 > Lvl 130]</strong>

    I invest the stat points and use kic energy to push myself away from them, then continue to fly for around twenty minutes until I am sure I am far enough.

    Then I start masking my presence again, hiding in the ever-present gaps on the side of the anthills, or whatever they are.

    I watch my mana regenerate, and slowly I start creating another orb inside my mouth, an orb that I hide with Mantle and <strong>[Resonance]</strong>. It''s easier to hide a small orb than to hide mana that would flow through my body. This time, I start storing thermal energy inside of it and watch as their scouts continue to fly around. I even feel pulses of mana searching the area.

    More time passes like that, and when I am finally ready, I leave my hiding spot.

    Then I feel movement and immediately use <em>Symbiotic Transference</em> to turn some of that thermal energy inside the orb into strengthening my body. Just in time to stop myself from being bitten in half.

    I look down at the ant that is reaching my waist, and its massive mandibles bite into my body, drawing blood but unable to push more because of my strengthening.

    <strong>[Phantom Ant - lvl ??]</strong>

    The ant seems to be almost surprised and quickly lets go, and its body flickers, the monster turning invisible.

    Oh, I see, my favorite kind of monster.

    Before the ant disappears fully, I blow its head off with a short burst of concentrated thermal energy and send my senses into the area, looking for simr signatures I felt from the ant when it tried to turn invisible.

    Immediately, I locate a few dozen of them all around me.

 Chapter 184: Flames

    Chapter 184: mes

    Before they get to react, the orb filled to the brim with thermal energy leaves my mouth and floats near me. Then I start releasing short bursts of concentrated mes from it instead of exploding it at once.

    The already darkening area lights up with the yellowish glow of my mes, and monster after monster is set aze and killed immediately.

    Entering deeper <strong>[Focus]</strong>, I methodically change my position and continue to search for and attack the invisible ants that are all around me. As with most of the monsters with skills that allow them to hide, they are fast but physically weaker. Every time they try to get closer, they just get burned by a st of mes.

    I continue to jump, dodge, and improve my hold over the orb that floats nearby. It''s still so filled with an immense amount of heat, and I only use a little bit to kill the Phantom Ants. I do not stop until they are all dead.

    All twenty-six of them.

    I even spent some time obliterating their bodies using kic energy.

    Then I feel a touch of Gravity Ants and just resonate mana on my skin, removing the effect of their skill from me over and over again, no matter how hard they try or how many of them do so.

    I lift off and start flying around while feeding my heart with more mana and keep converting kic into thermal energy.

    Yellow mes continuously explode from me. Sometimes as a methrower, sometimes like a short st of heat. In other cases, mixed into my mana projectiles and shot over long distances.

    Then, just before finishing the side quest requiring me to kill 300 ants, the strongest one so far appears. One with immense mana that reaches out toward me and tries to dissipate my mes and the orb still floating near me.

    For a moment, our mana shes against each other and I push against him with my <strong>[Resonance]</strong> and stop him from doing that. Immediately after, I shoot projectiles at him. A javelin that I fill with thermal energy that the monster dissipates before it reaches him.

    Another javelin appears and this time filled with kic energy, the ant dissipates it as well.

    <strong>[Mana Harvester Ant - lvl ??]</strong>

    I start releasing heat all around my body, burning the ants that get closer to me, and dash at this one. When I reach him, my mes be weaker, yet I continue to feed them more and more from the orb until the area around me continues to light the surrounding area in the slowly darkening day.

    Yellowish mes light up the side of the mountain and throw flickering mes all around us while I continue to focus on the monster in front of me.

    I study him, watch the way the monster moves its mana, and when it tries to dissipate my mes again, I reach out and this time my mana resonates. The monster loses control over his skill.

    It''s just a short moment, but it''s enough for a st of now more concentrated golden mes to blow off his head.

    <strong>[You have defeated a Mana Harvester Ant - lvl 158]</strong>

    The moment the monster dies, even more of them rece him. With more ants of the same variation, all of them reach out to me to cancel my skills.

    My Mantle totally blocks their attempts to mess with the mana inside my body, but my mes weaken and I feel my heart thump loudly.

    I slip deeper into<strong> [Focus]</strong> and lower a bit of its hold over my emotions and feel myself getting fired up as more and more monsters surround me. Wordlessly, and with only the sound of their chitin-like legs hitting the rocky surface of the mountains.

    Then all the sounds disappear, and the world loses even more of its colors, and mana starts shining even brighter.

    I throw myself right against them while releasing all the heat stored inside of the orb in a brilliant explosion of golden mes that lick the entire side of the mountain, melting the stone and killing dozens of the monsters.

    A bitter, I don''t even bother hiding and just sit at the top of one of the mountains and wait for ants to group up before they push me again.

    This situation reminds me of Beyond a bit, yet it doesn''t feel that dangerous. Ants'' biggest advantage is numbers, and individually they aren''t that strong, even with levels well into the hundreds. Sure, they have big bodies and are most likely really durable, but I counter them pretty well.

    I am faster than them, my skills do more damage, and their skills don''t affect me as I can disrupt them. And my mana pool is massive.

    Fighting for a few hours, I more and more appreciate the 1st stage of Mana Amplification. I already did have a high amount of mana before, and doubling it still feels like cheating. Every time I invest stat points into mana, it''s as if I leveled up twice and got 6 stats in the attribute instead of three.

    So yeah, the ants are weak against me, and if they don''t pull out some stronger, named ants, I will continue to farm them for levels.

    Sensing another Phantom Ant sneaking up on me, I let him get closer, and when he nearly reaches me, a ze of yellow mes sets him aze and a push with kic energy sends him rolling down the mountain while burning.

    Who told you to be so mmable, you dumbass?

    Finally, the ants seem to be ready as they start climbing up the mountain at the same time as the flying ones join the attack.

    Hundreds of giant ants silently start their attack.

    First, I blow off the side of the mountain, and the first wave gets hit by thendslide and snow slide. Then dozens of projectiles boosted with kic energy pierce the most annoying variations.

    And when more of the melee attack ants attack me, <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> envelops them and affects dozens of the monsters, slowing their movements slightly. There are too many of them, and their stats are too high to do more, but even that is enough.

    I grab that energy; I change it, and the golden mes light up the night again.

    I have noticed it before, but the closer to level 40 my skills are, the harder they are to level up. Obviously, the higher the level of the skill, the harder it is to level it up, so it makes sense. It''s nothing unexpected, but it''s nothing I am happy with.

    The being in the Beyond warned me not to get my skill to level 99, so maybe something special will happen then? As for that being, what levels are its skills? 99, the level it warned me about, or does it not rely on something like that? Or is the level much higher?

    As always, the system won''t tell me anything about it, so I just have to wait and find out on my own, and I will do just that. I was warned not to get any skill to level 99, and it sounded to me that having even one skill close to that level is a really big achievement.

    So, obviously, my goal is to get multiple skills to that level! I won''t let some creepy stalker-like presence hold me back!

    But step after step, I need to reach level 150 and upgrade my Primary ss; then I will return to others and learn a bit more about this floor. They should be able to collect some useful information.

    I look down at the monsters that slowly surround the area around the mountain I sit on. They just stand there, motionless, and stare at me.

    The monsters are waiting for something or someone.

    I breathe in the cold air around me and continue to fill the orb hovering near me with more and more thermal energy. It''s easier to squash a lot of energy inside of it, unlike my body. Also, in case I lose control, I can just throw the orb away, unlike the energy I would be collecting inside of my body.

    Snow continues to fall slowly; when it gets close to me, it melts and evaporates. A bit of the area around me is without any snow on it, and it gets bigger and bigger the more thermal energy I fill into the orb.

    I found out it works better than kic energy or justpressing mana into tricolored mana. The ants seem to have lower defenses against fire, and even their mage-like variations defend against it much worse than against mana-based attacks.

    That''s why I continue to jump around like some pyromaniac with a methrower. Once again, I thank the sacrifice of all the monsters that died so I could learn to convert kic energy into thermal.

    Slightly bored by waiting, I start examining my own feelings as well. Now that I am away from other members of our group, I can think properly, and there is some sense of freedom as well.

    Yet part of my mind already misses that silly doggo, reliable Tess, extremely bullyable Lily, nosy Isabe, and even the cheeky boys. Heck, even Hadwin and Maya have kind of grown on me. I can''t even pretend anymore that I don''t care about them.

    It''s not like I see them as friends; that much old silly me still doesn''t want to ept, but I think there are already some seeds of that.

    When did it happen? When did I open up enough for them to find a way to me?

    Dangerous, people from the Hell Difficulty are dangerous.

    Anyway, I already decided to give it a chance, so that''s what I will do. But knowing Tess and seeing her and Lily''s attempts to improve my image, I already know it might happen sooner rather thanter.

    Finally, the monsters start moving, creating a pathway between their bodies. A new variation of the ant uses this pathway to move closer. It walks slowly, almost as if bearing some dignity, and the other ants silently and without moving at all, watch it pass.

    The new ant stops, and then blue mes start to flicker all over its red carapace.

    <strong>[me Legion Ant - lvl ??]</strong>

    Right after, another ant crawls to its side.

    <strong>[me Legion Ant - lvl ??]</strong>

    And another. Soon, ten of them stand down there, blue fire burning around them. Their lifeless eyes seem to be looking right at me and at the orb next to me as their antennae continue to move in sync.

    An orb appears in front of the group of ten me Legion ants, and mes from all of the ants start feeding it in a simr way I do to my orb.

    me orb swells to the size of beach balls as more and more of their fire enters it. It starts to illuminate the night with soft and flickering blue light that throws creepy shadows on the ground and lights up the hundreds of ants down there. The way they just stand there without moving at all is somewhat creepy. Like they are bus-sized statues made by some crazy artist. Extremely detailed and even creepier because of that.

    The me Legion ants continue to only move their antennae and feed the orb.

    And I do the same,pressing all the thermal energy that I feed it. It''s smaller than theirs, much smaller, maybe the size of a baseball and it shrinks even more and gradually changes color from dark yellow to brilliant golden.

    Come, show me what you can do.

    As if hearing my thoughts, the ants do just that, and their orb flies high into the air. It then expands to the size of a smaller house, lighting up the entire side of the mountain in bright blue light, like a small sun. The air bes dry. The snow melts, and the water from it instantly evaporates.

    Then the giant orb flies at me and as it passes through the air, it elongates and changes from a round, globe-like shape to a more elliptical one. The front of the orb takes on a darker shade of blue, and its tail bes much paler.

    And I do not dodge, nor fly away, even though I easily could.

    In the same way, the ants attacked me, I shoot my golden orb at them, much smaller inparison to theirs, and then I <strong>[Focus]</strong> and reach out toward theirs.

 Chapter 185: Night into day

    Chapter 185: Night into day

    There is no hesitation as my mana swirls through my body and powers up the skills I need to use. It moves with all the confidence I feel and is fed to the skill that transforms it and reaches out from my body toward the fireball flying at me.

    The giant ball of mes pauses in the air and returns to its round shape. I push more; my mana resonates as I take over the mes with my usage of <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> and <strong>[Resonance].</strong>

    How hard can it be to deal with a few monsters that are around level 160 from what I can feel? How can theypare to Cinderbear from Beyond and his control over the heat his body generated?

    At the same moment as I take over the blue fireball, my golden orb explodes down there as ten me Legion Ants try to take it over. Their mana moves, tries to weaken it; they try to absorb the orb, they try to dissipate it.

    Nothing works, and just a moment before reaching them, the orb expands and zes up into an explosion of bright golden mes that devour everything.

    A golden light turns the night into day for just a short moment, and then heat follows. Snow immediately turns into vapor without turning into water first. The ground cracks under immense heat and turns into something that reminds me ofva.

    The heat immediately evaporates the closest ants, dozens of them, and the ones further away are set aze.

    I absorb the heat that reaches me and recycle it, feeding it to the blue fireball I took over. It expands and threatens to explode, but I take control of it and force it under my will.

    <strong>[Resonance]</strong> breaks through the bottleneck and finally reaches level twenty at the same moment as I make the fireball smaller. And smaller. The color is still blue, affected by the mana of the ants, but now there are streaks of gold going through it; it''s now as big as an orange.

    The attack continues, and the surviving ants climb up the mountain, still, hundreds of them left. The monsters are not scared, not hesitating as they throw their bodies against me at the top of the mountain.

    Streams of blue me with golden streaks ze into the night, continuing to burn all the ants that get too close. The amount of heat the orb packs is incredible, so I continuously funnel it and shoot it out in a stream that devours and sets aze any monster that gets too close, constantly sending shes of light into the area.

    <strong>[You have defeated an Ant Warrior - lvl 95]</strong>

    <strong> [You have defeated an Ant Warrior - lvl 97] </strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated a Gravity Ant - lvl 135]</strong>

    <strong> [You have defeated a Phantom Ant - lvl 145]</strong>

    <strong> [You have defeated an Ant Warrior - lvl 95] </strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated an Ant Warrior - lvl 101] </strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated a Phantom Ant - lvl 148] </strong>

    ...

    Notifications continue to ring, and I only pause to invest all the stat points I am getting from level-ups. It takes what feels like a long time, but thest ant finally dies, and I stop my mes, which I had to feed with my own energy as I depleted the ones from me Legion Ants.

    The air continues to shimmer, still hot from all the heat that was released. The air is hard to breathe. My throat is parched, and I can feel how dry the air and my skin are.

    I reach out and pull as much residual heat as I can and start creating a new orb while checking notifications.

    <strong>[Lvl 132 > Lvl 135] </strong>

    Side quest is also updated again. <strong>Side quest:</strong> Defeat 800 ants.

    The amount of shards I am getting seems like it shouldn''t be so "easy" to get. Sure the system won''t nerf it? Anyway, I quite lucked out with my opponents, didn''t I? But yeah, who told them to be so mmable and weak for their level? Well, at least to me they are weak. Something tells me that other people might have a bit more trouble with them.

    But the n is simple. Get as much as I can out of this before things turn to shit. Knowing the system, something will mess up fairly soon, and I will have to make some changes. The system just hates me having some fun. Maybe I will lose my left arm again; maybe some Deer ant will pop up, or some were-ant monster. I wouldn''t be surprised at all.

    My mana epasses the area as far as I can, and this time I detect only a single ant. A smaller variant I didn''t see up until now. That ant stands at the top of the mountain quite a distance away from me, and when I move closer, the ant activates some skill and disappears to the edge of my detection range, watching me.

    Looks like they have swapped tactics after me Legion Ants did nothing against the attack they saw me use the most¡ªmy mes.

    I try shooting a javelin at the scouting ant, but the monster disappears the moment I do so and once again watches me from the edge of my <strong>[Perception]</strong>. It''s too far so I can''t see what ss or level it is, but from seeing how it keeps a distance, it''s sure to be at least a bit over 150.

    Okay, let''s collect more thermal energy before another wavees at me; the little scout can watch.

    As before, I find one of the taller mountains and sit on top of it. I use <em>Mana Regtor</em> and allow more of my mana to flow into my <em>Kic Mana Heart</em> and then transfer all energy it generates into thermal energy.

    It doesn''t take that long and two more ants appear on the edge of my <strong>[Perception]</strong> and continue to watch me.

    After a few more minutes, it gets annoying, them just looking at me.

    Okay, I will fuck you up.

    I stand up and prepare to throw myself at them when something hits me. A skill.

    A momentter, mana washes over me and the orb I waspressing until now gets out of my control.

    Uh, oh.

    The orb explodes and a st of dark yellow mes fire up against me. The entire amount I was collecting up until now gets expelled at once and I slip into <strong>[Focus]</strong> and knowing that my<strong> [Redistribution]</strong> wouldn''t be able to handle all of this heat at once, I activate <strong>[Resonance]</strong> instead.

    Space itself shimmers around me as I resonate and weaken and cancel all the heat that is expanding from the exploding orb near me. I am able to reduce the impact by a lot, yet I still feel burns covering the entirety of my body as I am thrown away from the explosion.

    My body crashes on the ground and continues to roll down the mountain until I absorb the kic energy of my fall and immediately create armor around my body. Just in time as the ground under me bulges and two heads of ants bigger than before bite at me.

    One of the ants bites its mandibles around me and the armor around my body cracks and barely holds on before I send a pulse of resonating mana along the de of the sword I pull out and cut off the mandible.

    I do not stay on the ground and instead push myself high into the air.

    But they have expected that.

    There is already something like a web epassing the huge area around me. The mana it contains isn''t thatrge as they created it quickly, but there are multipleyers to it and it seems to have disrupting tendencies.

    I shoot mes against it, but the moment I do so another wave of mana washes over me and the mes that left my body get out of my control and just die off in the air.

    Quickly, I detect the monster that did that and instead of flying up, I change direction and push myself towards that monster. But even that seems to be somewhat expected and two ants step into my way.

    Ants of a simr size to the others, yet their bodies are covered in weird symbols that radiate mana and glow in a white color.

    The moment I get close, these ants charge at me and their carapaces easily deflect my mana projectiles, and their mandibles get filled with mana and with an effect simr to m<strong>y [Armament]</strong>, they elongate and double up in size. Large mandibles made of mana that, even without checking, I immediately know are immensely sharp.

    I reduce the amount of thermal energy inside me that I kept high to heal myself, and instead, I turn it back to its original form and a thin cone of kic energy hits one of the ants and explodes half of its head.

    The monster staggers backwards and white glowing symbols on its body start to glow even more, and its head starts regenerating until it''s fully healed. Right after, some of the white glowing symbols on the ant disappear.

    Interesting.

    I dodge their attacks that are much faster than those of the other ants and continue to throw kic energy at them. This energy is not canceled, unlike thermal energy.

    Both ants that have carapaces covered in white glowing symbols attack me in tandem and continue to block for each other. When I explode the legs of one of them, the other one pushes me hard until the other one regenerates them.

    They quickly learn to expect attacks with kic energy and every time I move my sword, they jump back and wait for the right chance, almost as if they feel the resonating mana that coats the de.

    Their physical stats are really high, so it''s hard to absorb the movement of their bodies.

    Soon, they find a chance and I get thrown away by one of them; the second one uses the opportunity and jumps at me with mana-filled mandibles wide open, while the other one circles as if to attack my back.

    My mana resonates and the mandibles dissipate to the ant''s shock, and its normal mandibles just snap a bit in front of me.

    More mana flows into my sword, and I sh it against the ant''s face, which gets split in half. The symbols start glowing and<strong> [Resonance] </strong>halts the skill long enough for my kic energy to explode half of the ant''s body.

    The ant¡äs body falls down, and the symbols flicker one more time before the ant dies.

    <strong>[You have defeated an Ant Sentinel - lvl 181]</strong>

    Without hesitation, I turn around and this time I do not hold back. I''ve seen everything I wanted and have an idea of how their skills work. Mana resonates in the area while tworge mana arms reach out from my back and grab the remaining ant. It¡äs easier now that the ant¡äs symbols have lost some of their glow under the influence of my disrupting mana.

    A following st of kic energy finishes the monster.

    <strong>[You have defeated an Ant Sentinel - lvl 178]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 135 > Lvl 136]</strong>

    Having dealt with the duo, I boost my body and continue to run towards the ce where the ant that keeps messing with my mes is.

    The over my head continues to strengthen more and more, and the spacing in between is finer. The covers a massive area, and I see hundreds of ants that enter the edge of my perceiving scans and continue to feed it. They all work together, and only a few ants maintain the skills while others feed them their mana. Something that all ants share allows them to work together in such a way.

    Just as I reach the annoying ant, another ant phases out of the ground; it nearly looks like its body moves through the material like earth. That ant touches the one that messes with my thermal energy, and both of them sink into the ground and their mana signature disappears.

    Then a giant around me sets down, and a pulse of mana is sent through the area.

 Chapter 186: Just four more levels

    Chapter 186: Just four more levels

    Did I just get caught in the or cage-like thing by a bunch of ants? It sure looks like it.

    Still, I''m not that worried, as the ants seem to be able to pass through that easily. At some point, the turns into something like a mana barrier that seems to allow only them to go in and out.

    Right behind the barrier, I see the ants grouping up.

    When I shoot a mana projectile at the barrier, it doesn''t even dent it. Instead, a pulse of mana is sent through the barrier at the point of impact. It looks as if you threw a stone into water, with ripples going through.

    The same thing happens to projectiles filled with kic energy and thermal energy. They just crash, explode, create ripples, and that''s it. Ants behind it continue to feed it more and more mana, and it continues to shrink as well as be denser.

    When I step closer to it and shoot disrupting mana at it, the ripples be much bigger than before, as the barrier itself or the ants behind it detect an attempt to cancel it and fight against it by strengthening and reforming it at the point where the disruptive skill hit it.

    I also detect that the barrier goes deep into the ground.

    For the next few minutes, I continue to throw attack after attack on it, even hurling a javelin filled with tricolored mana or striking against it with the epic sword I took from the third floor. None of the attacks do that much damage, yet I continue doing so while observing it.

    It''s quite fascinating to watch dozens of ants with different mana signaturesbine their mana to feed the barrier and maintain it. They must have a skill simr to what the twins have - Dennis and Aaron. Something like <strong>[Connection] </strong>that allows them to work together. Or it could be a trait that all of the ants have? Or maybe something entirely different.

    Fascinating, so fascinating!

    The barrier as well. I have created some barriers of my own before, but this one is different. It''s much bigger and, unlike mine which are hard as steel and break when the attack is too strong, this one moves a bit. Ripples are sent through it as it absorbs some of the attacks, and the mana from other parts of the barrier rushes to the point of impact to strengthen it.

    I then pause and check the amount of kic energy that I''ve collected inside of my body. It''s a lot. That much should be enough.

    Taking a few steps, I reach the barrier and activate<strong> [Resonance]</strong>. The mana flickers and pulsates on top of my skin; it resonates all around me. I already know the frequency of the barrier, so I mirror it. I take another step and pass through the barrier as if it''s not there.

    The ants that up until now continued to flicker their antennae andmunicate while strengthening the barriere to a stop. The bus-sized monsters almost seem to be embarrassed.

    Then, the collected kic energy explodes from my body, and the fight continues.

    <strong>POV Lily Chen</strong>

    ¡°So, then Grumpy brought a dead mouse to my bed. I still don''t know from where since we live in an apartment building and there shouldn''t be any, right? And I only wanted him to try on the clothes I bought for him once.¡±

    ¡°Lily, your cat is based,¡± Dennis says.

    ¡°Right? What a chad. Grumpy sounds cool,¡± Aaron chimes in.

    As many times before, the twins start to tease me. They do it even more now that Nathaniel isn''t here.

    ¡°Tess, I am so bored,¡± Iin to the blonde girl who sits in the corner of the room and goes through multiple papers with Hadwin and Sophie.

    ¡°The easiest solution to that would be to finish regenerating your arm, and when you''re fully healed, we will take you out to hunt,¡± Tess turns to me and winks while smiling. Then she turns back to Hadwin, ¡°I think this quest would be good for you. These kinds of monsters seem to be mostly melee range attackers and¡­¡± she continues, but I already turn back to the twins.

    Aaron and Dennis are silent, but as always, they must bemunicating through the connection they share.

    The house we are in is pretty, very pretty. It''s on top of a hill with a view of nearly the entire city full of tall towers and trees. Kim said it was expensive as heck, costing them a big chunk of the valuables they stole from the third floor. But he mentioned that our home base should befortable since we don''t know how long we will stay here.

    ¡°Do you think Nathaniel will be mad if he finds out we sold the epic bracelet he left with us?¡± When I ask that, the twins immediately go silent, and even Kim, who sits near them, looks ufortable.

    It''s so funny that I giggle.

    ¡°Shut it, Lily! You''re also staying in the house we bought with the money we got for it!¡± Even though Dennis says that I see he''s still nervous.

    ¡°Nat always says it''s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission,¡± Kim joins in.

    ¡°Kim, buddy, that''s nice and all, but as you might have noticed, Nat can be really¡­¡± Dennis pauses and looks around. When he sees Biscuit, he stops.

    ¡°Heh, Dennis, are you worried that Biscuit will tell on you to Nathaniel?¡± I just can''t help but add in.

    Nathaniel always treats me so nicely, so it''s fun to see the two cheeky twins be so worried about his petty acts of revenge. I know that Nathaniel doesn''t see me the way I would like him to, but that''s fine! I will grow! And I am patient, really patient.

    For now, I will enjoy him treating me like a cute little sister.

    ¡°Lily, you should be much more scared of this corgi; you guys have no idea how terrifying he is!¡± This time it''s Aaron saying that, and all of us look towards where Biscuit is.

    Held in the arms of little Izzy, who even put a scarf around his neck. Now that Nathaniel isn''t here, poor Biscuit is constantly targeted by the girl.

    <em>(Asshole. Gone.)</em> Biscuit sends to everyone in the room. And it almost seems like he isining about Nat being gone and having to deal with Izzy.

    Kim startsughing out loud, and even Maya giggles a bit, along with Hadwin.

    Only the twins are silent. ¡°They are so screwed if Nathaniel finds out,¡± one of them says, and the other one just nods solemnly.

    That''s when someone knocks on the door, and Kim opens it to a nicely dressed man who bows to him. I notice that this somewhat makes Kim happy, but he also blushes slightly and tries to act with dignity.

    ¡°Here is a list of avable quests, monster information, maps, a list of powerful people in the city, and all the other things you asked for,¡± the bag he hands to Kim seems to be filled to the brim with papers with information, and Kim nods.

    He then takes out a mana stone from the pouch he has on his belt and hands it to the man. It makes the man''s eyes shine. We have paid upfront, so this tip seems to make him happy and probably is worth a lot.

    ¡°Me too!¡± Izzy lets go of Biscuit and runs on her short legs towards Sophie and reaches out her hand.

    To that, Sophie smiles. As many times before, I''m amazed by the change the big loving smile does to her face, and she absentmindedly grabs a mana stone from her pouch and hands it to Izzy.

    It''s one of the more valuable ones.

    Izzy immediately runs to the man and hands him the stone, which he carefully takes with his eyes wide open. He then quickly leaves, as if worried we will ask it back.

    ¡°Sophie, that stone was most likely as much as his yearly wage,¡± Tess sighs from behind the table.

    But Sophie ignores it and seems to enjoy the thankful hug Isabe gives her before the little girl goes back to Biscuit.

    The quest for killing 800 ants waspleted, and then the one for killing 900 as well. Expecting a new one for killing 1,000 of them, I open the notifications, and there is nothing.

    I knew it.

    System, you asshole! Stop holding me back, you can''t ruin my farm spot just out of nowhere!

    As always, there is no answer.

    Damn, I bet one day I will keep throwing some nonsense like that at the system, and it will actually answer just to troll me.

    Killing ants is a sure boring job, but someone has to do it, so why not me, the selfless paragon of justice, Nathaniel Gwyn!

    Ignore my subss that says Initiate of Pride.

    Anyway, the rewards are quite chunky, 10 levels meaning 30 stats into mana, meaning another 30 from stage one of Mana attribute upgrade. It still feels like cheating, but I will take what I can!

    "Status," I say.

    <strong>Name:</strong><strong>Nathaniel Gwyn</strong>

    <strong>Difficulty:</strong><em> Hell</em>

    <strong>Floor:</strong><em>4 - Waning Realm</em>

    <strong>Time left until forced return:</strong><em> 4y 218d 21h 32m 46s</em>

    <strong>Traits (1/3): </strong><em>Mana Circuit (Passive)</em>

    <strong>Lvl 146</strong>

    <em>Strength: 51</em>

    <em>Dexterity: 49</em>

    <em>Constitution: 127</em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 480 + 480</em>

    <strong>Primary ss: </strong><em>Mana Channeler</em>

    <strong>Sub-ss:</strong><em> [Initiate of Pride]</em>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong>

    <em>Focus (Dual Focus Consolidation) - Lvl 36</em>

    <em>Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 39</em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 34</em>

    <em>Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 37</em>

    <em>Armament - Lvl 35</em>

    <em>Mana Surge - Lvl 24</em>

    <em>Mana Infusion - Lvl 28</em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 22</em>

    <strong>Constructs:</strong>

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em>

    <em>Kic Mana Heart (Construct)</em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em>

    <em>Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)</em>

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong>

    <em>Mana Flow (rare)</em>

    <em>Cerebral Harmony (rare)</em>

    <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare)</em>

    <em>Pyrokic Resurgence (Rare)</em>

    <strong>Tokens:</strong>

    <em>Beyond Difficulty entrance token</em>

    <strong>Shards: </strong><em>2125</em>

    In the past few days, I barely slept, only for a few minutes here and there. The food and water I took with me are already gone, and my clothes are in tatters.

    But the rewards are nice!

    It''s to the point where my mana starts to pressure me once more. Mana Cycling, which I continue to do, helps a lot, but my rare passives that help me handle it seem to be getting pushed to their limits.

    So it''s either time for another round of Active Tempering, upgrading my constructs, or creating another one, or somehow making enough shards to get an epic passive skill that will deal with my mana.

    But I will wait for that. Maybe a new Primary ss will offer me something that will deal with that. That would allow me to spend my shards on something better, something that would give me more mana! Or maybe a stronger passive healing skill. The current one, Pyrokic Resurgence, is really good and for me, with my transferring kic energy to thermal, it works really well.

    Unfortunately, it doesn''t restore limbs. During one of the fights, I lost a small piece of my finger, and the passive doesn''t want to restore it. I guess that''s just the limitation of its grade, which is - rare.

    As for the others, we keep exchanging messages, and they seem to be doing well. They even set up a base and are collecting information. Tess and Hadwin are truly reliable.

    They''ve already started going on what they call quests after collecting information and picking the right opponent for each of them. It allows them to hunt quickly and safely, while sometimes they spice things up a bit and throw each other against a much stronger enemy just to stay in shape.

    Sure, there are some wounds, missing limbs, but in the same way as me, they know that they need to push hard in order to not fall behind.

    Another thing is that Savant entered the 4th floor a day ago and no one else. In themunity, I checked the numbers, and it looks like Hell Difficulty lost five more people. Hard lost around ten. Normal lost twenty-five and Easy around fifteen people.

    <strong>Easy difficulty </strong><em>1335/2000</em>

    <strong>Normal difficulty </strong><em>855/1000</em>

    <strong>Hard Difficulty </strong><em>265/500</em>

    <strong>Hell difficulty</strong><em> 45/250</em>

    <strong>Beyond </strong><em>3/10</em>

    Beyond still has only 3 people.

    After feeling movement near me, Ie back to reality and a pulse of my kic energy kills the ant that was sneaking up on me. Damn, they are getting closer and closer. Are they improving to dodge my detection, or is myck of sleep after a few days out here showing?

    Well, it doesn''t matter anyway. I''ll be done soon.

    I take one more step and look down one of the giant holes that are everywhere and that ants use to get to the surface. Holes that are deeper than the tallest mountain on Earth.

    Over the palm of my hand, a mana orb hovers. Three colors swirl inside of it, a tricolored mana, but this time I changed theposition a bit. Instead of it being all mana, it is 2 parts mana and one-third thermal energy.

    This is going to be fun.

    It took a bit of testing in the past few days, but now I''m sure I did everything correctly and the ball won''t explode too soon. Without waiting longer, I drop it and a shining orb as big as an orange starts falling down the hole as dark blue, blue mana, and yellow thermal energy swirl inside of it. I give it one more push with kic energy and it speeds up.

    The orb that I spent a day or two creating and filling with my mana to the point where I barely have ten percent of my mana left.

    I immediately lift off and start running away. This will either get me the four more levels I need, wake up some ancient monster, and get the entire ant colony after me, or do nothing.

    Whatever happens, I''m done here. Even if I don''t get any levels, I''ll get some sleep and continue in a day or two.

    A few minutester the first notification sounds. The notification about killing an ant.

    Then another.

    Another dozen of them.

    Level up.

    More notifications.

    Even more notifications.

    Another level up.

    Minutes continue to pass and notifications still ring in my head.

    At this point, I''m getting scared. The bomb seems to have caused some unexpected chain reaction that made it more deadly and notifications continue to ring and ring to the point where cold sweat starts flowing down my back, and I speed up to move at the maximum speed I am capable of.

    Yet the sound of notifications continues to follow me, with longer pauses in between. They continue even after I leave the mountain range.

    It takes longer than I would like and when they finally stop, after what feels like hours, I''m almost scared to check my level.

    <strong>[Lvl 146 > Lvl 159]</strong>

    Well, fuck. I just wanted four levels.

    Okay, the mountain range is a no-entry zone for at least a few weeks.

 Chapter 187: Its fine

    Chapter 187: It''s fine

    So, after investing stats from all the level-ups, my mana is well over a thousand. That means no more leveling for a while. I grew way too quickly and I need to get used to it. My own pride won''t allow me to have all that mana and not be used to it or not be able to handle it. In the same way, people from Hard difficulty were to my standard terrible at handling their skills and stats.

    After getting to the others, I will spend some time training, testing, and all that good stuff. My current level is high enough for me to have some time to scam the system and improve my base.

    And let''s quickly forget what just happened. Surely nothing wrong wille of it.

    It''s fine. Totally fine.

    Oh boy.

    I force myself not to look at Primary sses options. That''s something I will do after a shower and nice sleep, and booping Biscuit''s nose a few hundred times. I haven''t seen him for a few days, so the debt has increased quite a bit.

    Letting myselfnd on the ground, I slow down and, while walking, I continue to observe the mountain range behind me. There are no ants defending it and staring at me, which makes me even more nervous. Plus, even now, I get a notification once in a while. Most of them are for ants much lower than level 100, and the notification sounds only once every few dozen minutes.

    OH BOY.

    It''s FINE.

    I start running, only using my stats, and let my mana regenerate. Even though I am nervous, I start enjoying the speed I am running at. My physical stats, passively boosted by my constructs that take a big chunk of my mana, are quite high and I run at speeds that would make me faster than some cars back on Earth.

    And I am not getting tired at all.

    Enamored by it, I boost my body slightly and my legs start cracking the ground under my feet as I continue to spring myself ahead, feeling the wind in my face.

    The speed I move at is slower than when I am quasi-flying, yet there is some charm to it as I feel my feet hitting the ground and jump over obstacles.

    My body moves like a perfectly oiled machine and somehow, this act of running makes me realize how much my body changed. It''s weird as I am already able to create mes with my mind and mana and other amazing things. Yet I am so excited by just running quickly.

    It''s hard to exin but it''s rxing, and I focus more on feeling my body, and my muscles while increasing my speed even further until thendscape around me turns into a blur when I am not actively focusing on it.

    I don''t even try to fly and just continue to run.

    The city that towers in front of me is beautiful. It''s a mess, but it''s a beautiful mess. A mix of buildings of all styles, some of them ancient-looking. There are trees inside the city as tall as skyscrapers. There are towers even higher than those trees.

    Colors are everywhere: the green of flora, smaller buildings with walls painted in vibrant yellow, red, blue, and multiple other colors. Towers of so many different styles. The impossibly high trees create shade and seem to have some buildings on them as well.

    That''s what I can see from atop one of the hills near the city. Unlike the ins I just passed, this hill is covered by trees and vibrant green, a striking contrast to theck of colors on the ins.

    Unlike the mountain range, even the air here is warmer and the sun feels better on my skin.

    I am still a few miles away from it and I am currently taking a short break before getting in. That''s when I sense a few presences moving closer to me, all of them feeling humanoid, and they send me something like a greeting feeling a touch of my mana.

    My touch on them weakens and I send back a simr greeting. I stop examining them to not seem too rude and then wait for them to get closer.

    It doesn''t take too long and three figures appear in front of me. Two women and one man, all of them at least two heads taller than me. Their eyes are sharp, yet they are smiling excitedly after spotting me.

    ¡°Wow, this one is especially cute!¡± one of the women says.

    ¡°Right? And he seems so feral!¡± another woman adds.

    ¡°His eyes are pretty,¡± the man joins in.

    <strong>[Astral Archer - lvl 178]</strong>

    <strong>[Elemental Warden - lvl 188]</strong>

    <strong>[Phantom Assassin - lvl 175]</strong>

    Other than their height, there are a few more interesting things about them.

    Cat ears poking from their heads.

    A little bit sharper canines than normal for a human.

    And a tail that each of them has.

    Their tails flicker around excitedly like cats eyeing a new toy.

    What the heck?

    So, yup, this is something the others refused to tell me, wanting me to experience it firsthand while theyughed behind my back.

    My revenge will be terrifying.

    It''s as it looks. A race of cat people that are much taller than humans that seem to rule this ce. There are humans as well that live together with them in symbiosis, and the cat people race doesn''t seem to treat them harshly or anything.

    They are just weird.

    ¡°Hey, feral one, want to work with me? I promise I will pay you well,¡± one of the women says.

    Very weird.

    ¡°Myrra! This one is mine! I saw him first,¡± the other womanins while the man just remains quiet and acts patiently. Yet, I see his eyes looking at me a bit.

    ¡°Look, look! His expression changed a bit!¡± the woman called Myrra says.

    ¡°Oh, you''re right, he''s so annoyed!¡±

    ¡°Right? He looks so regal, yet so wild!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! And he moves so elegantly!¡±

    What.

    The.

    Fuck.

    What''s wrong with them?

    Even though all of them are of a higher level than me, they are not trying to force me into anything and do not even try to touch me. They just continue to bber while giving me offers to work for them. What that work would include I don''t know, and I don''t even want to know.

    ¡°Feral one, tell me, do you belong to the group of people that came from the Colony¡äs territory some time ago?¡± Myrra asks.

    ¡°Yes. Did you meet them?¡± I ask carefully, and she reacts by swinging her tail even more excitedly. It''s quite fascinating to see it move, and she smiles when she notices me looking at her tail.

    ¡°We did. That group also had a few cute ones,¡± Myrra turns to the other woman, ¡°Lysara, do you remember them?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. There was this cute small ck-haired girl and a tall blonde,¡± she pauses, ¡°They seemed to be quite rich,¡± Lysara seems to be disappointed as if someone escaped her ws.

    ¡°Tell me, feral one, what do you like? Food? Riches? Magical items? Mana stones? I''m quite rich so I would be able to pay you nicely,¡± Myrra interrupts Lysara.

    Myrra is the highest-leveled one out of them: a level 188 elemental warden. Her hair is white and her eyes are golden in color. Her ears and tail are of a gray color that nicely contrasts with her long hair. Horizontally across her nose, a deep but healed scar passes through, which is weird to see in a ce where constitution should be able to heal it.

    ¡°What does working for you include?¡± I ask, and listening to them up until now made me quite curious.

    The white-haired woman seems excited as if smelling a chance, ¡°Nothing much, feral one! You would live in my mansion ande to me when I am bored. We could talk, and I could observe you doing your stuff. I could ask you to be my attendant once in a while. You woulde with me shopping and carry my stuff. I would require you to dress nicely and sometimes show you off to my friends. Normal stuff,¡± she exins quickly.

    This doesn''t sound normal at all.

    Are all of them like this? ¡°Would you mind if I ask why you would do that?¡± I ask carefully while cursing the others. I bet they thought it would be so funny to put me in this situation.

    Once again, I promise terrifying revenge. Yet, it doesn''t feel dangerous, and I also think they would have told me if it was.

    ¡°Because you''re cute!¡± this time it''s Lysara who says that, ¡°You look so feral and almost bored the entire time. The way you look around is as if everything is beneath you, even though you are just a weak human. Your differently colored eyes too.¡±

    Oh, I see.

    Myrra joins in, ¡°And when your expression changes a bit, it''s so fun. I want to bully you until you finally show some emotion.¡±

    Oh boy. It looks like this race of cat people looks at humans in a simr way humans look at cats back on Earth.

    While moving back to the city, I keep asking them questions while fighting against their increasing offers to ¡°hire me.¡± Myrra seems to be a boss here, and the man who barely speaks is her guard, while Lysara is her friend.

    They are all of a race of cat people called Lynthari. They and humans live together in the city in front of us. Everything seems peaceful, and even as lynthari are often much stronger than humans, they seem to be weird enough to treat humans somewhat nicely. Only sometimes do they take in some humans they find interesting, cute, or funny.

    There seem to be some strict rules about how lynthari treat humans that I don''t know yet, and being often much stronger than humans, Lynthari seem to view the human race in a simr way we look at pets. It''s not exactly the same, as humans often work alongside them, and sometimes, though rarely, hold higher positions, but it''s close to that.

    Lynthari are born stronger than humans and live longer. Lysara and Myrra are a few hundred years old, while humans here rarely live over one hundred fifty years; only the stronger ones live longer, and that seems rare.

    Looking at the power levels, anything close to level two hundred seems to be the cream of the crop, and individuals that reach over level two hundred are few and far between, treated exceedingly well.

    When we enter the city, most of the humans carefully avoid the three lynthari I travel with, and the trio barely gives them any look.

    The humans on the edges of the city are almost all under level fifty, but the deeper we go, the average level increases, and more and more lynthari appear. Even their clothes seem to look more expensive. There are so many shops, auction buildings, ces Myrra calls guild halls, and dueling areas. The city is bustling with life and magic everywhere that I can sense.

    ¡°Oh, so you do like magical items,¡± Myrra smiles at me, showing her sharp canines. ¡°Feral one, if you work with me, I can give you a lot of them,¡± she says, her eyes glowing with a dangerous light.

    It''s almost like a suspicious individual calling me to an unmarked van to get some candy.

    Danger! Stranger danger! I remind myself and force myself to refuse, but I try to do it carefully to not insult her. She seems to be disappointed but she doesn''t push it.

    As they leave, she pushes a rare graded magical item into my hand. A bribe.

    Before I can check it, she also gives me a small mana stone as well, ¡°Use this stone if you change your mind, feral one,¡± her ears perk up, and she smiles at me and leaves with herpanions.

    I finally check the item in my hand.

    <strong>Brooch of the Silent Whisper (rare) -</strong><em>A small, unassuming brooch that has the power to absorb sound in a localized area when activated. It''s perfect for stealth missions or for keeping conversations private.</em>

    Deep breath in.

    Breathe out.

    Repeat to yourself: Stranger danger.

 Chapter 188: Blimp

    Chapter 188: Blimp

    I already know where to look for the rest of Group 4, but it takes me some time to reach them. I slowly walk through the city and take in its atmosphere which makes me shiver. The city is so confusing, so exciting. Everything feels so¡­ new.

    Unlike small towns with barely a few thousand people I visited on the second floor, this one is much bigger and weirder. Lynthari are moving through the streets, each of them much taller than humans and, in most cases, much higher leveled.

    They don''t feel arrogant or dangerous as they stroll around and curiously take in everything, while their tails show their emotions and their ears twitch as they talk, smile, or get excited about something. But the humans still treat them carefully, extremely carefully. It''s hard to identify, but it doesn''t feel like it''s out of fear.

    What I also notice is that lynthari sometimes shows interest in humans. In most cases, it''s only when the human is higher leveled, and it''s rare to see a human with a level over one hundred.

    Sometimes they also stop and buy some trinkets the merchants are selling. Usually, it is humans that are selling stuff or working there. The race of cat people seems to be stronger, morebat-oriented, or just straight-up rich. It''s no surprise as they live hundreds of years longer than humans.

    And even though I am hiding my mana under the Mantle and cycling it inside my body, disrupting it into small particles before it leaks out, a few lynthari still show some interest in me. They don''t seem to notice my mana or level, as on the floors before the natives don''t seem to have the ability to see the text over the heads of people from the tutorial.

    No, the lynthari that talk to me seem to do so because of how I behave. Like Myrra before, they are attracted by the way I look around and theck of expression on my face.

    After rejecting a few offers, I start to understand that a bit.

    To them, I look simr to how Grumpy, Liliy''s cat, looks to her. A bad-tempered, but pretty and somewhat regal-looking cat that Lily can''t help but want to get closer to. As if taking it as a challenge and trying to earn the cat''s love. Or just poke and annoy the cat while enjoying herck of reactions.

    That''s me. A cat.

    My eyes, one brown and the other gray, also seem to interest them as well, as heterochromia seems to be rare here even more so than it is on Earth.

    Their offers annoy me, so I just act nice and even hint that I am looking for a ¡°job¡± and tell them about a gift, a rare brooch from Myrra. I do it carefully, mentioning it as if in passing. But even that is enough, and they offer me gifts as well, almost forcefully pushing them into my hands to look better in front of me.

    I pretend to refuse for a bit, and some of them seem to like that and give me even more stuff that I take.

    It''s hard for me to do so, so I do not smile at them while thanking them, but surprisingly they seem to like that even more.

    What weirdos.

    That''s how I end up with a few small pieces of jewelry, some mana stones they are using here as currency, and a few more stones with their address and something like contact info.

    That makes it almost worth it, and to improve my mood a bit more, I find a nice restaurant-looking ce and enter it. I ignore the people inside and use the stairs to climb onto the second floor that leads to arge wooden balcony-like terrace with a few tables and flora everywhere, even on the railing.

    I take a good ce for myself and while I wait for the waiter, I look at the bustling street below me. Dozens of people pass by every few minutes, sometimes walking, sometimes using some exotic monster-like animals, and in other cases, they are in carriages pulled by six-legged monsters.

    When I turn my gaze back to the balcony, I notice other visitors eyeing me, but they turn their eyes away the moment I look at them.

    What? I have new clothes I spent some shards on to buy, as I lost the ones from the third floor, and I did clean myself with water I also bought. So why are you staring?

    ¡°Wee to ¡®Distant Dream,¡¯ sir. What would you like to order?¡± the cheerful waiter asks. She''s a young woman with brown hair tied into a ponytail.

    ¡°I''ll leave it up to you. A little bit of food, some dessert, and something to drink. No alcohol,¡± I say simply, and the waitress nods, quickly leaving after giving me a short smile.

    It doesn''t take long and she is back already. She brings something like a sandwich, a drink of pale blue color, and green stuff in a bowl.

    ¡°I have picked a fire smander sandwich as the main course, the drink is lunar nectar we make on our own. The best in the city! For dessert, you have Leafy Gto; the cook made it just this morning!¡± her voice is excited as she ces all of this in front of me and leaves, wishing me a good meal.

    All the food looks amazing, and I try not to think much about its name as I start with the sandwich. Then, before I know it, it''s gone.

    What the heck?

    I quickly take a sip from the lunar nectar and then eat the gto before I know it. Then I sit there for a minute and just stare into the air. I know I don''t need to eat as much as before, but this stuff is even better than the food we stole from the manor on the third floor. Is it because I earned this one and I will be paying for that?

    When I finish thest drops of the drink and that''s when the waitresses back.

    She tells me the price and I pull out one of the smallest mana stones I got from the lynthari. But even that seems to be a lot, as she asks me for patience and disappears for a while before returning with change. From that, I take a few pieces and slide them to her while thanking her.

    ¡°Thanks, Mr. Customer!¡± she chirps happily and bows.

    Downstairs, I buy a bottle of Lunar Nectar, a pale blue drink that looks extremely refreshing in the bottle made out of slightly frosted ss.

    Then I walk towards one of the ces I have noticed from the balcony. The mana stone of the door sends a pulse inside the building as I enter, and an older man with a nicely taken care of beard turns to me with a smile.

    ¡°How can I serve you, young man?¡± he asks.

    ¡°I would like to cut my hair, something simple and nothing too eye-catching.¡±

    After that, I find a more luxurious-looking shop with simple but quality-looking clothes and another one where I buy a bag of sweets and something for Biscuit.

    The clothes truly make a human. It''s hard to describe but I feel¡­ civilized now and somewhat lighter as I walk through the street while holding the sword in my hand by its scabbard. The epic sword of thest king.

    It doesn''t take long before I reach the tree Tess told me about, and here I see Min-Jae waiting, together with one of the twins. A smile grows on his face the moment he sees me, and he rushes to wee me.

    ¡°Nat! That took you a while! You said only a few days.¡± Min-Jae stops in front of me and unlike him, I notice that Dennis is somewhat nervous and avoiding my gaze.

    What did they do?

    ¡°It took only a few days,¡± I answer him and gesture for him to lead the way.

    As we walk, Min-Jae continues, ¡°Nine days,¡± He says.

    Huh? Maybe I should have checked the system countdown clock a bit more. I would have promised it took me only a few days. But I guess time passes quickly when you have fun.

    ¡°Oh, and Min-Jae?¡± I say.

    ¡°Yes?¡± he starts but quickly pauses as I grab and pull his ear, ¡°Ouch!¡±

    ¡°Did you guys have fun not telling me about lynthari?¡± Did you? Little jerks, all of you, even Tess!

    ¡°It was Lily''s idea!¡± he tries.

    ¡°As if!¡± I pull even harder and then let go, ¡°I will deal with youter, but now, anything interesting happened?¡±

    He rubs his red ear, and I see him looking around. His face is red because I did it in the middle of the street and some people noticed it and are giggling.

    ¡°A few, but Tess and Hadwin will tell you more. They deal with most of that stuff,¡± the young boy tries to regain a bit of his dignity by releasing some mana to the point a human that giggled at him feels it and quickly stops.

    Min-Jae then smiles, satisfied, and turns back to me, ¡°There is so much stuff, Nat! Auctions, guilds, quests, and lynthari. We even got an amazing base for ourselves and went hunting a few times!¡± Even though he said Tess and Hadwin would tell me more, the excited boy continues to bber the entire time we walk towards our ¡°base¡±.

    ¡°Oh, that''s quite nice, must have been expensive,¡± I say and I pay some attention to Dennis who bes even quieter and some color disappears from his face.

    Suspicious, very suspicious. Did they sell Biscuit? The best doggo of the third¡­ of the fourth floor should easily be worth that much.

    ¡°Asshole!¡± Izzy screams the moment I enter, and I feel her skill connecting to me as she jumps and hugs me.

    ¡°Izzy, you might be spending too much time with Biscuit,¡± I say as I return the hug she gives me and then let her go.

    ¡°Yes, he is mine now! I keep feeding him the best food I can find. Sophie is rich so I can do that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you do?¡± I ask and feeling that I''m not panicking, Izzy herself starts to panic.

    ¡°Yes! He won''t be able to leave me now!¡± she says, but this time she doesn''t sound so sure.

    Poor girl doesn''t know Biscuit as well as I do.

    <em>(Food!)</em> sounds from behind the corner, and the corgi appears. There are no tentacles around him and he floats just a palm''s length above the ground, his short legs hanging in the air. He looks like a corgi-shaped burrito blimp.

    What the hell?

    Everyone else seems to be used to it and the corgi slowly hovers and moves towards us at a speed that is much, much slower than if he decided to walk or use mana arms. Yet he moves like that and his face seems to tell that he is proud of his new ability to float just a bit over the floor and move extremely slowly.

    The terrifying floating monster of a doggo is wearing a dark yellow vest and a scarf around his neck.

    He moves past Izzy and stops in front of me. Then, as if changing the setting, the best doggo hovers vertically into my arms, his tail wagging while he continues to shout in my mind.

    To show Izzy who is the boss, I pet Biscuit for a while, and then, to deliver the final blow, I put him on the ground and step back so there is the same distance for Biscuit between me and the little empath girl.

    ¡°B-biscuit,e here, I have more food,¡± the little girl tries while unpacking and offering some meat to the doggo. Even from where I am, I can immediately smell it and feel drool collect in my mouth.

    What the hell, give that to me, not to Biscuit.

    With the use of<strong> [Focus]</strong>, I get back to my senses and say, ¡°Biscuit,e here,¡± then I reach out and offer him dried jerky made of deer meat I spent one hour looking for.

    It was cheap, extremely cheap. The quality is low, and the meat doesn''t evene close to the one Izzy holds, yet Biscuit doesn''t hesitate and rushes to me.

    I win.

    ¡°Nat, you''ll make Izzy cry,¡± Tess says as she also enters the room, together with Sophie who continues to look between me and Izzy, trying to understand what''s happening.

    ¡°Wars require sacrifices, and this is one I am willing to pay,¡± I answer her.

    ¡°You seem to be in a good mood,¡± Tess smiles and also gives me a short hug, ¡°I''m d you made it back safely.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was fun, but Tess, there is something I would like to see,¡± silence fills the hallway we are standing in, ¡°can you guys show me the extremely valuable epic items I left with you guys?¡± I ask, then enjoy the funny expressions of some of the younger members of group 4.

 Chapter 189: New Primary Class

    Chapter 189: New Primary ss

    ¡°Oh, we can deal with themter, can''t we? I see that you got a haircut and went shopping a bit. Why don''t you look around our base? We kept a nice room for you.¡± The way Tess says it makes me even more suspicious and I notice a cheeky shine in her eyes, but she is right. It would be best to take some rest and go over my Primary ss options.

    I keep having to hold myself back, and now in the safety of the city, I can go through them.

    ¡°Others went out to hunt, and I''ll tell you about the stuff we learned. So just take it easy, rest a bit, and tomorrow we can talk,¡± Tess adds.

    Impatient to check the sses, I just nod. Holding Biscuit in my arms, I move to follow Tess towards the room they saved for me.

    The room is on the highest floor with arge window and a balcony that offers a view of the city below the hill on which the house stands.

    They know me well; the view is amazing.

    ¡°Everyone wanted this room, but¡­¡± Min-Jea pauses under Tess''s gaze and carefully continues, ¡°But we wanted to keep it for you.¡±

    They are hiding something from me. Did they sell one of the epic items I got from the 3rd floor? I don''t think the valuables they took would be worth that much.

    Well, even if they did, it''s not such a problem. I still have three of them left, but they don''t need to know. If they really did that, I will bully them a bit.

    ¡°Okay, I''ll rest a bit and in a few hours we can talk.¡± I stop, and a cheeky idea shes through my mind. ¡°Oh, and can you bring me the items I left with you? I came up with an amazing way to use them.¡± I lie, and immediately I know Tess and Izzy noticed.

    Yet they both smile secretly and leave me alone. While boys seem to panic.

    Little twerps.

    Anyway, greetings were short, but it''s time for Primary ss selection!

    I look around the room and identify a massive armchair near the balcony as the mostfortable spot. I sit in it and check the notifications.

    <strong>Well done! You sessfully reached level 150. You can now select one of the Primary sses. The sses and their rarity are based on your actions and performance up until now within the Tutorial.</strong>

    <strong>Mana Forgemaster (Rare)</strong>

    <em>An advanced ss specializing in the use of mana to craftplex constructs. Their abilities go beyond simple creations, allowing them to manifest highly versatile magical objects for offense and defense, elevating them to a critical role in any skirmish.</em>

    <em>Your prowess in handling mana constructs is evident. With a mana stat of 200 or higher, you''ve created dozens of creations entirely frompressed mana. Possesses the Mana Maniption skill, or its equivalent, at level 25 or higher.</em>

    <strong>Horizon Striker (Rare)</strong>

    <em>An elite ss excelling in long-rangebat. With attacks supercharged by potent magical energies, they can deliver devastating blows from distances where retaliation seems impossible.</em>

    <em>Your unleashed power is a sight to behold. You''ve expended over 50% of your mana in a single long-range assault, decimating hundreds with your long-range abilities. You''ve also defeated hundreds of enemies nearly matching your own level in just one strike.</em>

    <strong>Paramount Fighter (Rare)</strong>

    <em>With unparalleled martial prowess and an expert handle on mana to amplify their physical capabilities, their role in battle is often a game-changer,manding respect from both friends and foes alike.</em>

    <em>Your body is a lethal weapon. You''ve maintained enhanced bodily fortifications for over 24 hours. You defeated hundreds of enemies of equal or superior strength in close-rangebat. Your fortified physique alone allows you to withstand attacks that would be fatal to others.</em>

    <strong>Energy Conductor (Epic)</strong>

    <em>A potent ss specialized in the mastery and maniption of diverse energies, wielding them with such finesse and power that they can shift the tides of battle, shatter defensive lines, and provide crucial shields in dire situations.</em>

    <em>You channel the elusive Primordial Energies, a feat aplished by only a select few. You have skills at level 30 or higher that allow mastery over Primordial Energies. Acquired one of the Primordial energies purely through the indomitable force of your will and have managed to control two such energies.</em>

    <strong>Focused Channeler (Epic)</strong>

    <em>An epic ss with unmatched expertise in the intricate art of mana maniption, able to shape and control the flow of mana. This highly specialized skill set renders them an influential force in any magical confrontation.</em>

    <em>Through sheer determination, you reign supreme over your mana. Has a skill rted to concentration and a Mana Maniption skill at level 30 or higher. Has mana stat is over 400. You''ve used mana far surpassing your body''s boundaries and survived.</em>

    I spend a few minutes reading the descriptions over and over again. It''s always an amazing feeling to do so, as I know how much they can strengthen me. I alsoe to think that the only possible way of getting an active skill, other than by learning it, is with the help of a Primary ss. I might be wrong, and Sub-sses will offer that, but I don''t think so.

    It''s also one of the things I asked Lissthaniel, and she confirmed that. With my experience, I am inclined to believe that.

    Skills are important, and the words of the being in Beyond prove it. ¡°Never get your skills to level 99,¡± it said. Primary sses do give skills, which <strong>[Mana Surge]</strong> from my Mana Channeler proves. The importance of skills is also why I have decided not to use skill upgrade tokens for the skills I think are my strongest ones.

    This is the description of my current ss:

    <strong>Mana Channeler:</strong>

    <strong>Active Skill: Mana Surge - </strong><em>The user can temporarily increase the flow of mana within their body, boosting the power of their magical abilities for a short duration.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana Flow (Rare) - </strong><em>The user''s mana flows more efficiently throughout their body, reducing the amount of mana needed for skill activation and improving their overall magical control.</em>

    <strong>Bonuses:</strong>

    <em>Constitution +2</em>

    <em>Mana +10</em>

    There is no rarity unlike now, and the bonuses are... just bad. 2 Constitution and 10 Mana. What even is that?

    As for the skills, both passive and active, they currently aren''t that strong. It''s something I outgrew quickly, but I can''t be too disappointed. It was just a starting ss.

    So yes, I am offered three rare sses and two epic, and that makes me curious. Do people often get offered epic sses at level 150? I am inclined to think it''s not.

    Through themunity, I learned that some of the members of other groups rarely saw a rare passive skill. Yet for me, they became something of a norm, and even if I could buy a few more of them through the shop, I do not do so as even a few of them wouldn''t strengthen me that much.

    Focused Channeler seems like a good choice. An epic ss, most likely an upgrade of my current Mana Channeler, and it even mentions focus. The amount of mana that I possess right now is really high, so I am drawn more to this ss rather than the Energy Conductor that deals with Primordial energies such as kic or thermal. I mean, Primordial energy also doesn''t sound weak, and I''m sure they are powerful, but they were never my main interest.

    Well, let''s not hesitate much longer. I''m sure in the end I would pick Focused Channeler even if I gave it a few more days to think. So I just do that and pick my Primary ss.

    <strong>Congrattions! You have chosen the Primary ss - Focused Channeler. In the future, you will be able to upgrade your ss or change it for a new one, fitting your actions up until that point within the tutorial.</strong>

    Another window pops up:

    <strong>Congrattions! You have acquired your Primary ss:</strong>

    <strong>Focused Channeler (Epic)</strong>

    <strong>Active Skill: Mana Domain -</strong><em>Establishes a limited area where the user has heightened control and influence over the flow of mana, providing various tactical advantages.</em>

    <strong>Active Skill: Tether - </strong><em>Anchors the user''s mana to a specific location, enabling quick return or other location-based effects.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skills: Mana Reservoir (epic) -</strong><em>Allows the user to slowly and gradually store mana beyond their natural maximum, effectively increasing their total mana pool for subsequent actions.</em>

    <strong>Bonuses:</strong>

    Constitution +20

    <em>Mana +100</em>

    I check my status, and<strong> [Mana Surge]</strong> and passive Mana Flow (rare) are gone. I expected something like that, but it''s also something I need to take into consideration in the future. Right now, I won''t feel the loss of <strong>[Mana Surge] </strong>at all as I''ve already outgrown the lower-tiered skill. However, I already feel the effect of losing the passive. It''s be harder to control my mana, so I dedicate a more significant portion of my <strong>[Focus]</strong> to it, especially now after my mana increased again ¡ª by 100 points from the bonus and 100 more from the attribute upgrade.

    At this point, I might have more mana than I can spend. It''s already challenging to use it all!

    Good!

    It also reinforces my decision to not go hunting for a while and to focus on getting my mana under control. Another round of active tempering and improving my constructs will be more helpful than gaining more levels.

    Now then, let''s see what my newest epic passive does. I send my senses into my body. My mana, which is already at its peak as I didn''t use it, didn''t increase. Instead, it feels like there''s an additional mana pool that starts slowly filling with my mana.

    That pool doesn''t take the mana from my main mana pool but absorbs the excess, some leakage, and starts storing it. It''s difficult for me to locate it properly. It feels as if it''s part of my body, but also as if it''s not. The sensation is odd, and I can''t even estimate the size of the mana reservoir.

    Judging from the passive skill''s rarity, which is epic, the reservoir should be significant. Maybe asrge as my current mana pool? Maybe a bitrger? It fills slowly, and when I use my mana, the filling of it stops. The mana reservoir continues to fill only after my mana tops up again.

    Interesting.

    I reach out and use the mana from the reservoir. It''s simple as if using my mana normally, and when I stop, it starts filling again.

    After spending a few more minutes observing it, I''m still unable to judge the size of the reservoir, but the speed at which it fills is much slower than my own mana regenerating. Maybe it''s ten percent or even less of the speed at which my mana regenerates?

    It''s not as good as I expected, but I might be mistaken about something, so I decide to give it a few more hours to see howrge the reservoir is. It better be at least as big as my current pool.

    As for the skills, <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> excites me the most, and I activate it. Immediately, I feel a strong pull on my mana as the skill takes a decently sized chunk of it, and the reservoir stops filling. But I ignore that and instead focus on the skill.

    The area the size of the room I''m in changes peculiarly. Now, I even notice the mana my body is leaking, and when I<strong> [Focus] </strong>on it, even that little mana easily gets pushed back inside my body.

    Then I push more of my mana outside my body, and as I start moving it inside the area of the domain I notice how much easier it is. The mana, even though separated from my body is easy to maneuver. While it''s currently not as easy as manipting mana inside my body, the skill definitely feels like that''s where it''s heading.

    The orb I create starts moving as I want it to, and even when it gets further away from my body, it''s easy to control, shape, or dissolve it.

    I radiate more mana into the area and spend a few more minutes observing the changes. A few times, I also cancel the domain just topare the difference, and it seems significant.

    <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> is only at level 1, and yet, my mana within that area is easy to shape even without direct touch.

    Interesting. What will be possible when I level it up? Will I be able to affect the mana of my opponents within the domain? Maybe even change my domain a bit?

    The best ideaes to me. What if I evolve my <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> into<strong> [Infusion]</strong> and then infuse the domain with kic or thermal energy? And what if I make the area of the domain muchrger?

    Good, good! I''m already excited. The skill seems to be of a higher tier, so that''s promising. I''ll y with it moreter.

    Now then, <strong>[Tether].</strong> I activate the skill, and then, following the ¡°feeling¡± the skill gives me, I create something like an imprint I''m currently not understanding. The imprint stays anchored to the space in front of me, and for a moment, I observe it.

    It''s an anchor or tether that slowly crumbles as it stays in the air, yet I still feel I can use it. To be sure, I activate my mana again and feed the anchor, and it stops crumbling.

    Then I stand up from the armchair and move a bit further away from it. Following the knowledge offered by the skill, I activate it, and the skill takes another sizable chunk of my mana. At the same time, the world around me turns into a blur, and I have a feeling of weightlessness. When it all calms down, I find myself standing on the armchair, right at the ce where I left the anchor.

 Chapter 190: Cant help wanting more

    Chapter 190: Can''t help wanting more

    Well, it''s not as confusing as I expected it to be, and I don''t even feel dizzy after using the skill.

    It''s as I thought: <strong>[Tether]</strong> will currently allow me to teleport back to the ce where I left the anchor, which is something like a construct or imprint.

    When I try to set up the anchor again and then another one, the first one crumbles.

    That''s unfortunate, but it''s nothing some leveling in the skill wouldn''t take care of.

    I use as much mana as I can and set up another anchor, then start ying with <strong>[Mana Domain] </strong>again. Inside the domain, the anchor shines brighter, and I can understand it better, even feeding it some mana from a further distance.

    Very interesting. I will need to do more testing and try to use all my skills within <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>. Right now, I have a feeling that some of the skills could be strengthened or their uses increased.

    Only thirty seconds pass, and the anchor crumbles.

    It looks like my hit-and-run tactic will require a bit more leveling to work properly, but it''s not something I mind too much. My new Primary ss is amazing, and the active skills it gives me seem to be equally fantastic. I especially love <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>.

    As for the passive, I''ll have to wait a bit more to see how big the reservoir is.

    I move towards the bed and close my eyes.

    For the next hour, I just stare at the ceiling and rest. It''s hard to fall asleep. After a few days of constant fighting against the ants, the calm and safety within our newest base feels somewhat unreal.

    It takes me another hour before light sleepes to me, and I finally doze off.

    I wake up, and after a short moment of panic and looking around, I remember where I am and calm down my mana, which hums around me, ready to explode at mymand.

    Slowly calming it down, I stand up, stretch a bit, then step onto the balcony. While feeling a light warm breeze on my skin, I look down on the city.

    It''s the middle of the night, so the city is quieter than before, yet there are myriads of lights all over it. Blue, white, yellow; all of them dimly glowing, lighting the streets or showing ces where people aren''t asleep yet.

    A few of the giant trees that are throughout the city also seem to have leaves that glow softly in a pale green color while being swayed by the wind.

    It''s so peaceful and I etch the scene into my memory.

    Then I observe the mana around the house we are using as our base. I felt it the moment I came here, but there is some field set up around it. A somewhat intricate yet amateurish web of mana is used for detection.

    I also notice that, unlike when I came here, a few hours ago, the web of mana seems to be better. The person who set it up is constantly improving it, most likely.

    It''s not hard to locate that person. The one doing that is a tanned, ck-haired girl sitting in her room, with her sister sleeping on the bed near her.

    Obviously, it''s Sophie, someone who I still consider the most skilled from our group, after me, when ites to handling mana.

    I radiate a bit more mana and start carefully observing what she is doing and notice that she''s practicing and improving the web of mana around the house.

    It doesn''t take long for her to notice my examination. After a bit of panic, she locates me and realizes that it''s me who''s doing that and not some enemy.

    I send a mana variation of a greeting towards her, and instead of answering in a simr way, she does something else.

    <em>(You scared me here. I was about to alert everyone.)</em> Sophie contacted me telepathically in a simr way the twins can. She does it by using the web she created.

    It makes sense; her<strong> [Maniption]</strong> should be capable of doing at least that much. Or maybe she got another skill; who knows?

    I use the connection she set up and answer, <em>(Your web has holes, here and here and here as well.)</em> I point at them using pulses of mana.

    Sophie hesitates for a moment, most likely surprised by the unexpected answer, but she quickly checks the ces and right after, she starts working on fixing them.

    <em>(Won''t your web dissipate when you stop focusing on it?)</em> I ask.

    <em>(No,)</em>" Sophie answers simply.

    Well, I can''t expect her to tell me all her secrets. Does <strong>[Maniption]</strong> or<strong> [Mana Infusion]</strong> allow her to create semi-permanent things like that?

    <em>(It will be harder to improve it if you keep poking it the entire time,)</em>" Sophie sends.

    <em>(What does it do other than some sort of detection?)</em> I keep observing the web she had set up.

    <em>(It detects minds entering the premises and warns me. It also senses the usage of arger amount of mana. I did feel you experimenting in your room, just so you know. But currently, I am excluding your room from the web.)</em>

    Oh? Isn''t that nice of her? I know she most likely did it to avoid conflict with me, and I do realize that since that situation when I lost control over myself, she has been careful when dealing with me.

    Also, the way she''s manipting mana to create this web, inbination with some of her skills, is quite fascinating. It makes me want to observe it more.

    It''s also good to know that everyone continues to improve. Maybe my leaving them on their own really did help in that way. If they rely on me too much, their growth will stagnate.

    <em>(Listen, I have an idea. Would you like to make some shards?)</em> In the end, I decide to ask her.

    I almost can feel her curiosity as she answers, <em>(Can we talk about it in the morning? I want to finish what I started. Plus, it would be better to talk face to face.)</em>

    <em>(Sure,) </em>I sent thest message, and the connection cuts off.

    Slowly, I observe as the web of mana gets pulled further away from my room, and after examining it a few times, it is as Sophie said. My room was excluded from it.

    The rest of the night, I spent standing on the balcony and leaning against the railing. I don''t use any mana and let it slowly trickle into my Mana Reservoir. Instead, I just use my own eyes to observe the city downhill. I watch as the night lights slowly turn off and as the sun appears in the sky in a beautiful dawn.

    Golden rays of the early morning shine on the towers and trees that dominate the city, bathing all the buildings in a soft glow.

    The city awakenes, and during the next few hours, more and more people start appearing on the streets, and the sounds of life returns to the once-silent city.

    The sight is something I hadn''t been able to see for a long time. There''s so much life in the city that it almost makes me panic because of the ever-present humans and lynthari. The months of fighting for survival on the mostly empty floors of the tutorial made many of us a bit wild, and that''s something I also noticed the first time I entered the city.

    Even now, I have to control myself to not constantly send waves of mana into my surroundings in search of ambushers or traps. But even though it makes me feel that way, I still think it''s beautiful. This mess of the city that would be impossible to see back on Earth and, by extension, all these powers I wield.

    Although I oftenin about the system and this tutorial, I am equally, if not more, grateful for it.

    It''s as Tess said, it''s an adventure, beautiful, dangerous, and at times a sad adventure. But as abusive as all of this is, I can''t help but want more.

    ¡°Nat!¡± A petite ck-haired girl hugs me the moment I walk downstairs, totally ignoring the people staring and not even asking for my opinion.

    ¡°Lily, it''s nice to see you all healed up,¡± I answer instead, and after her awkward hug, I let go of her.

    Lily tries to hold me a bit longer and when she lets me go, there is a bright smile on her face, ¡°My batteries are recharged now,¡± she says jokingly, and for that, I pinch her nose.

    ¡°I''m not a charger.¡± When I look at her, she still doesn''t seem to be fully back to herself, but it''s not bad. I guess losing most of her limbs and having to rely on people she barely knows does that to people.

    ¡°Oh, and Nat, thanks for the amulet! I already used it a few times while hunting, and it''s amazing!¡± she says loud enough for others to hear as if wanting everyone to know.

    Somewhat, it makes me want to pinch her nose or pull her ear again, but I have a strong suspicion that''s her intention and she enjoys even that sort of attention from me.

    I give her a short answer and continue to walk towards the kitchen ind where the rest of the group is already eating their breakfast while going through some papers. I hear them talking about quests, levels of monsters, and such stuff.

    They all seem halfway used to it even though we spent only around nine days separated.

    Biscuit is there as well, hovering at the height of the kitchen table and moving from person to person. This seems to take most of his concentration as he isn''t even able to create mana tentacles to steal some food.

    Yet, the doggo looks proud, like a child showing off a skill it learned.

    Cute.

    I sit on the chair, and Biscuit floats towards me, and I give him some food from the table. Then, still not fully feeling like talking, I listen to others while Lily chirps near me, moving some tastier stuff in front of me.

    After a while, I stand up to take a ss from the counter, and when I turn back while walking, I see that Lily is pulling my chair closer to herself. Thinking I didn''t notice, she shamelessly continues to talk with others.

    Wow.

    When I sit back on the chair, now closer to this silly kid, she acts as if nothing happened.

    During the morning meeting/breakfast, I sometimes join the conversation but most of the time, I listen, still getting used to all of this. At some point, it feels too suspicious. Everyone is too considerate, and they do not talk to me that often, only once in a while as they speak.

    It all feels too... deliberate.

    I look at the tall blonde. Tess? What did you do? Did you train them? Am I treated like that crazy uncle during a family party? The one that parents warn their children not to annoy too much and not to talk with him about certain topics, like politics?

    Somehow, it annoys me, but it also makes me feel good, and because of that, it annoys me again.

    To make things feel right once again, I reach out and boop Biscuit''s nose a few times, to which Isabe jumps from her chair and does the same, not wanting to be left behind.

    The mighty floating divine beast mercifully allows that.

    ¡°Tess, can we talk in around ten minutes?¡± I ask when it''s close to the end of breakfast.

    ¡°Sure, Hadwin will join too, and we can go through everything,¡± Tess, reliable as always, answers.

    I nod and then turn to Sophie, ¡°Do you have time to talk?¡±

    To my question, Sophie nces down at Izzy, and I sense my feelings being probed.

    So rude.

    ¡°It''s fine, Soph,¡± Isabe''s answer is simple, and Sophie gestures for me to follow as she leaves the table. That earns us a few curious looks that I ignore, and I follow the sisters onto the terrace that has pots with big flowers all around it and somefortable seating, while also overlooking the city.

    ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± Sophie asks me after sitting down, and Isabe hops on the couch near her. Sophie''s eyes seem curious yet careful at the same time. She is always so careful around me.

    ¡°What would you think if I said we could potentially earn thousands, even tens of thousands, of shards from the system shop together?¡± I ask her directly.

    Sophie''s green eyes shine brighter, and she gives me her full attention now, ¡°I would say that I might be interested. Please continue.¡±

 Chapter 191: We have a deal

    Chapter 191: We have a deal

    Not messing around, I quickly exin it to Sophie. "Lissandra left something for me: coordinates to her world. You probably can''t see them in the system shop because you don''t own any, and they seem high up there when ites to pricing, but I do. The prices of coordinates start at twenty thousand shards, and some of them are much, much higher."

    "So where do Ie in?" Sophie asks.

    "It''s simple. You will learn the coordinates and ''save'' them. Then I will sell my coordinates to the shop. If I am right, at that point, the knowledge of them will disappear from my mind, and they''ll probably get deleted if I etch them into a mana stone, no matter who holds it." I did think about it a lot, and I''m sure they would disappear from the mana stone. The system wouldn''t allow such an easy workaround.

    I continued, "Then, you will teach me the coordinates again, and I will try to sell them again. In the best case, I can sell them multiple times as we repeat the process. In the worst case, I can sell the same coordinate only once, and if that happens, you will sell them as well after teaching them to me. This doubles the number of shards."

    The system probably won''t allow me to keep selling the same coordinate over and over, but it''s worth a try. If it doesn''t work, I can double the number of shards I get from the coordinates and still retain them. Even that much is beneficial.

    Sophie is the most skilled in Group 4 when ites to handling mana, and the system most likely won''t try to delete coordinates from her mind, unlike if they were saved into an item.

    I''m sure it will take some time for her to learn them, but it would take much longer for everyone else in the group. Plus, I''m certain some of them wouldn''t even be able to do so.

    There''s also the possibility of using Sophie''s <strong>[M</strong><strong>ind-fuckery]</strong> skill and having her just share the coordinates with others instead of making them learn it. That would be great.

    "What''s in it for me?" An expected questiones from Sophie.

    "You can keep half of the shards you get from selling your coordinates. The remaining half you will use to buy stuff I tell you." The offer I give her is fair, I think.

    But someone else has a different opinion. "Soph! Ask him to be friends with us instead, and he can keep all the shards!" Little Isabe chimes in.

    "Izzy, don''t be silly," Sophie''s voice is gentle. The expression she shows now is so different from when she talks to me.

    "It''s you who''s dumb, Soph!" The little, angry, kitten-like girl uses her small hand to hit Sophie''s arm, to which her older sister continues to smile.

    When she turns to me, her expression changes. "I want something else instead," she says.

    "Go on."

    "Clean te." Isabe stillins after her sister says that, but Sophie now seems serious.

    "Exin," I feel intrigued by what she means.

    "I know you have a problem with me, and both of us know why. Honestly, it''s tiring to keep tiptoeing around, and you must be aware of it as well," her green eyes don''t lie as she honestly tells me what she thinks and wants. "I made a mistake, a terrible one because I was scared back then. What it did to you is¡­"

    "Unfortunate?" I offer.

    ¡°Yes¡­ unfortunate. I want you to know I would do even worse things if it meant protecting Isabe,¡± Sophie says. ¡°Much, much worse.¡± Her voice is sharp, and she ignores the worried expression her sister shows.

    ¡°That''s reasonable,¡± I say. I would do the same. That''s where the two of us are somewhat simr.

    Sophie nods. ¡°I do think so too.¡± Then she hesitates, ¡°Still, I will continue to do such things. To these fake people from the floors and maybe to other groups if we meet them and I am forced to.¡±

    She spends a bit more time thinking or perhaps looking for the right words to say or the courage to say them, ¡°But I don''t want to do it to anyone from our group. I don''t expect all of us to be friends, but I want to work together with others without having to see them look at me that way. You may not realize it, but most of the others see me in a simr way you do. Even though Tess is trying, they don''t trust me fully,¡± before I say anything, she says what I wanted to say, ¡°Not without reason. I know.¡±

    ¡°Sophie, you can be more direct with me. Just say what you want to say,¡± I interrupt her this time.

    ¡°I want a clean te. I want to start over and to do that I will start with you, in hopes others will follow. I will even give you all the shards I would make if you want. I just want us to forget the past,¡± she seems like she doesn''t know where to put her hands, and little Isabe ends up grabbing them and smiling at her sister as if giving her some bravery.

    Then I feel a bit of mana from Isabe, mana that flows into Sophie.

    ¡°If I attack you or anyone else, you can do whatever you want. I am not so unreasonable as to not expect that. I just want you to stop looking at me the way you do. Feel free to constantly check the minds of others to see if I didn''t mess with them. Or continue to strengthen your resistances every time you are near me or sense me using mana. I already know you do that, and I don''t me you. But please, don''t look at me with eyes that tell me you will kill me the moment I make a small mistake or someone uses a skill on you again that would make you less rational.¡±

    She pauses, but Isabe uses more mana and that seems to make her older sister continue talking.

    Sophie''s voice breaks a little, and the wetness in her eyes isn''t feigned at all. ¡°It''s scary,¡± her voice is quiet, ¡°it''s terrifying to be around you.¡± As Sophie talks, Isabe squeezes her hands. The little girl seems proud while Sophie looks like she is about to cry. ¡°I made a mistake, and I will make them again. It''s pathetic, I know, it''s all consequence of what I did. But I am tired, I''m so tired of shaking every time I talk to you.¡± Sophie falls silent and, after giving her a short hug, Isabe stands in front of me. Her mana and her skill <strong>[Empathy]</strong> reach out to me, and I allow it to happen.

    ¡°I did help you too. I kept watch while you slept, back at the start of the second floor. To protect you from the bad guys from Hard difficulty when you were weak.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you did,¡± I agree with her.

    ¡°So forgive Sophie. We will give you all the shards too.¡± The little girl is serious, and it takes only a moment for her to gauge my decision from my feelings, and then she goes rushing to Sophie with a big smile on her face.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I answer to Sophie, ¡°We have a deal.¡±

    Her green eyes follow me as I leave the room, and I leave the sisters to deal with it.

    She reminds me too much of myself. I have long since noticed that she is also trying the same way I am.

    Anyway, I did it only for the shards and to pay back to Isabe.

    Yup.

    ¡°So we sold the bracelet you left with us,¡± Tess says the moment I sit down with her and Hadwin. Everyone else disappeared suspiciously.

    ¡°Well, I told you to sell it if you really needed to, but was there really such a need?¡± I ask.

    ¡°What, you did? Then why is everyone acting like you wille up and chop off their left leg for selling it?¡± Hadwin looks between me and Tess for a moment and then realizes it, looking at the young blonde. ¡°Tess¡­¡± he almost doesn''t seem to believe it.

    Tess only smiles shamelessly, ¡°I need to have some fun as well, and seeing them talk like Nat wille back and eat them was somewhat cute.¡±

    I can totally understand her. Tess is someone who likes to pull off pranks like that once in a while.

    ¡°Anyway, we did have one high-positioned lynthari bother us the moment we entered the city. He really seemed interested in Maya and Lily. You probably already found out how weird they are. He kept lurking around for the two days we spent in the poorer parts of the city, and then most of our valuables disappeared.¡± Both she and Hadwin seem ashamed as Tess says, ¡°I still have no idea how that happened.¡±

    ¡°I think that annoying lynthari did it,¡± Hadwin joins in, ¡°He probably wanted to take all the valuables we have and then offer us to work with him.¡±

    ¡°I disagree, Hadwin. He would have taken all our valuable equipment too, yet only the trinkets disappeared. Plus, lynthari from what we saw until now seem harmless towards humans. They are weird, and sometimes annoying, but even Isabe didn''t feel any bad intentions from them. Not even once in the nine days we''ve been here. And we met or passed by hundreds of them.¡±

    ¡°Relying on her skill too much won''t do us any good,¡± Hadwin shoots back at her and they bicker a bit longer, both defending their own opinions.

    ¡°So yes, that''s when we decided to sell the bracelet. I know you started experimenting with the crown and the sword you left with us is something we can use hunting. We did have Sophie negotiate and she used her skill to get us a much higher price than we would get otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Oh? No protections against mind maniption?¡± I ask this time.

    ¡°We were careful and did check it. You know, at first, she did get some extra food while buying it. Then influenced someone to give her a small discount and such. Isabe kept monitoring the area and Sophie also was careful, and we didn''t find any defenses against it.¡± Tess looks into my eyes, ¡°Either mind maniption is extremely rare and there are few defenses against it, or they never had to deal with such a skill.¡±

    ¡°We are testing it slowly. Getting a better price for the bracelet was the first big test, and we might slowly use Sophie''s skill a bit more. We could get a lot of secret information, really good equipment that we could even take to another floor.¡±

    As Hadwin says that, I also think about a few ideas. If they truly do not have the concept of mind maniption or it''s something extremely rare, we could end up getting the best items this floor can offer. Just by having Sophie manipte some people. Sure, as of now the strongest ones I saw were close to level two hundred from my estimation, and there could be stronger ones.

    That''s why we will have to be careful and slowly exploit her skill. It''s quite dangerous, mind maniption, isn''t it?

    A curious question shes through my head. What would happen if Sophie returned to Earth now? She should be able to manipte the most powerful or richest people on Earth to do what she wants.

    ¡°That''s what happened to the bracelet, Nat,¡± Tess continues, ¡°The house is ours, there is even a big basement that is shielded against mana detection or leakage. From what we know, it could be good enough even for you with your mana, so take a look at it when you are free. The view is nice; we still have plenty of mana stones left.¡±

    ¡°They use them here as currency,¡± Hadwin adds, cing a few mana stones onto the table.

    Each of them is a bit different, and the biggest one is the size of my pinky. They are all oval-shaped and seemingly beautifully processed. Just a look is enough to tell me which one has the greatest value.

    The surprising part is that all of them can hold some mana or be used to etch mana circuits inside and turn them into heaters, make them radiate cold, turn them intomps. The more expensive ones seem to be able to handle a lot more mana and circuits, but something tells me I shouldn''t do that.

    ¡°That one is worth a few hundred thousand dors if we try to convert its value to Earth''s,¡± Hadwin confirms.

    ¡°I see,¡± I say and put it into my pocket.

    Hadwin opens his mouth to say something but then decides against it.

    So I take a few more valuable ones.

    ¡°Anyway, we were able to find out what Cmities are and identify three out of four,¡± Tess continues, seemingly unbothered. ¡°These three cmities are called as follows: The Fallen Hero, The Living Tree, and The Colony."

 Chapter 192: Information on Calamities

    Chapter 192: Information on Cmities

    ¡°It''s one of the information pieces we paid for. I think it was one of the most expensive ones,¡± Hadwin nces at Tess, and she nods, confirming it.

    While taking the rest of the mana stones I didn''t pocket off the table, he continues, ¡°The first one we learned about is the Colony. We''ve already had the luck of meeting some of them.¡±

    ¡°Good ol'' bus-sized ants,¡± I say.

    ¡°Yes, millions or perhaps even billions of ants. No one knows. The entire thing we considered a mountain range is their anthills, and they crawl all over it and inside the holes that cover the area.¡± Hadwin says.

    He scratches his chin, ¡°The weird thing is that they refuse to leave their area and do not attack if you don''t enter their territory. As for where they came from, no one knows. Some people say they came from a different through the tear in space. Someone else says they alle from their queen who used to be a strong monster that leveled up in a terrifying way.¡±

    ¡°I also heard they could be a failed experiment. A weapon one of the countries created to fight in one of their wars,¡± Tess joins in.

    ¡°Well, not like that matters. It''s hard to imagine we could wipe out all the ants, the entire Colony that is probably considered to be one of the four Cmities,¡± I say.

    As always, the system doesn''t hold back when ites to throwing all the challenges at us. Some of us aren''t even level one hundred, so how the heck is it even possible to wipe out the entire Colony?

    "Any more info on ants?" I ask.

    "Not much, to be honest. Only crazy people go to their territory, and most of the time, they don''te back. But back to other Cmities..."

    Before Tess can continue, I interrupt her, "What is down in the tunnels? Are they... weak to fire?"

    "They should be full of mushrooms and other stuff ants like to eat. Apparently, they can be a bit mmable, yes. Nat, what did you do?"

    "Nothing," I answer quickly. "So imagine if someone, hypothetically and by mistake, did drop an orb full of fire down there; what could have happened?"

    "Well, if that fire could set their food aze, the result could be quite terrifying, especially down in the tunnels." Tess''s eyes are sharp as she says so.

    "Well, it''s a good thing nothing like that happened," I say.

    It''s fine. Totally fine.

    "Yes, it''s a good thing nothing like that happened," Tess''s eyes say that she knows.

    Dang it.

    Tess then sighs and continues, ¡°I did find some info about the Fallen Hero while Hadwin researched the Colony.¡± She flicks a strand of hair off her face, ¡°The Fallen Hero is what is left of someone who died long ago. From what we found, this ce also uses titles such as ''Paragon'', and ''Champion'' that are simrly strong, and ''Absolute''. The Fallen Hero was someone like that, a man, human, that was said to be the Champion of an era a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°Currently there aren''t any Champions or Absolutes, none that people or lynthari here would know about. The highest level they know about is somewhere in the mid-two-hundreds,¡± Hadwin adds some details.

    ¡°As Hadwin says,¡± Tess patiently continues, ¡°We think the situation will be simr to the Saint. The Fallen Hero is dead and only his body is alive. From what we found out, he is kept moving by an ancient set of armor that feeds on the mana of his still-beating mana heart and moves automatically, killing everyone in sight. They call that armor ''Valorte'' and have long ago lost the knowledge to create them.¡±

    I try to imagine this in my head, and it sounds kind of scary. The body of a champion is used as a puppet by some sort of armor, powered by Chapmtion¡äs still-beating Mana Heart. That is scary.

    ¡°Tess, I want that armor,¡± I say.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The name sounds cool. Valorte. Like damn. I want that armor. Do you think it''s epic or higher rarity?¡±

    ¡°It''s either one of the best possible equipment within the epic category or something a bit higher. It could be that the fallen hero is a Cmity only because of the body of what used to be a champion powering the armor. Also, I think it would fit Hadwin better, with his skill.¡±

    Caught in the crossfire, Hadwin continues to flick his eyes between me and Tess. But I can see it! The greed in his eyes. You can''t call yourself a man if you''re not attracted to some cool equipment, especially one with such a name.

    Tess might be right. I don''t even like to rely on equipment, and it would surely be better for someone like good ol'' Haddy, but still!

    Valorte.

    We''re already fighting over the loot, and we haven''t even killed the Cmity.

    ¡°Any estimation on level?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Three question marks for sure,¡± Hadwin stretches on his chair, ¡°The fallen hero cmity is on a battlefield, some desert-like area. Once in a while, someone tries to kill him. Either for fame, for the Valorte, or for levels. Sometimes it''s a small group, in other cases an entire army. Yet for hundreds of years, the body of the dead champion in the armor continues to walk around the desert and attacks everything in sight, never leaving the ce.¡±

    ¡°We think this floor might have natives of a lower average level than the second floor. The second floor seems to be somewhat special with plenty of Champions, Paragons, and even an Absolute. The 3rd and 4th floors so far seem to have lower-leveled people,¡± Tess says.

    ¡°We found out that this floor is somewhat safe, so we might have even a few years to level up or prepare. We could try to get all the good equipment, maybe we can earn a lot of money and just hire a lot of people to help us finish the quest. There are multiple ways we could go about it,¡± Hadwin shrugs his shoulders.

    ¡°Damn, it looks like you guys were super busy. So what about the 3rd and 4th cmities?¡± I ask.

    ¡°We didn''t find any information on one of the cmities, so that''s that. As for the third one, it''s the Living Tree. It''s a giant tree that towers over what used to be the old capital. Some call it the Demonic Tree even,¡± Tess says, ¡°Apparently, a few hundred years ago, it sprouted out in the middle of the capital and killed everyone in sight. We don''t have more reliable information.¡±

    ¡°That''s a lot to take in,¡± I say.

    Well, as Haddy said, it''s not that bad. We can cheat a bit and maybe hire natives to help, steal, or buy some powerful equipment, observe, get more information, and n the perfect attack. Out of all the floors we were on, this one seems like the best ce to spend some time on. All the cmities seem to be tied to one area, other than the 4th one we know nothing about.

    But who do they think I am? Hiring help? Getting overpowered equipment? I''ll take on the Cmity on my own. Maybe some other than ants, yup, let''s leave ants alone; I don''t want to piss them off more than I probably did.

    ¡°As for the city, you''ve already met lynthari. They are weird but somewhat harmless. They live longer than humans, they are born stronger, and most of them don''t have to worry about money even once in their life.¡± Tess slides a few papers in front of me, ¡°You can go through what we found; Hadwin did a nice summary.¡±

    ¡°Oh, one more thing, probably an important one. Lynthari often are toozy to do anything and just like to observe humans. The ones that lead the city created an association you can join with your team, or guild if you will. You can even join alone. You pay registration and¡­¡±

    I interrupt him, ¡°Haddy, are you talking about adventures, rankings, guilds, and quests? Like in games?¡±

    He gives up and sighs, ¡°Yes. It''s exactly like that.¡±

    Tess nods in confirmation when I look at her, ¡°You can imagine how excited the boys got when they heard that. They also registered our group as a small guild.¡±

    ¡°What is the name?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Angry Kittens,¡± Hadwin pushes through his teeth.

    Oh boy.

    I then nce at Tess, and even though she tries to keep a neutral face, I can see the corners of her lips lift up slightly.

    I will turn Angry Kittens into the best guild this ce has ever seen! People will keep talking about Angry Kittens in years toe. Angry Kittens will be written down in history as the noblest and¡­

    Why are you hiding, you little shits?

    I stop in front of the room where I sense three boys and Lily.

    After a knock, I say in what I think is a soft voice, ¡°Hello guys, can you open the door?¡±

    It doesn''t work.

    ¡°Nat! I swear it was Lily¡äs idea!¡± Kim blubbers out from inside to Lily''sining.

    ¡°Oh? I don''t know what you mean... Kim. Just open the door. I want to talk.¡± Me using his surname instead of his first name seems to cause even more panic.

    Then I start enjoying it. Is this what people meant by it being fun having friends? This isn''t that bad.

    ¡°I heard about the guild name you guys picked. I really like it,¡± I say.

    ¡°Fuck, he hates it,¡± I hear from inside, ¡°He won''t believe it if we me it on Lily.¡± The voice of one of the twins continues in a whisper.

    ¡°We are friends, brothers almost, aren''t we? Min-Jae?¡± I use my trump card.

    ¡°Fuck, Kim, do not open!¡±

    Oh, it seems I have failed. But it''s fine; I''m still quite enjoying it. Should I try something else?

    ¡°Lily? I wanted to see you.¡± I say again, and in what feels like half a second, the door opens. Lily looks up at me with big eyes.

    In the corner of the room, three teenage boys freeze and stare at me like a deer staring at a car.

    ¡°See boys? Why aren''t you more like Lily here?¡± I tap her shoulder, ¡°Why are you even so worried?¡±

    I notice Lily trying to lean against me while my attention is on the boys. Damn, she sure doesn''t give up easily. I guess I''ll really have to reject her out loud sooner orter.

    ¡°You,¡± I point at Aaron, ¡°Angry kitten number two. What sub-ss did you pick?¡±

    ¡°Diligence,¡± both of the twins say at the same time. ¡°It''s already helping with <strong>[Connection]</strong> and <strong>[Sensory Deception]</strong>. It seems to work pretty well with mental skills.¡±

    ¡°Yup! It feels like we can keep them up for longer.¡± Interesting, that makes me even more curious about the others.

    ¡°Min-Jae?¡± I turn to the younger boy.

    ¡°Envy,¡± he says quietly, looking down at the ground. ¡°I think my skills be a bit stronger when I am against a stronger opponent than me.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How does it work?¡± That sounds super useful.

    Seeing my reaction makes the boy breathe in relief, and his eyes glow as he looks up. ¡°Right? It sounds super cool! I only tested it against Tess, and I''m not sure, but I would bet I became a bit stronger.¡±

    ¡°Power of love,¡± I hear from Dennis.

    ¡°Totally,¡± Aaron adds in quietly.

    To annoy Min-Jae, they don''t evenmunicate telepathically and just whisper it out loud.

    I let the boy fight and turn to Lily, ¡°And you?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°Not telling!¡± the petite ck-haired girl resolutely shakes her head.

    ¡°Yeah, I bet it''s because it''s lust,¡± one of the twins whispers loudly again.

    That almost makes me giggle, especially seeing Lily''s reaction.

    I then leave the four members of Angry Kittens behind and send my mana through the house to find others. I''m curious about what they picked.

    ¡°Me? I picked Patience,¡± Maya wipes sweat off her face and answers easily to my question. ¡°It boosted my <strong>[Focus]</strong> a bit, but it affected <strong>[Armament]</strong> the most. It nowsts much longer.¡±

    ¡°I think that''s a good choice,¡± I tell her, and she nods.

    ¡°What did you pick?¡± she asks, and I hesitate for a moment.

    Maya notices that and waves her hand, ¡°You don''t have to tell me,¡± she reads the mood quickly and changes the subject. ¡°Tess here, did go with Chastity,¡± she points at Tess with whom she was sparring before I came. Maya is smiling slightly as she does so.

    Tess doesn''t even seem to be bothered by suggesting the name of her sub-ss. ¡°It was an easy decision. Chastity suggests self-control, purity, and rity. It did exactly that. <strong>[Psychokinesis] </strong>feels purer and stronger,<strong> [Farsight] </strong>now allows me to see better, there''s some sense of rity to it, and it feels like I might be able to do more than just see far and see a bit of mana. But I have a feeling that it most affected<strong> [Deration],</strong> though it''s still hard to exin.¡±

    ¡°Pretty good decision,¡± I react, and Tess nods.

    Knowing what I am curious about, she answers, ¡°Hadwin went to hunt with Sophie and Isabe. Hadwin picked Temperance and it made his body tougher and<strong> [Strengthening]</strong> much stronger. I think out of all of us, he has one of the best fits with his main skill. As for Izzy... she told me not to tell you. Something like she will use it as a trading chip for something.¡± Tess lifts up her eyebrows.

    Dang it. Do I have to sell Biscuit again just to satisfy my curiosity?

 Chapter 193: Welcome gift

    Chapter 193: Wee gift

    Behold, my new house! It has two floors and a sizable garden that seems to be a rarity in the surrounding area. In the garden, there is well-taken care of trees, grass, and flowers. The house itself is made from wood and big grayish bricks and it''s on a hill that overlooks the city, so the view is amazing, and the person who designed the house took that into consideration.

    There are multiplerge balconies and terraces that offer afortable view of the city while still allowing some privacy from the neighbors.

    The street the house is on is made of cobblestones, and even the surrounding houses seem to be simrly well-designed.

    So, yup, the house is mine and I don''t care that Sophie used her mambo jumbo to get a better price for my bracelet that paid for all of it.

    Maybe I can just train and experiment here while asking rent from Group 4 which seems to n to y on the guild and go out for hunting. I won''t only freeload but I will also make some money, which are mana stones here, and buy myself some good stuff.

    Currently, I''m sitting on therge balcony of my room, and in my hands are papers Hadwin and Tess left for me, all with some basic information they were able to gather.

    Most of the info is useless as I don''t want to deal with this kind of stuff. As always, I will leave it to Haddy and Tess and if they need any help they can ask me anytime.

    I''m like a parasite exploiting my extroverted group members who take care of boring stuff.

    Good!

    So yeah, there are guilds, there are houses that give quests to those guilds. Stuff like, "Kill twenty giant hedgehogs that started to block trading roads" or, "Bring me a live specimen of a giant ant."

    Some of them pay much better than others and the payments sometimes are items, but most of the time they are Mana stones.

    The stronger you are, the more dangerous quests you can take.

    Exactly like in games, and that makes me curious. This kind of system isn''t that bad, so did ite into existence naturally or is it something that the system set up for us, people from Earth? It could be both, and the system is also coborating with these quests.

    One piece of information that I found interesting is that the moment you ept a quest from the adventure guild, the system gives you the same quest and the reward is a few shards. The system, being as greedy as it is, doesn''t offer that many shards, but it might change if they rank up and are able to take more dangerous quests.

    Angry Kittens have a lot to do. I''m also amazed by what they were able to achieve in just 9 or so days. Sure, they had the cheat code called "a lot of money" and "mind-blender missy", but they were able to collect a lot of information.

    Monsters around the city, maps, information on Cmities, details on the city and lynthari, some powerful individuals in the city, information about shops, auctions, cksmiths, and enchanters. All this stuff. The amount of information is staggering and it all sounds so interesting.

    From what I understood, the main difficulty of this floor, which makes it Hell difficulty, is to actually kill one of the Cmities.

    How the heck do you kill millions of bus-sized ants? How do you kill the Fallen Hero which is creepy armor using the body of a Champion as a battery? How do you deal with a giant sentient tree that wiped out an entire capital?

    Hell difficulty is different here. It''s not an imminent danger, just finishing the task is extremely difficult. Plus, with my theory that you can spend an entire five years on a single floor if the floor quest allows it, it is nearly confirmed, and looking at the luxury and somewhat peaceful atmosphere of the city, this floor doesn''t seem like that bad of a choice.

    Obviously, I won''t have that. If the rest of Group 4 really wants, they can stay here, but I will just take a few months to get my rapidly growing power under control, practice my skill, and then I will look to deal with one of the Cmities.

    Hmm, the Fallen Hero seems like a good choice. And nope, it''s not only because of the Valorte. Damn, that''s a cool name.

    Anyway, a lot of stuff to do. When Sophie gets back, we can talk about selling the coordinates. Then I need to check my new skills, especially <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>, which seems to be the best thing I got from my Primary ss.

    Then I need to experiment with<strong> [Resonance]</strong> a bit more. I think I am underusing the skill.

    Another goal is to turn<strong> [Mana Infusion]</strong> into<strong> [Infusion]</strong>, but who knows how long that will take?

    Then there are my Constructs that need a bit of upgrading.

    Another round of Active Tempering after I get used to my mana a bit more.

    I need to test out my sub-ss more and the passive it gave me to see if there are any effects I might have missed.

    Oh, and then there is my new epic passive<strong> [Mana Reservoir]</strong>. The passive just creates another Mana Pool outside of my body and who knows where and in what dimension. That reservoir only starts slowly filling when my mana is maxed out, but the advantage is that it doesn''t strain my body at all.

    At first, I was disappointed and thought that the epic passive might not live up to its name, but it doesn''t seem that bad. Already plenty of time has passed since the Reservoir started filling, and it''s nearly as big as my current mana pool inside of my body. That''s like doubling up my mana for single use. Sure, it will fill super slowly and only when my mana is topped up, but it will allow for some huge burst of mana when it''s topped.

    So I will wait a bit longer beforeining or being happy. It might allow me to get a bit more mana than my current mana pool.

    And then there are also Mana Stones I would like to experiment with. I already started on the floor before, but I n to create constructs inside of the stones or maybe on the items. That''s also something I started trying to do with the Crown of the Last King. If I''m right, this is how enchanting should work, and I might be able to get something out of it.

    Bored after all the nning, I send a pulse of my mana through the house and notice that Biscuit, alone in the room, is about to leave the area.

    Huh? Alone?

    I hide my presence and keep mana inside of my body and under the Mantle and send only the tiniest mana thread to track the doggo, something I''m sure he won''t notice. Well, not yet, I can''t underestimate our future corgi overlord.

    As he exits the house, I watch him from the balcony.

    Biscuit slowly walks on his short legs, wobbling from side to side. The burrito-like doggo seems to have a n.

    My curiosity peaks, and I just watch him as he reaches the wall around the garden and expect him to create his creepy mana arms to climb over, but instead, Biscuit uses the new thing he learned. Like a blimp, he starts slowly hovering, and then at a very slow speed, he floats higher and higher. It takes a few dozen seconds just to reach the top of the wall, move over it, and then a simr length for the doggo tond.

    With Biscuit''s mana arms, it would take like a second, yet the doggo seems proud. He looks around and then, with a cute wobbly stride, he heads into the city.

    And I follow him.

    Biscuit confidently walks between the people and he totally ignores them. Only once in a while does he sniff in the direction of merchants selling some food, yet, amazingly, he even ignores that.

    He doesn''t hurry, and it takes quite a long time for him to reach what looks like the poorer parts of the city. Then, the doggo walks into one of the darker alleys between two tall houses.

    "The fuck is that?" an angry voice says from inside the alley, and the man tries to kick him.

    Instead of kicknding, at a dizzying speed, one of Biscuit''s purple mana tentacles appears and hits the man, throwing him against the wall.

    The man slides down and groans with pain. Biscuit then ignores him and continues to pass through the alley.

    I carefully follow him, and when I get inside the alley, far behind Biscuit so he doesn''t notice me, I stop in front of the man.

    "Fuck, was that a shitty animal. Hey, you, stop looking around so creepily and help me," he says to me.

    After looking at him for a moment I stomp on his shin, breaking his leg with an audible crack. The leg he tried to kick Biscuit with.

    I ignore the man''s painful cries and continue to follow the doggo.

    After a few more minutes, Biscuit stops and looks around. When he doesn''t see anyone close by, he starts hovering again. The corgi-shaped blimp slowly floats right up, and after what feels like a minute, Biscuit reaches the roof of one of the houses and continues his wobbly walk on the roof.

    Where is he going?

    It doesn''t take long for me to get my answer: It''s food, obviously.

    Dang it, Biscuit.

    The doggo reaches an older, big house that has a few smaller buildings nearby, and each of these small, barely room-sized buildings keeps spewing smoke from the chimney. Looking a bit longer, I identify them as smokehouses. Observing a bit more and watching people open and close them, I realize they are smoking deer meat.

    Most likely, it''s something simr to what I gave Biscuit, which made him pick me over Isabe''s amazingly smelling, expensive-as-heck meat that I still want to try myself. But I''ve known Biscuit for a long time. His favorite snack seems to be deer meat, simr to the one we smoked on the first floor.

    It''s almost cute that the small animal prefers this kind of meat, most likely because of some fond memories from the first floor. It was at that moment he ate the meat of the deer monster that he started being different from a normal dog.

    I watch as he spends a few more minutes floating toward one of the smokehouses. Biscuit then uses his mana arms to open it and grabs a few pieces of dried deer jerky with the same arms. The cute little doggo drools while doing so.

    Then he creates another tiny mana arm that reaches into his clothes, the ones Isabe put on him, and pulls out a small piece of ss. It''s simr to the mana stones they use as the currency here.

    He must have seen people buying stuff with mana stones and wanted to do the same, not realizing that there''s a big difference between a normal piece of ss and a mana stone.

    Biscuit ces the piece of ss in front of the smokehouse after closing it and then leaves the way he came.

    I don''t follow him this time and just take the longer way to get back to the house on the hill.

    When I get back to my room, I find a few pieces of dried deer meat on the table next to my bed. Just from a nce, I realize it''s more than half of the meat Biscuit was able to get today.

    It''s a sort of wee gift, something that the doggo considers extremely precious, yet he still wanted to share with me.

    For a long time, I just sit there and stare at it.

 Chapter 194: Evening Experiments

    Chapter 194: Evening Experiments

    I will take down anyone who ever tries to mess with Biscuit.

    Must protect!

    The little doggo is too precious for this darn world, and I don''t care if he might be Earth''s Absolute or some eldritch abomination that will end the world. Even those creepy mana arms, I can deal with.

    Biscuit can do whatever he wants and must be protected at all costs.

    Damn, if I were a more emotional man, I might have started crying back then, seeing the affection of the little animal.

    One hundred boops for almost making me feel that way!

    It''s alreadyte afternoon, and I spent the day cking around, doing some tests with Mana stones and my new skills to avoid feeling useless. I also swiped some sweets from the kitchen.

    While I was locked in my room, sitting on the armchair near the balcony and training while enjoying the view of the city, I tried to examine the web made of mana that Sophie set up.

    It''s something I don''t think I''d be able to create right now. It''s as frustrating as it is amusing. Of course, I would like to know how to do that, but at the same time, I don''t feel a real need to learn it, already having plenty on my te.

    I like that others are also experimenting, and even the kids are slowly using their brains more, choosing what they want to do and improving. It''s good for me. If members of Group 4 improve, I can pick a thing or two I like and try to learn it from them if I think it''ll fit into my build. It''s like having them experiment for me!

    Good, very good.

    <em>(You did mess with my web.)</em> Sophie''s voice sounds in my head the moment she, Isabe, and Hadwin enter the house.

    <em>(I just tried to observe it a bit, but it was too trigger-happy.)</em> I send back at her and sense their presence as they return from the hunt and walk through the house.

    <em>(That''s the point, isn''t it? It''s here to detect intruders.) </em>Sophie feels more rxed than ever before.

    It seems like the deal we made about a clean te made her happy. I don''t think she fully believed me, but Isabe most likely confirmed my honesty to her older sister.

    <em>(We can start with the coordinates in 1 hour? Living room?)</em> I suggest to her.

    <em>(Deal.)</em> She answers and she and Izzy move through the house. Soon they enter the bathroom, probably to take a bath or shower and clean off the dust and sweat from the hunt.

    I''m already turning off my <strong>[Perception]</strong> when Sophie''s mana spikes up a bit, and an area forms around the bathroom¡ªan area that I can''t see through with my <strong>[Perception]</strong>.

    What the heck! Does she think I would peek?! I already located all the restrooms and bathrooms and excluded them from my senses other than just feeling mana signatures.

    Annoyed, I stand up, walk a few meters toward the sweets I put on the table, and grab a few. Then I activate <strong>[Tether]</strong>, and with the skill consuming a chunk of my mana, I teleport and reappear back in the armchair where I left the anchor.

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 1 > Tether - lvl 2]</strong>

    Nice.

    I pop a few sweets into my mouth.

    The skill is still disorienting to use and takes too long to create to be useful inbat right now. It also requires a sizable chunk of mana that would be easy for an enemy to sense and try to mess with the anchor. But for hit-and-run tactics, it should work wonderfully. Especially when I learn to leave longersting anchors and multiple of them.

    <em>(Kim is asking you if you would like to be guild master.)</em> Another telepathic message reaches my mind, and I identify it as Dennis.

    The same as with Sophie, I let it connect. I''ve long considered an enemy doing something simr and disrupting my concentration, but my construct called Mana Sovereignty Mantle would block it too. Yet every time I feel their mana or Biscuit reaching my mind, I let some of it pass, just enough for them to talk to me.

    <em>(What do you think?)</em> I send back to Dennis.

    <em>(I''ll tell him you are not interested!)</em> He says quickly.

    Before he cancels his <strong>[Connection]</strong>, I send him another message, <em>(Dennis, it''s fine to mess around a bit, but don''t forget where we are, okay? Don''t let your guard down no matter how easy it seems right now.)</em>

    <em>(Tess and Hadwin keep telling us the same, heh. Thanks.) </em>After that, the presence of his mind disappears.

    When it''s about time, I leave my room and walk downstairs where Lily greets me immediately, "Aren''t you bored being locked in your room?"

    "No, I hadpany." I can''t help but tease her, and Lily''s wide-open eyes are fun.

    "Wh-what?" she stammers, "Who?" she looks around.

    "The bestpany, obviously, myself." I pass by her.

    "Nat! You can''t do that to me," sheins and quickly takes a few steps, walking by my side.

    It''s not like I lied, though.

    "By the way, I''ve learned a few things, and I can''t wait to show you!" her voice is excited, and I can see that she also has fun discovering what she can do with her skills.

    Skills that are maybe too strong. Heck, her <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> made even a cockroach-like Absolute hesitate.

    "Sounds fun. Some other day then? I have something with Sophie right now."

    "Sure!" she says happily, but there''s a weird glint in her eyes, which quickly disappears.

    Did I imagine that?

    "Nat," as often before, Izzy wees me with a short hug and then moves back to Sophie.

    The two sisters are sitting on the couch, wearingfortable-looking homely clothes. There''s some warm drink in front of both of them, and they have a big nket wrapped around them.

    "Hey," Sophie just says shortly. She and Isabe both have ck hair, green eyes, and simrly tanned skin. It''s extremely easy to identify them as sisters.

    Well, it looks like Izzy will be there as well during our experimenting. Aaaand Lily too. I nce at our healer who sits on the couch I nned to sit on, one that is opposite Sophie and Isabe''s, with a small table in between.

    Lily shamelessly ignores my look.

    Damn, she knows that with my tendency to lose body parts, I need her, and she can annoy me almost freely.

    Dangerous, Hell difficulty people are dangerous. And shameless.

    Jerks, all of them.

    ¡°This is what I was able to do. I tried to copy what Lissandra did, but I wasn''t able to do it fully,¡± I pass a small mana stone of lower value they use here to Sophie.

    I''ve tried to do what Lissandra did while giving me the coordinates of her world. She did it in a few seconds and with a tiny amount of mana. I spent a few hours and used a lot of mana, yet it feels not even close to being right. The coordinates are currently stored in my mind, but ¡°writing¡± them down is something else.

    Sophie reaches for and takes the stone, then leans back while Izzy snuggles up to her under the nket. As she examines it, her little sister starts dozing off.

    ¡°I tried to mark parts that feel off,¡± she says after a few minutes and hands me the stone.

    Then I spend a few minutes examining it, ¡°I disagree with this one. I think I did it correctly,¡± I say and hand her the stone.

    Sophie shakes her head after just a moment, ¡°No, it''s bad, look,¡± she gestures and puts the stone on the table, and both of us touch it with the tip of our pointing fingers.

    ¡°If you do it this way, then this twist will break everything,¡± she exins while both of us use our skills to watch what''s happening inside of the stone.

    Sophie with her <strong>[Maniption]</strong> and me with my <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> and <strong>[Perception]</strong>.

    ¡°But if I do it the way you told me, it will block this part,¡± I point out.

    ¡°Oh, you are right. Hmm, how about changing it like this,¡± she reaches out and makes a small change before I''m able to say anything.

    The delicate structure inside of the stone immediately dissipates. It''s as if every twist and corner is supporting the structure of the coordinates.

    ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Sophie immediately realizes what she did.

    ¡°It''s fine, I''ll try to do it again. This time you can watch how I''m trying to inscribe it. It might help." I say as I take out another mana stone.

    The living room is dimly lit, and it''s getting darker outside. There are nkets on the couch, and the house has be quiet as everyone does their thing inside their rooms or quietly rxes somewhere.

    Isabe is already asleep, and I can hear her soft breathing, a child with a nket over her and resting against Sophie, who is leaning over the table and touching the mana stone between us.

    Like me, her eyes are also glowing while we experiment, and every obstacle only seems to make her more eager to finally seed. It''s as if she doesn''t even remember why we started doing this and just enjoys the work we do.

    At some point, Lily also tries to lean against me in a simr way as Isabe does with Sophie, but I just pinch her nose and push her back, to which Sophie gives me a slightly surprised look.

    ¡°What?¡± I ask her. I don''t have to exin anything. It''s fun pinching Lily''s small nose.

    That''s how we spend our evening and a significant part of the night. In the end, we didn''t seed. No, this feels like something that might take at least multiple weeks, maybe months. Yet I can''t deny that I have fun doing it. Working on something I consider interesting and with someone who shows a simr level of excitement isn''t that bad at all.

    I also notice that as time passes, Sophie bes a bit less stiff, her words be less cautious, and deeper into the night she doesn''t have a problem actively disagreeing with me.

    We confront each other''s opinions and improve our skills in the process.

    I wake up and stretch in my bed. Ever since the body upgrade at level 100, I don''t need to sleep as much or watch my food intake and can go a few days ignoring it, yet I still prefer doing so. It''s more a psychological thing than a physical one.

    For a moment, I just look at the ceiling and rey our experiment with the coordinates fromst night in my mind. I grab one from the small table near my bed and examine it.

    Yup, not even close. This will take longer than I thought. Maybe one or two months if we work together?

    Cockroach Lissandra did it so quickly; it made me think it would be easier. Well, at least it will get me a good amount of shards. Maybe even enough for another amazing passive. I''ll have to see how much the system will try to scam me.

    I stand up, stretch a bit, and while yawning, take a shower in the bathroom connected to my room. The shower is simr to the one in Edwal''s manor on the third floor. Heated with a mana stone that apparently needs to be changed fairly often and powered by more mumbo jumbo stones with weird etchings.

    Simr to stones I encountered on the second floor, they seem to be coded to prevent theirpetition from copying them easily. The act of coding them decreases efficiency a bit, but I think that''s something they don''t care about. Maybe I should try to decode some just for the fun of it.

    After taking a shower, I use the anchor I left over my bed to teleport back onto it and quickly burrow into the nkets. This anchor took an immensely wasteful amount of mana, just to stop it from dissipating while I took my shower.

    I burrow deeper into the bed. It feels so good, damn it. Maybe I should just stay like this the entire day. The sensation of a warm shower followed by slipping back under the nkets is amazing. Something worth trading an epic item for.

    But anyway, what does my passive, Mana Reservoir do? Is it already full?

    I check the mana pool that is separated from my body and realize that it''s already twice the size of my mana pool and showing no signs of being full.

    Oh boy, this is getting scary.

 Chapter 195: Set up

    Chapter 195: Set up

    It seems that the passive I got with my Primary ss isn''t as bad as I thought it would be. My mana is currently at 609 stat points. Then the 1st Stage of Attribute upgrade adds another 609 to that, making it 1218. That makes the Mana Reservoir 2436 points big, and it''s still filling up.

    Like, heck. Isn''t that maybe too strong? I mean, I won''tin, obviously, but what the heck?

    The reservoir is filling slowly, and getting it to this point took multiple days, as every time I spent a bit of mana, it stopped filling. Plus, I keep taking mana from my natural mana pool and only letting the reservoir fill. So there are disadvantages. Plus, it''s also nearly a one-time use, and then there can be situations where I will keep using my mana and it won''t be able to fill.

    But!

    This is really getting scary. The thing isn''t even filled yet. Where will it stop? Three times my mana? Four? Five? After I sell the Coordinates, I really should buy another high-grade passive or start saving for one.

    A beam of light shines through the window right into my eyes, as if telling me to finally get out of bed. With a sigh, I do just that and go through the clothes and put on something more fitting.

    Everything in the room is something the others bought. With my money.

    I''m rich, but I could be richer.

    Maybe I really should be an ass and ask for rent from them. I can ask for it jokingly, and some of them might take it seriously and give me some money.

    At that moment, a weak pulse of mana is sent through the web Sophie set up. I''m able to sense it only because I keep observing it, and I quickly follow the signal and detect movement at the entrance to thend the house is on. I switch to <strong>[Perception]</strong> and detect 3 men standing there. One of them senses my perceiving touch and does something that blocks it.

    Wow, so rude.

    I send my mana again, this time I change the frequency a bit and do it more carefully, and the man doesn''t notice it anymore. Amateur.

    A mana signature exits the house, and I identify it as Haddy, who quickly approaches the men. I also notice Sophie and Tess, who are carefully watching the interaction, ready to join.

    The trio talks to Hadwin for a while, and then Haddy gestures for them to leave. At that moment, one of the men swings at Hadwin, and the older man lets him hit. Even though the man is using mana, there''s no damage dealt to Hadwin. Instead, he just smiles, and I sense him using <strong>[Strengthening]</strong> and then Hadwin punches the man who attacked him.

    Immediately the other two attack as well, one using some lightning attack and the other one by boosting his body.

    Hadwin just lifts his eyebrow and allows a few hits tond, showing total disrespect, and then beats them up, breaking some bones in the process. Then he just throws them away.

    He literally throws them.

    Way to go, Chadwin!

    Curious, I turn to Sophie''s web and push on it in a way I know she''ll notice.

    She identifies that it''s me and connects to my mind.<em> (Please, do not break my web, it took a long time to set up and I''m still working on it,)</em> Sophie says immediately.

    <em>(Who were those three chumps outside?)</em> I ignore her words and ask her instead.

    I can almost hear her sigh. <em>(Some random guild full of jerks that keep wanting to get us to join them. Probably so they can scam us formissions.)</em>

    Well, I guess it''s not even surprising.

    <em>(Tess and Haddy didn''t tell me anything,)</em> I send it to Sophie.

    <em>(Tess said not to bother you with little stuff like this. We can deal with it even without you.)</em>

    <em>(And the real reason is?)</em> I ask.

    <em>(She doesn''t want you around, beating people before we find out a bit more about the power structure of the city. Anyway, I''m going to hunt with Izzy and Hadwin, so tonight again?)</em>

    <em>(Yup.)</em>

    Her touch then disappears.

    Damn, Tess, I wouldn''t go around beating people¡­ okay, I would. Hmm, maybe I should track those three men and see where their base is.

    At that moment, I hear knocking on my door.

    I get up and open it, and there, Tess stands. "Nat, Sophie told me you asked about what just happened. So, please, do not go out and track them." She seems serious as she says so.

    It seems like I was read like an open book.

    "Okay, I won''t," I say after a bit of thinking.

    They seem to have fun dealing with those goons, so I will let them. But if they push harder, I won''t hesitate to use it as an excuse to beat up a few jerks.

    Mana Cycling is fun. The technique I learned, among other things, from Lissandra, is enjoyable. I use it to move mana through my body, and at this point, it''s something I do almost subconsciously. I also changed it a bit from the version Lissandra taught me and adapted it more to the way I handle mana and my body.

    It''s surprisingly helpful. My mana, which is now multiple times higher than any other stat, is easily dealt with between my constructs that use some, passives that help me, my trait, and Mana Cycling.

    Having so much mana isn''t something people usually do, but for me, it''s fine.

    <strong>Lvl 159</strong>

    <em>Strength: 51</em>

    <em>Dexterity: 49</em>

    <em>Constitution: 147</em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 609 + 609</em>

    And I bet I could handle more! It''s not just an excuse to keep constantly dumping stats into mana, nope. My estimate is that in a few more days, I should be ready for Active Tempering which will improve my strength, dexterity, and constitution again. I just need a bit more time to get used to my mana which increased by 200 after the Primary ss I picked.

    I also have another thing added to my to-do list. My new skill called <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>; I came up with a way to improve it by a lot. The first step is to evolve my<strong> [Mana Infusion]</strong> into <strong>[Infusion]</strong>, and then I will infuse my domain with all kinds of fun stuff!

    <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> infused with <strong>[Resonance]</strong>? Good luck avoiding attacks of resonating mana that cane from any side. Or good luck avoiding constant pressure that wants to disrupt your mana.

    The same goes for kic energy or thermal one. I could literally keep a heat-filled dome around myself or the one filled with kic energy.

    With a few level-ups of the domain and increasing its size and with my nearly bottomless mana reserves? This added to the original effect of my skill that allows mana within the dome to move as easily as the mana inside my body, which would turn it into some terrifying stuff!

    There''s also one more interesting thing. Creating anchors for<strong> [Tether]</strong> is easier to create within my domain, and I don''t even have to stand close, an arm''s reach to the point where I create the anchor. Within the domain, it''s fine even if it''s on the edge of it.

    Sure, the anchors could be destroyed, and they are still easy to detect, but nothing I couldn''t improve with time.

    But even this feels just like the start. I''m still inclined to think that <strong>[Mana Domain] </strong>will be much stronger at a higher level. Currently, it allows only doing stuff with my mana, but sooner orter I should be able to dominate all the mana within the domain, and that''s when I think the skill will truly shine.

    ¡°What do you think, Biscuit? Am I correct?¡± I ask.

    Currently, I''m alone in my house, and everyone else went to hunt or gather information. A tiny part of me feels ashamed as if I''m cking even though I''m training.

    There''s a real reason for that. I have a lot of mana and yet, by my standards, I''m not handling it properly. It''s like people from Hard difficulty. They did have simr stats and levels to us, but their usage of skills wascking inparison to us, Hell difficulty enjoyers.

    Not wanting to end up like them, I can only stop leveling and focus on improving my control.

    <em>(Food.) </em>Biscuit just yawnszily and puts his head back down on myp.

    ¡°It''s easy for you to say, you can learn new skills anytime you want,¡± Iin.

    <em>(Sustenance. Easy.)</em>

    ¡°What? You try harder only when you need more food, and right now there is enough of it, so you don''t need to?¡±

    <em>(Food.) </em>The doggo confirms.

    I can''t even refute that. This telepathic, burrito-like, floating, potty-mouthed divine beast is probably the strongest one of us.

    Still, I boop his nose a few times, ¡°When you be a real divine beast or something stronger, you will have to remember good ol'' Nat, okay? I will be leeching off you.¡±

    Biscuit doesn''t even bother to answer, and his cheeky eyes seem to be smiling before he closes them again.

    <strong>POV Lily Chen</strong>

    ¡°Listen, Tess, you guys just need to shut up and join ckstone. Our guild is much bigger than yours, and we already have backers that can help you guys get better-paying jobs. It''s a win-win."

    The woman saying that is only a bit older than Tess. She''s a brte with a curvy figure, and her eyes are yellow, reptile-like. Probably some trait, as Tess mentioned after we met her for the first a few days ago.

    She''s really rude as she and two more men stand in front of us, by her side. They are not allowing us to pass.

    It''s annoying, to be honest. Tess and I just wanted to go out and hunt a bit.

    "As I told you before, our guild is not interested in that, Eve. Just let us pass." Tess says.

    "What kind of name is ''Angry Kittens''? You guys clearly don''t take it seriously." The woman takes a step closer and ces her hand on Tess''s shoulder. Her smile is creepy, and she keeps ncing at me and my right hand.

    It''s probably my fault. They saw me before I finished restoring my right hand and guessed that I''m a healer capable of regenerating limbs, or we have one, and that''s the main reason they want us in.

    "Tess, we would treat all of you nicely, trust me." Her hand continues to squeeze Tess''s shoulder, and she shows her teeth while smiling.

    To me, it''s surprising how confident they are. I can''t see their levels, but Tess said they''re just a bit over one hundred. Tess and Hadwin also wanted to keep Nathaniel out of all of this. Something about not always relying on him for help with something they can handle, but I think they just don''t want him to blow things up.

    I''d like to see that, though. I don''t like this woman and the way she looks at me. But I''m not worried. If she touches me, I''ll use <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>.

    "Eve, get your hand off me."

    My attention is immediately drawn to Tess, who said that. Tess is smiling, but this smile feels dangerous.

    "Come on Tess, quit joking. You will get in trouble the moment you try something," the brteughs and gestures to the two men who move closer.

    "Lily, don''t kill anyone," is thest thing Tess says before white and red lightning sparks around her.

    Her fist moves at a dizzying speed, hitting Eve directly on the nose, breaking it, drawing blood, and sending her flying even thought the woman tried to block the attack with mana.

    Tess smiles refreshingly.

    Then one of the men grabs me. Being careful not to kill him, I lower the power of <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>, and a short pulse of grayish mana disintegrates his arm up to the shoulder and I take a step back.

    ¡°Huh?¡± he utters before he starts screaming.

    Tess quickly deals with the other man. It doesn''t even take three seconds.

    ¡°So annoying. ckrock is just a small bootlicker guild that clings to a bigger one. Their guild master isn''t even at level 120,¡± Tess says.

    She remains calm even in this situation. In some ways, she''s really simr to Nat. Is that why he feels sofortable around her?

    ¡°You bitch,¡± Eve lisps from the ground, blood on her face, ¡°just wait...¡±

    A squad of guards followed by one male lynthari quickly arrives. Too quickly, almost as if they were waiting nearby.

    ¡°Oh, it''s cute Eve. What happened to you? Did they attack you out of nowhere?¡± the lynthari asks while the human guards wait. He smiles at the woman who res at us hatefully.

    The lynthari feels young and even though he tries to control his expression everyone can see that he is having fun.

    ¡°This might be a little troublesome,¡± Tess sighs, "It looks like we''ve been set up.

    <strong>POV Lily Chen</strong>

    One of the unspoken rules of the city is to never mess with lynthari. So we let ourselves be taken to prison and locked in a room, both together. It''s a reasonably nice room, but it''s unsettling to be confined here. I''m troubled by what Eve said; maybe we''ll face problems, as Tess mentioned.

    Tess tells me to expect that we''ll spend a few days here and that they''ll most likely try to mess with us while we''re here. They might kidnap us or force us to pay outrageously high fines for "seriously" hurting them. And if we can''t gather enough money, they could force us to join their guild.

    But only a few hourster, the door unlocks, and a young man enters the room. His face has no emotion on it, but his brown and gray eyes seem to glow with hidden cheekiness as he looks at us.

    As always, he moves with such confidence, and unlike almost everyone else, he doesn''t emit any mana I could detect.

    It''s like he dominates all of it and doesn''t allow it to escape his control.

    ¡°Are these your friends, feral one?¡± A lynthari enters the cell. The way she speaks and moves makes her seem regal, even though there''s a long scar across her face.

    <strong>[Elemental Warden - lvl ??]</strong>

    Her hair is white, and her cat-like eyes are golden. She is unearthly beautiful and probably extremely wealthy, judging by her enchanted jewelry and clothes. Her clothes are also very pretty.

    ¡°Yes, Myrra, these two ''angry kittens'' are my friends,¡± Nathaniel says.

 Chapter 196: In order to have some fun

    Chapter 196: In order to have some fun

    Wow, Tess seems really down, seeing how she keeps avoiding my eyes. What now, you silly tall blonde? You keep bullying me by reading me like a book and then saying how you will take care of everything. So, will you do now?

    "Tess, just let me. I''ll take care of everything," the moment I say that, I can see she realizes what I''m poking at and how much fun I''m having.

    Right now, Tess really seems like an angry kitten.

    ¡°Feral one, you truly are ruthless,¡± Myrra, the first lynthari I met even before I entered the city, notices as well. She''s a level 188 Elemental Warden, the highest level I''ve seen so far in the city.

    ¡°Nat, you know it''s not our fault. They kept trying to force us into their dumb guild,¡± Lilly says in their defense.

    ¡°Ha! ckrock was just a pawn, a small guild. It''s one of the five big ones that wanted you guys and operates behind the scenes,¡± Myrra tells Lily and I listen to them in the back of my mind.

    So, things went like this: Tess and Lily were imprisoned. We learned about it a bitter from the association of guilds, and then things went downhill. Normally, they would just get out, as I''m sure they were innocent, but one of the fivergest guilds in the city kept meddling behind the scenes to the point where they could spend a really long time in there.

    I''m sure during that time they would try everything to get Lily, because, of course, it''s always the healers these guys are after.

    This is what Hadwin and Sophie found out, and then I got the idea to use Myrra here, who left me her address in case I was looking for a <em>job</em>.

    Exactly as I expected from her level and wealth, she seems important, and it took only a few hours to get to this point, with Myrra being really helpful.

    ¡°Well, it''s the lynthari that rule the city. I didn''t expect you to be so corrupt.¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Feral one, obviously they are corrupt. Only our young ones help with the leadership of the city, and they like to mess around,¡± Myrra giggles and her tail continues to swing from side to side as she shows me her sharp canines.

    She seems to be enjoying herself, ¡°Usually this wouldn''t have happened, but you guys seem to have caught the interest of someone high up there,¡± she narrows her eyes, looking at Lily, "Is it because of her?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± I say.

    At that, Myrra bes even more amused, and even her ears perk up a bit. The entire time, I feel her mana in the surrounding area, touching each of us carefully, observing us. There is especially a lot of it around me, and even her eyes seem to glow slightly in the dimly lit prison cells.

    When we start walking outside of the prison, a few human guards and a single lynthari that''s present even bow to her, letting us pass without any problem. There, we meet Hadwin, who is here with Aaron, and Tess and Lily rejoin them.

    ¡°I''ll be back a bitter,¡± I wave at them and then continue to walk by Myrra''s side.

    ¡°Your friends are also interesting, aren''t they?¡± she licks her lips.

    ¡°Why don''t you tell me, why are you so interested in us, Myrra? In exchange, you can also ask me something,¡± I offer.

    Walking through groups of people that are still out on the streets, she gives me a long, examining look before answering, ¡°All of you are young, yet I can smell powerful skills from you. That much isn''t that surprising, but I can even recognize that you are someone who only started dealing with mana not a long time ago. A few months, a year at most. Yet¡­¡± she doesn''t finish.

    A few lynthari recognize her and gesture a greeting towards her. Myrra returns that greeting with a smile.

    ¡°It''s something new to me and let me tell you, I rarely get to deal with something new and interesting,¡± her eyes full of mana seem to pierce through me. She also probably has some skills or maybe a trait that allows her to know that much.

    I just keep bumping into all these old weirdos who are so bored that they don''t have anything better to do than just bully poor old me.

    ¡°Moreover, it''s fun to observe humans once in a while. Humans live shorter lives, much shorter than us lynthari, so just watching them, living, expressing all these emotions is exciting. I especially like to watch humans like you, feral one,¡± she shows me more of her canines.

    Myrra is tall, easily two or three heads taller than me, the same as all lynthari who tower over humans. And she is powerful. Her level isn''t that high, but she did have a lot of time to master her skills and her power, and that''s evident even to the naked eye.

    She continues, ¡°You seem so distant. So prideful and so confident. Almost regal. Like Champions of ancient times. It makes me want to see you broken,¡± her tail stops moving, she opens her eyes wide, and a shadownds on her face, ¡°I want to see you crawl, defeated, I want to see you begging for mercy after being beaten by your enemies. I want to see you cry.¡± her voice is full of emotion.

    The tall lynthari takes a step closer, our faces nearly touching as she bends down, ¡°And even more than that, I want to see you seed. I want to see you prove that you are as powerful as you think you are. Oh, just the sight of you tearing apart your enemies with that distant look on your face and with your beautiful eyes,¡± she sighs while showing dreamy expression.

    Dude.

    System, what the fuck is wrong with you and with all these people within the tutorial?

    I quickly leave as soon as I can. Thankfully, Myrra still seems somewhat amused and doesn''t ask for anything for her help, but I''m sure it wille. It almost feels like I made a deal with the devil.

    But there''s one fun thing: she says she will leave it up to us to deal with all this stuff and if we don''t push it too far, she will stop other older lynthari from interfering. Another condition is to not hurt lynthari, no matter what they do.

    When I reach my house, everyone else is inside.

    To be honest, this entire situation is kind of crappy, and I can''t imagine what else Tess and Lily could do. Killing people from that small guild or guards would bring more trouble than it''s worth. People who went after them seemed to do it with the intention of getting them into prison as they did, they just didn''t expect to get beaten so quickly and easily.

    ¡°We are free to deal with the guild on our own, but touching lynthari is a no-no, no matter what they do. Minimal damage to stuff not belonging to the guild is also a must,¡± I say the moment I enter.

    That immediately starts a conversation between Haddy, Tess, and Maya.

    From the paper I saw before, there are three types of guilds. Simply separated as big, medium, or small. Angry kittens are small if even that. ckrock is small, slowly bing medium. The ones supporting are big guilds, and there are five of them here in the city: Luminous Order, Storm Brigade, Serpent''s Eye, Obsidian Circle, and Veilwalkers. The one messing with us seems to be Serpent''s Eye.

    Each of the big five seems to have a guild master that is around the two-hundred-level mark. Guilds mostly consist of humans, and only very rarely are there any lynthari in there.

    So, we should expect a guild leader of a bit over 200. A dozen or two guild elites at around 170, a few more dozen at around 150, and maybe a few hundred under level 100. For each guild big guild.

    Yup, I could take them.

    ¡°Nat, I hope you didn''t have to give up anything to that lynthari,¡± Hadwin joins me while others converse around the table. I''m once again sitting in the armchair that they now usually reserve for me.

    ¡°Oh, no worries, Haddy. She''s just one of those weirdos that is more creepy than dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Good. Tess seems annoyed, but I really don''t know what she could have done,¡± Hadwin changes the subject.

    ¡°We''ll get her to beat up a few people to make her feel better,¡± I answer him.

    At first, I was a bit annoyed with some jerks messing with me right when I started my training, but this doesn''t have to be that bad. I can beat up a few people and examine the skill level of someone around my level. I haven''t had much opportunity to do so, so I''m quite curious.

    Could I take on an entire big guild by myself? Something makes me want to try just that. One Sparrow obliterator 5000 could be enough to wipe out an entire guild house. Or one ANTomic bomb. Would they be as mmable as ants?

    Oh boy, let''s quickly forget about that. I''m still nervous thinking about it. Leveling shouldn''t be that easy, and the system surely won''t let it go.

    But that also makes me curious. I did deal with a few hundred ants, bus-sized ones. So, how could a much smaller guildpare to them?

    The ants were extremely mmable, probably their weakness, and even though they were big, their physical stats weren''t that amazing. What was amazing about them was theirmunication and the way they could fuel each other''s skills, and I think that''s where plenty of levels and skills went. Otherwise, the ants didn''t feel as strong as their level might hint.

    A single level 100 ant felt more like a level 50-70 monster. Just a bit big. As always, there are advantages and disadvantages to everything, and something tells me that the guild might be a bit more dangerous than a few hundred ants and that makes it sound fun.

    ¡°I think they''re not only after Lily; they probably know that we did mess around to get more mana stones, for the bracelet and all the other stuff,¡± Tess says, and as I catch that, I focus back on the conversation.

    ¡°Tess, there''s no need to n that much. Just point me in the right direction, and I will fuck them up,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°No, Nat, I have a better idea,¡± Tess''s eyes glow dangerously, ¡°<em>We</em> will fuck them up.¡± She stands up, and a smile slowly appears on her face.

    Oh boy, she is angry.

    ¡°We will beat the leader and his underlings and rece or have Sophie to manipte them. But before we do that, we need to collect more information: their numbers, strength, allies, and locations. We know that the lynthari won''t step in, so we just have to deal with humans.¡±

    ¡°I like that,¡± I say to her.

    The way these guys mess around with us feels annoying. It''s not like I''m BFFs with everyone here, but how dare some lowlife gangster think they can mess with something that I consider mine?

    Obviously, taking over a big guild won''t be easy. Beating them? Simple. Taking over and making it run as before just with some changes will be a challenge.

    A few days have passed and out n is still very simple. We''ll beat up the leadership and see if Sophie can make them... more friendly towards us.

    Unfortunately, even this isn''t that reliable. I removed her construct from my mind before, didn''t I? Well, It''s something we''ll work around after dealing with them.

    So now, everyone is collecting information. We''ve spent nearly all of our remaining mana stones. Tess keeps watching their headquarters from a distance. Izzy and Sophie as well. Sophie also maniptes a few of the weaker members into telling us everything they know. About mind maniption, healing skills, their guild ¡ª and oh boy, there''s a lot.

    They were worried that they might know about Sophie, but mind maniption is something they don''t even know is possible, at least not the guild members we asked. As for healing, they really are after Lily... again. Poor girl, always the target of kidnappings and the unfortunate people who try. Only a dumbass would run into her terrifying skill.

    Oh, and one of the big five guilds, Serpent''s Eye?

    Yeah, they''re assholes, total assholes. Even lower-ranked members know about some of the shady things the guild does. A little bit of ckmailing, the kind where they ask for money so nothing will happen to your shop. Some stealing of other people''s prey. And a few much much worse things.

    At first, I thought it was almost childishly viinous, like bad guys from cartoons, and that makes me wonder if it''s also something the system changed. You know, creating an environment we are somehow ustomed to.

    But the more I listen, the more I realize that all these acts are targeted to gain money, power, or both at once. It seems cartoonish but very human-like.

    I also keep forgetting that this is a world where there are people capable of destroying an entire city on their own so the <em>rules</em> are a bit different. Plus, there are the lynthari, all-powerful and always watching with amusement, allowing humans to do nearly whatever within these unsaid basic rules, all in order to have some fun.

    In the end, it doesn''t matter. Everyone here is just a shadow, a copy of a person who is most likely already dead or maybe even never existed.

    And they shouldn''t have messed with what is mine.

 Chapter 197: Just be happy

    Chapter 197: Just be happy

    Turns out the Serpent''s Eye guild master is a normal-looking man. Average height, has a in face, and even the clothes he wears aren''t eye-catching. The man doesn''t seem strong, dangerous, or authoritative. Yet, his level...

    <strong>[Mana Harbinger - lvl ??]</strong>

    Somewhere deep inside, I feel mypetitive spirit rise.

    So, how did we find the man? Well, we didn''t. He found us.

    It waste afternoon and on arriving back at our base, my luxurious house at the top of a hill overlooking the city, I see the open door.

    "I hope you don''t mind that we let ourselves in," says an average-looking man, seated on my couch, as we enter. He moves a bit to make himself morefortable and continues, ¡°Or did you think that we didn''t know about your clumsy attempts at spying on us?¡±

    Looking around I notice 12 more people spread out in the living room and kitchen, all of them over level 150.

    "In fact, the lot of you were so clumsy, I would almost consider it cute. Angry Kittens indeed." He continued in a deep voice, exuding confidence and a bit of a sneer at the end.

    Some of his goons seem amused by what he said, snickering even while others are carefully looking around or appear bored They seem to not understand why their guild leader would be bothered to personally meet this group. Most of whom felt weaker than them.

    It isn''t surprising, since I am the only one in our group over level 150.

    The looks they give us are annoying

    The guild master, nonchntly seated on <em>my</em> couch, props his legs on <em>my</em> table

    It''s infuriating.

    ¡°Anyway, you must understand that I''m quite annoyed that you guys beat up my people. Twice,¡± he shrugs his shoulders. ¡°And I don''t know how you got the lynthari to stop sticking their noses into this but don''t misunderstand. That''s all they''ll do. They won''t care anymore, no matter what happens to you.¡±

    The twins keep everyone connected, and they''ve been talking ever since we arrived. I''m the only one who hasn''t joined the conversation and blocked their attempts to do so.

    ¡°Hey, you, weirdo, stop staring at me,¡± the man bangs the table with his boots, a big smirk on his face. When I don''t react or answer, heughs out loud. ¡°Go on, keep hiding your mana. You might surprise some people with your <em>immense mana</em> pool.¡± As if on cue, several men who came with him giggle.

    Should I just kill him right now?

    ¡°So, my offer is simple, and I would rmend you guys not refuse. It''s a <em>great opportunity</em>,¡± another round of cruelughter ensues. ¡°Serpent''s Eye will be joining Storm Brigade and going on an expedition fairly soon. You might be asking: why is he telling us this?¡±

    The man''s eyes scan each one of us, taking turns. Despite his taunting demeanor, his skill seems real. No matter how cartoonishly evil you appear, you won''t be one of the most powerful people in such arge city without some skill.

    ¡°It''s quite simple! Both Serpent''s Eye and Storm Brigade, two of the big five,¡± he pauses briefly, emphasizing the fact, ¡°can take one small guild with them on this expedition. You know, mentor some people, bring in talented individuals from guilds under them. The usual stuff. And we''ve decided to pick Angry Kittens.¡±

    The way he says our guild name disgusts me to my core.

    I hold myself back. The rage that keeps trying to surge to the surface is well-controlled, to the point where I almost want to smile, given how angry I am.

    How dare he act like that in <em>my</em> house, towards <em>my</em> people. The man doesn''t know he just signed his death certificate.

    I finally allow the twins to connect me to the others, and immediately the conversation stops when they notice I''ve joined.

    <em>(Tess, ept his offer,)</em> is the only thing I say before cutting off the twins'' <strong>[Connection]</strong>.

    For the rest of the conversation, I look around and etch the face of each man present into my memory. I remember the words the guild master said. I remember the faces of the men whoughed the most. I remember their mana signatures.

    Then, when the conversation ends, the guild master stands up and approaches me. He reaches out, gently tapping the top of my head a few times and then my cheek, all to theughter of his men.

    ¡°Good boy, you''re hiding your mana sooo well,¡± he says condescendingly, as if talking to a child. Even more people startughing.

    This time I answer, ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± I feel the corners of my lips turn upwards, and I smile at the man, "Thank you very much."

    The expedition the man mentioned? Well, apparently they n to sneak into the old capital. You know, the ce is taken over by one of the four Cmities, the Living Tree.

    Two out of the five big guilds of the city ¨C oh, the city is called Virelia ¨C so yeah, two guilds are joining forces. By using a map they recently acquired, they n to sneak into the city and into the house of a man who used to be a Champion.

    There are multiple pieces of high-graded equipment they want to get, along with all the wealth the man might have amassed.

    Champions, in my estimation, are probably around level 400-500, so it''s no surprise that the man possesses many items that might interest people who are a bit over level 200 at most.

    Their n is painfully obvious. During the expedition, most of the Angry Kittens will unfortunately perish, and the remaining members will be absorbed into the grand Serpent''s Eye guild.

    Lily doesn''t seem to be the only one they''re interested in. They''ve also got their eyes on Tess, and I barely noticed, but I caught the guild master''s nce towards Sophie. They seem to harbor some information or suspicion regarding her skill.

    There''s a bit more information they provided, but I leave it to the others and return to my room, still feeling a wild rage under my skin.

    Without hesitation, I sit on the bed and close my eyes, then start another round of Active Tempering.

    I calm myself, set the Mana Regtor to thirty percent, and kic energy enters my body as I slide into deep <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    As kic energy flows through my body, I move my mana in the way Lissandra showed me, and I''ve further refined it. My mana infuses my bones, muscles, nervous system, and veins, and the strain I feel intensifies.

    Taking a short pause and a deep breath, I change the frequency of the kic energy. Something I learned to do thanks to Absolute from the second floor, and improved upon by observing the undead bear on the third.

    When everything is ready, I weaken my passives and reinforcement construct. I don''t even need to turn them off fully since the amount of mana I possess is much higher than during the first active tempering and my constitution hasn''t increased much.

    I''m certain I would die if I turned them offpletely.

    Then, as kic energy starts pummeling my body, I increase the amount of mana turned into kic energy. Everything else fades from my mind, except for my body being pummeled by the energy flowing through it. My body is about to break but enduring thanks to the right frequencies and my<strong> [Mana Infusion]</strong>.

    It''s painful, and I taste blood in my mouth, but as the minutes pass, I don''t stop and continuously increase the setting on the Mana Regtor.

    Then I remember the man, his tone when he mentioned our guild name, hisughter.

    Immediately, Ipletely turn off my constructs and passives, and the pressure multiplies. I barely get all this energy under my control, multiple wounds begin to appear, one after another, and my body feels as if it''s being pulled apart by a force too strong to handle.

    I remember when the man pped my cheek gently and patted the top of my head.

    The setting on the Mana Regtor changes again.

    Then I remember the way he looked at members of Group 4 as if they were already his.

    I lower the effect <strong>[Focus]</strong> has on my anger, and for a few minutes, while getting sted by all this force, I just continue to enjoy the feeling of my emotions.

    When I get my feelings back under control, active temperinges to an end. Right after, I turn kic energy into thermal, and while my body radiates the heat, I feel my passive working and using that heat to heal me. Slowly, but surely. None of the wounds are big enough to require Lily''s help, yet there are so many of them.

    Then I check my stats.

    Constitution increased by 40, strength by 15, and dexterity by 10.

    <strong>Lvl 159</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Strength: 66</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 59</em><em></em>

    <em>Constitution: 187</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 609 + 609</em>

    For a moment, I stare at my stat screen and then send my mana through the house while my passive continues to heal my body.

    I locate every single member of Group 4, all of them actively discussing something in the living room and throwing ideas around.

    A few simple wordse to me. <em>They are mine.</em>

    Group 4 is mine. They are my people and I will fuck up anyone who tries to hurt them or take them away from me.

    <strong>shback - Nathaniel Gwyn - 15 years old</strong>

    ¡°Freak!¡± The man swings his fist, and the thin, ck-haired boy crashes against a table before falling to the floor. Yet the boy''s face remains emotionless as he rises, confronting the man, a growing bruise evident.

    ¡°Rob! Stop!¡± a young woman screams, rushing to the boy, hands cradling his face. ¡°Look what you did to Nat!¡± She berates her husband, then turns back to the boy, ¡°Does it hurt?¡± she asks tenderly.

    Both, mother and her son, possess the same striking ck hair and simr facial features.

    ¡°Thalia, that brat and his sister creep me out.¡±

    ¡°They''re your children, our children. How can you say that!¡± Although smaller in stature, the woman confronts the man, fury in her eyes.

    ¡°Who knows? Maybe you''ve been messing around,¡± the man retorts with a cruel smirk on his face.

    ¡°Rob, you know I''d never... I love you,¡± Thalia whispers weakly.

    The two are both in their thirties. A young couple who became parents in their teens.

    After another exchange and a few more cruel words, the man storms out after shouting a few more curses.

    Thalia sighs and embraces the boy, "You have to understand, Natty. He wasn''t always like this. You also should remember how he was when you were younger," Her petite frame seems even smallerpared to her 15-year-old son.

    ¡°Mom, it''s fine. Don''t worry about me, okay?¡± Nathaniel tries aforting smile but fails terribly. A weird grimace appearing on his face.

    ¡°Silly boy..." the woman sighs, pain in her eyes. Pain and hope, "I believe Rob wille back to his old self,¡± she smiles at her son. Even now she is hoping, but a small part of her seems to realize that it might be toote.

    The boy, with his two differently colored eyes, sees through his mother''s facade but remains silent.

    ¡°I''m sorry, Natty, sorry that you go through all of this because of your stupid mom. You and Victoria,¡± the woman''s voice bes weaker. ¡°I''m so selfish and weak.¡± she sounds like she is about to cry.

    ¡°Don''t be like that. It''s something I chose to endure. It''s all on me,¡± this time a genuine smile appears on his face. ¡°I will do that much for you. So please, just be happy.¡±

    ¡°You and your weird pride,¡± the woman stays quiet for a moment and then whispers, "Thank you. I love you, Natty, and I''m so sorry," she then lets go, forcing a smile on her face, ¡°I''ll prepare something to eat.¡±

    Nathaniel just nods, and the smile disappears from his face when his mom leaves the room. His expression once again bes an emotionless mask as he stares at the door through which the man exits.

    The woman thinks she''s hidden it from her son, but he''s noticed.

    He''s seen how thin she''s be, he felt the twitching of her body as she tried to hide her bruises from him and the heavyyer of makeup masking even more.

    Although his face remains unchanged, the look in his eyes shifts and for a while, he looks at the door before forcing a smile on his face and joining his mother in the kitchen.

 Chapter 198: Its nice to see you

    Chapter 198: It''s nice to see you

    ¡°Expedition will start in three days,¡± Tess taps on the paper in the middle of the table.

    It''s morning the next day after we got unexpected visitors, and no one has gone out to the city or to hunt. Everyone is staying inside the house. Theyugh less; they talk less.

    As always, the system knows how to deliver the best wake-up calls.

    ¡°As that jerk said, the target is the house and valuables of the Champion. The house is located in the territory of the Living Tree, one of the four Cmities,¡± she sighs. ¡°I know we have to deal with one of the cmities sooner orter, but this feels way too soon.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn''t trust them too much when ites to us being covert. Their hidden tunnels into the house that supposedly allow us to avoid the Living Tree sound sketchy at best,¡± Hadwin joins the conversation. ¡°Other than getting rid of most of us to keep some members, they most likely n to use us as fodder.¡±

    <em>(Food!)</em> Biscuit sends, but everyone ignores him. Everyone except me.

    I pick up the doggo and ce him on myp. He tilts his head as if in question, "It will be fine, and it''s fodder not fooder.¡± I whisper.

    He woofs and bumps my chest with his small head. He continues until I pet him, and while I do so, he closes his eyes. When the little doggo is satisfied, he rests his head on my chest, and together we listen to the others.

    ¡°There''s no way I''m going to their guild. If they touch me, I''ll use<strong> [Disintegration]</strong>,¡± Lily says.

    ¡°No one will be going to their guild, Lily. We''re all together in this mess,¡± Tess looks around, her eyes determined.

    However, some of our members seem unconvinced. The people who visited usst night were all higher level than us, and the guild master''s strength could be felt even though he was holding back.

    I know most of our members haven''t even reached level 100. Yet, why are they so unconfident? From what I''ve seen, I could have defeated most of the guild master''s goons even before I got to level 100. Sure, they are mostly at 150, but so what?

    ¡°If we get good opportunity, I will take care of the guild master, whatever his name was, and his elites,¡± I say, and for a moment, silence fills the living room. Yet no one seems to doubt what I said, "We will use them to get the gear and to see what the Living Tree is capable of."

    ¡°His name is Elydor,¡± Hadwin says after a while. He looks like he wants to ask something, but then he just closes his mouth and shakes his head. ¡°Anyway. I''ll go over the info we already bought and find as much as we can on the Living Tree and the old capital. If we approach it smartly, we could turn it into an opportunity, as you said.¡± Then, without saying anything else, he leaves to do what he just said.

    ¡°Nat, do you think your lynthari... friend could help and give us some support?¡± Tess asks me.

    I immediately shake my head. ¡°She won''t.¡± I can already imagine Myrra''sugh and glowing eyes if I came to her asking for help, again. From our previous conversations, I''m absolutely sure she would have me beg, crawl, and enjoy watching it. Then she would refuse to help anyway, hoping to get some "fun" emotion from me. That''s how she is.

    But there''s also another part of me. A part that doesn''t want any help.

    ¡°All that''s left is for us to train for a few days before the start of the expedition since hunting is out of the question now,¡± Maya says as she stretches her hand high above her head. ¡°It''s annoying, but that''s Hell difficulty I guess. I wouldn''t be surprised if it''s one of the system''s settings to keep throwing this stuff at us.¡±

    Oh, is Maya maybe slightly smart? Finally, someone who understands the ways of the system. I keep telling everyone how assholish the system is.

    ¡°Nat, would you like to spar?¡± Maya asks to my surprise.

    Oh?

    ¡°Sure,¡± out of pure curiosity, I agree, and like curious little kittens, four teenagers follow us: Lily, Min-Jae, Dennis, and Aaron.

    Izzy, Sophie, and Tess stay behind with the best doggo of the 4th floor.

    When we get to the garden, I notice that it''s not in the pristine state as it was when I came here. There are some burns on the ground, deep shes, cracked ground, and ruined grass.

    It somehow irks me. Should I make them pay?

    Maya stops opposite of me, and I notice the moment she activates her <strong>[Focus]</strong>. Her eyes be clearer, and her movements as well. Like a wild beast that is controlling all its power, ready to explode in a deadly attack. Her mana moves smoother than before, and armor forms around her body. Unlike mine, it''s bulkier and seems to be thicker, and the mana that creates it bes a darker shade of blue than she was using before.

    ¡°Nice improvement,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°You haven''t seen anything yet,¡± Maya answers me, and affected by <strong>[Focus]</strong>, her words sound calm and confident.

    A sword forms in her hand. The weapon is big, massive, and nearly as long as Maya. Yet, because it''s made of mana, it''s much lighter, and Maya has also heavily invested stat points into physical stats so she moves it lightly.

    I also slide deeper into <strong>[Focus]</strong> and observe her.

    Maya''s mana moves, and for a moment it wildly charges through her body. During that half-second, her armor bes dark blue and non-transparent. Her body also gets a boost, and she rushes at me.

    During that brief time, she reaches me and swings her sword three times before her body returns to her original stats.

    I dodge all the attacks: the first by tilting my head, the second by jumping over the de, and the third by stepping backward.

    Before she can deal with the aftereffect, I kick her chest armor, and she staggers backward.

    ¡°Damn, I hoped to get one hit in,¡± she says.

    ¡°Oi, wouldn''t that cut me in half¡­¡± Before I can finish, she does it again. Her armor bes darker, and her stats significantly strengthen, along with her armor and weapon.

    I use <strong>[Tether] </strong>and create an anchor, right after I jump backward, only for Maya to follow me. She passes by the anchor I left in the air without noticing it and stops to swing at me with the anchor behind her back.

    At that moment, I activate <strong>[Tether]</strong> and reappear behind her in the ce of the anchor.

    ¡°Nothing personal, ki¡­¡± I jump back before I can finish my sentence, I feel movement on the back of Maya''s armor, and a spike extends from it, aiming for where I stood before I dodged.

    ¡°I didn''t know you could teleport,¡± there''s a surprise in her voice, and even through <strong>[Focus]</strong>, I can sense her emotions.

    Tss, so bad! How can her<strong> [Focus] </strong>be so inadequate?

    ¡°I didn''t know you could turn into a hedgehog,¡± I counter, to her amusement.

    ¡°That''s the nice part of sparring with you; I can throw anything at you without worrying that you''ll get hurt. Oh, maybe you getting hurt would be even a bonus,¡± Maya winks at me, and I see that she''s serious.

    ¡°What about forgiveness? It''s rude to hold a grudge for so long. It happened on the 1st floor, didn''t it?¡± I poke at her.

    ¡°Ha! As if you didn''t do the same.¡±

    My silence is enough for her to confirm that, and sheughs shortly.

    Her armor once again turns into a darker shade of blue, and the sword in her hands transforms into a spear that elongates, trying to stab my head.

    I deflect the spear with the back of my hand and dash at Maya, who continues to track my movement, once again deep inside<strong> [Focus]</strong>. It surprises me again how unnerving it is when someone watches you with such calm eyes while trying to kill you.

    I reach her, and, still boosted by her skill, she lets go of her spear. A dagger forms in her hand, and she stabs at me. I simply cover my palm with resonating mana, allowing her to stab that palm. The dagger seems as if it''s going inside of my hand, but any mana that forms the de and touches me dissipates as if it''s made of snow and melting in contact with red-hot iron.

    Seeing that it doesn''t work, she moves closer to me, and multiple spikes made of mana stab at me from her armor. They are disrupted as well, and her mana returns to a paler blue, causing her to lose some strength.

    As she staggers slightly from the aftereffects of her skill, I ce my palm on her shoulder, disrupt her armor, and push her away.

    "Damn it, I was hoping for something," Maya deactivates her skills and sighs. "You didn''t even get serious."

    "It''s a gift. Some people are just born pretty and talented, that''s why I have to suffer all this envy." I shrug.

    She rolls her eyes. "Any good advice for me?"

    "What''s the name of your new skill?" I ask instead.

    Without much hesitation, Maya answers, "<strong>[Boost]</strong>. It''s a simple skill; I can enhance my stats for a short moment, and my armor bes stronger. I haven''t used it on<strong> [Focus]</strong> yet, though."

    "Sounds pretty good," I reply.

    I''ve matured, haven''t I? I''ve learned not toin when people acquire impressive skills. After all, I have strong skills of my own, so there''s no reason for jealousy.

    "It also allows me to ''boost'' my healing speed or my senses a bit. It''s still at a low level, so it''s challenging, but I believe it''ll improve."

    "Hmm, I see."

    Maya takes a step backward, "Nat, why are you creating that mana baton in your hand?"

    "Maya, let''s spar some more."

    "Hey, hey, hey, I don''t like the look in your eyes or the tone of your voice, Nat. At least tell me what I did!"

    "So, why did you fight Maya?"

    "Tess, I did it to help her improve! She gained one more level in <strong>[Armament] </strong>and two in <strong>[Boost]</strong>," I mention the name of Maya''s newest skill through clenched teeth.

    "Damn it, Nat."

    Later that day, I find myself in the garden again, this time with a different member of Group 4, Hadwin. Hadwin watches me closely. It seems that news of my training with Maya reached his ears, and he''s on guard.

    "So, what are your skills?" I ask him. "Any new ones? Come on, you can tell me, did you acquire<strong> [Singrity]</strong>, <strong>[Invincibility]</strong>, or maybe something like <strong>[Immortality]</strong>?"

    "What are you even talking about? I have no new skills. I still have <strong>[Disruption],</strong><strong>[Strengthening],</strong> and <strong>[Wound Contraction]</strong>."

    "Oh? You didn''t get a new one?"

    "Do you think it''s that easy? No, I didn''t even try. I''ve mostly focused on <strong>[Strengthening]</strong>, and it has served me well. It''s versatile. I can enhance my body and my weapons. It''s simple but effective," Hadwin shrugs. "That''s why I have this." He shows me the epic sword he holds.

    The sword once belonged to one of the three warriors from the 3rd floor, the one held by a man named Aias. I entrusted it to Tess, along with a bracelet and a crown that Lily is now trying to use.

    I agree with Tess on this; the sword is in the best hands and will be most useful with Hadwin.

    "I''m curious. Punch the palm of my hand. First, only with your stats, then with <strong>[Strengthening]</strong>." I point my palm to Hadwin.

    Without hesitation, he swings his fist and it hits the palm of my hand.

    Oh? That''s quite good, isn''t it? It seems he has invested some stats into strength and not only into his constitution. When he swings again, this time using his skill, I notice the force of the attack and even use some mana to boost my body. His fist hits my palm, and I add even more mana to strengthen myself, trying not to show it.

    He''s getting closer and closer to level one hundred. Not too long ago, I was sixty levels higher than him, but I felt that punch right now. Sure, I''m not oriented towards physical stats, but I still think it''s impressive. I''ve also witnessed his endurance, so Hadwin is building up quite well.

    "Have you used your upgrade token yet?" I ask, genuinely curious. The upgrade token is something he should have received around level 75.

    "I haven''t used it yet. I''m deciding between upgrading constitution or strength," he looks at me, a question in his eyes.

    "Constitution or strength seem like a good choices for you or maybe start allocating more stats into mana," I raise my hand to stop him, and he closes his mouth, a knowing smile on his face. "It''s not what you''re thinking, Haddy. Upgrade your constitution or strength and begin allocating more stats into mana so you can use your skill more frequently and for longer durations. Don''t invest too much into mana; in your case, maybe twenty percent should be enough. Then put around thirty into constitution and the rest into strength and dexterity. Or mix it up and go with forty for strength, and twenty for mana if you want to double up. Oh, and you could also..."

    "Nat, check themunity," Min-Jae interrupts me mid-sentence shouting from the window overlooking the garden.

    I open the Community.

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>Dude, finally we are out, I fucking hate the third floor.</em>

    <strong>Lootenant (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>Tell me about it. Do you think anyone is here?</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>You''re sitting next to me, so why are you asking me in themunity? And yes, I bet that mana maniac and Savi are already here.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Sup.</em>

    <strong>Lootenant (Hell, WhiteWing) - </strong><em>Of course, he is...</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em> Fuck you, Noname, and it''s nice to see you.</em>

 Chapter 199: Your face

    Chapter 199: Your face

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em> Is Savant here as well?</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>That loser? Savant arrived a week after us.</em>

    <strong>Mari (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>You guys shouldpete during the tournament.</em>

    Mari is one of the members of WhiteWing. She barely speaks, usually letting Lootenant and Brainiac take the lead, but she sometimes chimes in to poke fun at people. Other members of WhiteWing don''t seem too interested in themunity and rarely talk.

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone) -</strong><em>That''s the n.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>Savi! How did you clear the third floor on your own? You''re a monster.</em>

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone) -</strong><em>Do not call me Savi. I used my brain, obviously.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Can you invest stat points into intelligence?</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>You wouldn''t, even if it was possible, Noname, lol. Anyway, we lost one of our members. Edwal killed him, you know, the guy Echo who joined us from the Hard difficulty.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Sorry to hear that (T?T)</em>

    <strong>Lootenant (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>Yeah, he was a nice guy, but he angered that lightning jerk.</em>

    <strong>Hadwin (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>So how did you guys clear it?</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>Well, we got the warriors first, one after another, and then we went for the king. That guy was no joke, I tell you. But you know, teamwork. There are 12 of us. How about you?</em>

    <strong>Hadwin (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Ten. And even if we consider other groups that are still clearing the 3rd floor, we still don''t know who the remaining ten members are, the ones who haven''t spoken up until now.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em> Yeah, it''s interesting. Anyway, how we dealt with the saint is a secret, so don''t even ask.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -<em></em></strong><em>No one was going to. Even I''m not that shameless.</em>

    I say that after deleting the message where I was going to ask just that.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>If you''re in the mountains. Well, I left quickly.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>Great, just great.</em>

    <strong>Mari (Hell, WhiteWing) - </strong><em>Wow, if even he says that, we should probably leave.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>Nice one, Noname! Try sharing more, maybe you''ll be able to get something through.</em>

    I ignore the rest of the conversation. As time passes, we''ve learned how to send subtle hints like this to others, and they return the favor. It''s not much, but it''s something.

    In my case, I issue danger warnings. Other members of themunity, wrongly, view me as someone who impulsively jumps into danger, so when I mention being cautious, they interpret it as a severe warning.

    They better repay the favorter.

    I leave Haddy and the others to chat in themunity and head back to my room. Here, I sit in an armchair that offers a beautiful view of the balcony and, by extension, the city called Virelia.

    Damn, I really wanted to explore it a bit more, perhaps go on a treasure hunt, check out the auctions, or simply examine the trees. Instead, I have to deal with a bunch of guys who have a death wish.

    Still, there are a few days left, so I can work on my constructs. Out of the four, only one needs some tweaking. Reinforcement. Currently, it drains my mana and uses 30% of it to fortify my body. The efficiency isn''t great, so that''s what I''ll work on. I''ll also increase the amount of mana it consumes. 40% should be enough.

    I enter<strong> [Focus]</strong> and begin.

    Instead of taking just a few hours, it takes almost an entire day and I end up improving all of my constructs:

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em>

    <em>Kic Mana Heart (Construct)</em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em>

    <em>Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)</em>

    Reinforcement has be more effective. Oh, I didn''t touch Kic Mana Heart; that thing is scary. I don''t know what I was thinking when I made it, and now that I know a bit more and have more experience, I''m hesitant to modify it. I might be some kind of genius. 3rd floor Nat was impressive, I must admit. Dumb, but impressive. Good job, weirdo!

    The Mantle shows slight improvement, as well, but it''s not much.

    However, the biggest change is in the Mana Regtor. The construct can now regte the amount of mana that my Reinforcement and Kic Mana Heart receive. So instead of Reinforcement constantly consuming 40% of mana, I can adjust it. It can take all of my mana or none - though thetter isn''t something I would want to test.

    While the efficiency isn''t as high as when I reinforce my body manually, the gap is narrowing, which is a positive sign.

    And speaking of impressive? My Mana Reservoir is filled. My newest and passive is now full of my mana, ready for use.

    It''s three times the size of my entire mana pool.

    If my calctions are correct, I currently hold as much mana as if I had 4,872 stat points invested into it: 609 base plus 609 from attribute upgrades, and then that amount times three due to the reservoir.

    Sure, I know there are upgrades, passives, active skills, and perhaps other stuff that could increase mana to that amount much sooner and others should be capable of it as well, but this volume is still amazing to me.

    I love it and I''m a tiny bit scared.

    Both of us are sitting on the couch and Lily hands me a crown made of silver metal that thest king wore.

    "I tried and tried, but couldn''t do anything. I''m not sure what the Saint did to link it to her healing powers," Lily says, sounding a mix of disappointed and frustrated.

    I take a sip of the hot drink I''m holding and stare at the crown in my hand.

    Given more time and without the expeditioning closer, I''d examine it a bit more. But I''m already busy leveling up the new active skills I got from my primary ss and haven''t had the chance to work with Sophie on coordinates.

    I decide and hand the crown back to Lily, "You can keep it and continue experimenting when you have time. Even if you destroy it I won''t mind."

    "Oh¡­" Lily responds, ncing between the crown and me, "Okay, I''ll try!"

    "Maybe you should give it to Dennis or Aaron. They might use <strong>[Connection]</strong> to explore the link it had with the Saint," Sophie suggests.

    Both she and Izzy are seated on the couch opposite us, wrapped under nkets and also sipping hot drinks.

    "The twins aren''t very good at handling mana," I tell her.

    "So the crown still functions as a receiver and connector but needs a... signal," Sophie asks.

    "Yes, the n is to have Lily serve as the new signal," I say, giving the ck-haired girl a pat on the shoulder. She nods energetically in agreement.

    "Boring," Izzy sighs.

    "Your face is boring," I answer quickly, catching her off guard.

    "No, your face is boring!" the young girl fires back after a moment.

    ¡°Biscuit doesn''t think so, right buddy?¡± I turn my head to the right, and the best doggo lying on the couch next to me woofs, ¡°He says your face is boring, Izzy,¡± I tell the little girl.

    The youngest member of the angry kittens doesn''t seem to like that, and I can see her gears spinning as she tries toe up with aeback.

    Before she can retort, Hadwin joins us, pulling a chair closer, ¡°We should be ready now. I checked our bags, and we have enough calorie-dense food tost us for a week and plenty of water for at least a few days.¡±

    Tess moves closer and picks up Biscuit, cing him on herp as she sits next to me. The best doggo doesn''t mind much and closes his eyes as she pets him, ¡°In the worst case, we can use the system shop, so there''s no need to worry about food and water,¡± Tess says.

    ¡°Do you think we can use them to deal with the Living Tree Cmity since we will be there?¡± Hadwin asks Sophie.

    The ck-haired girl shakes her head, ¡°I won''t be able to manipte the guild master or most of his stronger men, maybe just meddle with them slightly.¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe Biscuit said so, but when you were gone, he agreed that your face is boring!¡± Isabe finallyes up with an answer and says it while smiling victoriously at me.

    So weak! ¡°Oh yes? Yesterday, he told me in my room that your face is boring!¡±

    ¡°Maybe we could pit them against the tree somehow and then finish off the one that remains, but we don''t even know how strong the Cmity is,¡± Tess continues talking to Hadwin while petting Biscuit.

    ¡°Yes, dealing with the Cmity still feels premature. We should focus on survival and not be too ambitious. Just testing it a bit would be enough,¡± Hadwin stands up, ¡°I''ll go talk with the boys. Good night.¡±

    ¡°Night, Haddy! Your face isn''t boring at all, unlike Nathaniel''s,¡± Isabe chirps cheerfully.

    ¡°Biscuit, minus fifty nose boops if you tell Izzy that her face is boring,¡± I turn to the doggo.

    Immediately, the little divine beast opens his eyes and turns to the little girl. <em>(Bor...) </em>Biscuit starts but doesn''t finish. He turns to me, a stern look in his eyes.

    Have I been betrayed?

    ¡°Plus fifty more nose boops,¡± I say to the little traitor, but the kind doggo doesn''t budge, and Isabees rushing to hug him.

    ¡°You guys just need to stay careful, and I will handle the Serpent¡äs Eye guild,¡± I tell Tess, Sophie, and Lily, ¡°As for the Cmity, we''ll avoid it as much as possible. If it''s as strong as the Colony, we won''t stand a chance without either gaining more strength or having a solid n.¡±

    The ants weren''t that powerful, but their sheer numbers posed a challenge. I suspect there are even stronger variants. Currently, it''s hard to even imagine a way to defeat this Cmity named the Colony. The Fallen Hero and Living Tree should be at least on a simr level of strength.

    Sophie turns to me, ¡°Can you really fight their guild master? He seems to be close to or over level 200.¡±

    ¡°It doesn''t matter,¡± is all I tell Sophie, and after studying me for a moment, she nods.

    After that, I spend some of my shards to buy five pieces of rare equipment. Hadwin uses one of my epic swords, so he doesn''t get anything. Lily already received a rare amulet from me that helps her defend against magical attacks, and Tess got an endurium javelin back on the third floor. So, these three don''t get any new items.

    We don''t have enough mana stones to buy good stuff in the city so I buy four rare light armors for the twins, Min-Jae, and little Isabe. For Sophie, I buy a bracelet that appears to improve her concentration and should enhance her primary skill.

    One thousand two hundred shards vanish just like that, leaving me with 890 shards. But I don''t mind. It''s just a bit awkward to see them thanking me repeatedly.

    Now that I think about it, they live in my house, they receive expensive items from me, so why am I the one doing all the giving? Where''s my n to stay in the shadows and let them handle the burdensome tasks?

    As I watch the twins and Min-Jae excitedly putting on rare armors and checking the effects, I''m already thinking about what I should get from them in exchange. However, Ie to a strange realization.

    I could ask them to show me everything about their skills, sses, passives, and traits, and help with testing, but they already do that for free. I can ask for mana stones, but I suspect they would give them to me without any issues, only being curious about what I would test. Well, if they had any.

    It''s unnerving not to have a clear give-and-take.

    When I get to my room and start monitoring the house, I do it more carefully this time, using <strong>[Perception]</strong> more deliberately. It still annoys me that I couldn''t locate them properly as they sat in the house, despite my skill. Yes, I wasn''t fully attentive in using the skill, and the guild master of Serpent''s Eye is at a higher level than me and probably countered it. But still, it left me feeling annoyed.

    Maybe I''ve be too overconfidenttely, intoxicated by all this power, and bing more and more careless.

    This night, I don''t sleep and continue to ponder over it while monitoring the house. I find an oddfort in feeling the mana signatures of everyone in the house.

 Chapter 200: The Old Capital

    Chapter 200: The Old Capital

    ¡°We came to bring you to join the expedition,¡± one of the men says as all of us meet in our garden.

    There are five guild members from Serpent''s Eyes, all a bit under 150. Even though it''s considered rude, they send their mana to check out our strength.

    I use my Mantle and Mana Cycling to hide most of my mana, as before, so they just nce over it in a simr way as their guild master did. Just like him, they think I''m at a simr level to the rest of group 4 and am just trying to hide my mana.

    Taking our stuff, we follow them out of our house. Everyone is quiet.

    As we pass by one of the restaurants, I notice Myrra sitting on a balcony, eating something and looking down at us. The weirdo lynthari smiles at us, and when she meets my gaze, her smile broadens and she mouths something that I don''t even bother trying to decipher.

    It doesn''t take long before we leave the city, closely following the five men. A bit further, we meet the main group which is separated into two smaller groups. One of them is Serpent''s Eye with their guild master Elydor and around twenty of his guild members, all of them clearly top of his guild. A smaller, but elite force.

    Storm Brigade also has around twenty people with them, standing to the side. Unlike Serpent''s Eye, they all wear clothes of a simr shade of blue and each has a brooch pinned on their chest. A simple silver piece of metal shaped like lightning.

    Then there''s another small guild, ckrock, the guys who kept annoying our group members. They, along with us, will mostly provide support, and probably act as cannon fodder, even though no one says it out loud.

    Curious to gauge the reaction of another of the five big guilds of Virilia, I watch Storm Brigade, but they barely show any interest in us. All of them have somewhat stern expressions. Their guild master is called Obelia, a sharp-looking woman with pale brown hair, and her eyes are silver with circuits covering the surface. Most likely a trait.

    Elydor approaches us. This time, he''s not as provocative, which confirms my suspicion that he just wanted to provoke us into attacking him so he could deal with us before the expedition. Since it didn''t work, he chose a different approach.

    ¡°Just listen and don''t do anything on your own,¡± he advises shortly. The implications of not doing so are clear but it sounds somewhat empty, knowing what his intentions with us are. He then turns to leave, joining Obelia and discussing something while we wait.

    <em>(Food?)</em> I hear.

    ¡°You just ate,¡± I respond. My answer doesn''t seem to please the gluttonous beast, so I throw him a piece of deer jerky.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± I ask Tess, who stops next to me.

    ¡°Other than the two guild masters and a few others, I think most are quite manageable,¡± she replies.

    I can''t help but agree. Tess is already close to level 120, so dealing with some level 150 goons doesn''t seem unreasonable. Sure, there are many of them, but I''m confident an opportunity will arise.

    ¡°I will try to focus mostly on defending and helping others, so the rest will be up to you,¡± she tells me.

    ¡°Yes, just do as we discussed, and it should be fine,¡± I respond.

    While waiting, I watch a group of ten men working carefully. They clear a big patch of the ground to reveal arge circle made of some metal buried there. After pulling some Mana stones from the special box, they ce them into a few slots that I make sure to remember, as well as noting which mana stones they use.

    In the end, the number of stones they put into the metal circle equates to the value of multiple houses. All of the stones are glowing, filled to the brim with mana.

    When they''re done, they approach Obelia. After exchanging a few sentences, the woman steps toward the circle. Her silver eyes, intertwined with circuits, scan everything, and she even sends her mana into one of the stones, causing it to glow brighter.

    ¡°We are ready,¡± she informs Elydor.

    ¡°You heard thedy!¡± the guild master of Serpent''s Eye shouts. ¡°Everyone, get your asses into the circle.¡±

    Knowing what to do, his men move in, as do the Storm Brigade. Hesitantly, ckrock and the Angry Kittens follow.

    The circle is spacious enough to amodate all of us with room to spare.

    After a final check, Obelia retrieves an item from her pocket, cing a mana stone inside it¡ªa mana stone I hadn''t seen until now, probably worth even more than the others. The moment she activates the item, the circle starts drawing power from the stones her men ced, illuminating it, entirely covered in circuits that twist, bend, and interweave.

    A few more secondster, it finally happens. All the mana gets redirected, filling the ground beneath us. What follows is the sensation of falling, immediately followed by the feeling of being pulled upwards. When it stops, a secondter, I find myself in a different location.

    The surroundingndscape is familiar, a vast rocky in devoid of vegetation, with a city ahead. But this city is different from Virelia.

    The old capital, is muchrger, with fewer towers, albeit most are in ruins. The walls of the buildings have a faint glow, remnants of their past splendor. But the most eye-catching part of the city is the Tree.

    A tree muchrger than those in Virelia. This one reaches towards the sky, its branches seeming to touch the clouds and cast shadows over the entire city. The tree is leafless and appears sickly, as if dying, yet the amount of mana it radiates is astonishing, even from this distance. Its power seems close to the three-question mark hydra Lissandra once tore apart.

    Tess confirms my observation: ¡°Three question marks, the Sunseeker Tree.¡±

    ¡°So likely between level 300 to 450,¡± Hadwin chimes in, with all of us grouped together. ¡°But it appears...sick?¡±

    I can''t help but agree; the tree seems ancient, withered, and barren. Could this Cmity be an easy one? Thats unlikely. The system wouldn''t allow such a twist.

    The tree will undoubtedly awaken and reveal itself as the most powerful mage ever. Even the archmages from the zoo might facepetition from the nt kingdom. Perhaps the future Earth''s Absolute will be a random nt. A were-weed? Cinderweed?

    ¡°It doesn''t feel as strong as the Paragons of the Empire I met,¡± Sophie notes. ¡°Even when they restricted their mana, they felt much more threatening.¡±

    ¡°Champions, Paragons should be over 450, and Absolute is even beyond that. The tree here seems to be around 300? Maybe slightly weaker because it''s sick?¡± I share, after observing it andparing my impressions with what I felt on the second floor.

    This observation leads to more questions.

    On the first floor, the power scaling seemed rtively standard. On the third as well with most enemies were 50-100 levels higher than us, with the higher end representing the ¡°bosses¡± of the floors.

    The fourth floor follows a simr pattern. Slightly more challenging than the third, as there are humans and lynthari over 200, with some of us below 100, and even more stronger boss monsters in exchange for allowing us to use the city and its sources to take down Cmity.

    But what about the second floor? All of us were under level 50, yet we met Champions and Paragons and even Lissandra who was well over them. How does that make sense? Is the second floor meant to be somewhat special?

    I feel a presence moving towards our group, so I stop thinking and continue to track the mana signature. It''s not like I''m examining it closely; at best, I can say it''s like looking with my mana sense, which seems to be eptable as long as the touch isn''t too intrusive.

    The one approaching us is Obelia, guild master of the Storm Brigade. She stops in front of us; her silver eyes interwoven with mana circuits study me. Her face remains mostly expressionless.

    ¡°I felt you examining the array,¡± she says. ¡°Next time, don''t do that, please. They are sensitive, and you could end up interrupting the process.¡± After that, the woman departs, heading back to her guild.

    ¡°I have goosebumps from the way she moves,¡± Lily murmurs and I can''t help but agree.

    ¡°Okay, fellow colleagues! Time to get ready,¡± Elydor announces, pping his hands together.

    For tens, even hundreds of years, people have actively avoided the old capital after numerous expeditions full of powerful individuals perished. Yet, this one will be different, that''s what the guild master of Serpent''s Eye ims. The man had been preparing for the expedition for a long time, driven by his greed for the items he could acquire. He was even greedy and confident enough to have us join, so he could have a healer for himself in addition to the items.

    His greed and confidence are almost admirable.

    ¡°First, I would like to thank Obelia and her Storm Brigade for bringing us here, saving us weeks of monotonous travel and substantial expenses,¡± Elydor smiles.

    He lifts up his hand, disying a peculiar star-like mana stone, ¡°This is the reason we are here: a record created by a man who served the Champion that once resided in the old capital. The record was made before his death and passed on to his family in hopes it would aid them in the future. The most remarkable part is that the man managed to flee when the old capital fell, surviving the onught of the Living Tree,¡± Elydor points at the colossal leafless tree standing in the distance, overshadowing the city''s remnants.

    ¡°After I, with a lot of luck got this record, it took years to decode. A challenging task, revealing much about the immense skills of a man who served under a Champion.¡± He reaches into his pocket and tosses another stone towards Obelia, who swiftly catches it. ¡°A copy for our esteemed colleagues, as promised.¡±

    Obelia stares at the stone for a moment and then hands it to the woman next to her who takes out some items and starts examining it.

    ¡°Original,¡± Obelia says shortly to Elydor.

    Annoyance shes through the man''s face, but it disappears as if it never existed, and he smiles. ¡°Sure, dear Obelia,¡± he then hands the original to one of his men who takes it and moves towards the Storm Brigade, holding it while they observe it

    <strong>[Mana Harbinger - lvl ??]</strong>

    As I look at the text over Elydor¡äs head, I think about how strong he could be. Surely as strong as one of the three warriors from the 3rd floor, but stronger than thest king?

    When I look at Obelia, I also check the text over her head.

    <strong>[Stormshaper - lvl ??]</strong>

    These two will be the biggest problem and around five more that are close to 170.

    Seeing that most of the expedition just sits down with a few keeping watch, I do the same, looking at the city in the distance and the giant tree that towers over it.

    ¡°It''s creepy, isn''t it?¡± Lily plops down next to me and then moves even a bit closer, our shoulders almost touching.

    Damn, even here she keeps trying that? It''s silly but I gotta admire the grind.

    ¡°Lily.¡± I hesitate for a moment. Should I say it out loud now? It could mess with her a bit and having a freshly rejected healer could get dangerous.

    ¡°Yup, I know, you don''t like me, not the way I like you,¡± She interrupts me. ¡°But Nat, that doesn''t change anything for me. I will keep trying and will keep trying to sneak to you while staying patient.¡± Her smile is warm.

    ¡°What are you, a stalker?¡± I ask.

    That surprises her and her eyes shake. She opens her mouth and closes it a few times.

    It seems that I have caused critical damage, ¡°Don''t nt death gs and just focus on the expedition, okay?¡±

    ¡°So how do you even defeat something so giant?¡± she changes theme, gesturing at the tree. ¡°I don''t think my skill could hurt it much. It''s just too big.¡±

    ¡°That''s what she said,¡± one of the twins hears that as he passes by and doesn''t miss the chance. That starts another round of bickering.

    Yet even as they do that, I notice the way they carefully watch the people near us, and as they continue to monitor the area, everyone in their own way. Their bodies, even though rxed, are ready to move, and their eyes are smiling as they joke, but they still feel dangerous, and wild.

    And it''s not just the twins and Lily, everyone from the group is like that. Tense, wild, and ready to attack.

    Ten of us and Biscuit against forty elite members of two of the five big guilds plus their guild masters and another ten members of ckrock, a small guild. And one giant tree in the distance. A tree that used to be powerful enough to deal with a Champion but for some reason lost a big part of its strength, judging by its current state.

    Oh, and there are plenty of items. These items were owned by a man bearing the title of Champion. Someone like that won''t have low-quality ones, right?

    Anyway, I will be taking them.

 Chapter 201: Its too easy

    Chapter 201: It''s too easy

    It takes a few more hours for Elydor and Obelia to hash things out. It seems like Elydor used Obelia and her guild to get there, offering them support and promising her a percentage while withholding a lot of information from her, sharing them only now.

    He most likely did this out of fear that the information would fall into the wrong ears.

    So, Obelia and her guild examine the star-shaped mana stone under the watchful eye of a member from Serpent''s Eye, and then they discuss.

    While we wait, I continue to practice trying to etch coordinates into the mana stone. Sophie notices and joins me, sitting by my side and watching the process while giving her opinion on it.

    There''s also one woman, apparently named Eve, who keeps eyeing Tess with hateful eyes. When I ask Tess about them, she just tells me not to bother, so I do just that.

    ¡°Did you guys try selling mana stones to the system shop?¡± I ask when Sophie and I take a break.

    ¡°Almost as soon as we got some. You need to sell so many of them to barely get some shards that it''s not even worth it,¡± she examines the mana stone in her hands and hands it back to me after making some suggestions, ¡°We also tried to go into high-end shops, touch expensive items, and try to sell them. It didn''t work; the system didn''t consider us as owners of the item to sell it.¡±

    ¡°How about buyingmon and umon gear and selling it?¡± I ask.

    If we be rich enough, we could buy plenty of them to get some easy shards.

    ¡°That did work a bit better. You can buymon gear from the shop for 20 shards, but buying amon sword here and trying to sell it to the system shop would usually get us only around one or two shards. If you buy an item from the system for 20 shards and sell it back, you get 10 shards.¡± Sophie pauses and nces at a group of two big guilds talking.

    She turns back to me, ¡°We have a theory that it''s either the system limiting our ability to exploit it this way, or there are requirements we don''t know about, or the system simply considers us getting these items too easily, so that''s why it''s low.¡±

    ¡°We should try creating our own items; they could be worth more than items already existing on the 4th floor,¡± I say.

    Sophie thinks about it for a moment, ¡°I think you''re right.¡±

    I hand her the mana stone and continue to think. It''s a shame; it would be nice to get some easy shards, but obviously, the system will hold us back. Even the epic items I got from the 3rd floor are worth only 200 shards, while the system sells them for over 4 thousand. There''s still so much to examine.

    ¡°Get ready, we will head out!¡± one of the men from Serpent''s Eye shouts, and immediately the atmosphere changes. Everyone bes a bit more tense and on guard.

    We''ve known about Cmities only for a few days, so I wonder how it is for the natives of these floors who grew up hearing about them, about the people these cmities killed.

    Yet, they are still here, a group of humans motivated by greed and willing to risk their lives. Some things don''t change no matter where you are.

    We move closer to the city while still keeping a long distance between us. Following a map left on the mana stone, Elydor leads us down the hill and then sideways towards one of the cliffs nearby. Near the bottom of the cliff, we stop.

    Multiple members of bothrge guilds start scanning the area with their senses, and mana to try to detect something.

    Out of curiosity, I use my <strong>[Perception]</strong>, but not knowing what to look for makes it even more difficult. Yet, I continue to try and even consolidate my <strong>[Focus] </strong>to do so.

    And then I feel it. A tiny, weak mana signature on the side of the cliff. The signature is extremely faint, but the mana I feel from it is so different from any mana I''ve felt until now, so I detect it.

    I cancel my skills and then continue to recreate the signature in my head, examining it. I do so for a few more minutes, and that''s also when a notable member of Serpent''s Eye finds it. The man was the one whoughed the most when Elydor came to visit us so unexpectedly.

    ¡°Good job, Varrik,¡± Elydor smiles proudly, seemingly poking fun at Obelia because his guild member found it first, whatever it is.

    We then wait another hour while he approaches that tiny dot of mana signature and ces the star-shaped mana stone on it. There seems to be a special method he needs to use, so that''s what takes him a while. When he finally does, only a sh of mana is sent into the area and nothing else changes.

    The man then puts his hand on the side of the cliff, and it burrows inside as if there''s no wall at all; the hand just disappears into the stone.

    ¡°Okay, good, everyone getbat ready!¡± On his order, people shed some of their bulkier clothes and even take out their weapons.

    Some start strengthening their bodies, others start charging their skills. There are a few with eyes that start shining or tattoos appearing on their skin, charged with mana.

    And I don''t know where to look; it''s all too fascinating to observe.

    ¡°You, brat, go in first,¡± Elydor says with a cruel smile, pointing at Min-Jae.

    That gets some smirks from some of his men, and Varrik, the one who found the entrance, visibly smiles. Obelia and her guild remain silent. They don''t seem to enjoy the spectacle as much as Serpent''s Eye, yet they do nothing.

    Min-Jae, on the other hand, starts to panic a bit and freezes on the spot, unable to respond.

    ¡°Are you deaf? Come here and¡­¡±

    ¡°I will go first,¡± I interrupt and step closer to the guild master of Serpent''s Eye, the man named Elydor.

    He looks surprised for a moment but then just nods, ¡°You''re the one who keeps controlling his mana, aren''t you?¡± He stops in front of me and ces his hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°Go on, get in,¡± he pats my shoulder a few times and then pushes me towards the entrance, ¡°you have one minute to examine what''s there and then get out.¡±

    But I already ignore him and gather mana inside my body. I don''t even nce at Min-Jae to see his expression. I''m sure it would be annoying.

    Taking a step, I pass through the stone and immediately form a mana orb filled with thermal energy to illuminate the surrounding area engulfed in total darkness.

    It''s a tunnel.

    Just a somewhat regr-looking tunnel with surprisingly smooth walls, floor, and ceiling, all made from the same material.

    After releasing my mana into the area and receiving no feedback, I send my orb ahead. The tunnel continues for a surprisingly long time, moving straight ahead, and at the end, there''s a twisted staircase leading downwards, also made of the same material as the rest of the tunnel.

    I create a few mana projectiles and position them in front of me. I even activate <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> and, as a final test, leave an anchor behind, taking a few steps to check for traps.

    Finding nothing, I return to where I came from before the minute passes and step back outside.

    ¡°Oh, good job, maybe you can be our scout,¡± Elydor says with a smile, his eyes challenging me to react.

    But I just nod, ¡°I''ll do it,¡± I respond while sinking deeper into <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    When all of us enter the tunnels, I don''t summon my orbs. Instead, others light the area while I keep observing Elydor and his men.

    Could I kill him? Most likely yes. His men and he at once? Also, probably yes, but it would be close. With Obelia and her guild, along with a few dozen more people, my chances are slim, not to mention the risk of them killing someone from group 4. So, if I''m not absolutely sure I can protect them or that we can confront them together without someone getting killed in the crossfire, it''s better to keep myself calm. I can wait for better opportunity.

    Ignoring the looks from Group 4 and making my decision, I start walking first. My mana is constantly cycling through my body, ready to explode at any moment, and my regtor is converting eighty percent of my mana regeneration into strengthening my body.

    The expedition continues to walk through the tunnel, our steps echoing. After reaching the stairs, I begin descending, constantly sending my mana ahead.

    My mind is sharp, and there''s no hesitation in my steps. As always, during such situations, I''m weirdly calm.

    We spend a few minutes on the stairs, and I constantly sense other people sending their senses ahead or all around. They too are checking for traps or anything suspicious.

    Yet there''s nothing. The stairs end, and the tunnel changes its direction, this time heading right towards the city and slightly nted downwards. The material it''s made of remains the same, but this time, the tunnel is a bit wider. It''s tall enough even for a lynthari to walk without bending their head and wide enough for ten people to walk side by side.

    The longer we''re in the tunnel, the more I notice things.

    <strong>[Perception - lvl 35 > Perception - lvl 36]</strong>

    The walls aren''t just simple stone; there are veins of a strange material embedded and running through them. Every time I try to examine them, I feel my skill being deflected, as if the material is being evasive.

    Some sort of camouge? To hide the tunnel leading under the city? I suspect that they are circuits that used to be filled with mana, creating some sort of effect, perhaps enhancing the tunnel''s ability to conceal itself. But right now, they are nearly empty, with just weak wisps of mana flowing through them.

    In almost absolute silence, we walk for several hours, with only the asional conversation. Nerves are at their peak, and I can sense the way others use skills change over time ¡ª they be more careless or increasingly irritated, wasting mana.

    Some even start to use their skills more frequently, more nervous than ever.

    I, on the other hand, be calmer and calmer, and my steps quieter. The longer we walk, the more I rely on my skills to warn me in case something happens.

    But there''s nothing. It''s easy, and when we reach the end of the tunnel, everyone hesitates, a shared sentiment evident on their faces.

    It''s too easy.

    More mana flows from their bodies as we continue to climb another set of stairs. By the time we reach the door, it feels as though they''re about to explode.

    ¡°What the fuck!¡± one of the men nearly screams, ¡°how is it so...¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Elydor turns to him, and the man instantly quiets down. No one else dares to speak.

    The guild master of Serpents Eye appears calmer than most of them. He walks past me, approaching a door that has a simr mana signature to the entrance on the side of the cliff.

    ¡°This will take a while,¡± he says, moving past me to address his men.

    Biscuit gets in his way, and a short st of mana sends the corgi flying, even though he tries to defend himself with quickly created purple tentacles. The piece of dried deer meat that Biscuit was excitedly bringing to give me fall down and with a whimper, the small corginds on the ground.

    ¡°Get that fucking creature away from me,¡± Elydor simply says and turns to his men.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 36 > Focus - lvl 37]</strong>

    Biscuit looks around, stress evident in his eyes, and then he moves toward me, slightly limping. He pushes his head against my leg, and I reach down to pet him.

    ¡°Just hold on a bit longer, okay? As I said before, don''t attack them yet,¡± I whisper so only he can hear and continue to pet his head.

    <em>(Hurt.)</em> sounds in my head while he limps a bit. Not knowing what to do, I just continue to pet his small head.

    I look up and see Tess holding back Lily, and Hadwin doing the same for others. It seems most difficult for Sophie, who has to physically restrain Isabe from doing something stupid.

    My eyes shift slightly towards Elydor, who is talking to Varrik, his strongest man, seemingly indifferent to what just happened.

    One of his men makes a joke, and Elydorughs briefly before shaking his head. He then returns to showing them the star-shaped mana stone and discussing how to unlock the door.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 37 > Focus - lvl 38]</strong>

 Chapter 202: Underneath the Colossal Shadow

    Chapter 202: Underneath the Colossal Shadow

    I take Biscuit to Lily, who carefully heals him with a glimmer of mana, so others won''t notice it. The process takes much longer than it could but thankfully, the wound isn''t that serious.

    <em>(Nat, how can you just let them do this? Let''s just fight them! We can do it easily!)</em> Min-Jae shouts through the twins'' skill.

    A few people from two big guilds notice the link in between us, but they don''t seem to care enough to stop us.

    <em>(Kim, use your head, okay? There are fifty of them. Even if we could defeat them all, what do you think would happen if we start fighting here, in the tunnels? How many of you do you think would die?)</em> Tess responds to him.

    Min-Jae immediately quiets down, and words from the girl he has a crush on probably sting even more.

    <em>(Two guild masters over 200, five people over 170, and another twenty or so around 150. Most of us aren''t even at 100. Stay low, and once the expedition is over, we''ll get stronger and have our revenge.)</em> Hadwin supports Tess and also addresses Min-Jae.

    His words are logical. We are severely outmatched, and even though we''re treated as fodder, he hopes we''ll survive. Hadwin thinks we can''t handle that many humans with such high levels.

    He''s mistaken.

    The entire Serpent''s Eye is already dead, and the Storm Brigade will join them if they make a move.

    I''ll make sure of it.

    It takes a few more hours to open the door. They constantly examine the star-shaped mana stone and even draw some circuit-like symbols on the door with white paint that seems to conduct mana very well.

    Elydor is the one who unlocks the door, his mana radiating from his body. He continues to feed it to the symbols, adjusting them constantly. His eyes focused, and he finally takes a step closer and ces the mana stone against the door.

    They shake slightly, and although nothing appears to change, I sense they''re open, simr to the ones in the hill.

    ¡°What do you think, Obelia? Quite good, isn''t it?¡± With a smile, he turns to the guild master of the Storm Brigade, but the woman doesn''t even bother to reply.

    Elydor''s mana stops radiating, and even his residual mana in the air gets pulled back into his body. He turns around, searching. His eyesnd on me, and I anticipate his next words, ¡°Get your ass going and scout for us.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I reply as I rise to my feet.

    I cut off the twins'' <strong>[Connection]</strong> when some of them startining uselessly.

    It''s hard to understand them properly. Sure, I know why they are angry. Who would be happy to be ordered around like that? To be sent to risk their lives while being looked down upon. Yes, it''s hard to endure, and yes, some of them might feel like their pride is hurt.

    But it''s slightly different for me. Elydor is already dead, his men are already dead; I''m just deciding when I will let them know that. I will do it in a way that benefits me the most while being the safest for me and for this silly group 4.

    Maybe I will try to pit them against the Cmity to see what it is capable of. Maybe I will let them collect the items we are after and then deal with them.

    ¡°You listen really well, don''t you? Maybe I should keep you and help you control the immense mana you''re hiding.¡± Elydor smirks and whispers as I pass by him. Yet, I ignore his words and pass through the door.

    Immediately after entering, I scan the area around me and create a few orbs to light the room. Yet, as before, there''s no danger. I don''t feel any mana; there''s no threat.

    The room I''m in is a simple living room, and I''ve just passed through one of its walls. It''s somewhat luxurious, but not excessively so. After all,yers of dust cover everything. In the corner, there''s a broken window with the floor around it wet and rotting; some greenery even grows on it. The rest of the furniture is in a simr state, either dry and breaking or wet and rotting depending on its location in the room.

    The wooden floor beneath my feet feels soft, and the walls are pale, having lost their once-vibrant colors.

    I send a few strong pulses of mana through the house and only detect a few weak mana signatures. Nothing else. Even as my mana reaches beyond the house, I don''t sense anything. There''s no life; the entire area feels dead.

    A minute passes, and I go back through the door into the tunnels where Elydor''s second-inmand wees me with a smile.

    The man, called Varrik, says, ¡°Good job, newbie!¡± He taps my shoulder and then, along with a few others, passes through the door, quickly followed by more people.

    ¡°I don''t like them,¡± Izzyins as she reaches my side, closely followed by Sophie, ¡°They feel ugly.¡± The little empath then connects to my feelings, and I let her. She stares at me for a while.

    ¡°You''re so weird. Everyone else is scared or worried, so why aren''t you?¡± Isabe whispers.

    ¡°You''re not scared either,¡± I reply.

    ¡°That''s because of Sophie''s skill,¡± she says, and I notice Sophie twitch, a hint of guilt shing across her face.

    ¡°I''m also using a skill. You should know that.¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± she pauses, ¡°it''s not just the skill. You''re just weird.¡± Isabe shakes her head.

    ¡°Come on, move,¡± one of the men from Serpent''s Eye pushes us, and we also pass through the door, greeted by Obelia and a few of her guild members drawing some circles onto the walls with paint that conducts mana very well.

    ¡°I think we''re in the right ce. One of the smaller houses near the mansion, just as the ns said.¡± Obelia says after looking around and sending mana into the area.

    Everyone does something simr and tries to scout the area with their skills. Then, a few minutester a woman moves closer to Obelia and hands her a few small mana stones, ¡°We did a scan and inscribed a map of the area into the stone, guild master.¡±

    "Thanks, Jenna,¡± Obelia says, then hands a few of the small stones to Elydor, ¡°You can make more copies on your own.¡±

    The room can barely contain that many people and it''s bustling. Mana continues to be sent into the surrounding area, and some men and women even release small animals they have a connection with to scout.

    No one leaves the room yet, and a few members of each guild even create some temporary barriers around us.

    They all seem efficient and professional. No unnecessary words are spoken, and everyone appears to do what they are ustomed to during such expeditions.

    ¡°Guild master,¡± one of Elydor''s men says, ¡°we didn''t detect any barriers, no traps, no signs of life. We also keep monitoring the Living Tree.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Elydor responds, then turns to the room, ¡°So far, everything has been straightforward, but don''t let your guard down. Remember where we are and act ordingly. We will follow the n: get into the main house, take everything we can, and will split the loot after we get back to Virelia. We don''t want to stay here too long and alert the Cmity to our presence, so be quick. Use mana only to scan the area as little as possible. Do not send your senses towards the tree. Do not move towards it. Do not even look at it.¡± Hisst words seem to be mostly directed at two small guilds that are part of this expedition.

    Following his order, his men reduce their mana output slightly, and even the Storm Brigade does so after Obelia instructs them.

    This time I''m not sent to scout, and all of us in a big group leave the smaller house. Our steps are quick as we pass by an overgrown, old garden and multiple smaller houses. The atmosphere is tense, and the approaching darkness doesn''t help. While there is still light, we move swiftly, no one wanting to be left alone or separated from the group.

    The worst part is seeing the shadows of leafless branches that hang over the entire city. Every once in a while, they emit soft creaking noises as a strong wind blows through them high in the air. The Living Tree''s trunk is still far away, but even from this distance, it''s evident how enormous it is. It''s so vast that it doesn''t fit into my field of view, and I have to look around, yet I still can''t take it all in.

    It''s gigantic.

    When we enter the main house, there''s a sigh of relief from everyone, but I be a bit nervous. I could have sworn I felt a pulse of mana around the edges of the city but I do not dare try to examine it.

    Following the ns, which they likely had from the start, and using shaped mana stones, both big guilds move through the house, going from door to door, while we and ckrock, another small guild, are left downstairs with a few people keeping watch.

    Minutes pass, and asionally, amidst the tense atmosphere, we can hear surprised shouts and excited talking.

    The main house is in much better condition, with walls made from more durable stone and even ss. Mana circuits are everywhere, powering some peculiar effects, yet they''ve long been devoid of mana. Even the insides of the walls are full of them: the floors, the ss. And the more I examine, the more I am amazed by the amount of work and time it must have taken to create all this.

    Maya turns to me, ¡°Why did they even bring us here if we''re only tagging along?¡±

    Hadwin answers instead one me, "It''s simple, we''re fodder in case something happens. But so far, this is too easy, too easy. We should be ready for anything the moment we get out of the city." he pauses, "Or maybe we should run for it right now?"

    "They locked the door, and Elydor has the key," I say, disappointing everyone.

    No one wants to try anything, not while we''re so close to a three-question-mark monster. Even the idea of dealing with 50 or so people seems like a much better option.

    After what feels like ten more minutes, everyone returns to us. Some of the men and women are nearlyughing with a big smiles on their faces. They are holding weapons,rge mana stones, or full boxes. All items are meticulously packed, and at just a simple nce, it''s clear that they''re notmonly found.

    Elydor evenes back with two of his men carrying arge chest that seems heavy, even for two high-level men. It seems to be made from weird ck wood-like material and there are no locks on it.

    Obelia and her guild also seem satisfied, and Obelia herself holds something with a shape reminiscent of a spear, just tightly wrapped in cloth.

    It takes a few more minutes for everyone to return, each oneden with as many items as they could carry. The Champion''s house, still brimming with artifacts, seems tock any strong protection. After hundreds of years, the mana likely no longer powers the defenses or traps.

    Our return journey is quick and easy. There are no enemies. There are no surprises. Everything goes smoothly, even as we pass through the hidden passage in the living room back into the tunnels.

    When Elydor locks the passage behind us, a few members of the expedition startughing out loud, congratting themselves. The atmosphere remains tense, but it''s noticeably more cheerful as we swiftly move through the tunnel beneath the city. Some of them are already nning to return to loot again.

    I sense something ahead of us before anyone else does, but I keep it to myself.

    We continue to walk for another minute, and then a few of the more perceptive ones catch on as well. The atmosphere shifts immediately. There''s a flurry of harsh words exchanged, and they hasten their pace.

    But it doesn''t matter. We reach a part of the tunnel that must be just under the edge of the city, and there, in front of us, stands a barrier made of pale white mana blocking our way.

    They don''t want to believe it at first, so they keep sending their mana to examine it, but it''s futile. Just like me, they realize a spherical barrier envelops the entire city. Something only one entity in the area could aplish.

    We''ve been trapped by one of the four Cmities: the Living Tree.

    Just then, a new side quest pops up.<strong></strong>

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em>Survive.</em>

 Chapter 203: Not yet

    Chapter 203: Not yet

    I check the side quest and its reward.

    <strong>Side quest: </strong><em>Survive</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><em>500 shards</em>

    Seeing how high the reward is, this is dangerous. Yet, it still feels low, aren''t we against the Cmity?

    ¡°No, no, no, no,¡± Elydor mumbles under his breath while he examines the barrier. With his ss, Mana Harbinger, he probably already realized how strong the barrier is.

    ¡°Varrik, go and keep watch. Take Samuel and Otto,¡± he quickly calms down and orders his men, ¡°Evir and Zen, get your asses over here and take a look at this with me."

    Everyone else is pushed away from the barrier, and in the darkness of the smooth-walled tunnel lit by a few skills, they start examining the barrier. At the same time, a few more people from Storm Brigade also disappear to where we came from, towards the passage to Champion¡äs house, to keep watch.

    There is a hint of panic on everyone''s faces as they move around, trying to find a way to pass through the barrier.

    <em>(Try to stay calm and be ready for anything,)</em> I say through the link the twins set up for us, and while looking around, I notice Obelia staring at me.

    It''s not the first time that has happened. Ever since she felt me examining the circle that teleported us here, she keeps ncing at me once in a while. Once, she even asked one of her guild members to examine me, and I felt a thin, almost impossible-to-notice thread of mana reaching me. After I noticed it and destroyed it, they didn''t try again.

    She reacts to me catching her gaze by nodding shortly, as if in some sort of greeting, and I return the gesture. Obelia then turns back to her guild. Her face is still calm, and her eyes covered in circuits continue to look at the pale white barrier created by the Living Tree.

    ¡°This doesn''t seem that good,¡± Tess whispers next to me, not using the twins'' link probably because she doesn''t want them to hear.

    ¡°After a few days, they will find out that they can''t pass through the barrier, so they will most likely want to get back into the city and try to find a different way,¡± I answer back in a whisper.

    ¡°But the tree already seems to know about us, so the ones that exit the tunnels would most likely end up dead. Even though I still don''t know why the tree is not attacking us inside of the tunnels,¡± she says back.

    ¡°Yes, they will send us out first, and Tess, we are not strong enough to face the tree. Not right now, not without more preparation,¡± I tell her.

    Tess just nods solemnly, ¡°We will have to fight if they try to push us out.¡± There is a determination on her face.

    ¡°Oh, and Tess,¡± I move closer and whisper even quieter, ¡°We already are under the attack of the tree.¡±

    Her eyes widen, and she leans her face closer to me. ¡°Nat, what is happening?¡± There is urgency in her voice.

    ¡°The moment we reached the barrier, the tree started attacking us. It''s some sort of hard-to-detect attack that uses really small amounts of mana. It''s almost unnoticeable.¡± I tell her.

    I feel in the air tiny particles of mana that try to reach our bodies, touch them, enter them, and then do something to them. I''m not at the point where I''ve found out what they do, but there''s no way I would allow them to touch us.

    ¡°So Tess, I''m dealing with it and also protecting our group, but it''s difficult. Tell others to group a bit more and move somewhere to the side, a bit further away from the barrier,¡± I say.

    At that moment, my skills level up.

    <strong>[Perception - lvl 36 > Perception - lvl 37]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 2 > Mana Domain - lvl 3]</strong>

    To defend against that attack, I''m using my domain to create a field around myself, and it expands enough to cover members of our group. Then, while using<strong> [Perception]</strong>, I locate particles of mana and then destroy them with my own mana, which is easier to manipte within <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>.

    It''s hard to do, so it takes quite a bit of my attention, and sometimes some particles slip by me, and I have to use <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to destroy them.

    I tried just running a disruptive field, but it didn''t work that well. It''s almost as if the Tree''s particles are hard to hit without locating them first. The attack of the Cmity is not that strong; it''s just hardly noticeable, slow, and constant. To be honest, I''m not sure how long I can keep it up.

    Because most of their attention is on the barrier, almost no one noticed it, well, except Obelia. The woman noticed my usage of my skills, and after talking with a few more of her guildmates, they also found out what was happening and then urgently started doing something simr I do.

    They didn''t bother telling Elydor, but they were a bit less careful than me, so Elydor noticed them using mana and then examined the air. A series of curses that escaped his mouth were quickly followed by him starting to radiate a lot of his mana that started to push all the particles away.

    Where I tried to use as little mana as possible, he just uses constant pressure that creates a field in arger area, and a few of his men do something simr.

    Yet, some smaller particles continue to pass by. Something I did notice while trying to use<strong> [Resonance]</strong>, but they did not.

    <em>(Aaron, connect me to Obelia,)</em> I say through the link, and soon he does so.

    The guild master of Storm Brigade epts the link he creates, curiosity getting the better of her.

    <em>(Not enough,)</em> I say through the link and then disconnect.

    For the first time, a hint of surprise appears on her face, and hurriedly she starts examining the air around her guild members.

    That much should be enough.

    Half a day passes, and they are still at it. The symbols are continuously drawn around the barrier and filled with mana. Items are used, even some they just took from the Champion''s manor.

    They even attack the barrier with dozens of different attacks. Yet there is no change at all.

    Min-Jae says that the tunnel is a few miles long, so there should be enough air for months for us. We also have plenty of food, so no one panics thus far, nor throws around ideas of leaving the tunnels.

    The attack we are under is well known already, and they continue to have a few people to deal with it. At some point, Elydor created some item out of an expensive-looking mana stone, and it''s enough for his men just to infuse it with mana, and it creates a field that pushes away the invisible mana particles of the Cmity.

    They also noticed that just a simple push was not enough so there are a few more men and women from both of the big guilds who keep switching ces and continue to push away the particles using a lot of mana. They do it sessfully, but it takes a toll on them.

    <em>(Asshole?)</em> Biscuit asks me in my head.

    I reach out and pet him, <em>(Not yet.)</em>

    Two more days pass. And for some, it''s getting harder and harder. The ever-present silence and darkness of the tunnels, the constant attack from the Living Tree, and the barrier blocking us are enough to put most of the people on edge, and even some members of group 4 be a bit touchy.

    The twins be quieter. Isabe starts spending more and more time near me, connecting to my emotions. She says that it''s hard to handle feeling the constant nervousness of others, even though Sophie''s skill blocks some of Isabe''s fear.

    She also says that I am weird as I continue to y with the mana stone in my hands while observing their attempts to break the barrier.

    I gulp down the piece of dried meat and just shrug my shoulders.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 39 > Mana Maniption - lvl 40]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 3 > Mana Domain - lvl 4]</strong>

    Three more days passed, and the first of my skills reached level forty. I made significant progress while trying to inscribe circuits into the mana stone.

    Sophie, wanting to take her mind off what''s happening, also starts helping me, especially now that Isabe almost constantly stays by my side.

    Lily offered for me to try using her<strong> [Disintegration]</strong> on the barrier, but I just told her to wait. Even though her skill is terrifying I don''t think she has enough mana to destroy it or create a passage. Not without sacrificing most of her body to do so.

    Tess is trying hard to keep the group from bing too... unbnced, and it seems to be getting harder.

    After one unsessful attempt to destroy the barrier, Elydor notices me sitting there, examining the mana stone. Angry and frustrated, he sends a pulse of mana at me, destroying the stone in my hands and throwing me against the wall.

    I apologize and then watch as even Obelia tries to calm him down.

    In the end, he lets me go, and I pull out another mana stone and continue what I was doing again. This time a bit more carefully and attempting to hide the stone.

    Some members of group 4 give me worried nces that I didn''t understand, especially now that I constantly keep <strong>[Focus]</strong> running and actively blocking certain emotions.

    <strong>POV Sophie Martinez</strong>

    He is bing quieter and quieter. He wasn''t that talkative before, but now he rarely says anything.

    A week has already passed. A week in these terrible, always-dark tunnels, and everyone is growing tired from the constant worry and the ever-present darkness. Yet he continues to sit there, lit by a few orbs floating nearby, his eyes glowing as he continues to examine the barrier of the Living Tree, attempts to break it, and the mana stone that he has now hidden in the sleeve of his shirt.

    It''s amazing how much progress we made in the past few days, something that would surely have taken us much longer outside. The inscription he works on is way beyond me, but even that is enough to help me to improve my skills, just from observing.

    But I worry. I worry for Isabe, who tries to act brave, but I feel she''s trying to only focus on his feelings and not even touching mine. I can''t imagine how terrible it must be for her, feeling the emotions of everyone. So she clings to him as if he is her raft in a stormy sea.

    Nathaniel doesn''t seem to mind it that much, and once again I''m amazed by the will he possesses, the determination he shows, and the sheer strength of his mind.

    He is constantly maintaining a field around us, around the entire group 4, and unlike other members of the expedition, his field uses much less mana. It''s more urate, yet it must also take a much greater toll on him. Nathaniel keeps it up for days, and I don''t remember if he has slept since this all began. He waits, and I don''t know what for. And that''s what scares me the most.

    Something will happen, something terrible. He knows it, and he is expecting it.

    When Tess asks him about it, he always tells her not to worry and not to distract him as he continues to keep his field running. I tried to help, but I wasn''t able to do it for too long, a few minutes at most at a simr level to his. The particles are too hard to locate and too difficult to influence, even though my skill is able to do so. So I continue trying and improving.

    Again and again. I push myself even further, seeing Isabe hugging Nathaniel with closed eyes.

    I clench my teeth and try as hard as I can.

    It takes a while, but the field I create allows me to see these particles as well and try to destroy them. Once again I realize how difficult it is. And he''s working on inscribing mana stone while doing this?

    A few more days pass and screams wake me up.

    Quickly, while summoning my mana, I get to my feet and turn towards where the screams areing from, after locating Izzy who still clings to Nathaniel. He also looks towards the source of the screams.

    And there, on the ground, one of the members of Serpent''s Eye continues to twitch, scream, and groan in pain, scratching his chest and body while tearing his clothes.

    With horrified looks in their eyes, his guild members continue to watch, and it takes me a while to see what they have noticed.

    There are things, small green things, all over the man''s body.

    It takes me a bit longer to realize that they are leaves. Green leaves a normal tree would have.

    And right now, those leaves are growing from under the man''s skin.

 Chapter 204: Unforgiving rage

    Chapter 204: Unforgiving rage

    For a few minutes, I watch a man screaming and iling on the ground. It''s one of the men that came with Elydor to our house. A man with long ck hair, pale skin, and an annoyingugh.

    After a while, I get bored, and since they stopped trying to get through the barrier, I go back to working on inscribing the mana stone.

    That''s nearly all I''ve done in the past two weeks; I carefully observe them trying to get through the barrier, and I''m learning a lot. I''m not sure I would be able to get through it, not even with <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, so watching them work while also examining it on my own helps a lot. Well, maybe I could get through, but only alone, having to leave others behind.

    And I don''t want that.

    The inscription I work on is something that might help me create a passage in the barrier.

    I sigh when the man starts screaming again and take a look towards where he is. Currently, branches are poking his skin, and on these branches, more leaves grow. Blood is everywhere; his bones are breaking, and his screams be hoarse.

    His guild is trying everything they can, yet nothing helps. No matter how many leaves or branches they remove, new ones grow. They can''t even stop it with their skills.

    At some point, Elydor sends one man to Lily, and they grab her hand, pulling her towards the man and screaming something at her.

    The petite ck-haired girl nces at me a few times and then tries something as well, yet even her healing is not helping and only seems to prolong the man''s suffering.

    In the end, Elydor clenches his teeth and a sharp st of mana blows off the man''s head, the screams finally stopping.

    As if not held back anymore, more and more branches poke through the dead man''s body, covering nearly the entirety of it, and beautifully vibrant green leaves appear, most of them covered in blood.

    Tess pushes everyone from group 4 away andes closer to me alone. She squats in front of me, her eyes more serious than ever.

    ¡°Nathaniel,¡± her tone is serious, ¡°I need to know what''s happening. I need to know what''s wrong with you and how the hell you don''t care at all when they pull Lily around like that. Or when they punched Hadwin or¡­¡± she shakes her head, ¡°You haven''t been acting like yourself.¡±

    ¡°Tess, as I said, I''m busy,¡± I continue to examine her face. Her words also made me feel a hint of curiosity. Am I really that different? ¡°I have my<strong> [Focus]</strong> constantly blocking my emotions so I can keep up the domain, and you guys won''t end up like him,¡± I nod at the man, well, a bunch of flesh, bones, and skin intertwined with branches and leaves.

    ¡°Nat, we can fight, we will deal with them all, and then we can get out of here on our own,¡± she leans closer and whispers.

    It seems like two weeks down there have even affected Tess; her eyes are wild like an animal pushed into a corner and ready to bite.

    I shake my head, ¡°We won''t be able to, Tess. The moment we leave the tunnels to go to the city, the Living Tree will destroy us; I''m sure of that. The tunnels seem to block its influence to some point. As for the barrier, I need to observe them a bit longer. Just a little bit longer, and I will be able to get us out.¡±

    When I open my mouth to continue, I feel blood on my lips, and when I reach out to wipe it, I realize that it''s blood from my nose. It''s not the first time this has happened, but I didn''t want Tess to see it.

    ¡°Should I call Lily? They already know she''s a healer so¡­¡± Tess offers.

    ¡°It''s fine; there is no wound. It''s just that there are more and more particles in the air, and it''s getting more difficult,¡± I say.

    In response to that, Tess''s face bes even more worried.

    Before she can say anything, I ask her, ¡°Tess, do you trust me?¡±

    Without any hesitation, she nods, and for a long moment, I just look at her. She''s not lying. There''s only full and honest trust shown in her expression.

    I wonder how I earned that.

    ¡°Give this stone to Sophie; she can work on our project on her own if she gets bored. I think I won''t be able to do it right now.¡± I try to lower <strong>[Focus]</strong> to examine my feelings, but only deep, red-hot rage surfaces, so I slide back into the cold, calm embrace of the skill.

    I check thetest notifications.

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 5 > Mana Domain - lvl 6]</strong>

    <strong>[Perception - lvl 37 > Perception - lvl 38]</strong>

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 24 > Resonance - lvl 25]</strong>

    Then I go back to observing the men and women trying to get through the barrier. I do it carefully, only perceiving mana. Once in a while, they notice some small mana observing them, but I quickly cancel the skill, and they, unwilling to get more distracted, continue.

    I''m learning a lot from them, and I especially like the technique where they create mana circuits by drawing on the barrier with paint that conducts mana so well. Thanks to that, I keep getting better and better at inscribing patterns into my mana stones.

    But to be honest, I''m quite disappointed. Even though the people working on the barrier are over level 170 and have much more experience than me barely half a year in the tutorial, they don''t seem that good?

    Or maybe they are. I don''t know. They all feel soft, easily distracted, and prone to panic. Theyck hunger and determination, and they rely too much on the skills themselves.

    They''re missing something that''s hard for me to describe.

    Now they''re even drawing circuits on the ground to strengthen their repelling force of mana to fight against particles, and that''s where I see them panic the most. The way they twitch every time something itches them or their clothes rub against their bodies. The fear with which they keep looking around and the amount of mana they spend to fight against the attack of the Living Tree.

    It''s almost funny.

    One day passes, and we are already close to exhausting all the food and water we brought with us. Unfortunately, the man who died did have a skill that supplied us with water until now. I wonder if it''s a coincidence.

    Even though Group 4 is huddled around me to make me deal with as small a domain as possible, Lilyes to talk to me, not caring that others can hear. In her voice, I can hear how worried she is, and with my own eyes, I can see it in others. I have a suspicion that it might be something I wouldn''t like that much usually, but I''m currently using <strong>[Focus]</strong> to block nearly all emotions.

    It''s a weird feeling; I''m surprisingly logical, but even then there''s a hint of dislike bleeding through. It''s something that Maya told me some time ago. It''s as if the skill is changing my personality.

    I don''t mind it lowering some emotions like fear, anxiety, or anger a bit, but this might be too much. Well, it''s not like I have much choice.

    Lily continues to talk to me, she also touches me and sends her warm mana through my body in an attempt to heal, but there isn''t much she can do with the strain I put on myself. Not at her current level.

    I listen to her, I feed Biscuit some food from my portion, and again continue to work on my idea, inscribing a difficult set of circuits into thergest mana stone I have. I do it even though it makes it more difficult to stop the Living Tree¡äs particles.

    Another day passes and a woman dies in the same way the first man did. It starts with her arm and after they cut it off in an attempt to stop it, leaves start growing through the skin on her neck. Once again it''s someone from Elydor''s guild and while cursing, he kills her, this time earlier than the man before.

    I notice that he starts to look toward where the door to the mansion in the city is. I know that his decision is close.

    He notices me watching him and when our eyes meet, he is calm. Unlike before when he acted like a B-rate viin, he is now focused in the face of danger. It''s not a skill, no, it''s just the strength of his will. You don''t be one of the most powerful men in a city like Virelia without being skilled.

    Yet, he is still an asshole and soon his mene to our group, taking all the food and water away from us and pushing us further from the main group and into the darkness of the tunnel.

    Elydor''s eyes are suspicious as he watches us, most likely unsure why we didn''t die in a simr way his guild members did.

    Three more days pass and all at once, four men from the small guild ckrock die in the same gruesome manner.

    Elydor and his men conduct some experiments now that they are not from their guild. They cut off limbs, they burn leaves, they try to dissect them while they are alive and branches grow from them. They even draw some glowing symbols on them and test some items.

    One of Elydor''s men tries some shadow skill, and Elydor himself sends his mana into the body of one of the men to fight against the process, but that only elerates it.

    And then, when all the men are dead and he stares down at their bodies, it seems to be enough.

    "We will try to get through the city," he says to the deafening silence that ensues.

    His voice is sharp and his face is determined. Mana moves around his body domineeringly, and he now seems taller and stronger.

    "Fodder will go first and buy us some time, and then we will run for it, everyone on their own. The ones that make it will meet outside the city," he says, ignoring the fact that the barrier is most likely around the entirety of the city.

    He is desperate and wants to try it while he still has some strength left. The most surprising thing to me is that he doesn''t even suggest attacking the Cmity, clearly showing how terrifying the tree monster is.

    Well, the waiting is finally over.

    After a long time, I stand up with a sigh of relief. I have learned all I could and I do not need them anymore.

    I throw the mana stone I was working on at Sophie and she grabs it, giving me a short nod. She immediately sends her mana inside, keeping the field that protects us from the Living Tree stable over a considerable part of the tunnel.

    That much is enough.

    After close to 20 days, I reach out and start weakening the hold over my emotions that<strong> [Focus]</strong> has.

    <strong>POV Maya Jones</strong>

    Out of nowhere, the silence bes even more deafening. It''s so quiet I can swear I hear my blood moving through my veins. Then the air bes colder and every movement I make is like I''m moving through msses.

    And only then, a loud thump sounds, followed by another. As if a heartbeat continues to echo in the tunnel.

    Nathaniel stands up, his face pale, bags under his eyes, messy hair, and even a visible hint of some weight loss. But he doesn''t move slowly, and I don''t feel any weakness from him; he stands up confidently, each movement sharp and strong.

    Then mana starts radiating from his body. It slowly ramps up as if it''s a generator creating more and more of it, and it continues to flow into the tunnel, almost feeling like waves hitting and reflecting from it.

    ¡°Oh, so you did hide a little bit of mana,¡± Elydor smiles, immediately noticing it, his tone almost as if delighted by the challenge.

    But it doesn''t stop there; even more and more mana continues to radiate from Nathaniel to the point where the smile slowly disappears from Elydor''s face, reced by sheer surprise and then a hint of fear.

    ¡°Get into formation 5, we are against an Amplificator. Estimated level a bit under 200,¡± he hisses quickly at his men, his mana also activating.

    On the other side, Nathaniel justzily takes a step away from us and towards them, keeping Group 4 behind his back.

    ¡°You with them?¡± Nathaniel asks shortly towards the woman called Obelia, guild master of Storm Brigade.

    To Elydor''s cursing, Obelia shakes her head and only takes a step back, creating a barrier around her guild members that they continue to strengthen.

    And then Nathaniel''s expression changes. The distant face he had up until now disappears as he deactivates the skill both he and I share. For the first time since we ended up trapped in the tunnels, his eyes be different. They are not so uncaring and distant anymore.

    Like a burning fire, hate appears in them. A terrible, unforgiving rage.

    At the same moment, his mana changes, it stops freely flowing and freezes in the air, dominated by his will.

    ¡°Change of assessment, level over 200, at least a rare-grade Primary ss,¡± Elydor shouts, and his mana rushes and shes against Nathaniel''s.

 Chapter 205: Sheer force of Mana

    Chapter 205: Sheer force of Mana

    <strong>POV Sophie Martinez</strong>

    Immediately after Nathaniel begins releasing his mana, members of a small guild called ckrock, along with a few individuals from Serpent''s Eye who were nearby, attack us.

    Tess runs in front of me and hits the man who is about to attack Hadwin from behind, while lightning crackles around her body, burning the attacking man. Her javelins spin around her, moving as if they have minds of their own, stabbing at anyone who attacks us.

    Maya''s armor darkens, and she is thrown back by an explosion nearby. She is bleeding and her eye seems hurt, but her armor darkens even more, and I can see the wound healing at a visible speed. Moving faster and with a calm look on her face, she attacks a woman who has mes around her body.

    The twins move even faster than Maya, constantly attacking a single target while confusing him with illusions of other people. The illusions seem so realistic, it''s hard to determine what''s real and what''s not.

    Hadwin continues to take attacks from people, none of them able to pierce his skin or even draw blood. Hadwin is thrown back asionally, but he always stands up quickly and shes with a sword he got from Nathaniel, each attack breaking barriers and piercing armor.

    Kim maneuvers dozens of orbs made from silver metal around him, and seizing the opportunity, he shoots them at people trying to kill us. The orbs are boosted to an insane degree, barely a blur, and they deform or pierce the armors of anyone he attacks. Often, he also targets an opponent or two, and when he does, their movement slows down.

    One of Elydor¡äs men performs something simr to teleportation and appears behind Lily, slicing into her neck and almost separating her head from her body. Just before we react, a few of Lily''s fingers disappear and the wound heals nearly instantaneously. The man tries to vanish, but she''s already holding his hand. Lily uses her terrifying skill, and with one pulse of grayish mana, the man disappears, gear and all.

    My eyes meet Lily''s. I shudder and avoid her gaze.

    Someone shoots ice-like spikes at me, and I don''t react as Izzy creates bright blue mes that swirl around us. They melt and burn everything in their path, while our group doesn''t feel any heat. The man who attacked me gets surrounded by them, and his body burns and is set aze, even though he constantly tries to fight against them with his barriers made of ice.

    I continue to maintain the barrier that blocks the particles of the Living Tree. Only when I notice one of the women creating a strong attack do I reach into her mind. At first, she reacts with extreme surprise, as like many, she''s unaware of mind maniption, but she quickly defends herself, pushing against me. I don''t stop there though; I attack more aggresively and burrow deeper, destroying her mental defense and taking over her mind while the woman screams in pain.

    Then I send a simple order.

    The woman''s expression changes and bes calm, with only the fear in her eyes revealing her true feelings. The woman starts pumping all her mana into a single attack, ignoring the strain it ces on her body and mind. She bleeds from her eyes, nose, and ears, but she disregards it all under my<strong> [Maniption]</strong>. When she''s done, she turns around and releases the attack against her guild, torn apart in the subsequent explosion.

    Blood and flesh cover the walls of the tunnel.

    Another man approaches, d in armor simr to Maya''s, and attacks Izzy, only to be grabbed by the ankle with purple mana arms. These aren''t translucent as before; they''re a solid, dark purple color and seem to be affecting the man''s armor, dissipating, disrupting, or dissolving it. Dozen more arms appear from Biscuit''s back and surround the man''s body, angrily tearing off pieces of the armor and dissolving the rest. Then, as the man screams, the mana arms tear off his head.

    Biscuit looks around, and I notice his eyes glowing a purple hue. He shouts something at another enemy, using his telepathy differently ¡ª this time as an attack. The man screams in pain, clutching his head.

    And then I feel that mana.

    It''s as if a monster is waking up from deep slumber. The domineering mana fills the tunnels, and it continues to do so. An immense, insane amount of mana that makes it feel as if it''s hard to breathe or move through.

    Dealing with thest member of ckrock, whom Tess kills with a burst of lightning, we all turn to the source of all of that.

    It''s him.

    Nathaniel stands there in the center of all of that, releasing all this mana without any worry in the world and blocking ranged attacks that are thrown at him. His face has a bright smile on it, instead of the distant expression he''s shown in the past week.

    Others probably can''t feel it, but I can with my <strong>[Maniption]</strong>. The area around Nathaniel feels as if it''s his, the area within which he moves all this mana. There''s no efficiency, there''s no delicate control, and he doesn''t even use it to feed his skills.

    It''s just a sheer amount of raw mana that he controls and moves. The mana is so dense it''s possible to see it without any skills.

    My mana continues to move through my body, cycling in the way I want it to<strong>. [Focus]</strong> changes and this time it only helps me deal with my skills. My emotionse to the surface, filling me with anger I haven''t felt in a long time.

    Every expression, every movement, every word Elydor says fills me with disgust as his mana rushes towards me, threatening and raging. He moves it in sharp wisp-like constructs that continue to sh against the walls, yet not damaging them at all; the tunnel is incredibly durable.

    <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> epasses the entire tunnel and not waiting for Elydor''s attack to reach me, I take a step towards him. A disrupting wave is sent ahead, canceling his attack and a few attacks from his guild members.

    At the same time, I hear Group 4 finishing their fight against the members of ckrock who stayed near them and a few members of Serpent¡äs Eye who joined the fight.

    I feel movement in my shadow and a woman steps out of it, a short dagger glowing in red light, as she moves incredibly fast towards my neck. At the same moment, I feel pressure on me, some sort of gravity magic.

    <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> slows the woman''s attack to a crawl as I absorb the energy of her movement. She tries to escape into my shadow again, but I disrupt the activation of her skill.

    They throw more attacks against me, yet I quickly create a barrier that is stronger than ever before. Even then, a few cracks start appearing on it as I turn towards the woman, now blocked from the view of the rest of her guild.

    In front of her, I create an orb. Not caring about efficiency, I use <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> to fill it with mana, then push more with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, the orb turning into a tricolored one: blue, light blue, and purple mana swirling inside it.

    ¡°I remember you. You''re the one whoughed when he came to our house,¡± I say.

    She doesn''t answer.

    Oh, obviously, she can''t; I''m holding her movement with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>.

    Iugh shortly, ¡°Sorry, I didn''t realize,¡± I apologize to her. Then, strengthening my body and holding the tricolored orb in my hand, I bury it into her chest, blood, and gore exploding on me. But I do not care and leave the orb that starts shining brightly in her chest.

    Still unmoving, blood flows from her mouth and her eyes start losing light. I lean closer, ¡°Why aren''t youughing now?¡± I ask.

    She doesn''t answer and dies, right after my barrier breaks under the attacks of her guild.

    I grab and throw her body against her guild mates.

    For a moment, they hesitate and do not attack or block. Only a bitter does Elydor realize what''s happening, ¡°Barrier!¡± he shouts, his mana rushing back to him, creating a sphere around his guild, and over it, multiple additionalyers are formed

    Before the orb inside the woman''s body explodes, I send a few javelins, boosted and filled with kic energy, toward the barrier, destroying severalyers of it. Then, I expand my domain to reach even behind them and start working on Anchor.

    The orb explodes, tearing the woman¡äs body apart and sending a shockwave through the tunnel.

    I absorb all the heat around me into stored thermal energy. It puts pressure on me, but I force myself to do so. Surprisingly, they even weakened the explosion a bit, and when their barriers break down, no one is dead. There is not even an implosion.

    Before they attack again, I activate the <strong>[Tether]</strong> I ced behind them through my Domain. I appear on their nk, and before they realize it, I grab a man by his neck. Immediately I recognize him as one of the men whoughed when Elydor kicked Biscuit.

    I smile at his terrified expression and while disrupting his mana I squeeze and pull off a big chunk of his neck. His heart continues to pump the blood that spurts on me as I kick him towards his guild mates.

    <strong>[You have defeated me Ascendant - lvl 162]</strong>

    I sense something and strengthen my body, and the invisible sh that would have killed me only sends me against the wall. Before I hit it, I absorb my own movement and stop in ce, dodging another attack and attack with vibrating kic energy while a high-frequency pitch rings in my ears. The man staggers backward with a big hole in his chest. I can even look through it before he falls to the ground.

    Remembering him as one of the assholes I send another st of kic energy at his corpse, exploding it in its entirety, covering the walls in blood and tiny pieces of what used to be the man.

    <strong>[You have defeated Terra Guardian - lvl 171]</strong>

    My javelin pierces through the chest of one of the men attacking me, expanding afterward, tearing his body into two pieces that fall down.

    I burn his face with dark yellow mes until he stops screaming.

    <strong>[You have defeated Shadow Weaver - lvl 159]</strong>

    Theyunch more attacks at me. A weird smoke that burns my skin, and I cancel it with <strong>[Resonance]</strong>. Mana whips and projectiles that Elydor uses to attack while blocking my own with his quick and powerful barrier. He holds the sword in his hand, the sword with a de made out of translucent white crystal that is slowly changing its color to pale blue.

    The entire time Elydor also pressures and fights against my<strong> [Mana Domain] </strong>and continues to destroy my anchors, not allowing me to use<strong> [Tether] </strong>again.

    Two warriors charge at me; their movement is slowed by<strong> [Redistribution]</strong>, yet not enough. Supporting them, a man keeps shooting arrows at me, each a deadly projectile glowing brightly.

    But I do not hesitate and fires appear around me, slowly healing my body and preventing the warriors from moving much closer. I redirect the arrows with the barriers that I continuously create.

    My heart continues to thump, and I release more and more mana into the area.

    I disrupt the gravity skill trying to slow me down. A burst of kic energy throws one warrior away, and aser-like me is continuously fed by the thermal energy my heart generates zes toward him. More and more, even when a barrier appears around him to protect the man. I disrupt them, and while screaming, the warrior is set aze.

    Still able to fight he moves towards me while burning, an incredible amount of stats in physical attributes keep him alive.

    I step towards him, creating a sword in my hand to kill him. Then I sense something through my <strong>[Perception]</strong>. A few more members of Serpent''s Eye are moving towards my group.

    My regtor changes its settings, and all my mana gets redistributed into physical stats.

    With a swing of my fist, I hit the head of the burning man, exploding it like a watermelon and then I release all the kic energy I have to push myself towards where the men are going.

    I disrupt the slowing gravity skill, hit a few mana wisps away with my bare hands, and kick a woman with a shield who steps in my way. One of Elydor''s projectiles burrows into my side, destroying a few barriers I have created, but I ignore it.

    Within a second, I reach the first group and extend my hand towards one of them.

    Varrik was his name? Elydor''s right hand.

    I ce my hand on his shoulder and then fight against an attack that tries to disrupt my mana, his skin covered in some barrier that tries to do so. A giggle escapes my mouth at his attempt and I squeeze harder, breaking his shoulder and making others in front of him turn around.

    I disrupt his barrier with one short pulse of disrupting mana and then send a strong burst of kic energy through his body, and watch as it swells, expands, and explodes in a shower of flesh and blood that hits me and his friends.

    <strong>[You have defeated Crimson Bloodtracker - lvl 172]</strong>

    Attacks enter my domain, and I create barriers behind my back while boosting my body even further and moving ahead.

    The man that charged at group 4 dodges my attack, and his fist hits my chest with force strong enough to explode my body if I hadn''t strengthened it. Tattoos start glowing on his body, and his movement speeds up, with multiple more attacksnding while two more men get behind my back and the remaining woman sends a lightning attack at me.

    Barriers behind me break, and this time Elydor stops hiding and charges as well, sending waves of mana towards me and creating pressure that makes it hard to move mana outside of my body. The sword in his hand glows brighter and Elydor moves much faster than before.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong> allows me to see every detail, and mana glows beautifully in a ck-and-white world.

    This is too easy.

    The world is as if slowed down, and I take a deep breath in and out. Then, fueled by the anger that still keeps burning inside of me, I reach towards my Mana Reservoir, which is three times the size of my entire mana, and use it for the first time.

    A few mana arms form within my <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> and grab the men and women closest to me. With just a simple thought I control my mana and the arms tear them apart. Limb by limb and I throw them at Elydor, amused by his expression.

    Multiple attacks are shot at me, but barriers and shields form immediately out of my mana within the domain. The barriers break but are quickly reced as I disregard mana expenditure.

    Right now my mana feels truly bottomless.

    Elydor creates orbs that explode, dissipatingrge amounts of that mana within my domain. A terrifying attack follows, piercing through multiple barriers and throwing me against the wall.

    A man rushes at me, bright blue tattoos glowing on his body. It''s almost cute.

    Quickly I form ten javelins around me and throw them at the man. He dodges three of them, the fourth hits him and throws him to the side and somehow, he destroys rest of the javelins.

    I form twenty more of them, each of them of a darker shade of blue than the ones before. By the twelfth one, the man gets pierced by it, the remaining javelins arriving and obliterating his body.

    A short silence ensues and then a loud thump sounds.

    Five members of Elydor''s guild encircle me. Elydor as well and he holds a sword that has a beautiful de seemingly made of transparent crystal. He does something, and all the mana around me gets pulled towards the de, which starts turning blue to a darker shade of blue and emitting a pale blue light.

    I block a few attacks and start actively sending mana toward Elydor and observing the sword in his hand. Such a nice weapon.

    Two women attack me from behind, their bodies covered in some sort of armor made of mana. I just release more mana and form four bigger mana arms that grab them and pull until they are torn in half.

    Again, I throw their bodies at Elydor.

    He shouts something and I can see tears appearing in his eyes. Yet he still notices the tricolored orb inside one of the bodies and screams with rage, ordering a barrier to be created while moving at a speed that seems too high for someone with as many stats invested in mana.

    An explosion follows, apanied by heat, but there is no implosion, once again canceled by Elydor.

    A few more of his guild members die in the attack, unable to defend against it on their own.

    What a letdown.

    Elydor starts pulling out and using multiple mana stones, an amulet, and some other equipment, but he doesn''t feel threatening anymore. His attacks are strong, yet they feel desperate, and seeing fear in his face is satisfying, yet disappointing.

    I expected more of them.

    The following fight takes barely over a minute. I don''t even have to carefully use my skills, I just radiate as much mana as I need and my attacks are simple enough to be called primitive. Just simple mana shaping. There is nothing they can do, unable to deal with my vast amount of mana. Their barriers are torn apart by massive mana arms. Attacks are blocked with barriers.

    It''s not pretty and it¡äs not efficient. There is no fight of wits, no exchange of skills. It''s just the sheer force of my mana.

    In the end, four big mana arms appear, tearing away every limb of the Serpent''s Eye guild master while I ignore his attempts to continue to dodge or defend himself. The man screams, twitches, and tries to attack even in such a state, but to no avail. I let kic energy flow from my body and explode his limbs on the ground, reducing them to nothingness.

    Then I throw Elydor towards Biscuit.

    <em>(Asshole!)</em> a single word resounds, but this time it feels different than usual.

    Purple mana tentacles appear around the corgi, dozens of them, and they grab the man,pletely enveloping him. It takes a long time but at the end, the screaming stops and Elydor¡äs mana signature disappears.

    I feel mana from Obelia of her guild and with a push from my kic energy, I move in front of them. Stopping at the spot in front of their barrier by absorbing my inertia.

    Obelia and her guild. The Storm Brigade didn''t join the fight at all, yet now I feel them preparing their mana, ready for anything. It doesn''t feel threatening; it''s more like saying: if you attack, we will fight.

    I don''t like it.

    While staring down at them I start releasing more of my mana, taking more from my Mana Reservoir and using it to pressure them There''s no hesitation in what I am doing, and I''m ready to fight them. To fight and win.

    The pressure continues to increase on both sides, like two wild animals facing off and growling at each other.

    Obelia says something, and reluctantly, slowly, her guild members, and then she herself, pull back their mana, deactivate their skills, and abandon theirbat-ready stances.

    Only then do I feel satisfied. I send one more strong pulse of mana through the tunnels and stop using my mana.

    I pull all my mana back to my body, copying something I saw Elydor do and soon it all disappears as if it never existed.

    A long sigh escapes my mouth, and I feel my face revert to its usual expression.

    I turn back to group 4 and my domain reaches them again, once again countering the attack of the Living Tree.

 Chapter 206: Out of the tunnels

    Chapter 206: Out of the tunnels

    Everyone from Group 4 seems to be fine; there are some wounds, but nothing terrible. Unsurprisingly, they were able to deal with a few enemies even though most of them were at higher levels than our group.

    I would be surprised if it didn''t end up the way it did. They totally decimated poor ckrock and a few members of Serpent''s Eye that were nearby.

    ¡°Lily, would you mind? I might need a bit of healing,¡± I say, leaning against the wall and sliding to the ground.

    Immediately, a petite ck-haired girl stops healing Hadwin''s hands andes rushing to me.

    Wow, Lily, that''s harsh.

    She sits down next to me and puts her hand on my shoulder, and soon I can feel her warm mana flowing inside my body. I''m also keeping plenty of thermal energy flowing through me to have my passive skill activated, and with Lily''s healing, I''m quickly getting better.

    While sitting there, I check on my Mana Reservoir, and there''s still around thirty percent of its total size left. Not bad. I mean, I could use my mana more efficiently, but it was worth it.

    I look up, just in time to see Biscuit throwing Elydor''s body far away into the tunnel.

    Such a good boy.

    For a few minutes, no one says anything, just continuing to calm down and letting me rest a bit while I keep the Living Tree''s particles from reaching us. I''m getting quite good at it, am I not?

    My mood is also much better now, and even though some of the remaining people inside the tunnel seem to have grim faces, I''m not worried at all. Obviously, I already know what I will do. If I didn''t, I would''ve endured the past few weeks for nothing and ended up disappointed in myself.

    Tess and Haddy, being as reliable as they are, are already looting the corpses of Serpent''s Eye. Some of the items survived the fight, some of them of really high rarity, and then there''s also a chest and a few items they got from Champion''s house.

    I notice a few greedy nces from Storm Brigade, but no one does anything, so group 4 collects a pretty sizable pile of items, mana stones, and some other valuables. Temporarily, they take some items to use, and the rest they put on a pile closer to the barrier, packed and ready to be moved.

    ¡°I suppose you do have a n?¡± Obelia moves closer, apanied by one of her aides. Neither of them is using mana.

    Seeing her act so respectfully feels weird, but not in a bad way. Obelia is smart, smarter than Elydor, and even though she didn''t help, she didn''t underestimate me. It makes me wonder what she would think knowing that my level is lower than even that of the aide next to her.

    Actually, should I tell her? It would be fun to watch.

    ¡°Yes I have a n, I will need the biggest mana stone you have for that,¡± I say shamelessly even though there are plenty of mana stones we got from looting Serpent''s Eye.

    Obelia hands me two of them. The ones that are even worth more than the ones worth a few hundred thousand dors.

    ¡°Two more, and that weird mana stone you guys got from the champion''s house,¡± I ask.

    Even though her aide seems about toin, Obelia just does so. She reaches into her inner pocket and gives me three mana stones, and even that nice, spheric mana stone I saw them get from the manor¡ª an item densely covered in mana circuits that I identify as epic grade.

    She doesn''t even hesitate, and her eyes are calm and decisive as she does so. She is simply paying me to help get her out as well. I bet I could get even more if I asked, but I think it''s better to create a good rtionship with her.

    I really like her decisiveness and her logical thinking.

    ¡°It will take a while, maybe an hour or two, and then we can go on,¡± I tell her.

    With a nod, she goes back to her guild.

    ¡°Lily, go and heal poor Haddy. I need to focus now and work on something,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Are you saying that I''m distracting to you?¡± she says with a small, cheeky smile. Like everyone else, she''s a bit down, tired, and somewhat depressed after two weeks in dark tunnels, yet she tries to joke with me.

    Before I can pinch her nose, she stands up and joins the rest of the group.

    You have escaped this time, silly girl.

    Finally, I put away the stones I got from Obelia and keep only one that I hold in my left hand, which is pale white up to my shoulder. The one that Lily restored on the second floor.

    My mana enters the stone, and I consolidate my<strong> [Focus]</strong> and start working.

    The process is simr to creating a construct inside my body, yet a bit easier, meaning that a mistake won''t hurt me, and a big mistake won''t kill me. At worst, it will destroy the stone.

    Unsurprisingly, the stone Obelia gave me is better than even the ones from before, and I''m sure with my current experiences, I won''t be able to use it to its fullest potential, so a lot of the stone will be wasted. But is that even a problem? It''s just some money, and if using an expensive mana stone helps me improve my chance of sess even a tiny bit, it''s more than worth it.

    The structure I''m creating inside it with<strong> [Mana Infusion] </strong>and<strong> [Resonance]</strong> is extremely delicate, and it mostly hovers inside, not etched yet, waiting to be finished before I permanently put it inside the stone.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> also works, and then I get an idea and activate even<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong>. Not a big sphere-like field around me; I make it much smaller and just use it around the mana stone.

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 6 > Mana Domain - lvl 7]</strong>

    A skill that leveled up during the fight levels up again as only <strong>[Focus] </strong>keeps me concentrated on the difficult task.

    My skills work together in harmony, and my creation bes more and more intricate and detailed, and it''s getting harder to keep it from breaking apart.

    The construct I''m creating right now is only for single use and is inspired by all the testing Elydor, Obelia, and everyone else did in attempt to break the barrier. The biggest part of it and inspiration is my skill<strong>, [Resonance]</strong>.

    I could try to use <strong>[Resonance] </strong>only, but just from watching others'' attempts, I know how impossible something like that is. No matter how good the skill is, its level is not high enough topete with the three-question mark monster''s barrier. The amount of mana that flows through it, its density, and most likely levels of its skills are just that monstrous.

    <strong>[Mana Infusion - lvl 29 > Mana Infusion - lvl 30]</strong>

    As I finally decide to inscribe the construct inside the mana stone, my skill breaks through the bottleneck. At the same time, I quickly make a few changes, noticing the mistakes I didn''t feel while preparing for inscribing.

    When I''m finally done, I sigh with relief and release my skills, and some tension escapes my body.

    <strong>Mana Pulse Stone (rare) - </strong><em>A single-use stone designed to channel a surge of mana to attempt to disrupt the Living Tree''s barrier. Once activated, it crumbles to dust.</em>

    I expected it to be of higher rarity, but even this should be enough as it''s just a single-use item that will help me channel my skill and mana.

    After letting others know, I stand up and move towards the barrier. As before, it''s amazingly strong, and just knowing that it covers an entire sizable city gives me goosebumps.

    I also remember Hydra, a three-question mark monster Lissandra so easily tore apart on the second floor. Was it as strong as the Living Tree? Weaker? Maybe even stronger. How strong is an Absolute to be able to do something like that? As always, titles such as Champion and Absolute fill me with curiosity. But anyway, I will know when I get to that point.

    With everyone around and prepared to run the moment I create a hole in the barrier, I hold the Mana Pulse Stone in my hand and push it against the barrier. Then, I charge as much of my mana as I can, and, activating <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, I send it through the stone where it gets changed, and modified to the frequency I need.

    The only thing I do is<strong> [Focus]</strong> to create as strong a burst of mana as I can without having my body torn apart, relying on the Mana stone to do the hard work instead of my body enduring.

    The stone crumbles and the barrier only wobbles slightly, an amazing resultpared to two big guilds being unable to do even that over two weeks, yet the barrier is still here.

    Well, this is awkward.

    I reach out with an open palm towards Obelia. Without hesitating, she ces another mana stone in the palm of my hand, and I get back to inscribing.

    It takes a few more days and two more tries to finally seed.

    When the tear finally appears in the barrier, everyone rushes out, and then we continue to run without looking back.

    We run until we get out of the tunnels through a hidden passageway.

    Yet no one celebrates. As quickly as we can, we get to the array we used to arrive there, and Obelia and a few of her members start putting mana stones into the circle and operating it with their weird item.

    The entire time, the remainder of us face the old capital, staring at the Living Tree. Even now, the city is entirely covered in a spherical barrier that seems to glow.

    It takes a few more minutes, and the barrier starts to expand. Slowly, but surely, it grows bigger and bigger, covering more and more of the area around the city.

    That prompts the members of Storm Brigade to move faster, their movements urgent and exchanging short shouts while Obelia, with a calm demeanor, leads them.

    When the circle finally activates, the barrier isn''t even that far off, and I wee the feeling of falling as we get transferred away.

    We don''t find ourselves back on the circle near Virelia we used for transport; instead, it''s a circle somewhere on the ins, and far in the distance, I can see mountains, anthills, the territory of good ol'' bus-sized ants.

    "We didn''t have time to pick the exact location," Obelia says to us, "But we should be able to get to Virelia fairly soon, so I think that much is fine."

    "Sounds good," I tell her, and finally, there is more relief that I feel.

    Looking at the items Group 4 carries, I can''t wait to examine them all.

    "Weird, they never leave their territory," I hear someone say and feel goosebumps on my back.

    Oh no.

    Tess also looks towards where Obelia is looking and activates her<strong> [Farsight]</strong>.

    "They aren''t that far away from the anthills," Tess says to Obelia.

    The guild master of Storm Brigade looks at Tess and nods, "They are not. But even this is weird. I don''t think I ever heard of any ant leaving their territory."

    It''s fine.

    "Miss, I think we should leave and maybe inform other guilds. They will want to set up some watches to observe their movements. Just in case," the voice of Obelia''s guild member is worried.

    It''s totally fine.

 Chapter 207: Boop

    Chapter 207: Boop

    Tess''s gaze burns on the back of my head the entire time we are moving towards the city, and I don''t know why she does that. I did nothing wrong.

    Everyone would have done the same. Everyone SHOULD do the same and throw a few fire orbs into the tunnels.

    As we enter the city, Obelia gives me a small mana stone that contains the address of her guild and different ways to contact her. It can also be given to the guards who should let her know that it''s me looking for her in case it happens.

    She also mentions that Elydor''s death will create a lot of mess and looks at me as if expecting me to do something.

    Knowing how much trouble it would be to get involved in this mess, I just wave my hand, not bothered by her look that tries to guilt-trip me into doing something.

    ¡°I will see you around and thanks,¡± she says, and then leaves with her guild members.

    Our guild does the same, and we quickly rush to our house. When we finally get there, everyone disappears to take long showers, leaving all the loot in the middle of the living room. Items most likely worth more than some people can imagine just sit there: on the carpet, against the wall, thrown on the table.

    Without a care in the world.

    It''s somewhat amusing to see items that caused so many deaths and took so much time for Serpent''s Eye to n and acquire. We suffered over two weeks in a dark tunnel, constantly worried about getting killed, yet right now, they aren''t even worth more than a shower.

    I look at Biscuit, ¡°What do you think?¡±

    <em>(Sustenance?)</em> the small corgi asks.

    ¡°Yes, we will buy you a lot of food,¡± I tell him.

    He woofs, and it somehow sounds thankful.

    Then, after checking that everyone is still away, I kneel down to get my face closer to him. For a moment, I just look at this cheeky, yet gentle doggo and remember how they treated him while I was deep in <strong>[Focus] </strong>and blocking my emotions to protect everyone.

    ¡°I''m sorry I let them do those things to you,¡± I whisper carefully, still worried someone might hear it. Then I carefully touch and pet his head.

    That makes Biscuit stop swinging his tail, and he looks directly into my eyes.

    I continue to pet his head, once again feeling the rage for how he and others were treated. I know I did it to protect them, but it still feels wrong.

    ¡°I would never let them treat you like that, without really good reason.¡± I continue to whisper, after once again checking that no one is around.

    Telling anyone who could respond normally would feel way too weird and be too difficult for me. But with Biscuit, it''s somewhat easy.

    ¡°So, thank you for enduring,¡± I finish and boop his nose, but only once.

    In response, Biscuit starts hovering and slowly floats higher until his eyes are at the same level as mine.

    For a while, he just looks at me in that way, his eyes feeling much more intelligent than back then on the 1st floor.

    Then he lifts up his right front paw and touches my nose with it, a movement simr to how I always boop his nose. He doesn''t say anything, but his eyes seem gentler than ever.

    I wait until everyone is back in the living room, and only then do I tell them to wait for me and not to touch any items until I''m back.

    The boys seem to be extremely unhappy and excited to go through the items, but their slightly angry looks that follow me as I walk upstairs only make me more powerful.

    I need to do something petty like that to feel manly once again.

    Damn, who would have known that the best maniptor of group 4 isn''t Sophie, Isabe, or Tess? Nope, as always our animal overlords beat us even in that. Biscuit is the most dangerous being here.

    Should I just give up, lie down, and wait for the end? I bet if I did, Biscuit would clear this floor for me. Heck, he''s probably even manipting people in the Community who long since learned that he is actually a cute, burrito-shaped corgi.

    Dangerous, everything here is dangerous.

    Inside the shower, I turn up the heat and close my eyes, reying the past two weeks. Going through everything that happened with my emotions not weakened is a weird experience and at times I almost get angry at myself, but in the end, I can''t help but agree with everything I did.

    Thanks to my decision, no one from our group died, we survived, everyone got 500 shards, we got plenty of items, and even got rid of a few pieces of human trash.

    Others also did well, enduring all of that and fought well when it came to it, but even now I feel a weird confusion as to why they put so much trust in me. They went through with my n, waiting and trusting. They endured the treatment Serpent''s Eye members gave them and the darkness of the tunnels.

    In some way, the trust they put in me feels heavy and, from a logical point of view, I can understand why they did so. I''m strong, I''m talented when ites to mana, and I am willing to push myself. Plus, I did have a n.

    On the other hand, it''s something I don''t think I would be able to do. Just doing that would require a huge amount of trust and a willingness to give up control, and that''s something I haven''t liked to do ever since going through all the bullshit in my childhood.

    Well, anyway, bygones be bygones.

    I finish my shower and take a bit more time to find some superfortable clothes from the many I still have in the locker, and only then do I walk downstairs. Refreshed and feeling much lighter.

    Unsurprisingly, the Twins and Min-Jae are already going through the items, and the moment they see me, they point at Lily, ¡°It was her idea.¡±

    Before they start bickering, I just look at the petite ck-haired girl, ¡°Well, Lily, I have to say I''m disappointed in you.¡± I joke, and it earns me a few surprised looks when I plop onto the couch, next to Isabe and Sophie.

    ¡°Nathaniel Gwyn joking and not being petty. The world ising to an end,¡± Maya reacts dramatically out loud and throws a bag of snacks at me, which I grab and start eating quickly.

    In a good mood, I decide to ignore the attack on my person and turn to the Twins, ¡°Sword with a de made of something like crystal.¡± I tell them, and immediately I get the sword Elydor used.

    <strong>Ethercrystal Shortsword (Epic):</strong><em>Forged from the elusive Ethercrystal, this transparent de can absorb ambient mana from its surroundings. The sword channels the absorbed mana to bolster the user''s physical strength momentarily.</em>

    Ohoo, so the effect is as I thought. Good, time to look into absorbing ambient mana.

    ¡°Mine,¡± I say and put the sword next to me, ¡°Next.¡±

    Lily giggles as I get another item. This time it''s a cloak.

    <strong>Veilshade Cloak (Epic): </strong><em>Tailored from the rare and elusive shadow silk, this cloak grants the wearer a veil of obscurity against magical detection. Its dark aura masks the user''s magical signature, making it a prized possession for those seeking to move unnoticed through ces guarded by magical enchantments.</em>

    Huh, not bad, but nothing amazing. The effect is probably really good, looking at the item''s rarity, but not something I would like.

    ¡°Fight over it after we are done,¡± I say and put it on the table, as generous as I am.

    All the items should be mine, to be honest, so giving away something of such high rarity is quite nice of me, isn''t it? Someone should praise me and bring me more snacks.

    The next item is a weird cube made of metal with its surface covered in white etchings of mana circuits.

    <strong>Abyssal Anchor (Epic):</strong><em>This gravity anchor is made from a heavy mythical metal. When activated, it creates a gravitational pull, dragging foes toward the item and locking them in ce, leaving them vulnerable and restrained.</em>

    This one also seems to be really good. The gravitational pull must be strong for it to be an epic item.

    I think about it a bit longer and then just put it on the table next to the cloak.

    Unfortunately, I don''t have much time to try to learn its effects, and gravity magic too. My current priorities are coordinates and hopefully buying another epic passive skill.

    Epic items are something that can be taken away; a passive is something that I will keep, hopefully forever, and looking at them being twice as expensive as items of the same rarity, the system seems to agree with me.

    Before I get another item, I pull out the spheric mana stone I got from Obelia and check it as well.

    <strong>Mana Core Sphere (Epic):</strong><em>This enigmatic sphere contains a pulsing core that can be filled with mana, which then resonates with other magical energies nearby. When activated, it can disperse a wave of mana that temporarily silences the magical abilities of foes in the vicinity.</em>

    Did I back then feel that its effect is simr to <strong>[Resonance]</strong> and that''s why I asked Obelia to give it to me? I will check it and its effect before deciding if I give up on it. The item seemingly can createsting disruption so that''s something worth examining.

    I put it away and take thest epic item from Min-Jae.

    <strong>Darkstride Ring (Epic):</strong><em>This ring is imbued with a dark enchantment that allows the wearer to step into the shadows and reappear a short distance away in a different shadow, effectively granting the ability to blink through shadows for a tactical advantage.</em>

    Curious, I put it on my finger and send mana inside the ring, then, following the feeling, I activate it and reach towards the closest shadow near me.

    I feel as if my body elongates and turns into a blur, and I enter the shadow, and while inside it, I feel something like a sort of connection towards the shadows in the room. The more I send mana into it, the further shadows are connected to me. To test it, I exit the shadow and then enter it again to return to my original spot.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Izzy looks at me with big eyes and reaches to take the ring off my finger, to which I pull my hand away, much to her annoyance.

    I like it but also have a feeling that if I take it, I will start relying on it instead of trying to improve my<strong> [Tether] </strong>and my anchors. It''s also weirdly limiting inparison to my skill.

    In the end, I put it on the table, and Sophie immediately moves it further away from little Isabe, who tries to take it.

    As for the rare grade items that we got, I don''t even look at them. There are probably some I would still find useful or interesting, but in the end, their rarity will limit them strongly and would soon end up being useless to me.

    Selling them to the system might be a good idea, but the system drastically reduces the prices of items, so we wouldn''t get many shards. It probably is better to try to sell them through the auctions in Virelia and then attempt to buy even better items or just save money for something interesting.

    ¡°How about the chest?¡± I ask the twins, pointing to the chest near them. The one that two of Elydor''s men had to carry, even with their strong bodies, and that made him so happy.

    ¡°We couldn''t open it at all,¡± Dennis shakes his head.

    ¡°There is no lock, and even Sophie didn''t sense any mana from it, nor could she do anything,¡± Aaron adds.

    Oh, isn''t that interesting?

    I stand up and move towards the chest to observe it. It''s made of a ck wood-like material, yet it''s heavy. Either the material is very dense, or the item inside is really heavy. It''s not that big, but big enough for a short sword, dagger, a bunch of books, or a piece of armor. Anything could be in there.

    Slowly, I go through most of my skills that might help me get inside, yet nothing works. Even kic and thermal energy doesn''t make a difference, and something tells me that even if I go all out, it won''t change.

    ¡°Lily?¡± I turn towards her with a question.

    ¡°I already tried. <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> didn¡¯t do anything,¡± she says.

    This is what surprises me the most. Lily''s skill is something that even made Lissandra hesitate. Yes, the cockroach-like absolute wasn''t at her strongest, not even close to it, but even so, it shows how scary the potential of that skill is.

    Looking at the chest, I feel my hopes rising. Knowing that we were going to the Manor of the Champion, I hoped for items with a higher rarity than epic, maybe even simr to Peacemaker or Sword of Aeons from the second floor, yet we only found epic items.

    But looking at the chest, I feel my loot goblin side awakening.

    I usually don''t care much about items, but heck, even I''m attracted to shiny ones like the Valorte that one of the Cmities wears, or maybe the one inside the chest.

    No matter how many months or years it will take, I will find a way to get it out!

 Chapter 208: Fallen guild

    Chapter 208: Fallen guild

    Two days have passed during which life has be quite peaceful. No one leaves for hunting, and they enter the city only inrger groups as we wait for the consequences of destroying the leadership of one of the 5 big guilds of Virelia.

    Yup, Myrra did promise to deal with the consequences, but I''ll believe that when I see it.

    Meanwhile, I spend some time trying to get into the chest, yet unsessfully. I use the underground area that the house has, which is shielded. It''s quiterge and durable, so I even use some stronger attacks, yet the chest resists.

    I don''t sense anything from it; there''s no keyhole, and it still looks like ck wood. Even Lily, with her terrifying skill, is unable to do anything. She tries to boost it by using<strong> [Sacrifice]</strong>, and her entire arm disappears while she reduces the area of the skill and makes it stronger at a smaller point.

    She doesn''t even blink as her arm is used to boost the skill and only says that it will grow back and that she was able to gain a level in the skill.

    As I''ve said and as I will repeat until Biscuit takes over the earth as the first and strongest animal overlord: No one from Group 4 is normal. Not a single soul.

    I, Nathaniel Gwyn, am the most normal here.

    Another thing I do is work on coordinates with Sophie. Down in the tunnels under the old capital, I gained some experience and learned a thing or two, so there is progress. Sophie, bored because she can''t hunt, also spends plenty of time working with me.

    I can smell it; just a few weeks and I will be rich! A lot of shards rich.

    During the past two days, I also tested the Mana Core Sphere, and I was right: it works like <strong>[Resonance]</strong> and it scales with how much mana I use to activate the item. When I use a lot of it, the effect bes terrifying.

    With my skill, I currently can''t cover thatrge an area, and I can''t activate it in one push that would cover a huge area. The item doesn''t have such limitations; I can send a huge chunk of my mana into it and activate it.

    Obviously, I didn''t test it properly. I have a feeling that if I use enough mana, I should be able to cover the area of the entire city.

    Damn, what is it, a mana variant of EMP?

    To bnce it out and not make the item too powerful, the effect is a bit weaker than my<strong> [Resonance]</strong> when ites to single target raw power and using the same amount of mana. The efficiency isn''t nearly as good.

    Then there''s the fact that it leaves a lingering disruptive effect on the target, and that''s something that I really like and the main reason why I''m messing with the item. It''s an effect I want to learn to duplicate.

    I could probably get it from a skill upgrade, but <strong>[Resonance]</strong> is one of the skills that I want to master on my own, as I consider it one of my strongest ones.

    So that''s the Mana Core Sphere, and I also have the Ethercrystal saber. For someone else, it would be an amazing item, but I''m terrible when ites to using weapons like swords or actually any other weapon. I never had the opportunity to learn, and I could see the difference in skill when I fought with someone at least a bit skilled. Where they used technique, I relied on my aggressive attacks and the power of my body strengthened with mana.

    Now that I think about it, it might be possible to hire someone in Virelia to teach me at least the basics so I should do that.

    I reach out and pull the sword out of its sheath, revealing a beautiful transparent white de that seems to be made from crystal. It looks delicate, yet I tested it, and it''s extremely durable.

    The description says, <em>Forged from the elusive Ethercrystal, this transparent de can absorb ambient mana from its surroundings. The sword channels the absorbed mana to bolster the user''s physical strength momentarily.</em>

    And it does just that. The de absorbs ambient mana; it does so even now, but the effect is weak as there isn''t much mana. However, during the fight under the old capital, I saw it absorb plenty of my mana, turning the de into a blue crystal-like material and boosting the physical stats of its user.

    And that is something I want. Ever since I saw Lissandra absorbing ambient mana and using it during the end of the second floor, I wanted to learn that, and the sword in my hands might give me some hints I need to do so.

    Holding the sword in my hand, I wave it around, watching the light reflect on it. The sword doesn''t look too overdecorated. It''s pretty, yet deadly-looking. I quite like it.

    From testing, I learned that it can absorb even the mana contained in things like Isabe''s fire, and when hitting Maya''s <strong>[Armament]</strong> and feeling the effect of its strengthening, I think I can say that it''s probably the best item out of the epic items we got, just looking at how efficiently it strengthens my body with stolen mana.

    And I didn''t even test it at its fullest power when there''s plenty of mana around to absorb.

    I stand up from my favorite spot, a huge armchair in my room that offers a nice view of the city behind the window. I put the Mana Core Sphere into one of my pockets, and grab the sword, which is now in its sheath.

    With a sigh, I walk onto the balcony, and when I look down, there''s Myrra, behind the wall of our garden, waving at me. As always, her bodyguard is with her, just hidden really well. Thankfully, he isn''t using any invisibility skill but is hiding in the shadows or something.

    Invisibility skills should be illegal and monsters using them should be all annihted. Should be and will be. By me!

    I poke at Sophie''s web.

    <em>(What?)</em> Sophie soon sounds in my head.

    <em>(I will be going out for a while, Myrra is here. You can tell the others. And no, I don''t know when I will be back. Oh, and I left a new version of the coordinates on my table, so check them while I''m gone.)</em> I tell her the moment she sets the links between us.

    <em>(Will do, good luck.)</em> With her message, ourmunication ends.

    I jump from the balcony and boost myself with kic energy, then absorb it as Ind next to the tall, white-haired lynthari with a scar across her face.

    ¡°So elegant,¡± her smile shows her sharp canines, and her golden eyes seem to pause at the pocket where I put the Mana Core Sphere. She also examines the sword I hold in my left hand.

    ¡°It looks like the rewards were quite generous, feral one,¡± with that, she starts walking, and I join her, walking by her side while her bodyguard tracks us.

    ¡°I can''tin,¡± I shrug my shoulders.

    In silence, we continue to walk for a while, and from the corner of my eyes, I observe Myrra. She doesn''t seem to be in a bad mood or anything, and her tail moves in a way that also confirms that. Once in a while, her cat-like ears perk up when she hears something interesting, but the tail is something that fascinates me more. It''s slightly fluffy but not overly so, and it seems to be well-taken care of¡ªhealthy-looking with a nice shine to it.

    It''s the same color as her ears, a nice shade of gray that makes a nice contrast with her hair. The tail sways from side to side in many different ways, showing her mood. Yet it''s not too much, just like her personality; it''s controlled and calm.

    ¡°Would you like to touch it?¡± Myrra asks, her golden eyes glowing with amusement as she catches me looking.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say shamelessly.

    I''m not even lying. The same way I''m booping Biscuit''s nose, I want to touch her tail and even pull on it, just to annoy her.

    My answer seems to surprise her greatly, probably expecting me to get all nervous and apologize. After freezing for a bit, her tail starts twitching from side to side, showing her amusement.

    ¡°This is why you are so fun, feral one,¡± she leans a bit closer, her eyes looking dangerous for a moment. As always, she decides to ignore my name and just continues to call me "feral one."

    Myrra then doesn''t otherwise react to my answer to her offer, and we enter an estate with a big manor-like building at the end of a pathway that is on both sides surrounded by beautiful, well-taken-care-of trees.

    Slowly, we walk through the pathway until we reach the manor-like building. The closer we get, the more details I notice.

    Broken doors, shattered windows, cracked walls, deep gouges in the ground, destroyed trees. There''s even an entire part of the house that''s missing, looking as if there was an explosion.

    We enter through the door, and there are corpses of men and women on the ground, blood everywhere. The inside of the manor is also destroyed, burned, and with small craters everywhere.

    ¡°This is the guild house of Serpent''s Eye, feral one. Can you guess what happened?¡±

    I don''t even have to think for long. ¡°Most likely their enemies took revenge after finding out the guild master or elites of the guild died,¡± I answer her.

    ¡°Close, this happened as well, but do you know what''s funny? The fights started the moment the guild learned about the death of Elydor. Guild members fought each other to get the treasures the guild master locked away. Killing people they knew for years, just for a few more mana stones or an item or two,¡± Myrra still looks amused.

    She pokes one of the broken chairs with her feet, ¡°Only after they were done looting did the enemiese, and more fights started. There was this one human I really liked, arrogant, prideful, and with powerful skills. He was one of the first to start looting, and he killed the man he''d worked with for five years. There was no hesitation at all,¡± her expression is difficult to read as she says, ¡°He got all the best things, he fought bravely, but in the end, he lost. He begged, he cried, and he tried to negotiate. But nothing helped, and he died just like that.¡±

    The tall lynthari with white hair looks around as if searching for the right words, then just sighs, shaking her head.

    She continues, ¡°In the end, he was just a fake. Someone pretending to be something he''s not. So tell me, feral one. Is your behavior just a mask you show, and when things be hard, will you cry and ask for mercy?¡±

    ¡°There''s only one way to find out,¡± I answer her.

    Her eyes examine me for a bit longer, and she nods in the end. ¡°Yes, there''s only one way to find out,¡± she agrees.

    Then she decides to change the subject and drops a bomb on me, ¡°But now to the reason we came here, allow me to officially congratte Angry Kittens for bing one of the 5 big guilds of Virelia and recing Serpent''s Eye in their ce.¡±

    Huh. What?

 Chapter 209: Poking a cat

    Chapter 209: Poking a cat

    For a moment, I try to determine if Myrra is joking, but it doesn''t seem like it. Even her tail seems to confirm what she said. It''s not moving nervously, just gently swaying from side to side, showing her interest.

    Her fluffy tail wouldn''t lie to me, right?

    ¡°That sounds unreasonable?¡± I say to her.

    ¡°I agree,¡± she moves and sits on a chair nearby, ignoring the craters around, burned walls, and holes in the ceiling. Her ears perk up slightly, and the light that falls on her face makes the scar that goes horizontally through it more visible.

    ¡°The main requirement to be able to be called a big guild is to be strong enough or have a strong member that could rival the power of an entire guild. Surprisingly, the guild master of Storm Brigade said that your guild shouldn''t have a problem with that. So tell me, feral one, is it you who is strong enough that you made me sense fear even from proud Obelia?¡±

    Her eyes glint as she stares at me, surrounded by all this destruction.

    ¡°We are not interested in bing a big guild,¡± I ignore her question and answer.

    Unsurprisingly, being the weirdo that she is, it only seems to make her even more curious. In a simr way as I watch her, she also continues to observe me. Myrra watches every move I make, she stares at my eyes, and she keeps probing with her mana senses, trying to get a funny response from me.

    Much like a human annoying a grumpy cat to get a reaction from it.

    ¡°Very few would refuse that offer. What''s your reason?¡± she asks.

    ¡°It sounds annoying,¡± I answer honestly, ¡°We have no time to bother with politics and other guilds.¡±

    ¡°What if I told you it would be more fun this way?¡± Myrra leans backward on the chair that is made for humans, not lynthari, and it seems it''s about to break, ¡°As a big guild, there are some rules others would need to follow to bother you. Rules set by lynthari. Small guilds don''t enjoy such luxury.¡±

    Was this her n all along?

    ¡°Why?¡± I ask.

    ¡°As I said, feral one, I want you to rise to the top, I want to see you shine brighter than anyone else. Through your own power, your will. And I really want to see if you will break or if you''re the real deal.¡± She stands up, and the chair behind her instantly turns to ashes as mes roar around her.

    The mes are strong enough to start melting the stone under her feet and set aze all the furniture or cloth around us.

    Not overly bothered, I just use <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> and absorb the heat that reaches me, which would have burned me terribly if I hadn''t done anything about it.

    Myrra takes another step closer to me, her mes stronger and the heat is directed at me, ¡°I want you to show me what you''re capable of,¡± she hisses, showing a surprising amount of emotion, unexpected from someone hundreds of years old.

    I don''t like it.

    A burst of kic energy explodes from me at the center. I make it more blunt than sharp, and Myrra is thrown away from me, crashing through the wall with a surprised squeak.

    Immediately from my shadow, her bodyguard steps up, but I already know this skill. The moment he fully emerges<strong>, [Resonance]</strong> disrupts his attack, and with a kick, I send him flying out of the window of the manor.

    I don''t like how everyone here thinks they can mess with me.

    I redirect more of my mana towards the kic mana heart and turn all generated energy from kic into thermal, continuing topress it while walking slowly towards where I kicked Myrra.

    Tall lynthari is already on her feet, unhurt, but blue mes zing around her.

    She is smiling.

    I send disrupting mana into the room, not allowing her guard to use any shadows around, and then release all the heat I collected, pressing it all against Myrra. For a while, she fights against it, her own mes pushing against my own. The manor is melting around us, being set aze. The air dries, cracks appear in the walls, and furniture turns to dust.

    Elydor, partially Obelia, Myrra, every single one of them wants me to move ording to their will.

    Just leave me alone.

    My mes turn golden, devouring Myrra''s mes and pushing her to her knees. The tall lynthari hisses and more of her mana is released, this time in the form of chill that fights against the mes, the temperature in the room turning ice cold.

    As I sense her bodyguard dashing at me, I cancel my mes and rece them with a strong impulse of <strong>[Resonance]</strong> that I send into the room. The mes and cold disappear, the male lynthari slows down, my attack disrupting his physical boost.

    Then I follow it with another strong pulse of kic energy that sends both of them crashing through the walls. This time I boost my body, and follow Myrra.

    I reach her as she bends in the air, elegantlynding on her feet. Her eyes glow gold, and her tail twitches excitedly. She licks her lips, and more mana is released from her body, pale blue circuits appearing on her skin.

    At the same time, I pull an epic-graded shortsword from the sheath, and immediately a transparent white crystal-like de starts turning blue, absorbing the mana from the area and from the attacks.

    Both Myrra and I charge at once, and with each passing second, I feel my body bing stronger and faster, boosted by the sword in my hands that continues to absorb more mana, turning darker blue.

    Myrra nimbly dodges my attacks and leaves a few scratches on my body. She is fast, barely a blur.

    Her bodyguard appears as well, but just stands on the side, not wanting to ruin his master''s fun.

    I send another pulse of disrupting mana at her, but she seems to be expecting that and throws some weak mana attack in the way that gets canceled instead.

    A mana projectile flies at me, so pale in color that I can barely see it. I only block it at thest moment to her amusement, and her tail ils. Her golden eyes follow each of my movements while her cat-like eyes glow.

    Oh, so you want to y?

    <strong>[Mana Domain] </strong>covers the area and I stop Mana Cycling, instead letting my mana start leaking from my body, filling the area, and getting under my control within my domain. Some of that mana even gets fed to the sword in my hand, strengthening my body even further, and I start manipting the rest.

    Mana arms start appearing from thin air, attempting to grab Myrra.

    Barriers form in front of me, blocking her attacks.

    Mana projectiles form behind her back that is still within my domain.

    Bombarded from every side, Myrra totally lets loose and moves like a wild animal led by instincts, deflecting all the attacks, using skills to block them, and sending bursts of fire and ice toward me.

    I let her y for a while as I lead her toward where I want to while reading her movements. When she shows a moment of hesitation, I boost my body even further, and move in front of her in one quick movement. My sword stabs deep into her thigh and the de is surprisingly start absorbing mana at a much quicker rate directly from her body.

    Then I cancel all of my skills and stare at her.

    Her canines show in full beauty as she leans closer me, her mouth open wide as if she is about to bite me. Her face scrunched, demonic-like even.

    And I just watch her and twist the sword in her wound.

    She nearly hisses, her expression threatening, but after a short stalemate, she stops. Her mana calms down, and her face slowly returns to normal. Myrra takes a step back, the sword sliding from her thigh, and at a quick speed the wound on her starts healing as we look at each other.

    It takes a minute for her to say, ¡°I guess I should apologize, feral one.¡± This time the word ¡°feral¡± is different in the way she says it. It''s as if she puts a different meaning on it, ¡°I got a little bit too excited.¡± she smiles.

    It''s not a truly apologizing smile and she doesn''t seem to be in a bad mood or something. It''s more as if she kept poking a cute cat and the cat got annoyed, scratching her.

    Now that I think about it, I keep using this sort ofparison to understand her and they fit surprisingly well. But, Myrra has cat ears and a tail, so why is my role always so fitting to the cat?

    I put the sword back in its sheath and then hold the sheath in my hand. When I check my mana, there''s barely any dent in it, partially also thanks to the sword replenishing and strengthening my body.

    ¡°If you are sorry, block others from annoying us,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°I can do it only partially, there will be people who will want to fight the one who defeated Elydor. The items you got are also a big attraction. So expect some challengers,¡± she says.

    As I leave, I can feel her gaze on my back, and passing by her bodyguard, he greets me with a short nod.

    Out of the estate, I nce at the sword in my hand. The effect of its boosting is more efficient than I expected it to be, and the way it took mana from the air, as well as the way it took mana from Myrra''s body, really fascinates me.

    It probably wouldn''t be that extremely difficult to do that; no, what is most difficult is the way it transforms foreign mana to be used by me, but here''s where I have another idea. What if I try to use<strong> [Resonance]</strong> to change the absorbed mana and turn it into mine?

    Maybe I should fight with lynthari more often. I''m getting quite good ideas while doing so.

    Unfortunately, something tells me not all of them would react to it as Myrra did. She seems to be weird even for a lynthari. Well, at least I showed her that there are limits to how far she can push. But I also dislike that she still held back, her bodyguard too. I almost got caught up in the fight and took the fight seriously.

    What would I do without good ol'' Mr. <strong>[Focus]</strong>?

    Unlike on Earth where I had more reasons to stay calm and control myself, it''s a bit harder to reason such behavior here. Sure, I could do so; I was always good at that even without the skill I can control my emotions pretty well. The problem might be that I often catch myself not wanting to do it.

    Venting once in a while is a nicepromise, isn''t it?

    As I walk through the streets, I find myself not wanting to return so soon. Lately, I was constantly surrounded by people. Talking with them, training with them, helping them stay alive down in the tunnel.

    Seeing so many people pass by, and hearing them talk and enjoy their day somewhat drains me even more than usual.

    I still somewhat enjoy Group 4''spany; it''s just that I feel like taking a break. Not a long one, just a day or two.

    So instead of going back, I change direction and walk towards one of the giant trees. I''ve been curious about them ever since I got here. Should I check them out?

    I use <strong>[Focus] </strong>to filter out the sounds of people around me, and even their presence stops feeling so pressuring. The world loses some of its life but bes a bit morefortable to me.

    Only in my ownpany, I continue walking down the street.

    <strong>POV Isabe Martinez</strong>

    ¡°What do you mean that he probably won''t being back so soon, Izzy?¡± Lily asks me.

    She feels funny, all these emotions she tries to hide and show at the same time.

    ¡°Pff, you guys couldn''t even see it! But he was slowly getting more and more annoyed!¡± I exin to them. Old people are dumb so I have to.

    ¡°Annoyed?¡± Lily asks again.

    I ignore the not-as-old-as-others but still dumb Lily and look around for Biscuit. As he often does, he is sitting on the couch spot where Nathaniel likes to sit.

    Annoying! Biscuit is only mine!

    When I get to him, I use my skill to connect to him and he allows me to do so.

    Biscuit feels safe. Safer than anyone else. Like there is no evil in him. He must have been an angel in his past life.

    I hug him and he lets me.

    ¡°Izzy, what did you mean by ''annoyed''?¡± Soph asks.

    ¡°You guys talk too much, are around him too often, ask him too many questions,¡± I pet Biscuit while talking to them, ¡°he likes to be alone sometimes.¡±

    ¡°We don''t know how long Myrra will take him, but he won''t be gone for too long. A few days at most, so there''s no need to worry,¡± it''s Tess who said that.

    Tess is¡­ weird. She''s not as dumb as the others and sometimes she feels scary. But it''s fine; Nathaniel also feels scary, yet never towards his friends. And I''m his friend too!

    I think.

    "Are we also friends, Biscuit?" I ask.

    <em>(Food?)</em> he says and I read his intention.

    "Yes, I will get you anything you want!"

    <em>(Asshole.)</em> he says louder so everyone can hear and I can feel gentleness from him. He even creates a purple mana arm and pets my head!

    "Soph! Did you hear? He called me his friend!"

 Chapter 210: Young guildmaster of Veilwalkers

    Chapter 210: Young guildmaster of Veilwalkers

    Only a few minutes pass since I left Myrra when I realize that something is not right. There''s that weird feeling that keeps bothering me. Something has changed, and it takes me a few moments to realize what it is.

    The sword I held in the sheath in my hand is gone.

    Huh?

    I open and close my hands, but it''s really gone; my hand is empty. Did I get robbed?

    Immediately, I send a strong pulse into my area, detecting all the signatures around me, looking for something suspicious, maybe a phantom deer or something. Or another corgi with amazing camouge.

    The sword still holds some mana that it absorbed from Myrra, so I locate it fairly quickly. Not caring about the reactions around me, I boost myself high into the air andnd on the roof of a nearby house. From there, I run towards where the signature is.

    What I find there is a man in a cloak with his face covered by a cape.

    <strong>[Veilstriker - lvl ??]</strong>

    Oh, so at least level 182 or higher.

    ¡°It''s amazing how quickly you noticed, almost the moment I took it away from you,¡± his voice is soft as he waves my sword he holds in his hand at me, ¡°You are the first one. Not even Obelia was able to.¡±

    The man throws the sword at me, and I let itnd on the roof in front of me. I send a short pulse of disrupting mana at it, destroying whatever mark he left on it.

    Only then do I take it from the ground and dash at the man, boosting my body and even pushing myself with kic energy generated by my kic mana heart. As I reach him, I send a thin cone of kic energy at his head.

    The man dodges; his cape turning into a weird blur. More than being made from cloth, it looks like it''s made from pitch-ck shadow or smoke.

    I track him with <strong>[Perception] </strong>and <strong>[Redistribution] </strong>activates to full power, trying to absorb movement from the man and make him slow down.

    Surprisingly, it doesn''t work; it''s like my skill is slipping on him, unable to grab him.

    I release more mana into the area and continue to observe his skill while he is dodging cones of kic energy. When I have a grasp on his mana, I send a pulse of <strong>[Resonance]</strong> into the area, and finally,<strong> [Redistribution]</strong> takes a grip on him, slowing his body to a crawl; his strength isn''t enough to fight against it.

    I push myself closer and direct a strong kick at him while more shadow-like substance forms in his hand, and he stabs at me. I don''t dodge and just create a shield-like barrier in front of the attack. It cracks after getting hit, but that''s when my kick hits him and sends him crashing against the chimney nearby.

    The man bounces off the chimney, leaving cracks in it, and a more shadow-like substance surrounds him, shaping into spikes that stab at me as I rush at him again.

    Another pulse of<strong> [Resonance]</strong>, modified especially against the man, dissolves the attack, and I kick him again, sending him rolling on the roof.

    While doing so, I again have this weird feeling and grip the sword in my hand tighter, disrupting whatever he is trying to do.

    ¡°Nice one,¡± I can hear the smile in his voice as he stops rolling after my kick and stands up.

    The shadow-like substance that separated from his body as I kicked him, now like smoke behind me, bes dense again and another spike is created, stabbing at my head from behind.

    Such a funny guy.

    I pull the Ethercrystal Shortsword from the scabbard and sh against the attack, the white crystal de turning ck and absorbing the mana. At the same time, I change the setting on my Mana Regtor, and nearly all my mana is automatically used through the Reinforcement construct to strengthen my body.

    I enter deep<strong> [Focus]</strong> to be able to handle my increased speed, and the world around me turns into a blur. I reach the man so quickly that he doesn''t even have time to react as I grab his hand and absorb my own kic energy to stop the inertia of my movement.

    The man shows amazing reflexes and activates multiple skills: shadow-like spikes, his body bes stronger, and he tries to use something simr to when I''m using<strong> [Tether]</strong>.

    Shadow spikes reach my body, and I don''t even dodge, watching them stop and only slightly poke my skin, unable to reach further into my body that is boosted by the entirety of my mana.

    I disrupt his attempts to teleport and even send disrupting mana into his body, making him lose control over his skills.

    In ast-ditch effort, he pulls out a dagger and tries to stab at me. This time I dodge, break his arm and take the fallen dagger from the ground.

    ¡°Give it back,¡± he hisses. His voice different from before.

    Oh, you''re not so confident and funny anymore?

    Holding his hand, I swing his body and smash it against the ground, still somewhat careful to not kill him.

    A painful groan escapes his mouth from under the ck cape over his head falls down, revealing ashen gray hair. Then one swift kick sends him crashing against the same chimney again.

    Damn, that chimney is sure catching strays.

    I look at the dagger in my hand:

    <strong>Painweaver (Epic):</strong><em> Infused with lethal toxins from the deadliest creatures, a single scratch delivers a potent neurotoxin that can fell even the hardiest of foes, inducing symptoms of extreme pain, disorientation, and eventual paralysis.</em>

    ¡°Oh, that''s kind of harsh of you, trying to stab me with it,¡± I say to the groaning man on the ground while putting the dagger away after surrounding it with some mana.

    Another epic item for my growing collection. Something tells me it shouldn''t be so easy to get them.

    The man in front of me is very skilled; I can imagine him causing crazy trouble to people with his teleport, stealth, epic-graded dagger. Especially that weird skill that allowed him to take the sword away from me. That one is <em>really</em> dangerous.

    ¡°Are you the guild master of one of the 5, erm, 4 big guilds?¡± I ask him.

    While waiting for his answer, I think: what would have happened if he tried to kill me instead of stealing my sword? It''s not a problem anymore, as I already know what to watch for, but back then it could have been dangerous. I believe I would have noticed it sooner if he had gone after my life instead of the sword, but still, that skill is quite something.

    ¡°Give me back my dagger,¡± he hisses again as he stands up, his body swaying from side to side.

    He sounds young, a bit older than me, but who knows how old he actually is; he could easily be a few hundred years old.

    ¡°Give it back, you bitch!¡± he shouts.

    Well, maybe he really is young.

    I watch as his body turns into a blur, with smoky shadow-like mana surrounding him again, and he moves quickly, almost like smoke.

    My mana projectiles pass through his body, as do mes and the kic energy cone. Even my physical attack. The entire time, spike-like attacks and projectiles continue smash against my body. They are strong, quick, and deadly, drawing blood in ces even with my body strengthened to a terrifying degree.

    But that''s all.

    He tries to confuse me with his weird skill and I shrug it off.

    He tries to surprise me by teleporting behind me and gets a swift kick to his chest instead of hitting me.

    Hepresses a lot of mana and shadows into a single attack that I cut through with my hand covered in resonating mana.

    And even pulls out two more daggers that get covered in red mana. They seem to have an effect that tries to paralyze me, a weaker version of his epic weapon. Most likely rare weapons.

    Having had enough, I send another pulse of disruptive mana at him and grab him by the neck. When I check, his hand is already healed, the one I broke. Skills? Tattoo? Item?

    I throw him against the chimney once more, and the chimney finally cracks.

    Good, I was getting weirded out by how durable it was.

    My ability to disrupt mana really feels like cheating against some opponents. But it''s fine; they can suffer the same way I did on the third floor against the duo of mana hunters.

    ¡°I think it would be annoying if I killed you,¡± I squat in front of the man, ¡°but I will be taking the dagger as payment for you trying to steal from me.¡±

    ¡°Are you dumb? Do you even have any idea how much something like that is worth? There are just over ten epic items in the entire Virelia!¡± he shouts at me.

    Huh, he is quite hotheaded for an assassin-like type, isn''t he?

    I take one of his rare daggers and break it just with the strength of my body boosted with my mana.

    I do it because he annoyed me.

    Afterwards I let him strengthen his body again as he tries to attack me one more time and kick, sending him flying against another chimney.

    After that, I walk back to where I left Myrra.

    ¡°Feral one, are you actively trying to make things difficult for yourself?¡±

    ¡°Look, he asked for it, and how the hell is someone like that even a guild master?¡±

    ¡°Lorven, the guildmaster of Veilwalkers, is young, but extremely talented and with a powerful skill. There''s even a rumor his guild has a few pieces of epic equipment.¡±

    Myrra pauses as I put the man''s dagger on the table, and she inspects it, ¡°It''s his dagger, isn''t it?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to return it?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Probably, for a price. Assholes like him would be too annoying to deal with if they went against my group. Can you handle it? Ask a lot of money from him to get it back, and you can keep 20 percent of it,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Fifty percent,¡± Myrra says shamelessly and takes the dagger, ¡°and I will get as much as possible.¡±

    Looking at her, she probably doesn''t even need the money but does it just for the fun of it.

    ¡°Fine,¡± I tell her.

    Myrra continues to quietly think while observing the long sharp dagger in her hands; the de''s color slightly shifts from pitch ck to light gray as the light falls on it.

    ¡°There are only very few epic items in the entire Virelia, around two-thirds owned by lynthari and one-third by humans. And now there are you and Obelia, who both brought back a few epic items each if I''m right in my calctions.¡± Her golden eyes move from the dagger back to me, then to the sword I hold, and then to the mana stone that is in the inner pocket under my clothes.

    ¡°Things will be interesting,¡± Myrra''s tail swings again as she says so.

    Annoying, I want to correct her, but I give up.

    Well, it''s time for me to bullshit my way through all of this. ¡°Angry Kittens will be one of the big five,¡± I tell Myrra.

    Lorven is easy to deal with as my skills counter him, Obelia seems to overestimate my level because of the amount of mana I possess. With a bit of luck, the other two guild masters will be the same, and I will troll the entire Virelia into thinking I''m the biggest dog there before I be strong enough to deal with all of them at once.

    I ignore Myrra''s excited reaction and interrupt her, ¡°So, I would like to meet with every guild master. Talk a bit, maybe make some deals.¡±

    Or maybe beat them up. Funnily enough, showing strength often works best in these situations. Just enough for them not to want to mess with me. They are all over 200, but I''m not that worried. I''m long since used to fighting opponents of a much higher level, and my skill set makes me really versatile. My constructs, kic and thermal energy, disrupting mana, boosting my body with a stupidlyrge amounts of mana, my high ability to detect stuff, and concentrate.

    I don''t have any ring weaknesses, so I trust myself that I can do it.

    But only that much wouldn''t be enough. They could try to kill me secretly, join together to do so, or threaten me by hurting my group. So there''s one more thing I can do.

    ¡°I have an offer for them,¡± I say to Myrra.

    They are human, and human needs are easy to read. I just need to dangle a shiny, nice thing in front of them. Something they won''t be able to get without my full help. Something that will be much more valuable to them than just messing with me.

    ¡°Tell them I will kill the Living Tree.¡± That simple sentence makes Myrra shut up entirely and stare at me with her mouth open, in the middle of the sentence, ¡°And Myrra, please, exin to them what it means.¡± They will move how I want, and I will milk this floor dry, ¡°If the Cmity is dead, all the stuff in the entire old capital will be for us to take.¡±

 Chapter 211: Spellsmith

    Chapter 211: Spellsmith

    ¡°You can''t be serious, feral one. This is not something that''s simple to do, nor is it something to joke about.¡± Myrra waves her hand, gesturing at something.

    I stay silent.

    ¡°The Cmity can''t be killed, and it doesn''t matter if it''s The Colony, The Living Tree, or The Fallen Hero. None of them can be killed by us, not anymore.¡±

    I continue to listen.

    ¡°Do you even have any idea how many times we have tried? Even before I was born, there were hundreds of attempts, yet every single one failed, leaving us weaker and weaker. No one will join you and¡­¡±

    ¡°I will kill it alone.¡±

    She pauses, and the air bes heavy, the silence taking over the room. Her eyes seem to be trying to bore holes into my head.

    ¡°Obviously, I need some time to prepare. Most likely several months for preparations, and then help to get there. After that, everyone can leave.¡± I return her gaze and notice that she''s looking at my veins, my chest, my eyes.

    Is she trying to gauge if I''m lying, to see if my pulse has increased?

    ¡°Feral one, I do think you are powerful, but what you''re saying is... impossible. Moreover, you''ve already annoyed multiple powerful people, and they''ll see it as you dangling a promise you don''t intend to keep, just to buy some time from their revenge.¡±

    ¡°Then just help me set up a meeting with these people and let them decide after hearing me out. That much should be simple to do,¡± I shrug my shoulders.

    I watch as Myrra''s tail sways from side to side, this time in an annoyed manner. Damn, I really want to touch that tail and pull on it.

    ¡°How do you n to kill the Living Tree?¡± she asks me.

    I stay quiet, and Myrra seems to grow even more annoyed.

    It''s quite funny, to be honest. No matter how much she likes to observe people and their reactions to surprises or new things, she gets annoyed if she doesn''t understand or can''t control something. I think that''s a trait many powerful people share ¨C people not used to being denied or not being in control.

    ¡°Just imagine, Myrra. The old capital without the Cmity defending it. All the items, all the riches, all that history. I''m sure some powerful people escaped with their items, but ourst expedition showed that there''s still plenty left,¡± I tap on my chest pocket where I''m hiding a mana core sphere and gesture at the sword I hold.

    I''m curious if that might interest her. She has some nice items and likes to wear expensive clothes and jewelry.

    I watch her a bit longer and then change my mind, no, I don''t think so. Myrra wants something else.

    ¡°Imagine living during the era when one of the Cmities fell. You being one of the few lynthari that helped with that,¡± I lower my voice to a whisper and move a bit closer to her, ¡°maybe we could even do it secretly, without other lynthari knowing¡± I say.

    She is dead silent, with neither her tail nor her ears moving. She just stares at me, her breathing speeding up almost imperceptibly, but I can see it while in my <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    ¡°Myrra, can you imagine yourselfing to the other lynthari after everything is done and telling them the Cmity is dead?¡± my voice is so quiet I can barely hear it, but I''m sure she can, ¡°Imagine observing all those lynthari. Most of them hundreds of years old, experienced, bored. Imagine all of them reacting ¨C shocked, panicking, curious, annoyed, angered. All of them.¡±

    Her eyes are dreamy, her mouth slightly open.

    ¡°And then there''s you, Myrra, a lynthari who helped make it happen. Who saw it happen.¡± I whisper in her ear, ¡°And I''ll be there with you. A human who aplished all of that, walking by your side, treating you with respect,plimenting you, saying that it would be impossible without¡­¡±

    Out of nowhere, she shoves me away, and I absorb my inertia to make myself stop before hitting the wall.

    Myrra is staring at me. She''s breathing heavily, audibly enough for me to hear. Her tail is oddly twisted, and her ears are lowered.

    ¡°Dangerous, you are very dangerous, feral one,¡± she disys her sharp canines, as if ready to attack me. Her mana is swirling wildly.

    Before I can say anything else, she swiftly turns to leave, ¡°I''ll think about it and will let you know in a few days!¡±

    Myrra disappears, almost as if running away.

    I''ve always been good at reading people. There are certain feelings that I read well, and some not as much. Sometimes I detect a feeling they have, but I can''tprehend it.

    For instance, there''s Min-Jae. I know he views me somewhat like an older brother; he looks up to me to the point where I''ve noticed him observing my movements and mimicking some of my behaviors. He adopts a simr stance, tries to have a simr haircut, or wears clothes akin to mine. He constantly observes me, as if trying to learn.

    Min-Jae admires me. I can discern that much, but I don''t understand why.

    Sure, I''m stronger than him, and I''m also handsome, not to mention the high amount of the best stat that I possess. But I''m also moody, arrogant, and at times so erratic that I''ve beenbeled a psychopath or sociopath on multiple asions. I''m petty, obsessive when I focus on something... perhaps I should stop, I''m beginning to feel bad.

    So yes, some parts of me are far from desirable. Yet the naive boy, even aware of these traits, continues to envy me, a sentiment confirmed by his sub-ss.

    I can read people, and even attempt to manipte them a bit, but I do so infrequently. And unlike Tess or Izzy, I''m not as formidable.

    It was enjoyable to see Myrra react the way I anticipated. Given her reaction, I should expect her visit in a few days, but before that, I''ll take some time away from group 4. I''ll also avoid themunity and just unwind.

    Once more, I blend into the crowds and head toward the nearest giant tree.

    Giant trees and colossal disappointments.

    Hehe.

    Anyway, they''re merely... well, big trees. They contain no mana I could feel, aren''t sentient, and even their wood isn''t special aside from being harder than a normal tree. There are some houses on certain branches, and to be honest, they look impressive. I''m quite wealthy currently; the number of valuables Serpent''s Eye was able to obtain is astounding, so perhaps I should purchase one.

    I step away from the tree and close my eyes for a moment.

    It''s already dark, and the ruins of whatever they once were are once again visible in the orbit, and a warm wind blows through the mostly empty streets. There are colorful soft lights glowing all around, creating a fantastical atmosphere. The leaves of the giant tree gently sway in the weak wind, and the city is pleasantly quiet.

    Deciding not to sleep during my off-group-4 days, I delve deeper into the city.

    After a few more minutes of walking, I stop in front of one of the buildings, sensing interesting mana movement inside of it.

    The side of the building is open, offering an entrance inside to what looks like a simple workshop. Even though it''s sote, it''s open, and there''s an older human man working inside.

    Led by curiosity, I enter, and the moment I step into the area, the crystal I notice nearby detects my presence and sends a signal toward the bracelet on the man''s hand.

    ¡°Just a moment,¡± he shouts from the inside, continuing to work on something on the table I can''t see because of his back.

    While observing the way he moves his mana, I wait.

    It takes thirty minutes, and only then does he sigh and step away from the item. He then takes another one, about to get back to work, but that''s when I let out a cough, and he turns around, surprise evident on his face.

    Did he really forget about me?

    ¡°Oh, I totally forgot about you!¡± he exims, an unapologetic smile on his face.

    He takes a step towards me, an older man with graying hair, thin and moving slowly.

    <strong>[Spellsmith - lvl 78]</strong>

    ¡°So what do you want, young man?¡± There''s a hint of impatience I can discern in his voice. He surely wants to get back to working on the item.

    ¡°You made a mistake while working on that item,¡± I tell him.

    He tilts his head in surprise and thenughs, ¡°There''s no way. Do you know how many items¡­¡±

    I interrupt him, ¡°You were aiming to turn the mana stone into a heater, but when you activated it to test it, the heat wasn''t continuous but was sent in pulses.¡±

    That gets augh out of him and a curious look my way, ¡°Young man, that''s on purpose. Can you imagine how much mana it would consume if it continuously radiated heat? Like this, the effectiveness is reduced by half, but it can be powered with less than half as much mana.¡±

    He gestures at me and leads me towards the heating mana stone on the table, ¡°People usually don''t have as much mana as you might think, so even that is plenty,¡± the old man points at the stone, and I touch it, observing the circuits he etched.

    They''re simr to when I y around with mana stones, or when trying to create coordinates, or what I did to get through the barrier.

    ¡°Wouldn''t efficiency be even better with a higher value mana stone?¡± I ask. The stone he''s using is one of the cheapest ones.

    ¡°It would,¡± he nods, ¡°but it would also be much more expensive and take longer.¡±

    ¡°Longer?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Obviously longer. The better the mana stone, the harder it is to work with them, to force your circuits and etch them inside. More valuable stones have some resistance, and it''s hard to infuse your mana into them and then even harder to etch the pathways.¡±

    He puts a few stones on the table. The highest value ones could be around ten thousand dors'' worth back on Earth and lowest value one only a few dors.

    ¡°This one is what we usually work with. There are maybe five people who can work on more expensive ones given enough preparation and a few months of time. I think one of the best is a man called Elydor, so try looking for him if you want to learn more. There are also very few people who can even work on this one,¡± he shows me the one worth ten thousand dors, ¡°and I''m one of them.¡±

    ¡°I see, it really sounds respectable,¡± I answer him.

    The entire time, I think. I did work on the mana stone that Obelia gave me. I don''t even know how much it was worth, but surely much more than the one I took from Hadwin and Tess. The ones I took from them were worth one or two hundred thousand dors. Yet I was able to work with them.

    Is this why Obelia gave me such weird looks?

    I take out one of my mana stones, the one worth ten thousand dors, and put it in front of the man, ¡°So how would you usually work on it? Let''s say I want to make a heating stone from it.¡±

    ¡°Well, young man, I would call you dumb and ask you why you need a heating stone that only people with terrifyingly high mana can feed and why you need to heat up or burn an entire house,¡± he smiles at me while reaching towards the stone and gestures for me to watch.

    The older man is not careful at all; there isn''t even a speck of distrust, nor is he worried about the mana stones he put on the table.

    He just seems genuinely happy to talk about his craft and share some knowledge.

    ¡°You seem to be well off, so forgive me for actually taking your word and showing you how it works on something so wasteful,¡± he seems excited.

    ¡°Not a problem,¡± I answer him.

    I know that the moment we etch the circuits, it will be difficult to use the stone for anything else. It''s impossible to delete them and start over with the stone. You can only build on what''s already etched or scratch it, leaving imperfections on the stone. That''s something I have learned from my testing.

    Curious to see how it''s traditionally done, I watch as he does it, carefully and precisely, doing calctions where I did it by feel. He exins how some things change from stone to stone and identifies the imperfections each stone has and how to avoid the mostmon ones.

    He shares all his knowledge without any worry in the world, voicing things I was always curious about and exining things I had noticed and how they usually work around them.

    Where I was guided by feel and by what I learned from ruining mana stones, he follows knowledge.

    Not noticing the passage of time, we spend hours working on the stone, changing it, improving it, and shing in our opinions, and I would like to say that I have shown him something new, just as he taught me a lot. I absorb all that knowledge, and it doesn''t even feel forced. For me, it''s fun the same way moving mana is. I''m creating something new, something with my own powers.

    When I finally notice the passage of time, it''s already morning. We spent the entire night working on the mana stone, and in the end, it''s not just a simple heater.

    ¡°Well, if it isn''t the most efficient heating stone there ever was,¡± he giggles excitedly like a small child.

    <strong>Thermal Mana Core (rare):</strong><em>A refined variant of its lesser counterpart, this mana crystal boasts expertly crafted circuits. When filled with mana, it emanates a warmth, enhancing its heat-transmuting capabilities.</em>

    The stone we worked on now can extremely efficiently turn mana into heat. Where smaller stones waste around 40% of mana, this one wastes only around 5%.

    Another thing is that it can handle much more mana, and someone with a big enough mana pool most likely can use it to melt iron or burn an entire building. It''s like gaining a fire skill of their own; the only disadvantage is that that person would be in the heat as well.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I answer honestly. I have learned a lot from the old man.

    I put two mana stones of the same value we worked on, on the table, and he immediately startsining.

    ¡°No, no, I can''t take it, that''s too much. Just¡­¡± he says, seemingly embarrassed.

    ¡°I''m rich,¡± I tell him simply.

    He stops in shock, staring at me like I''m some weird animal, and then startsughing.

    ¡°In that case, I would like one more,¡± the old man says cheekily.

    Oh, I quite like him.

    ¡°Two more, and I''ll be taking some of your smaller stones,¡± I say as I put out two more mana stones.

    ¡°Deal,¡± he says, a smile still on his face.

 Chapter 212: Young lynthari

    Chapter 212: Young lynthari

    Virelia during the morning is different from the night. The colorful lights turn off and people return to the streets, filling them with life. Humans are everywhere, going about their lives, merchants open their shops, and couples walk around holding hands.

    And there are those annoying lynthari once again.

    ¡°Oh my, look at him. His expression!¡± A group of lynthari surrounds me and one of the women starts gushing.

    ¡°Isn''t he annoyed? I would swear he was about to roll his eyes,¡± another one says.

    As always, they are weird, yet they do not touch me; they don''t force me to do anything. They are just annoying.

    ¡°His eyes are pretty,¡± another one says.

    Should I find a way to change their color? Maybe Lily can do it for me.

    ¡°I''m sorry, I have something to do, so¡­¡± I tell them.

    ¡°I would trante that as: Can you fuck off already?¡± one of them says, making the othersugh, seemingly not minding it at all.

    Then I make a mistake. I release some of my mana to show them my level and exert pressure on them. It''s not an attack, at most something like baring teeth or hissing. And oh boy, that makes them even more excited.

    ¡°Oh my, so cute!¡± one of the lunatics exims. She doesn''t care that she is the lowest level out of her group and I could kill her with a single attack.

    She''s like a fool calling a ck bear a dawg and wanting to pet it. I guess that''s what the unspoken rule of never hurting lynthari does to you.

    Not seeing any other option, I use my skill to push myself high onto the roof and escape. My most dangerous weakness, extroverts, still exist and this time it''s an entire race of those weirdos.

    Maybe the system is doing it on purpose. Maybe this is the second trial of Beyond masked as the 4th floor. That''s how dangerous extroverted beings are. It''s unnatural to be so friendly and talkative. There was some mistake in evolution and something went terribly wrong for something like this to happen.

    And it''s still morning, like, what the heck. Be sleepy and grumpy like normal people after waking up.

    Sending my senses into the area, I notice a signature I haven''t felt so far and, led by curiosity, I move a bit closer towards its source.

    When I get closer, I''m surprised to see a lynthari, but this time, this lynthari is just a small kid. A girl even shorter than me, the first child of that race I''ve seen. She has red hair and a tail and ears of the same color. Unlike adults, her tail is even fluffier, and she walks on the street alone, without any worry in the world.

    Like a wild animal, she senses my gaze and her eyes locate me nearly immediately. Her eyes are piercingly blue.

    <strong>[Riftwalker - lvl 87]</strong>

    The lynthari girl smiles at me and takes a step, disappearing from where she stands and reappearing behind me, stepping out of a gouge in the air that is filled with darkness.

    ¡°Hello!¡± she says, showing her sharp canines.

    So, how the heck does a level 87 have a teleporting skill? I thought stuff like that was illegal. Is the system ying favorites here?

    ¡°Hello,¡± I answer awkwardly, to her amusement.

    ¡°How old are you?¡± she asks.

    Huh, that''s a weird question, isn''t it? ¡°Twenty-one,¡± I tell her, seeing no reason to lie.

    ¡°Ha! I''m twenty-nine so I''m older! You have to call me boss now!¡±

    For a moment I fight against the confusion that hits me. The what? How does that even work?

    Still, she''s the first child lynthari I''ve seen and her teleporting skill is interesting, so I give in and decide to go with the flow, ¡°I apologize for my rudeness! I will call you boss from now on!¡± I tell her.

    The young lynthari seems surprised but then happy, and she excitedly nods her head, her red hair flying around. She seems too happy, as if plenty of people already rejected to call her that and as if she expected me to do so as well.

    ¡°Good!¡± she then pauses, embarrassed, probably not thinking that far, ¡°Huh, what now,¡± she whispers quietly under her breath.

    ¡°Boss, I''m hungry. Will you buy a meal for me? It''s a master''s job to take care of their underlings.¡± I can''t help but to want to bully this little girl. Someone gotta pay for all the weird lynthari around.

    As expected, the young lynthari doesn''t seem to have any mana stones on her. I sensed that much while scanning her. She falls silent, opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish, to ashamed to say it out loud.

    I let it go for a bit longer and then decide that it''s enough, ¡°I apologize for the confusion, obviously, I will pay. Things like that aren''t something a boss should do.¡±

    ¡°Obviously you should pay. Are you dumb or something, underling?¡± the lynthari child immediately shakes her head, acting all mature, something she probably learned from observing others, yet can''t fully apply.

    Even though she might be close to thirty, she''s just a child. But that won''t stop me from observing her skill. It might help me improve my <strong>[Tether]</strong>.

    So, I jump down from the roof and observe as she teleports with me, and then we continue on so I can get my breakfast.

    It takes much longer than expected; the young lynthari is extremely picky and sniffs with a sharp nose like an animal, rating the smell from each restaurant. But in the end, we find one.

    The prices are sky-high, but I''m rich, thanks to Elydor. May the gods bless his soul and revive him one day.

    So I can kill him again.

    ¡°You are different from other dumb humans,¡± the redheaded lynthari says. Her piercing blue eyes observe me once in a while, ¡°you feel weird.¡±

    ¡°I apologize, boss.¡±

    ¡°But you paid for breakfast so it''s fine.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, boss.¡±

    ¡°But actually, that''s something underlings like you should do, so I don''t need to thank you.¡±

    ¡°I apologize, boss.¡±

    ¡°But you are my first underling, so maybe it''s fine?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, boss,¡± I say.

    Every time I call her ''boss'', her smile bes bigger and bigger, even though she tries to hide it. Somehow can''t even get too annoyed.

    Unlike adults, kids are something I can''t bring myself to treat too harshly. Little Isabe is living proof of that after I ended up with her on the third floor. There''s some sort of naivety, shine, and goodness that I find in most children. Or maybe I''m just treating them nicely because I also wish I was treated well while being a child. I don''t know. I''m a weirdo.

    Still, it won''t stop me from teasing them a little bit! ¡°Boss, if you allow me, I would like to rmend you something,¡± I say carefully.

    ¡°Sure, underling! Go ahead. I allow you to do so!¡± the little redhead lynthari folds her arms on her chest and leans backward on the chair.

    Oi, it will rain into your nose if you lift it higher, you silly kid.

    ¡°I''m not saying the boss isn''t majestic, but I think you could even improve on that if you allow me to help,¡± I pause and look at her with a question.

    Barely able to hide her curiosity, she nods, her big eyes glued to me.

    So silly.

    I continue, this time in a whisper, ¡°I heard about a boss from ancient times. A most powerful redhead lynthari woman¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, like me!¡± she interrupts me, showing her hair.

    ¡°No boss, your hair is even more stunning!¡± I say, and that makes her open her mouth slightly as she listens to me, mesmerized, ¡°She ruled over the entire city. The biggest boss of all.¡± I create a dramatic pause, ¡°I heard she had one word she liked to say after every sentence, making all the people jealous and amazed by her.¡±

    ¡°Underling, tell me! Tell me what that word was immediately!¡± she stops leaning against the chair and stands up.

    I pause for a dramatic effect. ¡°Nya,¡± I then say in a somber tone, ¡°Boss, that word was ''nya'' and she said it after every sentence. Impressing her underlings and her enemies as well.¡± I finish up.

    Surely she won''t eat that up.

    ¡°I like it, underling, I really do! Good job, nya!¡± she says, and the way she pronounces this word with her youthful voice makes it sound extremely cute and silly at the same time.

    Oh boy, am I having too much fun now? Is it because of my good mood fromst night and experimenting with mana stones?

    ¡°Exactly boss! You are a talent.¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Of course I am, nya!¡± she says and pauses, ¡°I like it, I really do, nya!¡± she continues.

    I reach out and take a sip of water.

    ¡°I can''t wait to do it in front of my grandma, nya!¡±

    Oh yes, do it. I just wish I could be there to see it! Huhu! I''m so evil. I take another sip of my drink while the young lynthari continues to excitedly repeat the word.

    ¡°Maybe I can have granny order everyone to never use that word so only I will, nya!¡±

    Huh? Order everyone?

    ¡°It would be easy with dumb humans, nya. Oh, not you, underling, you aren''t dumb, nya! But other lynthari might not want to listen and try to steal the word from me, nya, nya!¡±

    Oh no.

    ¡°Well, it doesn''t matter. Grandma will beat them up if they don''t! She did it before, so all lynthari listen to her now, nya!¡±

    Hehe. Maybe I should leave quickly.

    Thankfully she turns to me, ¡°I''ll be going now, underling, nya! I will find you soon!¡±

    As she teleports away, I don''t even observe her skill. I watch the ce where she disappeared from.

    This can''t be good.

    This is when I decided I''d had enough of the city and decided to go back to our house. I check if there isn''t any tracker on me, I use <strong>[Resonance]</strong> a few times, strengthen my Mantle, and quickly buy some stuff from the shops.

    I already have plenty of etched mana stones for examining, but I buy multiple kinds of mana-conductive paint, some metals that seem to be able to be etched with mana circuits, a few more items that use mana stones to function, and other stuff the old man rmended.

    In the end, I spend a lot, but back at the house, there is much more. All the stuff Elydor left us so gracefully. I wish he never died.

    So I could kill him again, maybe while having Lily heal him constantly.

    Plus, there are some valuables from the Champion''s house that we n to put into the auction to get as much as possible.

    The n is to finish the coordinates deal with Sophie and hopefully be able to buy another epic passive. If I don''t have enough, I can sell some items until I get there. After that, I will start working on my n to kill The Living Tree.

    I already know how I will do it and how to get to that point; it will just take some time.

    There''s no speck of doubt I will be able to do it. In the same way I hate Elydor - I hope we both will get reborn and meet once again one day.

    Well, the same way as that guy, I hate the Living Tree. I haven''t forgotten about the time we spent down in the tunnels, and even though I was deep in the <strong>[Focus]</strong>, I remember the faces of other members of my group and some of the feelings I had.

    I will kill that tree. I don''t care about Valorte or the Colony, not even the mystery of the 4th Cmity or stuff in the orbit.

    The tree will go down.

    Getting closer to our house on top of the hill, I sense weaker threads of Sophie''s web reaching even beyond the house and its garden. They are barely noticeable, yet functional. Her web has improved by leaps and bounds. It is stronger and more delicate at the same time, and there are even some fake-outs, hidden detections, and even some weak attacks that will activate under some conditions.

    So I spend one hour standing outside the house, observing the web, obviously.

    <em>(Damn it, please get in already. I can feel your probing and Lily keeps asking why you don''t get in and staring at you from the window on the second floor.)</em> Sophie says in my mind after I allow her to create a link. When I look at the mentioned window, I really see Lily''s face, hiding behind the drapes and staring at me.

    <em>(Tell her I said hello and that I can see her,)</em> I tell Sophie, and soon she does just that because Lily jumps backward, probably falling down and pulling the drape down with her as I see it tearing and disappearing.

    <em>(Anyway, the guild master of Storm Brigade came here yesterday, and she should being here today. She came personally, saying that she would like to talk with you,)</em> I get the info as I move towards the door.

    Interesting, so Obelia is looking for me. She probably hasn''t heard anything yet from Myrra, so what does she want from me?

    Well, I''ll see soon enough.

 Chapter 213: Bullied

    Chapter 213: Bullied

    ¡°Oh, you are back,¡± Lily says the moment I enter the house, holding her hands behind her back.

    It''s almost amazing how shameless she is acting.

    ¡°Lily, I saw¡­¡± I start.

    ¡°Oh, I didn''t see youing. Wee back.¡± she interrupts, and we both fall silent.

    I open my mouth to say something.

    ¡°Healing,¡± Lily says, quietly coughing, as if trying to mask saying that, and I stop.

    ¡°Hehe, it''s nice to see you, Lily, for the first time in a few days!¡± I say instead, and with a giggle, she turns around.

    ¡°That creepy woman, Obelia, was looking for you. Is she annoying you? I can scare her off with <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>,¡± she says while walking towards the living room, and I follow her.

    I give it a little bit of thought. Maybe I should be a bit nicer to Lily. To get on her good side the same way I''m getting on Biscuit''s. Maybe she will also be extremely powerful the way the Absolute candidate, Biscuit, does.

    ¡°Lily, don''t disintegrate people just because they are a bit annoying,¡± Tess shouts from the living room.

    ¡°But Tess, she is bullying Nat!¡± Lily defends herself.

    ¡°As if, she is most likely scared of him and wants to have a good rtionship with him,¡± Tess says as we enter the room.

    ¡°Another reason to disintegrate her,¡± Lily whispers under her breath, but I hear it.

    Oh boy. This is getting scary.

    ¡°Asshole!¡± Izzy immediatelyes and jumps into my arms, even though we haven''t seen each other in just a few days. Her skill, as so often before, reaches out to me and examines my emotions.

    ¡°You seem in a good mood, something good happened?¡± she asks, letting go and returning to Sophie, who waves at me.

    ¡°I improved my skills,¡± I tell her before Lily gets the wrong idea, and then I move towards the armchair in the corner.

    Before I sit down, I can hear Lily whispering to Izzy, ¡°Is he telling the truth?¡± and Izzy nods innocently in response.

    Okay, let''s never be weaker than Lily. I mean, never ever. Things could get dangerous if something like that happens.

    ¡°Anything interesting happened while I was gone?¡± I ask as I sit opposite Tess.

    ¡°Well, you heard about Obelia already and not much else. We sorted the items and are mostly taking it a bit slower, getting some rest after the expedition. In a few days, we will start going to hunt again, and we n to test the items we got. Especially the three epic ones,¡± she says.

    She grabs some weird fruit from the table and takes a bite, ¡°I want us to level up as much as possible, both levels and skill levels.¡± Tess then puts the fruit down, ¡°I don''t like this one,¡± she turns back to me, ¡°We are quite rich, Nat, so we are looking into auctions and some expensive items that we could buy and continue to use. We are also paying a lot for as much information on Cmities as possible.¡±

    I also grab fruit from the table, a different kind than Tess''s, and take a bite. It tastes good, so I quickly finish it up, and when I look around, there aren''t more of them.

    ¡°I will continue to practice with Sophie, and I made a deal with Myrra, so she will being in a few days,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°What kind of deal?¡±

    ¡°I will kill the Living Tree in a few months,¡± I say, and that''s when I notice that everyone else is silent and looking at me, ¡°I already know how I will do it, so I just need some time to prepare. In exchange, I will have people stop annoying us and maybe a little bit of support. Now that I think about it, I might have to beat one or two guild masters, but that much isn''t a problem.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Tess says.

    ¡°That''s it? ''I see''? Tess, he just said he wants to kill that tree alone!¡± Lily rushes towards us, looking between me and Tess, ¡°I know you are strong, but that thing¡­¡± she shudders, most likely remembering the darkness of the tunnels.

    ¡°Nat wouldn''t say it without a reason, Lily, and I''m sure he will tell us a bit more. He likes to act mysterious,¡± Tess says calmly.

    Wow, that''s a bit annoying, isn''t it?

    That''s when I hear Biscuit shout at me. He uses a word I''ve never heard him use before.

    <em>(Bitch!)</em> Biscuit shouts happily while hovering in the air and moving towards me from upstairs.

    ¡°Biscuit, what did you just say?¡± I look around, and there is one person that is avoiding my eyes. A petite ck-haired girl, ¡°Lily?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°Maybe I called Obelia like that once or twice, and Biscuit¡­¡± she says quietly.

    What are you teaching the doggo? I mean, what the heck!

    ¡°Biscuit, don''t use that word ever again, okay?¡± I say as I grab him from the air and pull him closer to my chest.

    He looks at me and tilts his head a bit while his tongue is sticking out a little.

    <em>(Bi¡­)</em>

    ¡°No! Don''t say it!¡± I shake him a bit, but he seems to like it.

    <em>(Bitch!) </em>he shouts while I shake him. His eyes shine intelligently, and I don''t know if he really doesn''t know or just enjoys bullying me.

    A scary thoughtes to my mind. Is it possible that Biscuit is learning from me? Not only skills but also somewhat copying my behavior? He learned mana arms before me, but that was so he could reach for food. He also learned telepathy, but that''s also so he could ask for more food. He then continued to improve his mana arms together with me.

    Later, he started resisting my <strong>[Disruption]</strong> at the same time when I started experimenting with defending against such attacks.

    I learned to float and somewhat fly, and he did so a bitter. Even his tentacles seem to be able to disrupt mana slightly simrly to my skill. And now this personality. Is he trying to bully me in the same way I like to bully him and others?

    We can''t have that!

    I shake him a bit more while pleading, but nothing helps. The cute corgi continues to shout his new favorite word while his eyes look as if he''s making fun of me.

    Goddamn it, Biscuit.

    Two days pass in peace. For an hour or two a day, I interact with others. I spend another three to five hours a day working with Sophie on coordinates, and I have a feeling that we are on a good way.

    I also spend around three hours sleeping, and the rest of the day I use to practice my skills and inscribe mana stones with construct-like circuits. I don''t forget to examine the stones the old man gave me.

    Sure, I could go and get some books with more theory, learn about inscribing stuff into mana stones and more about what works and what doesn''t, but there are a few problems with that.

    The first one is that I just straight up hate studying and prefer learning stuff from practicing and repeating if possible. I don''t mind learning from my mistakes.

    Another and the main reason is that I don''t want to be tied down by the knowledge they have and their perception of what is and is not possible. From talking with the old man, I did learn that one of the best, and probably the best enchanter or inscriber, was Elydor, and in some ways, I''m already better than him.

    Inrge part, it''s thanks to my skills that are really good for this kind of stuff.

    <strong>[Perception]</strong> that allows me to perceive what''s happening inside of the stone. <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> allows me to move mana with the delicacy that is needed for this kind of work.

    <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> creates a small field around the stone I work on, increasing my control over the mana even further.

    <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> thanks to which I can push my mana even inside higher-quality mana stones that people usually have trouble with.

    <strong>[Resonance] </strong>to inscribe it all inside and most importantly, <strong>[Focus]</strong> that grants me nearly inhuman concentration, allowing me to keep switching between skills while keeping the construct from dissipating before I decide to inscribe it.

    Oh, and there are also my constructs. They are something simr to inscribing the stones, but instead of using mana stones, I''m inscribing inside my body. Almost as if it''s an item.

    Some might consider it a bit creepy, treating the body as if it''s an item, but I''m not like them. I don''t mind losing an arm or two; Lily can restore them. I can get hurt; it will heal, and I constantly push and abuse my body.

    Simrly, I don''t mind throwing away items and don''t want to be tied to them; I partially don''t mind doing something simr to my body.

    I cut off my thoughts and stretch my body while connecting to Sophie''s. Just yesterday I learned how to do so without destroying it, and I even started helping her to improve it. Unlike her, I don''t know how to anchor the and make it semi-permanent, so I just make some changes that she goes through and applies them.

    It''s still fun, especially when Sophie gets annoyed as I keep finding small mistakes she didn''t notice.

    Hmm, maybe she isn''t annoyed because of the mistakes but because of the way I tell her about them, but that''s her problem, isn''t it? If she doesn''t want me to make fun of her, she shouldn''t make mistakes in the first ce.

    I open my hand and look at the stone I was working on.

    <strong>Thermal Mana Stone (umon):</strong><em>An azure mana crystal etched with intricate circuits. When infused with mana, it radiates aforting warmth, a useful tool for those braving cold environments.</em>

    ¡°I want to sell it,¡±

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 20 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Thermal Mana Stone (umon): </strong><em>An azure mana crystal etched with intricate circuits. When infused with mana, it radiates aforting warmth, a useful tool for those braving cold environments.</em>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    I confirm, and the stone disappears from my hand, sold to the system shop.

    In the past two days, I was able to create a few more of them and sell them. Unlike items we sell thate from the floor, the ones we create are sold for 50% of the amount we can buy them for.

    Umon pieces of gear are usually around 40 shards, so getting 20 is 50%. When selling items we get from the floors, without working on their ratings, the amount of shards is much less.

    For example, the epic equipment we got from the third floor is sold in the shop for around 4000 or more shards, and we can sell it for 200, which is 5%. Sometimes it''s 10% for some items.

    I feel someone carefully touch Sophie''s, and then there''s a hint of surprise. I send back something like a greeting, and that person uses the to connect to me, and I let their voice sound in my head.

    <em>(You should have some locks and mana signature detections so people won''t be able to connect to your field,)</em> the voice says calmly.

    <em>(Probably,)</em> I send back and wait.

    <em>(I see. Can we talk? I came alone.)</em>

    <em>(Sure, you cane into the house.)</em> I finish and cut off the connection, then spring to my feet. I yawn, stretch, and then put on a shirt that I findfortable and that has be my favorite one.

    I create a domain that reaches downstairs. Within that domain, I create an anchor and use <strong>[Tether]</strong> to teleport there. Immediately, I take a step and gently p the back of Lily''s head that already waits there.

    ¡°No <strong>[Disintegration] </strong>allowed until I say so,¡± I say as I pass by her and open the door.

    Obelia greets me with a short nod, and when I step to the side, she enters the house.

 Chapter 214: Five energies

    Chapter 214: Five energies

    Obelia enters the house, and in the room, only Tess and I remain. Everyone else who is currently in the house is shooed away.

    I enter the living room and, after gesturing to her, she sits on the couch. Both Tess and I sit opposite her.

    Obelia looks around curiously, and somehow, she doesn''t seem to fit in here. She''s the guild master of one of the biggest 5, now 4, and maybe 5 again when I think about it.

    ¡°I could help you find a better ce now that you will be one of the five big¡­¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± I interrupt her, ¡°I like it here.¡±

    The house isn''t too big, so most of the rooms are upied, and it feels full most of the time. But in a good way. It feels alive and cozy, and when I need privacy, I can just lock my room.

    ¡°I apologize for that. I also apologize for rmending you as one of the 5 guilds to Miss Myrra. I thought it would be something you would want,¡± Obelia says, and as I observe her, I don''t think she is lying.

    ¡°Well, I didn''t back then. I also got really mad at you, you know. So that''s something you should work on,¡± I tell her, and I notice that even Tess is somewhat surprised by my shamelessness.

    Yet Obelia seems to have been expecting that and puts a box on the table.

    Without much hesitation, I take it and open it. Inside, there are multiple high-quality mana stones, a few pieces of metal that seem to be extremely rare and mana-conductive, and a few other materials.

    ¡°I''m not angry anymore,¡± I tell her, and Obelia nods as if also expecting that.

    She seems to understand me well. If you don''t cross the line, a lot of things can be fixed with me by giving me good stuff or some other helpful services.

    ¡°There will be an auction in a few months, the biggest one in the past ten years, and I can help you get some items or assist you in getting in,¡± she offers.

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± I don''t even have to think about it. The timing is also good. I should be able to finish working on coordinates and probably before or after the second trial of Beyond.

    ¡°Storm Brigade would also like to establish a cooperative rtionship with Angry Kittens,¡± she says the guild name in a much different way from Elydor, and that''s what I like.

    No matter how silly it is, I don''t want other people to disrespect our guild name. Other people, other than me, obviously. Those three little twerps that picked it are still going to suffer a bit longer for that.

    Damn, we could have had some amazing guild names like Biscuit and Friends or Nathaniel''s Underlings. And they stole it from me!

    Anyway, I gesture at Obelia to continue.

    ¡°There isn''t much I would expect from you for now. We could cooperate once in a while. Trade. Meet once every few weeks or months. There would be no attacking between us or other simr actions. I''m asking also because there''s an expedition I have in mind.¡±

    Obelia pauses for a while, and then after giving me a long examining look, she continues, ¡°It''s something I would need Elydor for, but hesitated to have him join. He wasn''t exactly the right person to work with. You, on the other hand, I prefer much more and seem to have a simr skill set to Elydor, and that''s what I need.¡±

    This is also something that sounds interesting and could be fun to do.

    ¡°Okay, I have something else to do right now, but in a few weeks or months, we could talk about it more?¡± I look at her, ¡°Is it time-limited?¡± When she shakes her head, I continue, ¡°Good then, for now, you can give some information here to Tess or Hadwin, and we will check it out.¡±

    <em>They</em> will check it out; I will be locked in my room experimenting.

    ¡°Will do so. Then there is another thing,¡± she turns and looks at Tess, ¡°This young woman, you called her Tess, I would like to take her in as one of my apprentices.¡±

    Oh? Isn''t that interesting? Did she like Tess''s lightning? Obelia''s ss name is Stormshaper, so maybe.

    The silence stretches, and only then do I realize that she is waiting for my answer.

    ¡°What? Just ask Tess, it''s not something up to me to decide.¡± For that answer, I get a curious look from Obelia and a small smile from Tess.

    ¡°I''m not saying no, but I would like to know first what it includes and why,¡± Tess says. She also seems to be curious.

    ¡°It''s quite simple. I already have two disciples, and you would be the third. The main reason for that is mostly to help you in hopes you will be stronger, and that way I will create a strong rtionship with someone like that,¡± Obelia is honest as heck. I don''t know if that''s how she is or if she judges this to be what will be appreciated more.

    ¡°Sure, there are some things I would ask from you. Maybe we can work together to improve both of our skills. Light sparring. Observing your skills. In exchange, I would share information with you, some that you have no chance of learning anywhere else. Information about sses, requirements for stronger sses, training methods.¡± She is calm and doesn''t force anything.

    ¡°As for why, I saw you using lightning, and if I''m right, it could be lightning that is, or is close to being, one of the Primordial energies. I want to observe it, and I think it will help me a lot to do so.¡±

    ¡°These Primordial energies, I heard about them from Nat, but can you tell me how many there are and what they are?¡± Tess asks.

    Back then, I was offered the Energy Conductor ss, and there were Primordial energies mentioned: Thermal and Kic. To be honest, it still sounds strong as hell, and sometimes I think about what it would do to my ss, but I still like my current one more.

    ¡°I''m not the right person to talk about it. There have been hundreds of people discussing them over hundreds of years. Theorizing and testing them. We just know for sure that they are called Primordial energies by the system. We don''t know how many there are. Some say that they are energies that create and influence the universe, others say they are just a categorization for energies you can control within the system, others say each energy has a being that rules over that energy.¡±

    I notice that Tess is paying as much attention as I am. That''s good; it''s nice to have someone else that will try to find out more about them.

    ¡°There are five energies we know about, and there are most likely more, just rarer and not avable for someone as low-level as us. We know about the lightning you probably possess, then there are thermal and kic,¡± she looks at me. Such an annoyingly perceptive and smart woman, ¡°then there is gravitational and void energy.¡±

    ¡°What''s the difference between Primordial thermal energy and normal fire created by a skill?¡± I decide to interrupt Tess, who is about to ask something. But I''m just that curious.

    ¡°That''s hard to say with certainty. They are mostly more pure, and using them requires a deeper understanding of the energy than the skill offered by the system.¡±

    ¡°So maybe the Primordial energy is original, and the skill created by the system is a copy?¡± Tess asks.

    ¡°That''s a good way to put it, yes. But we don''t know for sure,¡± Obelia answers.

    Silence ensues, and Tess offers to make tea for Obelia, to which she agrees. We spend some time waiting in silence while Tess makes the tea in the kitchen.

    I continue to observe Obelia. She looks young, maybe around thirty. Her hair is pale brown, and her eyes are of a silver color with visible circuits that I bet have mana flowing through them. Her eyes are somewhat simr to Ruby''s. Most likely a trait of some sort.

    Should I just ask her? Would it be considered very rude? I know if someone asked me that, I would tell him to fuck off and probably add a bit more.

    ¡°Was Elydor strong?¡± I ask instead, to her surprise.

    ¡°Elydor was strong, but probably the weakest of the five guild masters when ites tobat. His specialty was creating items and inscribing. In that, he was probably the best in the city, and that skill made him one of the richest people in the city.¡±

    That can mean only one thing.

    I should have looted his mansion.

    Damn it.

    It also means that I can probably be simrly rich.

    ¡°Who is Myrra?¡± I ask another question.

    ¡°If she didn''t tell you, I will take it as it was her intention and will not tell you as well. I hope you understand.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Hmm, so someone high up there.

    ¡°Who is Lorven?¡±

    ¡°He is the guild master of Voidwalkers. He has a terrifying stealth skill, so be careful if you ever meet him. Thanks to that skill, he became strong at a really young age, and his guild is a smaller one but an elite force. There are rumors he often works with lynthari.¡±

    Hmm, so it''s like Myrra said. Damn, isn''t my<strong> [Perception]</strong> quite amazing to see through it on the second try? I should look into that skill a bit more!

    When Tess sits back on the couch after cing the tea in front of Obelia, I ask again, ¡°How does lynthari leadership work?¡±

    Obelia takes a sip of the tea and then looks at me for a while. For the first time, she seems genuinely curious.

    ¡°That''s something everyone somewhat powerful in the city knows,¡± she says carefully.

    I just give her a nk stare, not falling into the trap and trying toe up with reasons why I don''t.

    ¡°There is a matriarch that has led the lynthari for hundreds or thousands of years already. She is the strongest being in the city by far. But she is quite hands-off and only acts if needed. Otherwise, there are some basic rules lynthari follow and rarely break. If they do, there is a special group of them that deals with it.¡±

    ¡°What are their rules?¡± I ask.

    ¡°We human don''t know all of them. But there is most likely one for not killing humans without a strong reason, not forcing humans to do things, or not touching them if it seems like it''s against their wishes. There are more but nothing special. Older lynthari rarely deal with humans, so it''s mostly younger ones that we interact with.¡±

    ¡°What happens if you hurt or kill lynthari?¡± Tess asks Obelia.

    ¡°You die. There is an elite force of lynthari that deals with it. They investigate, they gather proof, and then they logically and methodically deal with you instead of being driven by anger. Lynthari can be really cruel if pushed there,¡± from the way she says it, something tells me it''s a notion that terrifies her.

    We talk a bit more, and then I leave the room so she can converse more with Tess. Damn, lightning energy surely sounds cool. But I''m not jealous at all. I have two of them!

    Surely having two Primordial energies is better than one, whatever the energies actually are. They are strong, and that''s enough for now.

    I open themunity.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>anyone with Primordial energy?</em>

    <strong>Lootenant (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>huh, what is that?</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Food!</em>

    Biscuit?!

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - </strong><em>What, it sounds cool. I want one!</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Amateurs.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>Ohe on! Did you just want to show off?</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Nope.</em>

    I totally wanted to. It always makes one feel better to flex on some people. I should totally try to get lightning.

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - </strong><em>Oh, btw, fuck ants. Dude, I might hate them more than Cinderbear. The sound their legs make as they walk is creepy as fuck.</em>

    <strong>Hadwin (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Did you guys run away?</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - </strong><em>You bet, Hadwin! I probably won''t be able to say more because of censorship, but fuck ''em!</em>

    I let the poor people without Primordial energy talk, close the window, and quickly locate Biscuit.

    The doggo somehow unlocked my door and is currently on my bed, burrowed in my nkets. He is staring into the air as if reading the Community, but as always, there''s the question of how. How does he type or read what others say?

    I enter my room and stop in front of him.

    But most importantly, ¡°Biscuit? Do you have Primordial energy?¡±

    <em>(Food!)</em> he shouts at me.

    Oh boy.

    ¡°Which one is it? Thermal? Kic? Lightning? Void? Gravitational?¡± I continue to ask him, but he doesn''t react to any of them. Either he''s hiding which one he has, or... or he has a different one.

    I get on the bed and lean my head closer to him, my nose almost touching his, ¡°You have to tell me, Biscuit. I need to know!¡± My curiosity will kill me if he doesn''t!

    <em>(Food!)</em> he just shouts happily and boops my nose with his, then he burrows himself under my nkets with only his head poking out.

 Chapter 215: Time heals all wounds

    Chapter 215: Time heals all wounds

    A few more days pass, and I''m slowly getting used to it all.

    I wake up after four hours of sleep. I practice while most of group 4 sleep, and then I practice a bit more while they have breakfast and make ns for hunts.

    Then I go downstairs just before they leave, getting some important info and eating as well, and then I spend more hours in the big mana-shielded room under the house or in my room. If Biscuit is there, I tease him a bit while training, and if he''s not, I fully focus on experimenting with coordinates or new mana stones and materials I got from Obelia.

    Sometimes I feel like going on a hunt for a bit, but decide against it. I keep reminding myself how terrible, in my eyes, people from Hard difficulty were in handling their stats or skills.

    Even now, I''m by far the highest leveled member of our group and probably of our entire round of the tutorial, with only maybe Savant being close.

    If I take into consideration the stats I got from active tempering, I''m at a high enough level to make the current Hell difficulty tutorial somewhat easy, with only Beyond or ¡°bosses¡± of the Floors being the challenge. Hell, I beat up quite easily two guild masters from two out of the five big guilds, both of them over level 200.

    The biggest boost for my strength I can currently get is the second epic passive skill, and I should be able to get it before the second Beyond trial.

    Things are going quite well, and Sophie and I now spend a few hours every night working together. She doesn''t tell me, but I can see that her skills are improving as well, and one more thing also changes.

    Sophie was right, and me treating her this way also makes others feel a bit more rxed. I see them talking with her more and without constant worry about her skill. Sophie is trying to hide it, but I can see Izzy happily smiling while reading Sophie''s emotions, so that''s quite telling how she feels.

    It also trantes into her better mood and some sort of thankfulness towards me as she works harder to help me.

    Well, it''s not something I willin about.

    I feel a movement of mana signature and stop my thoughts, using my<strong> [Perception]</strong> to watch it. This time it''s Maya going to Sophie''s room,te at night.

    The first time it happened, I almost fell from my bed over such a show ofte-night adultery, but I quickly realized that it was not it.

    My curiosity got the better of me, and I used <strong>[Perception]</strong> to watch mana only, leaving out other senses, and after talking with Tess a bit, I pieced things together.

    Being myself, I didn''t notice it, as something like that doesn''t trouble me at all, but some members of our group have nightmares or anxiety attacks. All the result of 20 days down in the tunnels. Constantly treated harshly by Serpent¡äs Eye, not knowing when they''d die, darkness, and the three-question-mark monster do that. Even to Maya, who couldn''t keep<strong> [Focus]</strong> constantly running.

    Tess told me that some of them have nightmares that wake them up shaking in the middle of the night or make them sleep with lights on or sometimes just straight up cry, remembering that.

    I think it''s not unexpected, but it surprises me; it''s not something I thought of.

    Sophie is someone they now trust, and after talking with Tess and seeing me treat her somewhat nicely, they sometimes go to her, asking her to dampen some memories. As Tess rmended, they never ask Sophie to delete them, and mind-blender missy doesn''t even offer to do that.

    Instead, she just maniptes the memories to make them feel as if they happened months or years ago, all fitting the saying that time heals all wounds.

    I watch as, after a few minutes, Maya leaves Sophie''s room, and there''s a bit of the mind maniptor''s mana on her.

    A part of me wants to stop it, worried that Sophie might mess with them in a way that would make them into her puppets, but there is also a part that thinks she won''t dare to do that. A part that is <em>sure</em> she won''t do that.

    However, it once again reminds me how terrifying and powerful her skill is. From some point of view, Sophie is much more powerful than Lily with her <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>.

    I can only dislike the decisions of others to let Sophie get into their mind, but not too much. Their situation isn''t something I can fully understand and in the end, it''s their decision to make.

    Yawning, I close my eyes, stretch on the bed, and spend the rest of the night practicing Mana Cycling and even creating an orb made of mana that I continuously shape and move in ways that make me train my <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>. Shaping exercises Lissandra used to do almost constantly even though she was at the level she was.

    The orb in my hand expands and then instantly shrinks, and I continue to do that, keeping the same amount of mana while making it as big and small as possible. As I expand it, I also try to spread out mana equally to create a perfect surface.

    It''s annoying and fun at the same time.

    A few more hours pass, morninges, and I sense Myrra''s signature outside of my house. The tall lynthari weirdo is alone, and I stand up, put on my trousers and when I reach out to put on the shirt, Myrrands on the balcony. She touches Sophie''s web, but it''s as if she is not there. The lynthari woman skillfully maniptes the mana and avoids detection.

    ¡°Somewhat amateurish, but really nicely made,¡± she nods with satisfaction as she turns to me, ¡°Feral one, let''s talk,¡± she says.

    I put my shirt on under her eyes that stare at me and sit on the edge of the bed, ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±

    Myrra moves in from the balcony and sits on one of the bigger chairs elegantly. The scar across her face is somewhat even more piercing as the morning lightnds on her and her white hair. The fluffy tail moves in a way that seems to imply her interest and curiosity.

    ¡°Against my better judgment, I have decided to trust you, feral one,¡± she starts with it. The look she makes signifies how important the decision is to her, ¡°I will be the only lynthari you talk to or work with. I will help you deal with ongoing stuff and have other guild masters meet you so you guys can¡­ talk things out,¡± she starts.

    So far, I really like everything and nod at her to continue.

    ¡°This isn''t part of our deal, buttely, ants started leaving their territory so that will be part of the guild meeting,¡± she puts some papers on the table nearby, ¡°you can check the details a bitter. I just wanted to get it out of the way.¡±

    Hmm, I see. I bet it''s something that happens once in a while, so I''m sure it''s fine.

    ¡°This is something that hasn''t happened ever since one of the cmity wars that happened a few hundred years ago, so make sure to give it some thought.¡±

    Hmm, I see. Very weird indeed.

    ¡°As for the killing of the Living Tree. I will need to know how you n to do it and an estimation of when. It''s something I will keep to myself so there is no need to worry. Then we will talk about more details of our deal.¡± Myrra smiles at me, and I can see that she doesn''t trust me fully, but she is a gambler and decided to risk it.

    The possible prize is just that irresistible to her.

    ¡°I won''t tell you everything, but most of it. Plus, there are some things I still need to learn and practice to make it fully work, but I gave it a lot of thought and I''m capable of that, given some time,¡± I tell her.

    Myrra nods, and then while resting her chin on her hands, she looks at me, ¡°Tell me, feral one, why do you hate the Living Tree that much and want to kill it? I can sense it from you, I can see it in your eyes.¡±

    To that question, I don''t answer and only return her a nk stare. But it''s not that special. I think it''s a cmity I have the highest chance of killing right now, and there is so much to gain from looting the old capital.

    Then there is one reason. A single thing, really. The quest we received back then, after being trapped by the Cmity, was simple: Survive. There wasn''t even a hint at the possibility of killing the tree or fighting with it. The system didn''t mention it in the quest. It all clearly says that something like killing the tree back then wasn''t even considered an option.

    I don''t like that and it pisses me off.

    It all made me feel as if the system was looking down on me, telling me to run, hide, escape, crawl, and beg for my life after barely escaping.

    That tree is going down no matter what.

    I look at Myrra, who stood up and moved closer to me, her golden eyes observing every twitch of my face, and movement of my eyes.

    ¡°Oh my, you are so angry,¡± she says softly, reaching with her hand towards my face. Yet she doesn''t touch me and pulls it back.

    Her eyes seem to be glowing, ¡°I should beughing at you, but it somewhat makes even me feel a twitch of fear when I see you like this. Feral one, you truly are interesting.¡± The way she says it feels somewhat off. It''s as if she still isn''t taking me fully seriously and sees me as a cute angry kitten.

    ¡°Myrra, do you want to get stabbed again?¡± I ask her, much to her amusement, and she quickly moves back and sits down on the chair.

    ¡°Anyways, here''s half of what I got for Lorven''s dagger when I sold it back to him. He was also angry, but not in such a fun way,¡± she smiles, showing her sharp canines.

    Ignoring her remarks, we then spend some more time talking about how I n to kill the Living Tree, which earns me a few curses from Myrra. I get called a weirdo, dumbass, liar, and dumbass again, and she even shamelessly asks me to give the items I n to use to her, instead of wasting them on what she calls silly attempts.

    Myrra is the dumb one, not me. I''m the smart one here, but as always, the world is holding us smart people down and we have to deal with such weirdos talking about useless things likemon sense, probability, and the like.

    As always, nothing ever goes ording to n, so I will prepare multiple of them. And then, when all of them inevitably fail because this is goddamn Hell difficulty, I will just bullshit my way through.

    This is something I don''t tell Myrra; she wouldn''t like it.

    ¡°You could at least dress somewhat more presentable as our guild master,¡± Tess pokes at me as we walk towards where the meeting with the guild masters of the big guilds is.

    She herself is wearing Edwal''s epic chest armor. It doesn''t have any effects now that it''s not connected to the Saint from the third floor, but it''s extremely durable and conducts lightning.

    Tess spent a lot of money, probably my money, to have it fixed to fit her body. And by a lot of money, I mean a LOT of money. Epic-rated items are extremely hard to work on.

    Now that I think about it, was I robbed?

    I want to say that, but Tess seems happy with it and, to be honest, the silver armor with simple ornaments and a nice design fits her really well. Why isn''t she the guild master? I don''t want to deal with annoying stuff.

    I just sigh and continue. As always, held down by a cruel world, ¡°If theyin about my clothing, I will beat them up,¡± I answer Tess.

    Obviously, I''m lying. I will do it even if they don''t. I will find the badest, biggest guy in the room and beat him to show dominance.

    First impressions are important, aren''t they?

    After passing by multiple guards and even some lynthari, we finally stop in front of a giant wooden door iid with silver metal filled with mana circuits. When they slowly, soundlessly open, Tess and I enter the room where Myrra sits on a chair in the corner, drinking some alcohol from a ss.

    Inside the room are Obelia from Storm Brigade, Lorven from Voidwalkers, as well as one more man and woman, the guild masters of Obsidian Circle and Luminous Order. All of them are nicely dressed, with each having one more attendee, simr to me having Tess. Their eyes are anything but friendly, with the exception of Obelia.

    I like it.

    Feeling the pressure of their mana, I release some of mine as well, with my now-filled Mana Reservoir full to the brim.

 Chapter 216: Five big guilds

    Chapter 216: Five big guilds

    All of them turn towards us, and I quickly examine the people in the room.

    Obelia from Storm Brigade. Pale brown hair, silver eyes with circuits.

    <strong>[Stormshaper - lvl ??]</strong>

    Lorven from Veilwalkers. His face is hidden under the cape, yet his eyes re at me hatefully.

    <strong>[Veilstriker - lvl ??]</strong>

    Thalen from Luminous Order. Older, friendly-looking red-haired man. His figure is thin, and there is a slight smile on his lips as he nods to greet me.

    <strong>[Pulsebinder - lvl ??]</strong>

    And Is from Obsidian Circle. A short woman with pale skin and short ck hair. As if bored, she just sits there and keeps yawning.

    <strong>[Stoneheart - lvl ??]</strong>

    ¡°Why don''t we make it short? Whoever wants to fight can attack me,¡± I throw into the room.

    Obelia straight-up ignores it, while Lorven jumps to his feet, his shadowy mana already swirling around his body. The epic dagger he just bought from somewhere is already in his hand, unlike thest time.

    Is, a ck-haired pale woman,ughs out loud and nces at me. Then, to the surprise of everyone else, she gets to her feet and stands by Lorven''s side. The guild master of Veilwalkers seems to be the most surprised out of them. Is stares at me, and I can seepetitiveness glowing in her eyes.

    Oh, she is one of these. A battle maniac. Did my challenge poke at her?

    ¡°Miss Myrra, is this really necessary?¡± the only healer in the room said, red-haired Thalen.

    I do not even bother to look at Myrra to gauge her reaction. I already know what expression she is making.

    After a short exchange, both guild masters attack me.

    All the shadows around me be darker, and at once turn into spikes that attack me, even my own shadow.

    I redirect most of my mana into a Reinforcement construct and let them hit my body and watch how they are unable to pierce my skin.

    Already, Is is in front of me, tattoos glowing on her forearms, the most intricate ones I have seen up until now. There is a slight haze around her fist as she punches at me.

    Ignoring more shadowy spikes, I push myself away from her with a st of kic energy and send a disrupting wave at the shadow near me as Lorven tries to use it to appear behind me.

    Is is once again in front of me, tanking a significantly strong st of kic energy, mana roaring through her body, and her feet tearing apart the floor.

    I let her grab my arm, and she pulls, almost surely wanting to tear it off my body.

    Nothing happens.

    Her eyes widen in surprise, and more mana fills her body, skills activating one after another, and she squeezes and pulls again.

    My body doesn''t move at all.

    ¡°Well, fuck,¡± she says just as my fist hits the middle of her face, sending her flying through the room.

    My body is strengthened by nearly the entirety of my mana and some. To say shortly, I don''t think I will lose easily to anyone when ites to physical strength. Well, at least while I have my mana. If I don''t, even Isabe might be too much for good ol'' me.

    I redirect some mana and send a pulse of disrupting attack through the room, making Lorven materialize. Then I continue sending pulse after pulse towards him, disrupting his attempts to hide or strengthen his body.

    It reminds me of good old times when I was hunted by mage hunters on the third floor. Just this time it''s me bullying someone.

    Before I reach him, Lorven pulls all the shadows around him towards himself between my pulses. The shadows enter his body, his eyes turning pitch ck. He shes the dagger in his hand, and invisible attacks carve deep holes into the floor and walls as I continue to use <strong>[Perception]</strong> to detect them. A few projectiles I shoot at him, he cuts apart, the mana dissipating into nothing.

    Meanwhile, Is reaches me as well, this time mana covering the entirety of her skin, creating some sort of extremely dense, skin-tight barrier. She deflects my mana projectiles, tanks two sts of kic energy pushes through the mes, and when she reaches me, she punches at me, using the strength of her entire body.

    Just before the hitnds, I redirect all the mana into physical stats and grab her hand. This time I feel the attack and its terrifying strength; the woman surely having upgraded her strength attribute.

    "What the fuck," sheins, and I punch the middle of her face again, sending her flying through the room once more.

    Lorven adapts and starts shooting shadowy projectiles at me in between my pulses of <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, while moving closer, holding an epic-graded dagger with a sickly aura along the de.

    Not worried, I step towards him, releasing a bit more of my mana and finally activating <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>.

    "Miss Myrra, are you sure?" I hear somewhere in the background.

    The mana around me bes easier to control, and I keep creating projectiles, shooting them at Lorven from every side, and soon, overwhelmed, he spends most of the time deflecting them, and I can see that he wants to tire me out.

    He is waiting for me to start saving my mana.

    Amused somewhere in the back of my mind, I just release more mana and create more projectiles. They aren''t that strong, almost as if someone is throwing pebbles at a normal human.

    With full power and while aiming at the crotch.

    Yup, that''s me.

    Lorven surprises me once more. A pulse of mana from him passes through my <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, disabling it for a moment, and he disappears, appearing much closer, his body covered in shadowy armor that traces his body. His stab is deadly, quick, and direct, right at my mana heart.

    A strong st of kic energy tears off even more flooring and sends him flying away, where hends on his feet. Before he can react more, I stand in front of him, and a single punch to his stomach sends him against the wall, groaning with pain.

    The epic-graded dagger I grabbed from his hand while breaking a few of his fingers, I throw at Myrra''s feet, "You can sell it again, same deal," I tell her as her tail moves in an amused manner.

    "Okay, I''m ready, try again," I hear from behind me. It''s Is, the barrier around her changed now, tattoos glowing in a different color, and a big smile still on her face. Her face that bears no signs of wounds.

    She charges at me again, and I redirect all my mana into Reinforcement and then pull some from Mana Reservoir, my epic passive. As her attack is about to reach me, I pull even more, powering my body to a terrifying degree and feeling the pressure it puts on me. Using any more mana than this will hurt my body.

    Yet still, as her fist hits my palm, I feel the immense pressure behind the hit, a shockwave sent into the room. A shockwave created just by the strength of her body only.

    "For fuck''s sake," she sighs and closes her eyes as I''m about to punch her again.

    That is when Myrra stops me, "I think this much is enough," she says shortly, and immediately I notice all the people in the room tense up.

    The tall Lynthari stands up and slowly walks through the room, her steps echoing from the wall, and she drops the dagger in front of Lorven, who still holds his belly. She then checks on Is

    "More than this would be boring," Myrra says simply, yet even that seems to, if not terrify, then disturb some of the guild masters.

    "As you said, Miss Myrra, that much is enough," Obelia says simply while looking at me in an asking manner.

    I just nod, and she returns it, gesturing to the spot near her.

    When I sit down, Tess stands behind me in a simr manner to the other attendees.

    Is passes by me, not hurt at all. The woman with short ck hair smiles and there doesn''t seem to be any ill intention behind it, nor does she seem angry at me.

    "We will have to fight sometime," Is says, and unlike her uninterested behavior from before, she feels almost friendly.

    Should I agree to that? Having such a durable punching ba... such a durable sparring partner could allow me to test some skills.

    "Sure," I tell her, and she hands me a small mana stone with a few addresses and ways to contact her.

    Red-haired Thalen watches it from where he sits, almost like a grandpa having to deal with silly kids. Somehow it makes me want to punch him too. It''s enough that I have to socialize with people, and then one of them looks at me like that? Even what Lorven does, I prefer more.

    Lorven is an asshole and already tried to steal from me and kill me. Our rtionship is clear. If he tries it again, I beat him up and steal his dagger to sell it. If he tries it on someone from my group, I kill him.

    Simple, harmonious rtionship with clear roles, as it should be.

    But looking at Thalen and feeling his mana, I can say that he is quite a strong healer, and a hint ofpetitiveness rises up inside me. Lily should level up more, so I can show her off and wipe that smug smile off his face.

    I feel Tess tapping on my shoulder, and I look up to her. "What?" I ask.

    Tess leans to my ear and whispers, "You should limit your mana a bit; you might be scaring people."

    Huh?

    I start doing that and notice relief on the faces of the attendees.

    Did they think I was threatening them? Is there some eptable way of dealing with mana and rules that people in some circles follow?

    Well, who cares, that''s for Tess to learn and deal with. As my vice guild master, she will do so while I only show up once in a while.

    "I think we should start with the Colony," Obelia says simply and exins.

    Apparently, the ants started leaving their territory, not too far as of now, but they were seen by us and multiple other people watching the area outside of the anthills. Multiple people with detection skills were sent to the area, observing the ants and even checking if they weren''t digging tunnels underground.

    So far, nothing happened, so it''s fine. It''s totally fine.

    The reason for their behavior was still not found, so the mysterysts. The Colony and its ways are truly mysterious.

    They talk about ants a bit longer, and I mostly only listen, leaning in my chair and cycling mana inside my body, doing shaping exercises with an orb hovering over my hands. A few people don''t like it, but that''s their problem.

    Tess is listening well enough for both of us, and I notice that she holds a gravity anchor thing made from mystical metal or something. I already forgot its name. That makes me curious who got the cloak and the ring. Maybe I should ask a bitter.

    "So Elydor is dead," Thalen says, and all eyes turn to me and then towards Obelia.

    "Damned asshole, I already paid him to make an item for me, and then he just goes out and dies like that," Isins. She seems bored too and also creates a mana orb in front of her and starts copying what I am doing.

    When she catches my gaze, she smiles at me and shoots the orb at my head with strong enough force to explode the head of a normal human.

    I send my mana towards the orb and slow it down, holding it in front of me. <strong>[Mana Infusion] </strong>activates, and I fill it with my mana and take over, then I push even more with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, and the orb turns dark blue. Finishing, I boost it with kic energy and shoot it back at Is.

    The woman tries to do the same thing I did, but the orb is too dense and moving too quickly, and it hits her shoulder, moving her and almost making her fall from the chair.

    "We all knew Elydor; he got what wasing to him," is the only thing Obelia says, mostly ignoring what Is and I are doing.

    "I would like to know what happened to his and your expedition to the old capital and where you got so many Epic items from, Obelia," Lorven says from under his cape.

    "I don''t think that''s your¡­" Obelia starts.

    I interrupt her, "I killed Elydor and a few of his elites. Then I took the loot he got from the old capital."

    The silence that ensues is almost deafening.

    "I also called him an asshole," I whisper, to no reaction.

    "Miss Myrra, what¡­" Thalen starts, but when he sees Myrra watching us with amused eyes and her swaying tail, he just gives up, "I guess there was a good reason for that?" he asks.

    "Self-defense," I say.

    "Ely was always kind of weak and an asshole," Is sighs, "only his skills with inscribing were top-notch."

    "Storm Brigade will be auctioning off one of the epic items we got from the expedition," Obelia says out of nowhere, and that turns all the attention back to her. Expressions of sheer surprise on every face.

    Myrra''s tail starts swinging quicker, and her ears perk up.

 Chapter 217: Siblings

    Chapter 217: Siblings

    Obelia continues, "The reason is simple," our guild has no use for it, and we hope selling one of the epic-graded items we got will reduce the attention that we might be getting now because of it. We also hope people will turn their attention to the auction and will try to get the item that way instead of starting useless fights."

    She exins it in her typical calm and logical manner.

    "What kind of item is it?" Is asks first.

    "Spear," is the simple answer Obelia gives.

    "What effects?" This time it''s Lorven.

    "That''s all the information I was willing to give right now," the Storm Brigade guild master answers.

    "What about you, newbie, are you selling some as well?" Is asks me in an amused manner. Her face is telling that she already knows the answer.

    "Elydor''s wallet was quite full, so I''m not in need of cash," I tell her, and sheughs shortly.

    "That reminds me, there was a rumor that you know how to kill the Living Tree, newbie. So how is it?" Is rests her chin on the palms of her hands, and her eyes look at me like I''m some sort of interesting animal.

    Just that simple sentence brings all the attention back to me.

    "As you said, and heard from Myrra, I will kill the Living Tree," I dissipate the orb I was using to practice mana shaping and give them my full attention, "The deal is simple. You guys leave me and my guild alone for a few months so I don''t have to deal with you and kill you," at that Is chuckles, "In that time, I will prepare all I need. Obelia and her guild will help me use the array to get near the old capital and disappear. After that, it''s all up to me, and I will either die or the cmity will fall."

    "Forgive me for not fully believing that you would be capable of doing that," Thalen says.

    That''s when I decide to use my trump card. A weirdo sitting in the corner, "Myrra trusts me. Oh, and I believe you know the consequences of letting out anything that was said here today, so keep it to yourself" I say, having no idea what these consequences are.

    Thankfully, it seems they know, and I see a few shes of fear.

    Damn, Myrra, what did you do?

    "That still doesn''t give us anything of worth," this time it''s Lorven who says that.

    "I think an old capital without the Cmity defending it sounds quite interesting, doesn''t it?" Myrra finally joins the conversation and stands. As she walks around, it''s clear that she is towering over anyone in the room, and her golden eyes shine.

    "The Feral one isn''t too good at this kind of stuff, so allow me to continue and exin. It isn''t too difficult to understand. The cmity will fall, and the Feral one and his guild will have a day or two to go through the city and get themselves something nice. They could end up with more epic items, or just some trinkets. No one knows," she stops in front of the table and shows her canines, "After that, I and a few of my reliable friends will join too and try to find something pretty for ourselves. A few days will pass like that, and we will let you guys in."

    "Miss Myrra, that might be nice and all, but during the first few days, you and his guild most likely get all the good items," Lorvenins, and unlike when he talked to us, his voice now is full of respect.

    "Young Lorven, I think Obelia can tell you how big the old capital is and how difficult it was for them to get into the ce they¡­ visited. Traps, rooms covered in metal that shields detection skills. Missing map that won''t allow us to find the best locations. The sheer size of the city. I wouldn''t be surprised if it takes years to just superficially search the city."

    The greed that appears in their eyes is fun to watch. Even calm Obelia and Ths, who tries to act dignified, show it.

    But I think it''s quite understandable. In the entire Virelia, there are only less than 20 epic items. Only so many of such items are in a city of hundreds of thousands. Each item has a long history and legends said about it. Just how amazing it would be to get just one of them.

    Another round of talking starts, and I filter it out already. Bored, I once again start mana-shaping an orb in front of me and cycling mana through my body.

    This time it takes a bit longer. Theyin, they make deals. They offer more help, they ask if it''s even possible. Then they ask to be let into the capital much sooner.

    In the end, it''s Myrra who gets annoyed, and the sound she makes almost sounds like a hiss. After that, it goes much smoother, and then wend on details.

    In exchange for being let into the city a bit sooner, they supply me with materials I might need and deal with middle and small-sized guilds that could look into annoying us. Not a bad deal, especially when my main objective is killing the Cmity and not the items inside the city.

    When we leave the room after a few hours, I''m tired. It''s as if I fought bus-sized ants for multiple days in a row. Hell, maybe even longer. Nothing drains me more than useless chatter.

    "Tess, do you have time?" Obelia and her attendee walk by our side, and after Tess agrees, they split up, and I''m left alone with Obelia''s attendee.

    "I''m Jenna," the woman greets me.

    "Nathaniel," I tell her, and the silence ensues.

    It seems to make Jenna nervous, but I just sit on the bench nearby, yawning against my will. Damn, did anyone maybe have an energy drain skill and used it on me?

    This time it doesn''t take much longer, and Tess returns, and Jenna disappears to Obelia while waving to us.

    "Congrattions on your apprenticeship?" I ask Tess.

    "Thanks, and yes. I already got something to look into," she waves a small notepad at me, "Notes made by Obelia herself. Some experiments she made, findings, history, and such stuff. Mainly focused on Primordial lightning."

    "Interesting."

    "I will let you read itter," Tess says with a smile, as if reading my mind.

    "Sounds good," I reply.

    While we walk by the city, she also asks me, "How is your n with selling coordinates doing?"

    "It''s more difficult than expected, but in a few months we should be done. Tess, I tell you, if the system shop tries to scam us somehow, I will get so mad."

    "Don''t jinx it then," she pokes at me and quickly leaves to buy something from the merchant nearby. When shees back, she hands me a small bag with some sort of dried fruit, "Maya said you might like this one. It apparently tastes simr to the one you liked on the third floor."

    I taste it, and it seems that Maya was right. The fruit is delicious. Should I give Maya a rare item or two? Finding such a tasty snack should be worth that much.

    "Do you also have nightmares, Tess?" I ask her after a bit of silence.

    The young blonde stares at me for a moment and then shakes her head, "I still don''t like ces that remind me of tunnels, but I''m much better than some others." As if knowing what is going through my head, she continues, "You have to understand, twenty days down there took a toll on everyone. Aaron and Dennis sometimes wake up screaming. I saw Kim crying a few times. Maya''s hands started shaking when we went to hunt in the old mines."

    Both of us stop and Tess sighs, "Sophie is helping a lot, so I hope you don''t hold it against her or look down on people who epted her help."

    "Not really, it''s just¡­" I stop.

    "Yes, I know." Tess answers simply.

    We pass a few streets and when we start walking uphill towards our house, Tess slows down and asks, "Nat, how¡­ how was your sister doing, you know, before the tutorial happened?"

    "Oh, I think you only met Victoria once or twice, so you don''t know her that well. She will do well anywhere and it doesn''t matter what is happening around her. So it''s stupid to worry about her."

    "I see, and your mom?" This time Tess asks that even more carefully.

    "Hm? She still hates me, obviously."

    <strong>shback: Nathaniel Gwyn, 16 years old</strong>

    The door to the small room opens carefully. They open so slowly that it takes a good minute for them to open enough for a figure to walk in. Afterward, it takes even longer for them to close.

    When they click, that''s when the light turns on, revealing a young woman sitting on the edge of the bed. ck hair that is carefully brushed falls to the middle of the back of the woman who looks around twenty years old.

    Her expression is nk as she stares at her younger brother, "So you did it, Nat," she states simply, for a moment ncing at her brother''s hands that have a little bit of blood on them and scratched joints.

    Nathaniel hides them from her sight and moves into the room, sitting on the bed opposite Victoria and returning her gaze, "Our father¡­ Rob¡­ won''t being back home," he says in a simrly simple way his sister did.

    The silence that ensues is interrupted only by the sounds of cars moving on the road outside the window. It''ste at night, so there aren''t too many of them, and light shines into the room every time a car passes by.

    "I see," Victoria says.

    "I don''t care if mom hates me."

    "You are lying."

    "I did it for her, for us. He won''t hurt her ever again. I don''t care if she hates me for that," he repeats again as if trying to persuade himself.

    "That''s how you are."

    "Yes, that''s me."

    The silence that ensues is even longer.

    "But Nat, you made a mistake," Victoria stands up, a small smile on her face. It''s a gentle and loving smile. At the same time, police car sirens sound far in the distance, slowly getting closer.

    Victoria sits on the bed next to Nathaniel and hugs him tightly, kissing the top of his head, "You poor, hurt little soul," she whispers gently, "You couldn''t do it, right?"

    "I beat him, Vic, I broke his bones, I made him bleed. I forced him to swear he won''t evere back. I even used Tess as an alibi." Nathaniel says quietly.

    "Tess will hate you if she finds out." Victoria leans onto him, "You still saw him as your father and couldn''t do it, right?" Victoria hugs him even tighter, "You still remember him being nice when you were young, and you still think of him as your father. That''s how you are," she repeats, "If you like someone once, you are way too forgiving to that person."

    The sound of sirens is slightly louder, yet the boy doesn''t notice it. They are still far in the distance.

    Victoria stands up and walks in front of the mirror, "That''s why even beating him was so hard for you. The thought of being hated by mom as well, and you spent a few hours walking around to calm down."

    Slowly fixing her clothes and hair she continues, "While you were gone, Nat, our father changed his mind and decided toe back. To punish you, mom, and myself for what you did," she says in a calm tone.

    Nathaniel just stares at her, unable to say anything.

    "That''s why I had to kill him," she admits simply, and then sighs slowly, "You should really try to control your emotions a bit more. How many times did I tell you to wait until I find a good job and take you and mom away from him?"

    The police sirens now sound louder, and Nathaniel finally notices them, guilt and realization appearing on his face, "No..." he barely gets out.

    "It will be a bit difficult, but I will try to tell the police that I beat him as well, but I will try. As for his... passing, self-defense will be a bit hard as I went a little bit overboard while... dealing with him. I guess I also should improve my control," there isn''t even a hint of regret in her eyes.

    "Vic, I will tell them. I will tell them it was me who did it."

    "That''s enough. Do I look to you like I don''t know what I am doing?" With her clothes fixed, she stops in front of her brother, "Nat, it''s you and me. No one else in the whole world can be trusted," she reaches and ruffles his hair, "I''m your older sister and I will protect you, so just wait a few years, okay? I can spin it into second-degree murder, and for that, I should get maybe ten years? I will behave nicely, so most likely even less." She doesn''t seem to be too bothered.

    At that time, lights start shing outside the window, blue and red ones, and policemen start shouting something. Thalia, their mom, also wakes up and starts shouting and trying to get into the room that Victoria locked.

    "Mom is silly but not stupid, so she will most likely know and hate you as well, but still, check on her once in a while, okay?" Victoria says.

    The sound of a broken door sounds inside the apartment, and more shouting ensues.

    Victoria moves to unlock the door when Nathaniel says something, "Vic, you, me, and mom. No one else matters."

    "No Nat, that''s for me. You do whatever makes you happy."

 Chapter 218: Two months later

    Chapter 218: Two monthster

    Almost two months passed, and during that time, I went hunting a few times, but not too much, so my level increased by a little bit. It could be even less, but at some point, I got into a big fight.

    Who wouldn''t get angry, having to fight against a big group of invisible snakes somewhere in a jungle-like forest? Well, I kind of burned it down, so it''s not that much of a forest anymore.

    And less than five days remain until I can enter Beyond once again.

    My status also looks nice as heck.

    <strong>Name:</strong><em>Nathaniel Gwyn</em><em></em>

    <strong>Difficulty:</strong><em>Hell</em><em></em>

    <strong>Floor</strong>: 4 - <em>Waning Realm</em><em></em>

    <strong>Time left until forced return:</strong><em>4y 130d 16h 21m 16s</em><em></em>

    <strong>Traits (1/3):</strong><em>Mana Circuit (Passive)</em>

    <strong>Lvl 170</strong><strong>

    </strong>

    <em>Strength: 83</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 86</em><em></em>

    <em>Constitution: 221</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 650 + 650</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Primary ss:</strong><em>Focused Channeler (epic)</em><em></em>

    <strong>Sub-ss:</strong><em>[Initiate of Pride]</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Focus (Dual Focus Consolidation) - Lvl 39</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 41</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 39</em><em></em>

    <em>Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 38</em><em></em>

    <em>Armament - Lvl 36</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Infusion - Lvl 35</em><em></em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 31</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Domain - Lvl 11</em><em></em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 9</em>

    <strong>Constructs:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Kic Mana Heart (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)</em>

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Cerebral Harmony (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Pyrokic Resurgence (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Reservoir (epic)</em>

    <strong>Tokens:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Beyond Difficulty entrance token</em>

    <strong>Shards:</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>2990</em>

    I did another round of active tempering that got me only 30 stats in constitution, 10 in strength, and 10 in dexterity. As Lissandra said before, the effect is getting weaker. I''m notining; even that much is amazing, but I almost died back then. I got really annoyed with tempering not working that well, so I again turned off my passives and constructs and even reached into Mana Reservoir.

    A totally unexpected incident required the help of Lily. It took a while afterward to regrow my arm that somehow¡­ well, it exploded.

    My skills increased, <strong>[Focus]</strong> by only 1 level, and <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> by one as well. That leaves <strong>[Focus]</strong> and<strong> [Perception]</strong> at a bottleneck to level 40.

    Most noticeably, <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> leveled 4 times,<strong> [Resonance]</strong> three times, and<strong> [Mana Domain] </strong>4 levels. <strong>[Tether] </strong>also leveled a bit.

    I also doubled my shards from selling some stuff into the shop and from some side quests I got while hunting.

    My not-too-much-higher level is annoying, but the growth of my skills will be worth stalling on that front. The sheer amount of work I did is amazing, if I have to say so, and I slept only 2-3 hours each night, spending most of the day working on stuff.

    At some point, there was another incident where Lily used <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> on my door to force me out of my room while I was in the middle of inscribing a mana stone, which caused it to explode. After healing me, Lily said her <strong>[Rejuvenation] </strong>leveled up, so that''s at least something.

    After that, I started experimenting with mana stones in the living room, every night, in thepany of others. As always, I ignored them most of the time, only rarely joining the conversation, but it has be something like a habit for our group, sitting in the group and talking about their day, sesses, and annoyances.

    I have learned that I am not the only one improving. With Tess and Hadwin having a shitload of information, they set up a great regimen for everyone, from training to hunting. Apparently, if you have a lot of money, you can even pay other people to help you create some really nice regimen. Who would have known?

    The regimen were set to help members of Group 4 improve their skills or work on their weaknesses, sometimes hunting only to level as quickly as possible, sometimes putting their lives in danger to keep them sharp.

    I went through a few of them, and they are works of art, to be honest. A lot of time was spent on them, and some professionals helped as well, especially Obelia and her guild that is trying to keep Tess close, singing praises about Tess''s Primordial lightning.

    It''s annoying. I have two Primordial energies, so why is no one praising me?

    New equipment was bought or ordered to be made, and tailored. Once again, paid by what''s probably my money, and to be honest, I have no idea how much I have. I just know I''m rich, and Tess and Haddy deal with that instead of me.

    From what I know, they could be stealing from me like crazy and not going to hunt, but on expensive holidays or whatever rich people like to do.

    It''s night, and I''m once again sitting in the living room. This time, I''m taking a short break and just waiting for Sophie to finish examining the coordinates I inscribed into the mana stone I gave her. I have a feeling that we are getting really close.

    Min-Jae taps my shoulder, and I turn around and look at him standing behind the couch I sit on.

    "Level 110," he says with a big smile on his face, "When Tess lets me focus on leveling instead of on my skills, I will leave Dennis and Aaron in the dust!" the young boy shows off.

    As always, he is waiting for praise or a piece of advice. He is also getting a bit cocky. Just a few days ago, I heard him saying that he might be able to beat my level if I "<em>continue to sit on my ass and do nothing,</em>" yup, that''s what he said.

    Little jerk.

    "Tess, Min-Jae said your hair is pretty today," I say out loud and lean back to watch as Min-Jae''s face turns pale and red at the same time. Tess pretends she didn''t hear it, and the twins instantly smell weakness and attack Min-Jae, making fun of him.

    Biscuit starts woofing, to which Isabe starts shouting something as well.

    I stand up and move towards Tess, who sips on a drink she seems to enjoytely. There is weird blue smokeing out of it, and she says it''s apparently really tasty and reminds her of coffee a little bit.

    When I sit next to her, I activate <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, which blocks the sound of the group in the living room, and turn to her.

    Tess has a different haircut from before. If I''m not wrong, this is the second in the past month or two, and she says she is enjoying trying new ones. When I look around, most of us are simr. How to say it, they look more civilized. Nice tailor-made fitting clothes, expensive haircuts, smelling of luxirious soaps. Some even paid tailors to create custom clothes that resemble those on Earth and apparently even made some mana stones by selling the ideas.

    "This really doesn''t feel like Hell difficulty," I say to Tess.

    "I know what you mean," she sips on her drink and then gives me her full attention, "I think it''s just because we are trying to enjoy it as much as we can before things go to shit again."

    "We might have jinxed it right now."

    Tessughs shortly, "We did, didn''t we?? But Nat, do you still want to continue to other floors, even after seeing how this floor is? I believe we can slowly kill one Cmity and then just not use the entrance. Level up, kill other Cmities. It would be easy enough, I believe."

    Even though she says that I can see that she is not serious. Tess is in some ways simr to me. She has tasted the power the system offers her, mana flowing through her body and lightning bending to her will.

    No, Tess would be itching to leave, to continue to higher floors.

    So I do not answer, and even that is enough for us to understand each other. The silence that ensues isfortable.

    Well, until Lily steps closer, passing through the field I created that blocks sounds. Before she says anything, I stand up and pinch her nose.

    Lily also changed a bit during that time. Her left arm is still pale white, as well as mine, and she refuses to change it. Her hair is a bit shorter now, and she is a bit taller. She says she didn''t mess with her height and it''s just how she grows, but I have my theories.

    Her <strong>[Rejuvenation]</strong> improved greatly and apparently, she got another skill but refuses to share its name with me, as well as her subss.

    Surprisingly, she doesn''t change her mind even if I offer to sell her Biscuit.

    Not having anything more valuable, I can only give up and let her keep her secrets.

    Lily can now regenerate missing limbs much faster, and apparently, she is using something simr to my Active Tempering to make her body stronger and muscles tougher. She says she increased her physical stats this way.

    Unlike Active Tempering, her version that uses her skill to change her body takes much longer. But slowly and surely, she is gaining some free stats.

    Being adult-like, I am not jealous at all.

    I let go of Lily and send her to Tess so they can talk about training.

    "Lily is so silly!" Isabe says while passing by me on her way to grab some sweets from the kitchen. Over her head, a blue fire orb hovers as she continues to shape it and make it denser.

    Currently, the orb is filled enough to explode the entire house and take a big chunk of the street with it.

    That''s my girl!

    It was my idea, obviously, and Izzy seems to love it. Especially the name of the orb that I came up with. Us, two fire enjoyers, call it the ANTomic bomb, to her amusement.

    Sophie doesn''t like it, and apparently, Izzy is allowed to train that way only when I am around so I can disrupt the orb in case something happens.

    It''s silly, a little bit of danger will only make her improve faster! Maybe we should get her an epic passive a bitter. Something simr to my Mana Reservoir to store her fire. Unfortunately, epic passives start at 8 thousand shards and much more for some of them so it might take a while.

    I also found out what Izzy''s subss is and bought information on Sophie''s.

    Isabe picked one of the seven Blights, Kindness. She refused to tell me more about the effects as I was unable to sell Biscuit anymore. Sophie went with Greed.

    It looks like I''m still the only one with Pride, even after talking to others in themunity who were willing to share their subss.

    Surely my subss is the best one! Just looking at how much it helps me to improve my control over skills and ss, I can say it must be one of the best when ites to improving personal power, and I''m curious to see what higher stages of it will prove.

    Initiate, adept, and master. The difference should be huge.

    I lean over Maya and take some dried fruit from the bowl in front of her while she fiddles with some musical instrument on herp.

    She has been nicetely and supplies me with nice snacks, so I ask, ¡°How is your practice going?¡± I gesture at the instrument, simr to a violin.

    ¡°I used to be really good ten years ago back on Earth, so I believe I can do well here,¡± she says.

    From past conversations, I even know she hired a teacher in Virelia who helps her learn to y.

    ¡°What happened that you stopped ying?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I have learned that a few of my friends constantly called me a fat bitch behind my back, so I dropped it and started going to the gym,¡± she turns to me and smiles. ck hair, dark skin, and a figure that only proves what she said.

    Even though Maya is close to thirty, she starts to look younger with each passing week. It''s something that is even more noticeable on Haddy. It''s not like they are turning to teenagers, but their skin looks better, and some wrinkles are disappearing. Not too much, but if you look deeply enough, there is a difference.

    ¡°Gym can be really addicting,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°Yes, after two years, I called them fat bitches and made their boyfriends leave them. Then I ditched the guys before they got what they wanted,¡± she smiles even wider, ¡°But it''s as you said, the gym is really addicting,¡± sheughs shortly.

    After saying a thing or two more, I quickly leave.

    Heck, even Maya is scary. All Hell difficulty people are scary. I am the most normal one here.

    Nommimg on the same snacks that I got from vengeful Maya, I reach Hadwin, who is diligently taking care of his armor and epic sword from the 3rd floor that I gave him. His armor is only upper rare grade, but not bad at all, and the older man takes care of his equipment extremely carefully.

    It''s something I do not understand that much. Having his <strong>[Strengthening]</strong>, I would just walk around without armor at all. I saw his fight a few times during hunts, and he is really extremely durable, and rarely do enemies draw blood from him, even when they are at a higher level.

    Hadwin has already used his attribute upgrade token on constitution, and that made him even tougher. The cheeky ex-policeman even asked me for help, and he learned to use his<strong> [Disruption]</strong> to create a barrier of disruptive mana on his skin.

    Instead of using it to directly attack, he creates a disruptive barrier that reaches only a little bit over his skin. That allows him to ignore plenty of magic-based attacks, and when he attacks, it also disrupts the enemy''s defense magic.

    When I finally get to create a construct for him, he will be even scarier. His only weakness is a somewhat weak attack, but with a strong item that he uses<strong> [Strengthening]</strong> on, he bes quite cool.

    And that item is the epic sword that I gave him! Epic-grade weapons cost around 4 thousand shards in the system shop, and even though this one isn''t too strong, its effect was lost after all, it still is nice of me to share it, isn''t it?

    Old Haddy is even taking some swordsmanship lessons in Virelia and apparently, he has a talent for it.

    ¡°Nat, I think I got it,¡± I hear out of nowhere. It''s Sophie''s voice, and when I turn to her, there is a big happy smile on her face.

    There is no fear towards me in it anymore, and Sophie looks happier and morefortable than ever.

    She shows me the mana stone I gave her, ¡°I finally did it! Finally!¡± There is excitement and happiness from sess in her voice.

    It looks like after months of hard work, we can finally try to sell coordinates to the shop and get ourselves a huge amount of shards.

    Just in time to buy an epic passive before the 2nd Beyond trial.

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Hey, weirdo, any advice on the second Beyond trial?</em>

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em>Nope, just don''t die.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Simple as that?</em>

    <strong>Savant - </strong><em>And maybe invest some stats into your brain.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>It didn''t help you.</em>

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em>Screw you.</em>

    To make it hurt, I do not answer and just close the window, absolutely sure it will annoy Savant more this way.

    I look at the mana stone in my hand and then at Sophie, "Okay, let''s sell the coordinates."

 Chapter 223: Day six

    Chapter 223: Day six

    It¡äs the start of day three and I''m using only my mana to observe my surroundings. The reach bes much smaller and the cost of keeping it up is annoying, so I take some mana from the mana batteries I have on me, feeding it to the skill. Efficiency isn''t as good as my own mana, but it helps me to keep my own reserves as high as possible.

    I still haven''t touched the Mana Reservoir, and the thermal orb I have prepared is half full.

    That''s when monsters able to hide their mana signature start appearing.

    After the first one bites off a piece of my shoulder, I''m forced to change my strategy.

    The monster that bit me I kill with a sharp st of kic energy and can''t even check what it was without my senses.

    I release dozens of small mana particles into my surroundings and then use<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong> to observe them and keep them floating around me.

    The notifications continue to ring in my ears as I continue to kill anything that moves the particles close to me.

    At the end of day three, the monsters that appear start countering these particles as well by avoiding them, so I release even more of them, my non-regenerating mana getting to half and the thermal orb to twenty percent.

    I''m once again forced to start using more heat to keep myself from freezing.

    When I fall to the ground, under the strengthened gravity, I also boost my body a bit more, just enough to wobble back on my legs.

    The mana batteries I took here with me are empty. The monsters slowly sucked the mana from them without me realizing it.

    It''s my mistake.

    I boost empty mana batteries through the bodies of the monsters and notifications ring, announcing the kill.

    Observing mana particles around me, I sense that they hesitate.

    ¡°Come on, you wanted them so much. So just take them,¡± I say to the dead world.

    Then I boost thest remaining mana battery, and another notification sounds.

    As many times before, I try to use my epic item, the Ethercrystal shortsword, and when I cut the monster, it sucks in its mana, trying to strengthen me.

    But, as many times before, something or someone fights against that. Some of the mana that is in the process of being sucked into the crystal de starts to get pulled away from it, and fighting over that mana wastes more of it than I would be getting, so I stop. In the end, the sword absorbs only a small part of it.

    That makes the sword close to being just a nice decoration, but I continue to use it when the monsters get closer to save some mana.

    It''s colder than ever before, and the heat I have to generate increases, but with it, my efficiency in the way I handle it. It''s not even radiating away from my body and just reaches the skin to keep maximal possible efficiency. I also reduce the amount I send towards my limbs as they are able to endure a bit more than my core.

    I start day four with my mana at forty percent and the thermal orb at ten percent.

    All the food and water I did bring with me froze over. The result of me reducing the area of effect of my ¡°heating¡±. Such a mistake is almost funny and I untie and drop the bag on the ground.

    I restore my sight multiple times, but I always see only for a second before I start getting fed the wrong information again, so I blind myself. But even that second is fine, and I find that I have reached the mountains.

    They are tall to a terrifying degree, making me feel extremely small. I''m nothing but a speck of dust inparison to how tall they are. It somehow terrifies me even in <strong>[Focus]</strong>, as I feel the wind that starts hitting my body and vibrations in the air as the lightning continues to strike the mountains in front of me.

    The entire ground shakes, and I feel aftershocks even down here; that''s how strong it is. It''s clear that the area in front of me is much more dangerous than what lies behind me.

    My mana is getting lower with each passing second, the thermal orb is almost empty, and the gravity that threatens to crush my body is pulling on my muscles. The ce I''m in will be more dangerous as time passes; I''m sure of it. Even if I stay on the ins with worms, leeches, and fire geysers. The difficulty will ramp up. Yet the mountains in front of me are much more dangerous even now.

    So, I take a step towards them, leaving the ins behind me.

    The entire time I continue to observe my Mana Heart and the weird aura that renders my senses close to useless.

    The mountains tower by my sides as I walk through the valley. From the second I''m able to use my eyes, I find out that the valley is unnaturally straight and t, and the mountains by its sides are set there in too unnatural a manner.

    It feels just like a sidewalk surrounded by trees.

    The wind slows down and the air bes warmer, just in time to leave me with five percent of my thermal orb, but the gravity and pull on my mana increase, even now partially ignoring my Mantle.

    No monster appears anymore.

    It''s quiet.

    Day five starts quietly. The wind doesn''t blow. There are no vibrations from the lightning. No signs of any monster but the gravity is stronger after every step I take.

    In the one-second window I use my eyes, I notice the doorway far in the distance. It is carved into the highest mountain I have ever seen, the doors themselves so tall I can''t see their top.

    Mana in my body drops to twenty-five percent, constantly pulled from under my control. I''m unable to hold it.

    The effect bes stronger the closer to the door I get.

    I was able to make my heart beat for a few moments. After days without moving, it feels almost weird having it thump and send mana through my body.

    While not moving, I continue to<strong> [Focus]</strong> on keeping it beating for as long as possible, mana in my body filling up slowly once again, even though some of it is getting pulled away from me.

    The next ten minutes I spend fighting against the pressure that tries to stop it from beating again and, in the end, I fail and my heart stops again. This time the effect that stops my heart is a bit different and I start examining it over again with the intention of making it beat once more. There isn''t even a speck of doubt that I will be able to do so.

    It''s my body.

    It''s my heart.

    It''s my mana.

    No one will take it away from me.

    I stop some distance away from the giant doorway and sit down, unable to keep myself standing anymore. My mind examines my body, and I start working on the Mana Sovereignty Mantle construct.

    From my time here, I have learned so much, and I start applying it all to myself while being extremely careful of my surroundings. There is an armor around my body that is slowly getting destroyed, and the mana gets pulled from it, but I do it in case something attacks me.

    I notice that my mana is getting pulled towards the door, and when I go through my memories, I realize that it has been doing that ever since the start of this trial. All the mana is getting pulled to whatever is inside that mountain, behind the giant ck door, densely covered in inscriptions.

    The inscriptions feel as though they should have been here to stop that from happening. My limited knowledge tells me that they should shield whatever is inside and not allow it to affect anything outside of the door.

    Yet they are not enough; even though they are extremelyplex and terrifyingly strong, demonstrating a mastery beyond any human or being I can imagine, they are unable to stop what is inside.

    Even through <strong>[Focus]</strong>, I feel fear, unable toprehend the world around me or the thing behind the door. It''s all beyond my knowledge and my experience.

    I have never ever felt so small in my life. I''m just a small speck surrounded by powers I do not understand. The system, the tutorial, Absolutes, a thing beyond this door. This.

    Everything is way beyond me.

    At the start of day six, I make my heart beat again, this time for longer, and my mana fills by a nice amount. At this point it''s been long since I had to fight monsters, all of them terrified of the being behind the ck door.

    The silence in the valley between the enormous mountains is almost deafening, and the safety I feel right now feels so fake it would make me want to scream if I wasn''t so deep in the <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 39 > Focus - lvl 40]</strong>

    I once again move my mana, sending small pulses towards the door, only for them to be obliterated by the inscriptions on its surface, but I observe even that. I learn from defensive mechanisms and use them to constantly improve my Mantle.

    Again.

    Again.

    Again.

    Over and over again, I do so and make small changes after small changes, the pull on my mana bing weaker and weaker, and the heart twitching and shivering inside my chest. I continue to patch and improve the defenses of my biggest weakness - the possibility of someone blocking, stealing, or not allowing me to use my mana.

    A big risk I took on myself, fascinated by this power I got at the start of the tutorial.

    Fascination thatsts even now.

    At the end of the day, my heart starts beating again and the attempts to stop it from doing so are unsessful. I watch as mana in my body starts growing, and I turn some of it into kic energy that I transfer into thermal, once again filling the thermal orb floating near me.

    I stand up and mana smoothly spreads through my body, strengthening it. Kic energy explodes under me, and I push myself high in the air, turning around and floating towards where I came from.

    Still unable to trust my eyes, I send mana as far as I can and continue to watch it within <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>.

    When I reach the in, monsters that appear are stronger than the ones from before.

    A sharp nail immediately pierces my belly. Teeth break my armor and burrow into my flesh. A strong hit breaks my ribs and throws me against the ground. And I continue to fight, releasing all the frustration I felt, unable to use my powers properly.

    I boost mana projectiles with kic energy. I create tricolored orbs, and explosions and implosions scar the.

    Burst after burst of brilliant golden mes melt the monsters, keeping me warm against the cold that surrounds me and heal my body through my passive.

    And I continue to get hurt. The monsters are just that strong. A big chunk of my leg gets bitten off, unable to be fully restored with my passive. A big wound in my side, carved off by some extremely fast monster that passes by me.

    I fight and fight. I get hurt and I kill.

    Over and over again as my mana roars and hums, free atst.

    That''s when the biggest monster appears. As tall as a small apartment building, a few floors high. The monster is bipedal and with long front legs with mana circuits all over its forearms. The monster reminds me of a gori with an extremely muscr body and four eyes.

    I restore my eyes for a second.

    <strong>[Skystrider Beast - lvl ??]</strong>

    Javelins filled with thermal energy crash against the monster, barely doing any damage. My mes burn its skin, being weakened the closer they get to it. Kic energy disperses on the beast¡äs skin. Tricolored orbs burn the monster, even making it stagger a bit, but the implosion does nothing.

    Spending more time forcing my mana through a javelin that is three times my length and filled to the brim with thermal energy, I boost it while my heart thumps loudly. The monster is hurt by that, golden mes burning its body, the smell of burned skin and hair filling the air.

    Yet it''s durable, extremely so. Much more durable than the undead deer from the third floor.

    I move closer, then, pulling out the sword and covering the de with resonating mana that I extend.

    Just a small human jumping against the big monster while surrounded by pale blue armor and with a glowing sword in hand. Using everything in my arsenal, I continue to avoid deadly attacks while I feel disrupting properties from the glowing forearm of the monster.

    All the damage I deal is barely a scratch, the monster is just that big and durable, and that''s when the monster roars as I dash at its head, a shockwave throwing me on the ground where I hit it and continue to roll, pieces of my armor breaking together with my bones.

    When I finally absorb the inertia of my crash, the monster stands in front of me, moved there with one big leap, and its fist heading down at me.

    At thest moment, I release all the kic energy I collected, propelling myself to the side and then immediately again to avoid another shockwave.

    The lightning starts cracking on the monster''s pitch-ck skin, and its red eyes seem to glow with malice. It roars again, this time redirecting the shockwave and boosting its body towards me in a simr way I used my kic energy.

    Watching the monster move towards me, I slide into deeper <strong>[Focus]</strong> and the world feels as if it slowed down slightly.

    Breathe in.

    Breathe out.

    My mana radiates from my body, creating an armor around myself that bes a darker and darker shade of blue. It bes as big as the one Maya showed me, making me three heads taller than before, surrounded by my mana. But I do not stop there. I push more mana from my body and with a speed that would tear me apart without my newest epic passive.

    The armor around my body grows more and more, lifting me in the air until I''m at the chest of the translucent blue armor, surrounded by all this mana.

    <strong>[Armament - lvl 37 > Armament - lvl 38]</strong>

    <strong>[Armament - lvl 38 > Armament - lvl 39]</strong>

    My domain epasses it all, allowing me to stop it from dissipating and increasing my control over it.

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 13 > Mana Domain - lvl 14]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 14 > Mana Domain - lvl 15]</strong>

    And I continue to infuse more mana into it.

    <strong>[Mana Infusion - lvl 35 > Mana Infusion - lvl 36]</strong>

    Mana radiates all around me, making me over twice as tall as my normal height.

    The effect of the sub-ss Pride doesn''t allow my <strong>[Armament]</strong> to look shabby, so it gains some delicate ornaments, and the pieces of armor are functional and deadly, yet beautifully looking.

    I reach out my own hand, and the giant one made of my mana mirrors the movement. With a strong push, more mana flows there, and a sword made of mana, much bigger than the original in my hand, is created. A de of a darker shade of blue than the armor and with wisps of light blue mana flowing through it.

    Then I grab the sword and, taking a stance, I face the monster.

 Chapter 224: Beast

    Chapter 224: Beast

    The Skystrider Beast uses a shockwave roar again, but this time I burrow the feet of the armor into the ground, and the attack mostly disperse on the mana surrounding me.

    Like a strong wind, the shockwave tears off chunks of my mana, but I ignore it all. As I take a step toward the monster, I continue to radiate more of it, repairing the damage done.

    The sword in my mana hands resonates and shes against the monster''s skin. Unlike the ranged attacks, the sword is surrounded with <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, so it doesn''t disperse, and I finally draw more blood, making the monster roar. A swing of its fists sends me flying, the armor crumpling. The Skystrider Beast is still three times as tall as me, vicious and quick, and while I''m restoring the damage, it uses a shockwave and pushes me even further.

    And then another one.

    One more after that.

    Each attack is stronger than the previous, craters forming around me, pieces of stone as big as cars flying to the sides. The air itself vibrates and roars under the force of the monster''s skill.

    Bigger and bigger chunks of my armor get pulled away from me like a building getting torn apart by strong winds.

    So, I reach into my reservoir, and within my domain, mana moves quickly, filling the gaps, the armor bing denser, and the sword even longer.

    I take another step and the ground under me cracks. The mana has weight to it, either by itself or because of thebination of my skills.

    As I run towards the monster, each of my steps breaks the surface under my feet, and with each passing second of the fight, my control over the armor improves.

    I dodge the shockwave. I duck under the swing of the monster''s fist. While doing so, I lose bnce and use my hand to push myself back up, taking a hit from another fist but swinging my sword and dealing more damage.

    <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> expands, and mana from the Reservoir flows into the air, filling it with a pale blue shimmer. In the air, I form projectiles that fly toward the beast''s eyes, trying to blind it. A hand forms there as well, expanding and growing until it''s as big as the monster''s, but when it hits, it disperses, unable to endure the monster''s disruptive field on its skin.

    Unlike my armor around my body, my ranged attacks do not have<strong> [Resonance]</strong> fighting against its barrier.

    I stop releasing mana and just focus it more on the armor. I use <strong>[Redistribution] </strong>and <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> to make it stronger and slimmer, and then I charge the beast again.

    My movement is awkward, yet so much better than before. It''s getting easier to keep bnce, and I sh with the sword again, tearing the barrier on the monster''s skin and burrowing the sword deep into its side.

    The beast''s fist hits the head of my armor, destroying it, but my body is lower, in the middle of the chest.

    I duck under another swing and then again when the monster uses a shockwave to boost its body toward me.

    A giant fist hits the ground, creating a crater, and it roars again. This time the shockwave hits me but slides on the armor that I move. The armor is more durable than before.

    When the beast attacks again, I''m ready, already knowing what attack it will use.

    I dodge to the side and swing the sword towards the fist, the de humming audibly and for a moment shining brighter than before. It cuts through the monster''s skin, flesh, and bone. Easily as if there is no resistance. The cut-off hand falls to the ground, it being as big as a car.

    More mana radiates from me as I move again while the monster holds the stump.

    Both the monster and I move quickly, but slower than I would be if I was smaller. The mass and weight of <strong>[Armament]</strong> not allowing me to move faster.

    When I step close and am about to attack, the beast waves its hand at me. The moment blood makes contact with the mana surrounding me, it immediately disrupts it and consumes it like poison. It causes a burning sensation, andrge sections of the armor begin to disappear. I disregard this, even as the blood reaches my real body.

    Another swing destroys more of the armor, the disruptive circuits on the remaining beast¡äs arm still working. The monster then holds me and roars up close, and I feel my ears pop, blood leaking from them. My body vibrates, about to break apart.

    I let go of the sword, and it dissipates even before it falls to the ground, I grab and hold the monster while changing my hands a bit to have sharper fingers that I burrow into its skin.

    The beast doesn''t mind and lowers its taller body, a mouth full of teeth biting and tearing off more and more of the blue mana armor.

    I use Mana Regtor, and most of my mana rushes into my kic mana heart, generating an immense amount of kic energy.

    The armor around me bes even thinner as the beast roars again, a shockwave hitting me even more, and I feel blood in my mouth.

    But I wait and watch it all happen while mana from the reservoir flows into my body and threatens to tear it apart, even with my Arcane resilience active.

    When the monster finally bites off a bigger chunk of the chest of the <strong>[Armament]</strong>, I restore my eyes and look into its red eyes, and then switch kic energy to thermal that fills the remaining half of the armor with all that energy.

    The Skystrider Beast roars as the pieces of my armor get filled with immense heat in the same way I fill my mana orbs with thermal energy. Golden mes burn the ck skin of the monster, and I squeeze and hold it stronger, even moving myself closer while the beast tries to push me away.

    I fuel the mes, my heart beating and every throb sending even more thermal energy into what remains of the armor while I cling to the monster, burning it alive.

    The best roars, a shockwave hitting my golden mes, making it look as if a strong wind tries to blow them off, yet they endure. The beast tries to use its blood again, but it sizzles and burns, turning into smoke. It roars, it cries, hands that move and try to push me away, try to squeeze me, yet I hold on, my body wounded but healing under the influence of the mes that activate Pyrokic resurgence.

    It takes a few minutes, but the monster''s movements slow down, a bone showing through the burned flesh and the attempts to push me away weaker.

    I strengthen my armor with more mana and push the hand that tries to grab me away. I climb higher onto its body, and then towards the head. The beast bites at me, and I let it, losing a left arm of the armor that burns inside the mouth of the beast.

    After climbing higher, I swing the remaining arm and burrow it as deep into one of the monster''s eyes as, and then hold it as the beast thrashes against the ground in itsst attempts to get me off. It continues to try to pull me off, only causing me to burrow my mana arm deeper. In an attempt to get me off, it also scratches its head terribly, not feeling the wounds because of all this pain and its burning body.

    When the attempts weaken again, I redirect all the thermal energy and send it toward the arm that I hold stabbed into its eye socket. The parts of the armor stop glowing as all of the mes rush toward the wound, and the monster twitches a few more times, its blood sizzling and evaporating.

    A weak groan escapes its burned mouth, and after twisting its body thest time, it finally dies.

    <strong>[You have defeated Skystrider Beast - lvl 248]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 177 > Lvl 181]</strong>

    <strong>[Armament - lvl 39 > Armament - lvl 40]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Infusion - lvl 36 > Mana Infusion - lvl 37]</strong>

    The monster falls to the ground, and I fall on it. As I do so, the armor around me dissipates, and I roll off its corpse, unable to stop it from happening. The air escapes my chest as I hit the ground.

    I groan with pain, feeling a terrifying cold hitting my body, threatening to freeze it, and only then do I realize that I stopped generating thermal energy. With extreme difficulty, I calm my mind, and even through myining body, I start moving my mana again, transferring it to my heart and generating some heat that also slowly heals me, showing a limitation of the rare graded skill.

    My body is pummeled from the inside, burned by the monster''s blood, and even by some of my mes that I was unable to control fully.

    I pull out the Ethercrystal sword and stab it deep into the monster''s dead body. The de immediately starts sucking the remaining mana from it and strengthening me. With relief, I sigh and lean against the monster.

    A few scary minutes pass like that. My consciousness is kept only thanks to strengthening through the sword and mes that feed my passive. I watch as my hand shakes, and observing my body, I find out that I nearly depleted my body''s mana. The Mana Reservoir also took a bit hit, with less than a third of its capacity remaining.

    But as always, good things do notst.

    The monsters start moving towards me from all sides, not scared anymore by the Skystrider Beast. There are dozens of them.

    With a sigh, I pull the sword from the corpse and dodge to the side as a leech breaks the ground. I send a sharp pulse of mana through my body, strengthening it shortly at the top of the sword, and sh.

    <strong>[You have defeated Mana Leech - lvl 170]</strong>

    I move away from the corpse and my body staggers a bit as I feel weak in the legs. That makes an attack hit me, and I absorb only a bit of kic energy before I''m sent rolling on the ground.

    Sensing another mana signature underground, I use the collected kic energy and send my body to the side, rolling even further before I stop.

    When I get on my feet, I can barely stand, my body shaking and screaming in pain, and each use of mana sends sharp pain through my head.

    Dozens of monsters start hungrily eating the giant corpse, disgusting noises sounding as they tear the skin and flesh from the body. Their devouring movements twitch the body, making it seem as if it''s moving.

    For a moment, I feel a hint of a weird emotion.

    What a scary opponent the beast was, how far it pushed me. Yet now its lifeless body lies here, devoured by monsters that wouldn''t even dare toe close to it while it was alive. And now they eat it, not even giving it enough time to cool down.

    I feel the strengthening I''m getting from the sword weaken as the mana it was able to absorb starts to deplete and looking around, I detect a few dozen monsters moving toward me from all sides.

    Breathe in.

    Breathe out.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    More.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    MORE!

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    My body stops shaking, all the emotions gone other than one. Sheer arrogance I show against all the odds.

    How dare they try to attack me like hyenas, thinking I''m easy prey.

    The pain is still here but pushed to the back of my mind, and I squeeze the sword I''m holding. My mana starts filling my body once again, as always, giving me all these powers and skills I got so used to.

    My heart beats, and this time it''s I who attacks first.

 Chapter 225: Door in the mountain

    Chapter 225: Door in the mountain

    Even though I strengthen my body, it''s still weak, so I dodge the first attack by letting myself fall, my knuckles scratching as I still hold the sword. The leech passes over my head and, without even turning around, I send a short pulse of thermal energy at it, hearing it screech in pain.

    Another attack from the ground hits me, and this time I let it. I create armor only in front of my chest, absorbing some of the hits, strengthen my arm as much as I can and stab the monster. I continue to keeping up the armor on my chest and stabbing the monster. In the end, I also shoot a pulse of kic energy, finally killing it.

    Both of us fall down, and I keep the sword stabbed inside the corpse to absorb as much mana as possible.

    I pull the sword out and stagger backward, only to avoid a nearly invisible mana attack that the leeches like to use. Small part of it still hits me, making me spin. Falling down to my knees, I push with kic energy, sending myself rolling away and dodging another attack.

    Another pulse sends me back to my feet, just in time to surround my arm with mana armor and stab the sword deep into the monster''s mouth.

    Sharp teeth bite on the armor, cracking it, even sucking on the mana and weakening it further.

    Crumpled armor presses against my skin, even slightly cracking the bone, and I send thermal energy through. The armor lights up with yellow mes, and the leech, while screeching, lets go. I send a cone of kic energy against its head, killing it.

    The fight continues for what feels like hours. I''m so terribly weak right now, and killing a few dozen monsters strains me as much as nothingtely.

    I roll on the ground, I stumble, I dodge. I groan in pain. All while killing one monster after another, slowly and methodically, saving every point of mana mana and straining myself as little as possible.

    At some point, everything stops existing, and there are two orders I follow. Keep thermal energy flowing through so you won''t freeze. The second one is to kill anything that moves through the mana particles I use to track the monsters.

    Even then, the timees when thest notification sounds, and after sending my senses into the area, I feel no presence.

    A surprise hits me, and with it, a hint of disappointment. I starting back to my senses and to this dead, dark world with only stars lighting it. The second Beyond trial.

    Once again, I stagger towards the closest corpse and stab the sword into it, the de hungrily sucking on the mana and strengthening my body.

    That''s when I promise to myself that my next epic passive will be a healing one. Either a strengthened version of my current one or a better one. Actually, should I go and buy a rare passive now to heal me?

    After restoring my eyes for a moment and checking the timer, a greedy part of me decides against it and that I would rather save for a stronger passive than buy a weak one. The fight is over anyway, and I¡¯ll soon have Lily to heal my dumb ass.

    With ten minutes remaining until the end of the trial, I stand up and start moving back into the valley between the mountains.

    Only five minutes remain when I stop in front of the door, my chest moving up and down heavily even after a small usage of mana to get here faster.

    The next four minutes I spend staring at the inscriptions and remembering as many as I can, even etching simpler versions of them into a mana stone I have on me. They don¡¯t do anything, and it''s more akin to drawing on paper, just that the mana stones are much more expensive, yet I do not hesitate and do it as much as I can.

    One minute left.

    The world starts feeling as if it freezes over. I hear no sound and nothing moves at all. In the deafening silence, even mana inside my body refuses to move, and so does my mana heart. Only by checking the timer do I confirm that time didn¡¯t freeze, as it continues to tick down.

    Then a whisper sounds in my head, <em>(So very curious. Haven''t I met you during your first Trial?)</em>

    There isn¡¯t any connection that I could cut off, nor mana I could feel. The voice is just there, in my head. The inscriptions on the door start glowing even brighter, and the entire mountain feels as if it''s shaking.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± I ask.

    <em>(Just an intent I left in the tutorial.)</em> the voice says as if it exins everything, yet it only creates more questions for me.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    <em>(To mess with @*--?#)!)</em> it pauses, and I can nearly feel amusement from it. <em>(So she censored even her name.)</em> This time itughs, the mountain shaking even more, and big pieces falling all around as it continues to crack.

    The inscriptions glow in a painfully intense light, and I feel sick just from sensing the enormous amount of mana they contain and manipte.

    Five seconds remaining.

    ¡°Who is she?¡± I ask myst question.

    <em>(The Ruler of Greed, obviously.)</em>

    Then I get forced out.

    No portal appears near me; it''s just my body that is yanked backward, everything around me turning into a blur. When it all stops, I find myself in the underground area under the house.

    I sense that I triggered some sort of trap, and when I send my senses into the area, I realize that it''s only Sophie''s vastly improved web that surrounds the house. The effect I triggered was something akin to detection or a doorbell.

    <em>(Wee back,)</em> I let Sophie connect to my mind through her web.

    <em>(Can you send Lily here?)</em> I ask while sliding to the ground, my back against the wall.

    Huh, there is still so much blood?

    <em>(I did it already. Are you¡­)</em>

    I do not hear the rest of the words, and finally, after a week, I let myself pass out. Myst thought is that Lily will be pissed off.

    When I get back to myself, I decide to keep my eyes closed and don¡¯t move at all, nor change the way I breathe. Instead, I only send my senses and detect three people in the room: Lily, Tess, and Hadwin.

    ¡°So, how is he?¡± Hadwin asks first.

    At least a few hours must have passed already, so this more looks like he and Tess are checking on me while Lily heals me.

    But there is one question. Does she need to touch me that much? I mean, it''s probably so her powers can more easily enter my body and all, but it still feels a bit awkward having her hand move on my chest and around the wounds there.

    ¡°If I use <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong> I can heal him much faster, but I don¡¯t think it''s needed. His passive did help a bit,¡± from Lily¡¯s voice I hear contempt, as if she is looking down at my rare graded passive.

    That''s quite rude. Pyrokic Resurgence is trying its best.

    ¡°Well, you can tell him he almost died and you saved his life, Lily,¡± Hadwin says it in a way a grandpa would talk to his favorite grandchild.

    In answer, Lily giggles and jokingly says something back.

    I didn''t even notice they became so close. It feels a bit awkward finding it out. Sure, enough time passed to create friendships between people in the group, yet it still feels a bit weird.

    ¡°We will go, there is a quest to scout the territory around ants, apparently they are even closer now and if it continues this way they will get to the city in a month or two,¡± Tess sighs.

    Oh boy.

    ¡°Take care,¡± Lily shouts as they leave and I hear the doors close.

    For a while, Lily continues to send her mana into me and I observe it. I continue topare it to her skill a few weeks ago and the difference is huge. Lily is slowly but surely bing really good at it.

    Out of nowhere, she pinches and twists the skin on my right corbone, ¡°I know you are awake.¡±

    Should I start fake snoring and pretend to sleep?

    Lily pinches again and I finally open my eyes, ¡°That''s rude.¡±

    ¡°It''s rude to think I wouldn''t notice my patient being awake,¡± she snorts and lets go of me. ¡°You should get rid of your passive skill. To be honest, it''s pathetic how weak it is,¡± Lily adds out of nowhere.

    ¡°It helped me a lot,¡± I try to fight in the name of my innocent skill.

    ¡°I could heal better even on the second floor,¡± the ck-haired healer doesn''t seem to be impressed.

    Looking around, I realize that I''m on the bed in my room. Feeling the weight on my legs, I look down and there is a big burrito reminding me of a corgi sleeping on my legs.

    ¡°He stayed with you the entire time and refused to leave. Even when Izzy tried to lure him out with some food,¡± Lily says.

    ¡°I see,¡± I get out of myself, ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°Only a bit over a day.¡±

    Huh, that''s not that bad. Slowly I¡¯m improving. I should start working on my new construct to help me deal with these situations. First, I will need to get into healing a bit more. Traditional healing like Lily¡¯s isn''t something I was able to get in, but healing through thermal energy with my passive seems like something that I could work with.

    Before I realize it, Lily pinches my nose, ¡°You are spacing out again. You always do that,¡± sheins, ¡°Your eyes start looking even more distant. So what are you thinking about?¡± she pauses, ¡°Women?¡± her eyes are cheeky as she says so.

    Little twerp, pipsqueak! How dare she use my nose-pinching maneuver against me!

    ¡°Yesh, I thoukht about phwoman,¡± I say while she keeps my nose pinched.

    Our eyes meet, she pinches even harder and twists a bit, but then slowly a smile crawls on her lips.

    She startsughing, and I can hear relief in her voice as herugh sounds in the room, ¡°I''m d you are fine, Nathaniel,¡± Lily''s voice is soft as she says so.

    When Lily leaves, I reach to boop Biscuit''s nose to feel manlier, but then I see him sleeping peacefully and remember Lily saying that he stayed with me the entire time. With a sigh, I stop myself from doing so andy back on the bed, careful not to wake him up.

    So weak! I¡¯m so weak! Damn, what would Victoria say if she saw me like that? Actually, I don¡¯t even have to think about it, I can imagine her words, ¡°<em>Just do whatever you want, Nat</em>.¡± That''s just how she is.

    ¡°Status,¡± I whisper quietly to not wake up Biscuit.

    <strong>Name:</strong><em>Nathaniel Gwyn</em>

    <strong>Difficulty:</strong><em>Hell Floor: 4 - Waning Realm</em>

    <strong>Time left until forced return:</strong> 4y 125d 10h 2m 6s

    <strong>Traits (1/3):</strong><em>Mana Circuit </em>

    <strong>Lvl 182</strong>

    <em>Strength: 85</em>

    <em>Dexterity: 87</em>

    <em>Constitution: 223</em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 686 + 686</em>

    <strong>Primary ss: </strong><em>Focused Channeler (Epic)</em>

    <strong>Sub-ss:</strong><em>[Initiate of Pride]</em>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong>

    <em>Focus (Dual Focus Consolidation) - Lvl 40</em>

    <em>Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 41</em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 39</em>

    <em>Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 38</em>

    <em>Armament - Lvl 40</em>

    <em>Mana Infusion - Lvl 37</em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 31</em>

    <em>Mana Domain - Lvl 15</em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 7</em>

    <strong>Constructs:</strong>

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em>

    <em>Kic Mana Heart (Construct)</em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em>

    <em>Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)</em>

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong>

    <em>Cerebral Harmony (rare)</em>

    <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare)</em>

    <em>Pyrokic Resurgence (rare)</em>

    <em>Mana Reservoir (epic)</em>

    <em>Arcane Resilience (epic)</em>

    <strong>Tokens:</strong>

    <em>Beyond Difficulty entrance token</em>

    <em>Active skillbination token (low-grade)</em>

    <strong>Shards: </strong><em>3032</em>

    Nice, the reward of 1000 shards is already here. I have gained 12 levels, three of them from that annoying beast. A few skills leveled up too and broke through a bottleneck, meaning that I need to get two more skills over 40 to get a skill upgrade token as a reward from a side quest. Well, maybe I will ignore this quest and just use the active skillbination token as it seems much more useful than the skill upgrade token. It could also take me a few weeks to break through the skill bottleneck to level forty.

    But the biggest reward surely is the way I used<strong> [Armament]</strong>. A mecha-like armor allowed me to increase my size and fight against a much bigger monster that was resistant to my ranged attacks.

    With a few improvements, this could be terrifyingly strong, even though right now I should hesitate to use it. My proficiency is still terrible, so it used way too much mana and the process was so bad it put a useless strain on my body. A few weeks of experimenting with it should improve it further and add another weapon to my arsenal.

    But now, the thing I want to check the most.

    ¡°Use active skillbination token.¡±

    <strong>You have used an active skillbination token. Please pick two skills from the following ones you would like tobine.</strong>

    <strong>Warning! Combining two skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.</strong>

    <strong>Warning! Abination of notpatible skills can result in worse skills.</strong>

    <strong>Warning! Afterbining the skills, it will be extremely difficult to acquire the skills used forbination.</strong>

    <strong>List of avable skills tobine:</strong>

    <em>Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 41</em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 39</em>

    <em>Mana Infusion - Lvl 37</em>

    <em>Armament - Lvl 40</em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 7</em>

    Oh, so<strong> [Focus]</strong>, <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, and <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> are not avable forbination. It can either mean that the skills are just too high tier to be used this way, or the skillbination token is too low tier, and I would need to acquire a stronger one to actuallybine these skills.

    Well, it doesn''t matter; I wouldn¡¯t use it on either of those four skills. They are way too important to me to use them this way.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> with <strong>[Perception]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> with <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> with <strong>[Tether]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> with <strong>[Armament]</strong>

    <strong>[Perception]</strong> with<strong> [Mana Infusion]</strong>

    <strong>[Perception]</strong> with <strong>[Tether]</strong>

    <strong>[Perception]</strong> with <strong>[Armament]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Infusion]</strong> with<strong> [Tether]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Infusion] </strong>with<strong> [Armament]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether]</strong> with <strong>[Armament]</strong>

    Now then, I have ten possiblebinations. Let''s get into theorizing.

 Chapter 231: Ancient mine

    Chapter 231: Ancient mine

    For a while, there is nothing, just darkness, damp air, and the sound of our breathing and steps as we continue to touch the walls once in a while to send mana through the lines that light them up. It''s calmingly quiet, and there is something that I can''t identify that improves my mood. Maybe it is the unknown in front of us, the mystery to be solved, the expectation of a strong enemy.

    Or I''m just excited about this expedition that is something akin to a treasure hunt.

    After a while, attacks start. Small, annoying monsters pass through the walls only to throw an attack at us and then disappear back into them without leaving anything behind, no mana or heat signature to follow.

    Curiously, I observe other people dealing with them.

    Maya, for example, calmly calctes the direction of an attack, dodges it, and shoots a mana projectile at the monster, often quick enough to kill it. Her projectiles are getting quite good, something I forced onto her, having a feeling that her ranged attacks are severelycking.

    Isabe does something simr, but instead of mana, her attacks are made of small blue mes that burn extremely hot, melting the monster and pieces of the wall, all observed by a white snake coiled around her arm.

    Biscuit also once in a while uses a thin mana tentacle that catches a monster. The tentacles move extremely quickly and bend and twist in a way that clearly shows mastery over them. The best doggo of the fourth floor then expands the tentacle, crushing any monster dumb enough to attack our group.

    The tunnels continue on and on; they are surprisingly vast and the ever-present darkness seems to disturb some people. Thework has multiple ways we can use and twists, and as we walk deeper, I notice that Sophie is also leaving marks made of mana behind me, in a simr manner to me.

    However, even after a few hours, there seems to be no end to them and slowly they be rougher, more ancient feeling, and the air bes colder as well as more humid. Some parts of the walls are crumbling and some mana lines start flickering and blinking, not working properly. All to the point where we start using our own skills and items to light the way.

    The monsters also be stronger and more sneaky. Humanoid creatures without any eyes and with big mouths full of ragged teeth are now behind every corner, the echo of their screams filling the tunnels as they continue to attack.

    At this point, I also start helping so group 4 can save their mana and not waste it on such mobs. Unlike them, I have much more of it, so it''s not a problem.

    <strong>[You have defeated Hollow Stalker - lvl 91]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Hollow Stalker - lvl 101]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Hollow Stalker - lvl 88]</strong>

    Precisely aimed mana orbs made of<strong> [Regalia]</strong> continue to one-shot them, and I''m barely using mana, always only creating a small orb, that isn''t even that dense, that I shoot at their heads.

    Soon enough, I also learn to detect them with the help of my <strong>[Perception]</strong> and shoot them before they let out any sounds.

    <strong>[You have defeated Hollow Stalker - lvl 102]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Hollow Stalker - lvl 82]</strong>

    When we reach the first cave, the attacks nearly stop, either the monsters are avoiding us or just waiting for a better opportunity.

    Filling the orb with thermal energy and changing it a bit to let out light rather than heat, I send it towards the ceiling, revealing the impressive size of the cave we are in, surely as tall as some higher building and multiple times wider.

    That''s also when we see them; monsters clinging to the ceiling. Most are humanoid and with unnaturallyrge heads. Their limbs are thin and reminiscent of spider legs rather than human ones. They immediately start hitting the ceiling they cling to, urately dropping stctites as big as cars on us.

    Min-Jae and Tess, with the use of their respective skill, redirect some bigger stones while stopping the smaller ones and throwing them back at the monsters clinging to the ceiling.

    Unsurprisingly, that makes even more stones start to fall down, but they just continue to grab them and throw them back at those weirdoes at the ceiling. It quickly gets out of hand, and dozens and dozens of pieces of stones as big as a fist or as big as a small motorcycle are annihting the monsters.

    Once in a while, I also redirect some or explode them with kic energy, but I don''t do much more as Min-Jae is smiling for the first time since we entered the mines.

    When we start moving again, there are no monsters around, and we enter another tunnel, this time even older looking, the ground covered in debris and dust.

    Three of Obelia''s people start monitoring the tunnels even more than before. They are sending their mana or using their skills towards the stone all around us, something done in worry of tunnels breaking and swallowing us all.

    So far, it appears safe; they only use their skills asionally to strengthen the tunnel while I observe them doing so.

    I slow down a bit, until I walk by Tess''s side, "So, what attribute did you upgrade? Mana and Potency?" I ask her.

    From my point of view, Restoration and Potency would fit her nicely. Potency would be most likely nice to improve her Primordial lightning, while Restoration would work nicely with <strong>[Psychokinesis]</strong> and allow her to quickly regenerate her mana for longer fights.

    "Potency, and I will start investing more stats into mana," Tess says after creating a barrier around us to make sure no one listens, "During the Beyond trial, I found out that my damage iscking," she looks at me, "maybe you are not that wrong saying that the best defense is to quickly kill your enemy."

    "Right? I always say that, but you guys don''t listen," I shake my head, "Upgraded already?"

    "Yes, before the expedition. The effect is more terrifying than I thought, even after listening to you about how significant attribute upgrade is."

    "Doesn''t that make it even better? If even you are scared of your own skill, imagine your enemy." As a reward for sharing my wisdom, I get an amused look.

    "We are here," Obelia says simply, her voice strengthened by mana spreading to everyone.

    Her eyes meet mine and I nod, moving closer after gesturing to Sophie to join. There I find a few of her guild members standing in front of a smooth stone wall covered in inscriptions and teeming with mana.

    "A few years ago, we tried to dig a tunnel around the door, it took us months to dig just a short distance. Then the tunnel fell, and it took us a year to clear all the rubble while stopping it from falling further," Obelia says.

    She continues to talk as I send my senses toward the door. ¡°The only reasonable option seems to be going through the door, but none of my people were able to do it, and even a few people from the city were unable to do anything, and Elydor¡­¡±

    ¡°He was a big piece of shit,¡± I say, sending even more mana at it, observing its movement and how it interacts with the mana of the door.

    ¡°Yes, a huge piece of¡­ shit,¡± Obelia confirms. ¡°And you don¡¯t even know half of¡­¡±

    While I send mana towards what feels like the center of the door, something clicks inside of it. Right after, an almost imperceptible pulse of mana is sent from the door.

    Huh?

    I wait a bit and nothing changes, so I examine the ce where it came from and then, slowly, I realize what has happened.

    My mana fires up at full power.

    <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> activates, bigger than ever before.

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 15 > Mana Domain - lvl 16]</strong>

    <strong>[Regalia - lvl 7 > Regalia - lvl 8]</strong>

    Within that domain, I turn and change all of the mana with the help of <strong>[Regalia]</strong>, creating a spherical barrier all around us, big enough to cover both my and Obelia¡¯s group.

    A few questions are thrown at me and surprised shouts fill the room while I create something like pirs within the barrier to strengthen it even more.

    Then the others notice what''s happening as well and dozens of skills activate at the same moment.

    I infuse my barrier with kic energy and then watch as the entire tunnel, the cave around us,es crashing down, tonnes of stones crumbling all around.

    A minute that feels impossibly long passes, and finally, a silence ensues. The lights that flickered up until now stop shaking and light up the faces of the expedition members. Some of them terrified, others scared, all of them looking at the barrier around us, supported by something like pirs and preventing it from crashing down on us.

    ¡°I will solidify the rocks around us,¡± one of Obelia¡¯s men shouts.

    ¡°Quickly, create a secondary barrier¡­¡±

    ¡°What was that? How did it happen!¡±

    ¡°More lights, we need more lights!¡±

    Everyone bes busy, movements urgent, and faces and bodies are covered in the dust from the crumbled stone. One after another, they start examining the situation we ended up in.

    Meanwhile, I continue to stare at the door, probably our best option to get out of this situation, Obelia steps closer, and I can see her trying to catch my gaze. She is literally drilling holes into the side of my face.

    ¡°Anyway, my barrier shouldst for quite a while,¡± I tell her.

    I didn¡¯t even touch my Mana Reservoir yet, and Arcane Resilience made using this amount of mana so quickly a fairly painless process, so I¡¯m not even hurt at all.

    As I send more mana inside the door with extreme care, even more extreme care than before, I feel a movement at the edge of my <strong>[Perception]</strong>.

    Monsters are drilling through the tonnes of stone above us and heading towards the barrier. Without anyone stopping them, they reach it, and an attack starts, this one even more taxing to endure than the weight of the stones. Some monster with a somewhat disruptive skill?

    I don¡¯t even have to say anything as Sophie turns to me, connecting to my mind through her web, <em>(I will carefully deal with them. Obelia and some others might sense my skill, but I will try to do it in a way they won¡¯t have suspicion of mind maniption.)</em>

    <em>(I will open the door in the meantime,)</em> I send back and return to the door.

    The inscriptions here are extremely dense and beautiful. What feels like miles of circuits all over the door, creating pretty ornaments while staying functional. They are nothing inparison to what I saw on the mountain-tall door during Beyond¡¯s second trial, but they are still nothing to scoff at.

    Multiple circuits strengthen the door, more of them lock it, then there are some detections and a few more that I identify as very nicely hidden traps.

    I mean, anyone could have missed them. The person who created these traps must have been extremely skilled. Most likely some sort of master.

    As I said, such a trap is super easy to miss even by someone examining the door extremely carefully.

    I myself know I would never be angry if someone tried to open them and triggered one of the traps.

    Yup.

    Could have happened to the best of us.

    I touch the door and <strong>[Focus] </strong>on both the barrier and the locked door in front of me.

    A few hours pass, and I have a feeling that I''m close to opening the door. I have already locked the ¡°keyhole,¡± and now I keep constantly using my mana to infuse the door, sending it through the same circuit as the defenses in attempts to learn them. I already have a few ideas on how to improve the door into my room, and soon they might really be able to endure Lily¡¯s<strong> [Disintegration]</strong>.

    At some point, I don¡¯t even perceive the people stuck there with me, and it all starts feeling like fun.

    On purpose, I trigger a few more traps but cut off the signal they send as well as destroy the circuits they use. This reduces the amount of mana I have to decipher, as well as removes annoying obstacles. Obelia and Sophie have sensed that as they are also partially following what I¡¯m doing, trying to be helpful.

    When I destroyed the traps, they became a bit worried and started preparing for another attack. Then, when I told them there would be no attack and the traps I triggered were on purpose.

    For some reason, that made them even more worried.

    But slowly and surely, I get through all of this, and when I finally etch the circuits into one of the expensive mana stones I get from Obelia, I¡¯m almost regretful. It was really fun.

    ¡°Ready?¡± I ask.

    After checking, I hear confirmation from both Tess and Obelia, and I put the mana stone against the door and activate it. The door splits vertically, a red glowing crack appearing across their entire length while the circuits dim out. On their own, the doors slowly open inward, a terrible stench hitting us.

    A dozen of my thermal orbs float inside, lighting up what seems like a room. The walls are expertly carved, and beautiful pirs support the enormous room. There, all around this room, corpses lie. Dozens, hundreds of humans and even some lynthari all across the ground, bodies terribly torn, limbs missing.

    And all of the bodies look only a few days old.

 Chapter 234: 5th explorer

    Chapter 234: 5th explorer

    <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> expands and I fill it with resonating mana again, canceling the arrows that the archer shoots at group 4.

    Then his eyes made of mana stones glow and the stone lodged inside its chest radiates more mana. Its attacks be stronger and some of the arrows, even though weakened by my domain, sh against barriers I create.

    That''s when Tess reaches him, the mana exploding around her as she tears stones off the walls and the ground, making them spin around her before flinging them at the archer.

    In between these attacks, a dozen of her rare endurium javelins continue to move as if they are alive. They change directions and let out a piercing noise as they pass through the air while leaving a trail of ck and white lightning.

    The archer disappears, appearing behind Tess, the arrow lodged in its bow and aimed at her. Within the domain, I quickly create an anchor and teleport behind him.

    His barrier forms once again, but I resonate mana on my skin at the same frequency and my kick sends the archer flying, rolling on the ground.

    Immediately Tess''s attacks start hitting the monster, the lightning burning its body.

    I use tether to appear close and mes that I infuse with <strong>[Resonance]</strong> ze against the archer that once again creates a spherical barrier. The mes crash against it, the barrier enduring for a bit before getting disrupted by mes infused with resonating mana. As they start touching the archer, he teleports again, this time appearing behind group 4.

    Before he does anything, a javelines flying and lodges itself deep into his body. The Arcane Archer staggers backward, lightning cracking around him.

    Tess predicted this kind of attempt.

    Before the archer moves again, Maya¡¯s spear made of mana stabs against the barrier he hastily creates and before Lily¡¯s <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> hits it, he teleports again.

    This time I¡¯m better at tracking his teleport and appear next to him soon after, my kick hitting the barrier and sending ripples through it. The corpse changed the barrier''s frequency.

    An attack explodes from it and the arrow that pierces everything it touches hits <strong>[Regalia]</strong> infused with kic energy.

    I stagger backward, pushed by the force of the attack, and most of the energy gets absorbed by the armor. Then I infuse<strong> [Regalia]</strong> with<strong> [Resonance]</strong> and the arrow explodes, the attack mostly disrupted by my armor.

    Two of Tess''s javelins hit the archer''s barrier, forcing him to move right to one of the multiple anchors I left all around the room.

    I rely on Arcane Resilience and send as much mana as I can into the anchor, it quickly turning into a tricolored orb that starts glowing white. Tess moves behind me, lightning trailing her body and the archer tries to teleport, but he is unable to do so as I send a pulse of disrupting mana at him.

    Instead, he strengthens his barrier and the exploding orb obliterates it, sending immense heat into the room and burning the archer.

    I absorb any heat that reaches me before it can hit Storm Brigade or group 4.

    The following implosion pulls the archer towards where the core of the orb was but he resists and more mana radiates from him, an immense amount that destroys all the anchors I left around and deals with the implosion.

    When he turns his head to me, there is no hate in his lifeless eyes. He is just a personality construct, and an imperfect one.

    Both of his eyes lose their light and the mana stone on the chest starts glowing brighter. The amount of mana he releases threatens mine, pushing it, trying to dominate it.

    What a funny guy.

    I reach into my Mana Reservoir and let the mana flow.

    <strong>POV Obelia Jenth</strong>

    The amount of mana that fills the room is almost sickening and all of it radiates from two figures in front of me. A terrifying young man and the corpse of the Champion''s disciple.

    There is no beauty in it, no delicacy. Just like wild animals growling towards each other, pressuring the other one with their mana.

    Tess moves to my side and looks at me, ¡°Let''s not do anything. It''s better to not interrupt him when he is like that,¡± she says simply and even the crown disappears from over her head. The lightning crown I never saw anyone using before. And the woman I dared to call my disciple uses it with such ease, not realizing the power she possessed.

    What a terrifying bunch of people she and her guild are. But most of all, their guild master.

    The archer throws away the bow and a dozen of projectiles form around him, each of them as big as a thick spear and twice as long. He shoots them, at us, the shockwave following each one of them.

    Yet, moving only a bit they stop once again. Unable to pierce the field around the terrifying young man. Even more mana radiates from him and it tears apart each and every projectile, then as if making fun of his opponent, he also creates projectiles, three of them, all dark blue with wisps of purple and light blue mana swirling inside.

    ¡°FUCK! Run!¡± multiple people from Angry Kittens scream right away.

    Even before these words are finished they are all running out of the room.

    With fascination, I watch as each of the projectiles starts turning bright white and is shot towards the archer.

    ¡°Barriers!¡± Tess shouts towards her guild and mine as well.

    Hearing the tension in her voice, everyone who can creates a barrier.

    A sh of bright white light blinds me for a moment as well as a st of mana that washes over us. The explosion ensues and I can feel the heat on my skin, as well as feel the vibrations as pieces of stone fall from the ceiling together with dust.

    I push it all away with my mana and then look towards the room where the young man and the corpse are fighting.

    My view is blocked by a barrier that seems to cover the entirety of the entrance, the barrier made of dark blue, purple, and light blue mana. There are cracks all over it and I can see ripples spreading all over the surface as the barrier cracks, crumbling and revealing what''s happening in the room.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Nathaniel stands there in armor simr to the barrier that is now covered in cracks and golden mes ze around him. Opposite of him, the archer stands, missing his left leg and arm, both reced by prosthetics made of mana.

    ¡°Hey, get your asses over here, this guy is weak so you can finish him off, it¡¯s nice to practice. Biscuit, you don¡ät have to,¡± he calls towards his guild.

    Remembering the powerful attacks of the archer, I look towards them and most of them don¡¯t even seem surprised, while some of them seem excited to fight.

    I watch as they all move inside the room and start fighting while Nathaniel stands to the side. He constantly spreads his mana around and only helps when it looks like any of them will die.

    His guild members get hurt. Bones are broken, deep wounds form, and they get thrown around. Yet, all of them fight.

    A little girl fights with mes that devour everything, yet they don¡¯t burn anyone from her guild. They form orbs that she shoots at the archer, making him avoid explosions of blue mes.

    A ck-haired girl fights up close, taking wounds and restoring them immediately while not being affected by them at all. With gray mana that seems to terrify even the personality construct of a man long dead.

    An older man is able to take on some weaker attacks of an enemy well over level 200. His body is handling it all, and his swordsmanship is somewhatcking, but it shows his immense talent for positioning and his calm, calcting personality.

    A ck-haired woman with dark blue armor around her body that continuously creates and changes weapons made of mana and even uses some mana projectiles to shoot at the archer.

    Twins that move faster than anyone else from the group, both impossibly synchronized and sometimes even switching ces with each other while creating extremely realistic illusions.

    A young boy who skillfully moves dozens of iron orbs that hit much stronger than they should and move at a speed that is hard for me to watch. He also does something that further slows down the movement of the monster.

    And each single one of them has that weird look in their eyes. A look simr to their guild master.

    What a scary bunch.

    In the end, the arcane archer is a disappointment. Seeing his level, I hoped for more, but he is just an imperfect imprint with limited mana. A personality construct of someone much less skilled than Lissandra.

    His mana reserves also weren''t that big and he was capable of using only a few skills. Powerful skills, yet with limited use and it''s not that smart, only reacting to outside stimuli. So, I just watch Angry Kittens fighting his further weakened version after fighting with me.

    I notice that Obelia keeps staring at me, but I mostly ignore her and observe the fight in front of me.

    Not even having to join that much, I let group 4 deals with an enemy that is close to 100 levels higher than them, and to be honest, the archer right now, after nearly depleting his mana, feels under level 200.

    So yup, he is quite getting bullied, even though hends a few nice hits.

    In the end, it¡¯s Hadwin who deals the finishing blow, his epic sword cutting through the corpse that barely has any mana left inside its body.

    <strong>[You have defeated Arcane Archer - lvl 228]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 182 > Lvl 183]</strong>

    I reach what remains of him and without hesitation pull out the mana stones from his eyes and chest. After sending my mana inside them, it''s as I think, and there is a scarily delicate set of circuits that allowed storing the personality imprint as well as mana for who knows how many years.

    All the stones are part mana battery, part personality construct, partially allowing the corpse to use skills or the mana, but there is something else too. A piece of information that is encrypted inside. A message left to humans, most likely talking about the invasion of lynthari, Pairing, maybe Cmities, or about the war. Or maybe it is a recipe for the best smoked deer meat. Who knows.

    I also pick up the bow that didn''t get destroyed during the fight, not even damaged by my tricolored javelins.

    <strong>Windrider Composite Bow (epic):</strong><em>Engineered with high-tensile materials, this bow is designed to enhance andpress any mana or other projectile it fires. This results in a remarkable increase in both the distance the projectiles can travel and the force with which they strike.</em>

    Quite a shitty weapon to leave to someone for a fight in a small room underground. Somewhere outside with his teleport, the Arcane archer would be a much more terrifying enemy. Now what to do with the bow? It would be nice for Tess and would allow her to create projectiles out of lightning and shoot them much further. The same goes for Lily who might be able to shoot <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>.

    Or Izzy for some long-range fire attacks? Maybe even Min-Jae after getting him arrows made from mana conductive metal he likes to use and increase its weight with <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong>?

    Hell, even Maya could create some mana projectiles, strengthen them with her<strong> [Boost]</strong>, and have them even morepressed before shooting.

    ¡°Do you mind if I keep it?¡± I ask Obelia, who is looking at me and unsurprisingly she doesn''t seem to mind that much.

    I check one more time the mana stones in my hands and all of them look somewhat simr when ites to encrypted and stored information. The size of that information seems the same in each stone so there shouldn''t be a difference.

    Then I hand her the mana stones that used to be the eyes of the Arcane Archer and look at her with a question in my eyes.

    Obelia just takes them and nods.

    Still, I feel a bit bad as an asshole from Beyond messed up with her collection of information so I will make sure to pay her back a bit in the future, even though she doesn''t realize it''s our fault.

    I put away the big mana stone and hand the bow to Tess, ¡°You can decide who to give it to.¡±

    The moment it gets out of my hand I feel relief as I get rid of the annoying decision. Tess and others can fight over it.

    I know that Tess is using <strong>Abyssal Anchor (epic):</strong><em>This gravity anchor is made from a heavy mythical metal. When activated, it creates a gravitational pull, dragging foes towards the item and locking them in ce, leaving them vulnerable and restrained.</em>

    Twins got <strong>Veilshade Cloak (epic):</strong><em>Tailored from the rare and elusive shadow silk, this cloak grants the wearer a veil of obscurity against magical detection. Its dark aura masks the user''s magical signature, making it a prized possession for those seeking to move unnoticed through realms guarded by magical sentinels.</em>

    And thest epic item we got from the old capital and our friend Elydor went to Hadwin - <strong>Darkstride Ring (epic): </strong><em>This ring is imbued with a dark enchantment that allows the wearer to step into the shadows and reappear a short distance away in a different shadow, effectively granting the ability to blink through shadows for a tactical advantage on the battlefield.</em>

    Damn, I miss Elydor. I wish I could start the floor over again and meet him one more time.

    ¡°Check the Beyondmunity,¡± Tess leans closer and whispers into my ear.

    I do so right away.

    <strong>Beyond 5/10</strong>

    With Tess being the 4th it looks like someone else joined.

    <strong>Gareth - </strong><em>How do I change my name here?</em>

    <strong>Sset - </strong><em>you can''t</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em> Oh, hello, friend! That¡¯s unfortunate indeed.</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em>I wanted to leave the Community to Maximilian and Jakub, but they are unable to join this one.</em>

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em>who are Maximilian and Jakub?</em>

    <strong>Gareth - </strong><em>Sorry, my friend! They go by Brainiac and Lootenant in themunity.</em>

    The newest Beyond explorer immediately starts doxxing his group members.

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em>My name is Gareth Vogel, leader of group number 1 we named WhiteWing. I''m 40 years old and from Germany. I just finished the 1st Beyond trial and hope we will get along.</em>

    Not only his group members, but he is doxxing himself too.

 Chapter 235: Why are you here?

    Chapter 235: Why are you here?

    ¡°Can you take care of this?¡± I ask Tess, and when she nods, I turn my attention back to the room.

    First, I check on group 4. Hadwin''s wounds, even the big ones, are already nearly healed thanks to his weaker healing skill and Lily. The petite ck-haired girl is still missing some limbs and fingers, but she seems fine. <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong> is a scary skill and even scarier is how used to it she got.

    I will have to sit down with her and force her to learn to sacrifice other things than her body parts. The skill also seems fairly good as for a short moment she was quick enough to rival the Arcane Archer. It was a really short moment and it did cost her, but the amount it boosted her speed is quite nice.

    ¡°Everyone is fine,¡± Sophie says after stopping by my side, ¡°Some wounds, but nothing too serious, and Lily will get her hands back.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. You couldn¡¯t do that much, right?¡±

    She shakes her head, ¡°The archer didn¡¯t have any mind I could manipte. I will have to be more careful. I rely too much on mind maniption.¡±

    I can¡¯t help but agree, but I don''t think it will be that hard for her.<strong> [Maniption]</strong> is a fairly versatile skill and she will find something even though mind maniption is something she is best at.

    <em>(Food?)</em>

    I turn my attention to the best doggo of the 4th floor, no, the best doggo of the tutorial, ¡°You did fucking amazing.¡±

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    ¡°Yes! You totally destroyed him, he couldn¡¯t do shit against you!¡±

    <em>(Food food!)</em>

    ¡°Yes, you are the good boy!¡±

    I keep petting the mighty young divine beast and the future Absolute of Earth. The Archmage Biscuit. May he remember me when he rises to his throne. To be honest, seeing him sometimes do things like he did during the fight against the archer makes me wonder how strong he actually is. I don¡¯t think I saw his full power yet.

    Does he also have sses? Subss? Is it a gluttony subss if yes? What Primordial energy does he have? What is his level?

    Well, it doesn¡¯t matter that much. He is cute so he can keep his secrets.

    Walking towards Obelia, I notice one of Min-Jae''s orbs on the ground and lift it. It''s much heavier than it looks, surely as heavy as little Isabe. And he is moving dozens of them like it''s nothing. Then I remember that a long time ago I gave him practice where I told him to make the stone heavy with his<strong> [Gravity Well]</strong> and move it around with <strong>[Telekinesis]</strong> at the same time.

    Oh boy. Did he continue to do that the entire time? Is this why he asked for mana conductive metal to make it better to ept his skills? The orbs are small, but with how durable they are, how heavy they are, and how quickly they move, they deal a lot of damage.

    What a silly teenager.

    Can group 4 people stop being scary for just a moment?

    ¡°Min-Jae, this thing is terrifying. Good job.¡± I hand him the orb and he gives me a big smile back.

    The twins immediately make fun of him, but he only smiles brighter.

    I reach Jenna, who is already examining the two mana stones I gave to Obelia, ¡°Hey.¡±

    She greets me with a nod and I look at her guild master, ¡°How does it look?¡±

    ¡°Jenna is trying to decipher them. It will take a lot of time, but I don¡¯t mind it that much. We already confirmed our suspicions so hopefully, the mana stones will contain more information.¡±

    I nod. I also have one mana stone that I n to examine and then use as a Mana battery.

    I nce at it.

    <strong>Whispering Echo Stone (epic):</strong><em>The Whispering Echo Stone is a rare, iridescent mana stone that serves as a powerful mana battery and harbors an imperfect personality imprint. There is something encrypted inside.</em>

    Yup, another epic item in my collection. Something tells me it shouldn¡¯t be that easy to get them even though this one isn¡¯t that useful. The part that would make it a bigger mana battery is ruined by inscriptions of the personality imprint and encrypted information. In the end, the amount of mana it can hold is really small, a few hundred stat points worth.

    ¡°Any luck with finding a way out?¡± I ask. I know there are already multiple of her guild members looking around the room in hopes of finding an array that would allow us to teleport outside.

    ¡°Nothing so far,¡± she shakes her head.

    Not too surprised, I head towards the door that has tonnes of stones on the opposite side and activate my <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>. I take hold of the skill and change it so that instead of keeping a sphere-like domain around me, it extends more in one direction. Then I continue to make it thinner and thinner, just big enough to create an anchor.

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 16 > Mana Domain - lvl 17]</strong>

    I also check it with my <strong>[Perception]</strong> and in the end, I have a feeling that I''m close to reaching unfallen parts of the tunnels.

    That much should be enough for now, I have an option of moving people outside with the help of<strong> [Tether],</strong> or in the worst case, we can dig the tunnel. <strong>[Resonance] </strong>would be good for that while other people would strengthen the stone so it doesn''t fall down.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Or I can take the epic ring from Hadwin and find some shadow far away and get there after leaving an anchor where I am. Now that I think about it, it could be better. The ring has further reach the more mana you pump into it.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to always see you so calm,¡± Lily stops by my side, ¡°You just look like you are thinking about what you will eat after we get out or how to make your skills more destructive.¡±

    ¡°Quite rude to hear from someone with a Skill literally called <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>.¡±

    ¡°I know, right? Are you scared of it?¡± she asks teasingly.

    ¡°A little bit,¡± I lie.

    Actually, I''m scared of her skill by a lot. Scared and jealous. I mean, <strong>[Focus]</strong> and <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>, the Skills I started with are good and all, but!

    ¡°Yeah, me too sometimes,¡± she sighs. ¡°Dennis said I should seal it in my left arm and put some bandages around it. Something about renaming it to ck Dragon and keeping it sealed.¡± Lily rolls her eyes.

    ¡°I think we found something,¡± Jenna interrupts us and we follow where she leads us.

    There is a big iron circle on the ground, an array simr to the one Storm Brigade used to teleport us towards the old capital.

    Jenna carefully moves more stone from it, ¡°There are probably dozens of traps, so I think it will be better if you check it.¡± Her tone is somewhat casual, yet respectful.

    I quickly get to it and put my hand on it, and it''s as she said, there are dozens of traps and some of them even seem to be set to make teleportation go terribly wrong or make it explode the moment we feed it mana.

    Jenna leaves and I continue to observe it while Lily sits nearby and slowly restores her limbs and fingers.

    Slowly I get deep into it, and the trap even required me to focus on multiple things at once, and that is something I learned to do.

    My <strong>[Focus] </strong>splits into multiple parts, something I did a long time ago with my first skill upgrade token, and then decided against it to not weaken my skill. Yet, while improving my abilities I have learned to do it on my own. To split my skill into multiple parts, each weaker than the original, and <strong>[Focus]</strong> on multiple things at once. Doing it bes somewhat easy in a simr way consolidation became.

    The more I learn about the skills the more I reflect on my decision to improve my knowledge. And each new thing I learn makes me happy.

    ¡°You are quite charming when you focus on something,¡± Lily says out of nowhere.

    That makes me look at her.

    She giggles at my expression, ¡°Even though your expression doesn¡¯t change, I can tell that you are having fun and when you give something your full attention. It¡¯s¡­ charming,¡± she avoids using the word I know she wanted to use.

    ¡°Lily,¡± I say.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Remind me, how old are you?¡±

    ¡°Eighteen in a few weeks!¡± she answers, not understanding why I asked.

    I can only sigh and filter out the voice of our childish healer and focus back on the array. The world bes scarily quiet and loses its colors, and I activate my<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong> too and get to it. I examine all its twists, remove all the traps, and fix the circuits that were broken with time. I enjoy the entire process and even catch myself not caring about the time I spend doing it. It''s fun.

    In the end, I stop when the array feels like it''s fixed and examine it one more time.

    Seems good, this should do.

    I look up and my eyes meet those of Jenna¡¯s, who also waits for me to finish my work.

    ¡°Can you tell where it''s leading?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°Let me see,¡± she passes by me and puts her hand on the array. The mana she sends in is a bit weird, and she even uses one of the items Obelia takes out when working on arrays.

    Curious, I examine the process and try to remember as much as possible.

    ¡°Most of the arrays are multi-directional. For example, the one we used to get to the old capital leads to two more ces. The one we used to get out of the old capital also leads to three ces in total,¡± her voice is quiet as her mana continuously flows inside.

    In the end, she shakes her head, ¡°This array leads only in one direction, and I can''t tell right away, but I think the one it reaches also connects only to this one.¡±

    Jenna stands up and after excusing herself, she leaves to meet Obelia.

    ¡°Interesting, isn''t it?¡± I hear the soft voice from behind me.

    I don¡¯t even have to turn around to know who it is and decide to stay quiet.

    ¡°Nice reaction,¡± the voice continues to speak softly.

    At the same time, Lily also continues to talk to me, her expression clearly showing she doesn¡¯t hear the voice that talks to me.

    ¡°I will check something else, Lily. Can you check on Hadwin? Just in case?¡± My steps be heavier as I head away from the room, reaching the far corner of the big room we first entered.

    After making sure I''m behind the pir, I wait a bit and soon the lynthari woman, who is barely taller than me, passes by my side and stops in front of me, the Lynthari Matriarch. I wonder, why is the matriarch shorter than any other adult lynthari? Is there a reason for that?

    Her piercingly blue eyes meet mine, and she moves a strand of her red hair from her shoulder.

    My mana continuously flows through my body, strengthening it, defending my mind, and trying to perceive everything around me.

    Out of nowhere, the Matriarch is here.

    No, she was here the entire time; she entered the mines with us, and she walked by our side.

    She observed the fight.

    The entire time just an arm''s reach away from us, yet no one could see her, no one could sense her.

    ¡°I can see why Myrra calls you the feral one,¡± the matriarch, who looks barely thirty, just smiles. It¡¯s a somewhat friendly smile.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± I manage to get out of myself.

    For a moment, she muses over her next words and then she just says, ¡°At first, I went here to kill everyone from Storm Brigade. Obelia long since started asking too¡­ ufortable questions and her obsession isn''t helping either.¡± She turns around and looks towards one of the men from Obelia''s guild.

    He is walking towards where we are, but then, without me sensing anything, the man''s expression changes and he stops, a surprised giggle escaping his mouth and he walks around where we are as if there is a wall in front of him.

    ¡°As for you and your guild, I nned to keep you alive. Mainly because you have a few guild members with interesting skills,¡± she thinks a bit longer, ¡°Oh, and Eris seems to like you, calling you underling and such, so I would feel bad for killing you.¡±

    Her voice is calm and confident, even as she talks about killing a few dozen people. A voice of someone confident in their decisions and power. A voice of someone who is used to ruling and making difficult decisions for a long time.

    ¡°But?¡± I ask.

    ¡°The array you just fixed, do you have any idea where it leads?¡± A few steps and she stops in front of me. I could reach her if I lifted my hand.

    ¡°Jenna said it''s one-directional,¡± I answer as I still have no idea.

    ¡°Yes, it leads to the tunnels far away from here,¡± her canines show, ¡°to theb where the lynthari Champion created the self-sustained biological weapon called the Colony.¡±

 Chapter 236: Back on the surface

    Chapter 236: Back on the surface

    It had long been suspected here in this world that the Colony and the Living Tree were weapons used in a war long ago. But learning in one day that the war was against invaders called lynthari and the Colony was something created to be used against humans would be quite earthshaking news for someone from this floor.

    ¡°So, you guys invaded this world during the Pairing, you fought humans, you created the Colony and the Living Tree and a few hundred yearster you are at the point you are?¡±

    ¡°If you say it like that, it sounds quite rude,¡± her tail, which is much fluffier than other lynthari¡¯s, moves, showing her amusement. ¡°The Pairing is something that is forced onto us by )0¨² +!?¨²#*,¡± she continues to exin, but the system automatically censors everything else.

    What a surprise.

    ¡°I see,¡± I nod and pretend to understand, ¡°The Living Tree is also your job?¡± I ask.

    The lynthari matriarch doesn''t say anything else and a weird smile appears on her face and she nods, ¡°It''s been a long time since I talked with someone about it,¡± she breathes in, ¡°it''s refreshing.¡±

    ¡°So that means the other lynthari don''t know?¡±

    ¡°They are too young, and I made sure to kill everyone who knew, leaving only kids behind.¡±

    I open my mouth to ask why, but I freeze at the start of the sentence. Her eyes clearly show that this is as much as she will say. Asking more than this would be dangerous.

    ¡°I see,¡± I say in the end, and her tail moves a bit, showing an emotion that is hard to describe, seemingly both annoyed and amused at the same time.

    Without exining anything else, she turns around and walks into the wall, passing by it as if it''s not there.

    What level is she? Surely over 250 and her ss is <strong>[Enthraller - lvl ??]</strong>,<strong></strong>showing only two question marks so she is still under level 300.

    It''s all really weird, she is a matriarch, probably the strongest living lynthari, yet she called Myrra Champion candidate. Does it mean that Myrra only possesses the potential to be Champion while the matriarch does not? Before this floor ends, I will have to ask her a few questions.

    For a moment, I examine the wall she left through and there is no illusion or hidden entrance, it''s just a normal wall, meaning she used some skill to pass through it. That''s interesting, but there is something that annoyed me more than her ability to pass through materials. It''s her skill that allows her to hide from other people. I guess that it is something simr to Lorven''s skill or the twins'' skill called <strong>[Sensory Deception]</strong>.

    Their skill doesn''t affect the mind, just creates an illusion that the twins slowly learn to make more and more believable. Sometimes they even give them some fake mana signatures, and I could swear they somehow make them radiate heat.

    The matriarch probably has a simr skill that allows her to hide from people or remove her ¡°signature¡± from the world. I know that she is maybe even 100 levels higher than me, yet it still annoys me that she is capable of doing that. Especially while not being a Champion and not even a Champion candidate as far as I know.

    While observing the wall to make sure, I even kick it a few times and obviously, that''s when Tess appears.

    ¡°We are fighting walls now?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Only this one,¡± I sigh, ¡°So how is our 5th Beyond explorer?¡±

    ¡°He is from the same group as Brainiac, Lootenant, and Mari, group WhiteWing, and apparently, he is their leader.¡±

    ¡°Also the strongest one out of group 1.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he is a bit¡­ trusting and seems nice, but it''s hard to say how much of it is an act. Right now, he seems like some pdin of justice, just from the way he speaks.¡±

    I move away from the wall, ¡°Someone in Beyond being nice? Tess, wanna bet? I think he is evil, maybe the worst guy from here, and is only acting all nice and just.¡±

    ¡°That''s so like you,¡± she shakes her head, ¡°Anyway, what do you think of the array?¡±

    ¡°That? It''s a no-go for now, it leads to the Colony.¡±

    I then tell her what I have learned from the matriarch and how close we most likely all were to death. What changed her mind is still a bit of a mystery.

    ¡°So she said she didn''t want that information to leak out and she was willing to kill Obelia and probably all of us, but she changed her mind?¡± Tess asks and a dozen or so javelins that constantly hover behind her back move slightly to the side and follow her.

    ¡°My best guess is that she wants to attack theb where the Colony was created and doesn''t want to weaken Virelia¡äs forces.¡± I tell her.

    ¡°I thought the same.¡± Tess looks around and also knocks on the wall of rock, ¡°I hoped it would be a quick expedition with decent rewards, but once again we are deep underground, surrounded by rock and darkness.¡±

    ¡°Are you holding up fine?¡±

    ¡°For me it¡¯s not a problem, but some of the others are getting a bit nervous. It''s not much, but enough to influence their behavior a bit if we stay here for much longer.¡±

    ¡°I see, can you tell Obelia what we learned about the array? Keep the matriarch''s interference secret for now. I will meanwhile ask for the ring from Hadwin and try to check how far the closest tunnel is.¡±

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    Tess just nods in confirmation and leaves while I reach Hadwin who is already fully healed.

    The wound on his side is gone and he even put a new shirt on.

    Seeing where I look, he shakes his head, ¡°I thought I could take it on, but I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°Well, his attacks were quite strong.¡± I decide to be nice.

    ¡°Yes, but if he was real or fought better I would¡¯ve been dead. But no worries, I will work on it.¡±

    I nod. Seeing Haddyin about not being able to tank the attack of someone with an epic weapon and a much higher level reminds me how weird most of us are.

    How arrogant and far-reaching. We are just a bunch of newbies who only started learning how to use our skills and mana and we want to fight much stronger opponents. And not only fight, but to win, endure their attacks, crush them. Maybe you have to be a bit crazy to end up in Hell difficulty.

    ¡°I thought of it as well, but you will probably have more luck with your higher mana,¡± he immediately knows what is on my mind, and after pulling it off his finger, he hands me the ring we got from the expedition to the old capital.

    I examine it once more.

    <strong>Darkstride Ring (epic):</strong><em>This ring is imbued with a dark enchantment that allows the wearer to step into the shadows and reappear a short distance away in a different shadow, effectively granting the ability to blink through shadows for a tactical advantage on the battlefield.</em>

    ¡°You just have to hope there are some shadows in the tunnels. I''m not sure how well it works with pure darkness.¡±

    Huh, that''s a good point. Is Hadwin maybe a bit smart? I didn''t think of that, so maybe he is a genius?

    ¡°You are thinking something rude, aren''t you?¡± he asks. He really is smart, ¡°There might still be some mana in the lines on the tunnel walls so the shadows might be here, but you better hurry.¡±

    ¡°No problem, thanks.¡± I leave Hadwin and then use <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> and stretch it in one direction again. Then, while using <strong>[Perception]</strong> in a simr way, I move around the rooms, close to the walls.

    It takes a bit of time, but in the end, as suspected, I don''t find any part of an unburrowed tunnel.

    The ring says a short distance, but we confirmed before that the more mana you use, the longer that short distance is. So I do the same thing, just this time feed the epic ring with a lot of mana and search for shadows I could use.

    In the end, I find only one, but it only feels weak, as it''s about to disappear.

    Quickly, I rush more mana through my body, and in the air in front of me, I create an anchor and feed it with enough mana tost a few minutes. Then, just in case, I create another one a bit further.

    ¡°Min-Jae, guard them for me,¡± I tell the Korean boy who is closest to me, and he nods.

    Then I use <strong>[Regalia]</strong> to create armor around my body and strengthen my body before using the ring.

    The world around me changes, and I feel my body being pulled and moved towards the shadow I targeted. The skill of the ring ignores the stone and just moves me toward the shadow where I pop out.

    As suspected, it''s one of the tunnels we used, and further behind I sense one of the marks Sophie kept leaving behind.

    Immediately, I leave an anchor in the air and this one I feed with even more mana than the ones before.

    Examining it for a while, I send mana towards the wall, making the lines light up. Then, to be even more sure, I create one orb and fill it with thermal energy, making it create even more shadow and be able tost hours.

    Giving my surroundings one more look, I then activate the anchor and teleport back through <strong>[Tether]</strong>.

    The skill is currently level 9, so testing if I can teleport with people will surely make it break the bottleneck, right? So who will be my test subject and find out with me if I can transport other people?

    My eyes meet those of Hadwin''s and he seems a bit nervous out of nowhere.

    Who told you to be so durable and upgrade your constitution?

    In the end, it worked. Hadwin went first, after using the entirety of his mana and <strong>[Strengthening]</strong> his body, even putting some heavy armor on. Such an amount of distrust almost hurts my sensitive soul, but I decide to forgive him.

    While transferring him, I did it extremely carefully, even though I might have seemed unbothered. I spent a few minutes preparing and carefully calcting.

    Surprisingly, it all went without a hitch, just the chunk of mana it took was much bigger than expected. It''s hard to guess, but probably around 20 percent of my mana? Maybe even more. Enough for quite a strong tricolored or antomic bomb.

    Still, having enough mana in the reservoir and my regeneration being somewhat decent because of the big mana pool, I spent plenty of time transporting everyone and waiting for my mana to replenish. It could go a bit faster if I took more from my Mana Reservoir, but I have decided to keep it at least mostly full.

    ¡°Damn, I missed the sun,¡± Maya groans while she stretches. A sigh of relief is something I noticed.

    ¡°Next time we will take some people specialized in stone maniption and tunneling. It would take them just a few hours to get us out,¡± Obelia stops by our side.

    Her saying that isn''t surprising at all. Most of us are more inclined towards fighting rather than tunneling and stopping the tunnel from falling on our heads. Well, just a few hundred more levels and I will just destroy the mountain, not bothering with such things as tunnels.

    ¡°Judging by the time, the auction will start tonight. I will be taking Tess with me as my disciple and you will have a spot for two more people if you want to take them with you,¡± Obelia says simply.

    ¡°Will do so. So we will meet there?¡± I look at her.

    ¡°Yes, I will be waiting for you,¡± she then waves and leaves for her guild, all of them moving towards Virelia.

    ¡°How big is that auction, Nat?¡± Min-Jae asks while walking by my side. I also notice a few others listening.

    ¡°Myrra said the biggest one in a few dozen years, so probably quite good. Obelia will be also auctioning an epic spear,¡± I answer him.

    But best of all, I will also be auctioning off some inscribed mana stones. With the help of the old man and just to get a bit more money from all the weirdos that drool over some new inscriptions.

    I have to find a way to spend all that money. There will be some nice items in the auction, something said even by Myrra and Obelia, both extremely rich and one of them having multiple epic items while the other one surely has one as well.

    ¡°So, who will you be taking,¡± I don''t even have to turn around to see the shine in Min-Jae''s eyes.

 Chapter 237: Dressed up

    Chapter 237: Dressed up

    I check myself one more time in the mirror. I''m wearing simple gray suit-like clothes. They are tailor-made, and it took a few weeks to get a few sets. Something I, in the end, let happen even though I prefer my casual clothes.

    The clothes are surprisinglyfortable, with gray pants, a simr color jacket, and under it, a ck shirt with long sleeves and a vest-like thing that is also gray. In a few ces, there is simple embroidery made with a golden-like color.

    My hair is also put into a somewhat presentable state.

    For a moment, I stare at my reflection, and the weirdo in the mirror stares back at me with his differently colored eyes. Well, I won''t be getting any points for the expression my face almost constantly has, but at least I''m handsome, right? My mom said it once when I was nine years, six months, and ten days old, so it must be true.

    Then I spend a few minutes thinking if I should create a thermal orb and store it inside my body, but decide against it. A few lynthari could sense it, and exining it would be a bit¡­ difficult.

    ¡°Asshole,¡± I say to the weirdo in the mirror, and the guy mouths the same words. The words Biscuit likes to use so often.

    Finally, I exit my room and walk downstairs where most of group 4 are. Tess is the first I notice. A tall blonde wearing a simple white dress that somewhat looksfortable and reveals a nice chunk of her shoulders and back.

    Curiously, I locate Min-Jae and, as expected, he turns away his gaze from Tess the moment he sees me looking at him.

    Oi, you will drool.

    I shake my head and stop in front of Tess, ¡°No high heels?¡±

    ¡°As if I would put on such ufortable things,¡± she also eyes me the way I did her, ¡°See, you can be quite handsome if you try.¡±

    ¡°I don''t have to be handsome, Biscuit likes me no matter how ugly I look,¡± I point out. ¡°You look pretty.¡± Ipliment her.

    I can see that I made her a bit happy. Who wouldn''t likepliments?

    ¡°And who is this handsome boy?¡± I squat down in front of the best doggo.

    <em>(Asshole!)</em>

    ¡°Yes, yes you are!¡± I pick Biscuit up and examine the clothes he is wearing. Somewhat, they seem to be even more quality and expensive than the ones I have on myself.

    Biscuit is wearing a dark blue jacket and vest, both reminding of a suit, and he also has something like a red tie. All of it fits well and is custom-made. The best thing the silly group 4, probably Isabe, spent money on.

    Seeing how handsome he is, I think I would be willing to sell an epic item just to get a few more clothes like that for him. Well, my point of view might be skewed a bit when ites to money, as epic items keep falling into myp.

    <em>(Food,)</em> Biscuit says after looking at me.

    ¡°Oh, really? Thank you, buddy! You too look very handsome.¡±

    ¡°It''s so weird how those twomunicate,¡± I can hear Maya somewhere in the background but ignore her.

    We fancy-dressed people often have trouble being able to hear people like her, ¡°Where are Sophie and Izzy?¡± I ask about the two people I decided to take with me.

    Sophie to check the items with me and maybe make some people more¡­ cooperative and Izzy to read other auctioneers and give us a nice advantage. I mean, some people didn''t like it, but the decision is the most logical.

    ¡°Well, that changed a bit. Izzy got sick, and Sophie decided to stay with her,¡± Tess tells me.

    ¡°Oh¡­ so who ising?¡±

    ¡°Lily and Hadwin,¡± the blonde sighs. ¡°Before you ask, Lily didn''t do anything. I checked multiple times.¡±

    If that doesn''t suck.

    The first one to climb downstairs is Hadwin, wearing a light blue suit in a style simr to mine. The older man has a short, well-kept beard and a nice haircut. The longer I look at him the more I wonder how much longer I can call him an older man. Hadwin now looks under 40, unlike his real age which is closer to 50. He is still well-built and only a bit shorter than me.

    Unlike before when he was bulkier, he is a bit slimmer, yet the muscles are apparent even under clothes, not bulky, but flexible and tough, clearly showing how much he got into swordsmanship. I also check his face and I swear it looks younger than before.

    Is it a result of a constitution upgrade or just the sheer power of stats? Or maybe he just enjoys this new ¡°life¡± that much?

    The same as me, he doesn''t have any weapons on him.

    ¡°Tess, can you help Lily? She has some trouble with her clothes,¡± he asks.

    ¡°I will help too,¡± Maya says and together with Tess, they go upstairs.

    ¡°Nat, you have to buy me something nice, okay?¡± Min-Jae, still a bit disappointed, asks, ¡°Some tougher or more conductive material for my projectiles would be nice.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I will buy everything useful,¡± I answer him.

    I''m rich.

    ¡°Keep an eye on Isabe. If it seems to be getting more serious,e for us,¡± Hadwin tells him.

    ¡°Lily couldn''t help?¡± I ask.

    ¡°That''s the weird thing about it. Sophie didn''t want Lily to interfere and asked us to trust her.¡± For a moment, a sharp expression shes in his eyes, ¡°Lately, Sophie has been acting suspicious so I sat down with her and asked her about it. She didn''t tell me all, but I think she might have removed<strong> [Geas]</strong> from Isabe''s mind.¡±

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Oh? That really surprised me. Sophie¡¯s <strong>[Geas]</strong> is something she left on Isabe during the second floor. A construct that did help the young girl deal with the terrifying reality of the tutorial while allowing her to not feel that much fear or regret in certain situations to allow her to fight.

    ¡°I think it''s the right decision, but the effect of removing it must have been too much.¡± Hadwin fixed his tie.

    ¡°She could have waited a few days,¡± I tell him.

    ¡°Today is Isabe¡¯s 11th birthday,¡± Hadwin says softly, to the surprise of everyone in the room.

    ¡°We didn''t know that!¡± Dennisins.

    ¡°Yeah, they never told us,¡± Aaron continues, as always, the twins in perfect sync.

    ¡°They didn''t want to spread it that much. So I think Sophie and Isabe wanted to do it on Isabe¡¯s birthday. Symbolic mostly,¡± Hadwin¡äs voice sounds almost gentle.

    That''s when Tess walks downstairs together with Lily, who follows shyly behind her. The ck-haired girl is wearing a pale blue dress that is simr to Tess''s, but less revealing,pletely covering her back and showing only a bit of her shoulder and the entirety of her pale blue arm. Something she still refuses to fix for me and for her, both of us having an albino-like left arm.

    It''s not like I don''t know the reason, and it''s as Lily said once. She is scarily patient and stubborn.

    ¡°Say wee to our Initiate of Lust,¡± Dennis mutters, and Min-Jae giggles but quickly tries to hide it.

    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you I don¡¯t have a Lust subss!¡± Lily shouts at one of the twins.

    ¡°ording to Granny Liss, it¡¯s Radiant Lust, Lily! You should know that!¡± Aaron shakes his head.

    Tess, patient as always, just waits for them to finish, ¡°So, boys, keep an eye on Sophie and Izzy and if anything happens, look for us, you know where. Maya, I will be relying on you the most,¡± she turns to the other woman.

    ¡°Sure, buy me something nice, okay?¡± Maya smiles at her.

    ¡°Only the best stuff.¡±

    ¡°That''s what I like to hear.¡±

    Then we leave the house. Me, Tess, Hadwin, Lily, and Biscuit, of course. Tess will be with Obelia as her disciple, and I could take two people with me, but I need Biscuit too, obviously. They would not stop me from taking in my emotional support animal.

    It''s already getting darker and the streets are emptier than before, yet nicely lit. Having enough time, we walk towards the auction building. Even from afar, we can see dozens of people moving around. Talking to each other, building social circles, greeting old friends, and showing off expensive clothes and jewelry. Seeing all of it, Lily bes starry-eyed, looking around with an expression that is so excited it makes me stop myself from making fun of her.

    I also notice Hadwin looking at her, and the smile on his face seems almost fatherly as if it''s his granddaughter having her first big party.

    ¡°Hadwin is nicer than you might think, Nat. He has been helping the kids a lot and they like him for it,¡± Tess slows down and whispers to me, ¡°He just seems to have been lonely on earth. Did you know most of his family died not that long ago?¡±

    Our steps sound on cobblestones, and in the distance, we can hear music ying as we are getting closer to the auction building.

    Tess continues, ¡°I think he enjoys having people rely on him and asking him for help.¡±

    ¡°And you are poking both Hadwin and the kids to make it happen,¡± I answer her back, also in a quiet voice.

    ¡°Maybe a little bit,¡± she shes me a smile, ¡°But is that so bad?¡±

    ¡°I guess it''s not,¡± I answer to the best, after Biscuit, maniptor of group 4.

    When I notice Obelia moving closer, I stop talking and warn others too.

    The guild master of Storm Brigade reaches us soon, followed by her attendee Jenna. Both of them are wearing nice dresses that have their guild emblem embroidered into them. Both dresses are in pale blue color. ¡°Excuse me, but I''m rather surprised how well you look in your clothes, Nathaniel,¡± Obelia says, with Jenna nodding in agreement.

    I also notice Lily saying something under her breath that I''m sure is an insult to, ording to her, the old woman Obelia.

    Feeling my social batteries already going down, I just answer quickly, ¡°Thank you, you and Jenna also look nice.¡±

    One surprised lifted eyebrow from Obelia and a few sentences she exchanges with Tess, Hadwin, and Lily, and we finally follow her inside the auction house.

    Just following close to her gives us a lot of attention from other people, and every time someone tries to reach out to sense our mana, I destroy the attempt in a way that should hurt at least a bit. Through the door framed with golden lights, we enter a giant hallway. The walls are full of beautiful paintings, the stone of the floor is smooth and shiny, and everywhere are dozens of powerful or rich people.

    And in-between them, lynthari. A race of people-like beings that just have cat ears and tails, towering over everyone. All of them are young for lynthari, confirming that most of the old ones rarely mingle with humans.

    ¡°Oh, Obelia, it''s nice to see you,¡± a woman lynthari joins in, her tail short and both it and her ears brown, simr in color to her hair, ¡°I heard you are also auctioning some items, nya! I''m already excited to see it,¡± the lynthari chirps.

    For some unknown reason, my body twitches.

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Lynthes, you are charming as always, and I hope you will have a lot of fun tonight,¡± Obelia answers in her calming tone.

    ¡°I will, nya! Who are your friends? I already know smart Jenna, but I didn''t see the others.¡±

    ¡°Guild master of Angry Kittens, Nathaniel, his vice guild master Tess, and these are their other members, Hadwin and Lily,¡± Obelia introduces us shortly and without much grandeur, but it looks like something the lynthari would prefer.

    ¡°Ahh,¡± for a moment, my eyes meet those of the lynthari woman, and her tail twitches and her canines show, ¡°You are Myrra¡¯s¡­¡± her tone of voice sounds disappointed, ¡°Shame,¡± she adds and licks her lips.

    With a few more sentences, she leaves, and in my mind, I don''t know if I should thank Myrra for scaring them off or be angry that she seems to be so possessive.

    Walking around and grabbing some snacks here and there, I continue to follow our small group, and my mood only grows more and more sour, surrounded by all these talking people.

    ¡°Your expression is fun,¡± another lynthari who started talking to us smiles at me, somewhat shamelessly and not scared off by Myrra¡¯s name.

    Once again, I wonder why they won''t annoy Tess, Lily, or Hadwin.

    The lynthari sniffs, and for all I know, he can be trying to sniff my emotions or whatever they do.

    <em>(Asshole!)</em> Biscuit shouts, making sure the lynthari hears it, and for a moment, the lynthari¡¯s expression bes annoyed.

    I noticed it long since, but the race of cat people don''t seem to like Biscuit, to my surprise. I mean, how could you not? Just look at him, especially now when he is wearing a dark blue suit with a red tie.

    ¡°That creature, can you get it away, it disturbs me,¡± the lynthari sighs in an annoyed voice and with slight disgust in it.

    ¡°Well, maybe you should just fuck off if you don''t like it here,¡± I get out of myself.

    The expression of sheer surprise I get from the lynthari and people around me is almost funny. I did spend thest one hour and forty-two minutes dealing with their bullshit, surrounded by all this noise and people. And now they will trash-talk Biscuit?

    ¡°What? You didn''t hear? I said you can fuck off if you don''t like it.¡±

    The lynthari man then licks his lips, more amused than threatened, ¡°I can see why Myrra likes you,¡± he says before gracefully bowing and leaving.

    As a reward for that, Biscuit thankfully bumps my leg with his head. Let''s not let him know that I partially did it so Biscuit doesn''t obliterate that weirdo.

    I turn to the person who got us here, ¡°So, Obelia, I''m bored, how about we go and see the items that will be auctioned off?¡±

 Chapter 238: Start of the Auction

    Chapter 238: Start of the Auction

    There are multiple rooms where the items are previewed, and there are already plenty of people in this rooms inspecting the items for onest time before the auction. A few guards are in each room, while the items are in ss boxes with circuits etched into them.

    Armors, amulets, rings, some weird eggs, and bottles that are hundreds of years old. Some expensive meats that are also apparently hundreds of years old and perfectly stored. This meat can be smelt even through the ss and is from high-level monsters.

    Mana stones with information stored on them and even plenty of items people don''t know what they are for or that are straight up broken.

    We pass through multiple rooms like that and even though some items are good, they don''t catch my interest that much. Sure, I will buy anything that seems useful, yet they don''t excite me, so we pass into a room with more and more valuable items.

    Soon the rooms have much fewer people in them and there needs to be an invitation to even be able to enter them, something Obelia has so we can enter.

    I notice a few rare armors of the upper tier, mana batteries that are hard to find anywhere else, and encrypted mana stones. Old manuals inscribed into mana stones containing information on sses.

    Finally, this is getting better.

    ¡°This is thest room,¡± Obelia says, and this time the confirming of her identity takes longer and when we enter, there are barely ten people inside and two lynthari guards.

    There are only ten items in there and I recognize a few of them.

    First, the epic spear Obelia got from the old capital and that has most people around it. The n is to buy it for Tess so she can use it as a projectile. Might be overkill, but with the amount of money we got from scamm... from leveraging our epic items to the lynthari, we should be capable of buying this.

    Plus, we got more money from Sophie and her¡­ well, her ability to make people cooperative as well from me selling some inscribed mana stones.

    We are not a scammers.

    ¡°Oh, feral angry kitten!¡± I hear the voice and can only sigh as Is rushes towards us.

    One of the strongest humans in the city has a smile on her face and is wearing a ck dress that reveals a big chunk of her belly, ¡°You are quite handsome if you dress up, but I still prefer you with some normal clothes,¡± sheins and also greets other people.

    ¡°Is there anything you want to buy, Is?¡± Obelia asks her.

    Is scratches her head, ¡°Not really, just a few members of my guild want me to buy some mana stone,¡± she gestures towards one of the ss boxes, ¡°Apparently it has some amazing inscriptions on it made by some uing genius enchanter.¡±

    She then pauses for a moment, ¡°Oh, and did you notice lynthari saying ¡®nya¡¯ after every other sentence? Lately, more and more of them do that, do you think they are trying to mess with us?¡±

    ¡°Oh? You noticed it too? Maybe it''s some trend from their youngsters?¡± Obelia answers, and they get into a conversation and I use the opportunity to move around the room.

    One after another, I check all the items and as expected, the mana stone Is talked about is the one inscribed by me. As for why it''s here among the most valuable items, I don''t know. Well, it''s probably the old man selling it here, but I don''t know why it''s considered so valuable to be next to an epic spear.

    None of the items look more interesting than the heavy chest without any holes we got from the old capital.

    Yes, even after all these months and dozens of attempts, we were unable to open it. Not me, not Lily, not even Biscuit after I told him there is the best food stored inside of it. At this point, I might give it to Min-Jae or Tess to use as a heavy projectile as they did during the first floor with heavy chunks of iron.

    ¡°Some items here are really nice, the best rare items I saw, and probably close to stepping into the epic grade,¡± Hadwin joins my side and I notice that he is ying with the ring he has on his finger. The epic rarity one.

    ¡°We will buy most of them and you guys can take them,¡± I shrug my shoulders.

    ¡°Nothing caught your eyes?¡±

    ¡°Nothing here, but in one of the first rooms, I noticed a few broken items and mana stones that I really want to get,¡± I answer him.

    I''m not even lying. More than these highest rare-grade items and even more than the epic spear, I saw a mana stone that had such dense and weird inscriptions that they seemed like cracks and made the organizers put it into the trash items they want to get rid of.

    There was also a bracelet that was twisted and broken, yet the metal it was made of was reacting extremely weirdly to my primordial energies. To be honest, it made me so curious I almost tried to steal it right there.

    I spend the remaining time there talking with Hadwin and Lily, who sneaks closer to us while Tess deals with other people in the room.

    All the guild masters are here, even Lorven, who looks at me so lovingly, and Thalen, the redheaded guild master of the Luminous Order. The healer tries to get into a talk with Lily, but she just straight up tells him that she is not interested, whatever she meant by it.

    As for me, I still n to make Lily a stronger healer than him so I can show off.

    Now that we are here, I wonder if I should introduce Hadwin to Is; both of them have a simr fighting style. I don''t trust the woman, but Haddy could learn a thing or two from her.

    Then I also get some food for Biscuit and hold him in my hands so he can also look at the items without having to hover. Every time he asks, I answer him that no, the item he is looking at is not food. He seems a bit disappointed, wondering why I show him items that are not a food.

    As the auction startsing closer, we head towards another room where all of us register and after infusing mana stone with our mana we receive another one with our signature, which we can use to bid on the items by sending a pulse of mana inside of it.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Then everyone slowly gets to the biggest circr room. On one side of that room, there is a small podium where the items will be presented and the auctioneer will stand.

    Down that podium are a lot of chairs where people will sit and then there are dozens of balconies all around the room. All of them are private and each is big enough for a few people only.

    The room is beautifully lit by light that is sharp enough to light everything yet still soft to the eyes. Luxurious red drapes are everywhere, most of them even having embroidery with some material that glows slightly, fed by mana batteries nicely hidden from view.

    I also notice a heating system built in the floor. Heating stones buried under and spreading heat through efficient mana circuits, yet in shapes that make them pretty to look at.

    But the most eye-catching part of the room is the ceiling that curves a bit, creating a dome over the entire room, and then there is an effect created. The ceiling looks like a pitch-ck dark sky full of stars that pulsate slowly and also light the room.

    I poke Lily so she closes her wide-open mouth as she stares at it. Not like Angry Kittens have some name, but she will ruin what remains of it.

    But yeah, when we get back to Earth, I will totally copy this thing and have it in my room. Obviously, I will make it even better. Maybe I can sneak inside the auction building a bitter and examine it. With the help of the epic cape we have, it should be doable.

    ¡°Wee, wee!¡± a tall man with long brown hair enters the podium, a big smile on his face showing his perfect teeth and clothes, ¡°Thank you all for participating in the auction organized by White Stone Company and under the patronage of Ms. Lyriel!¡±

    The man''s voice, strengthened by some means, evenly spreads through the room and even reaches the balcony where Angry Kittens, Obelia, and Jenna sit.

    ¡°Lyriel?¡± I ask Obelia.

    ¡°Lynthari in charge of administration of the city.¡±

    The auctioneer talks for a bit more, using flowery words topliment people here or to point out how amazing the auction, White Stone Company, and Lyriel are. It all goes on for a few long minutes.

    ¡°Now then, why don''t we get to why we all are here?¡± he finally gets to the point and the mood immediately changes.

    People stop talking, they sit up straighter in their chairs, and all eyes turn towards the podium.

    Seeing all of this, the man smiles and bows slightly as the drape on the side moves and the first item is brought onto a circr pedestal exactly in the middle of the podium.

    ¡°We will start with this item! It''s a mana stone found in the ruins of a small vige north of the city. Its age is estimated to be two hundred ny years old. The stone contains information about the people living in that vige and its administration. The starting price is two Mirage stones!¡±

    The fight immediately starts, and I can feel multiple pulses of mana from people under us that the auctioneer receives and starts shouting out, the price quickly climbing to four Mirage stones and then changing to one Heart stone.

    ¡°So, Tess, how does the currency work?¡± I say after quickly resonating the air around us so Obelia doesn¡¯t hear.

    The look that Tess gives me is halfway between amused and annoyed, ¡°Nat, you''ve spent multiple months in this city, how the hell¡­¡±

    I interrupt her, ¡°I''m rich.¡±

    She rolls her eyes, but I can see that she can''t help herself and a small smile appears on her face.

    Tess then exins and tells me how much each stone would be worth inparison to dors. Obviously, it''s all estimations, but quite close if I know how diligent she can be.

    There are 13 grades of mana stones, and obviously, the higher the grade, the more worth it is, and the rarer it is. Also, the higher the rarity, the harder they are to work on and to inscribe.

    It all goes like this:

    Pebble Stone: $1

    Dusk Stone: $5

    Spark Stone: $10

    Bloom Stone: $50

    Jewel Stone: $100

    Crest Stone: $500

    Mirage Stone: $1,000

    Heart Stone: $5,000

    Gem Stone: $10,000

    Moon Stone: $50,000

    Star Stone: $100,000

    Sun Stone: $500,000

    Eclipse Stone: $1,000,000

    There are probably some even more expensive ones, but that''s not something you are usually able to see as a human.

    I also quickly forget the names of cheaper mana stones and try to remember the names of the more expensive ones. I don''t think I will need this information outside of this auction.

    In the end, I also ask, ¡°So, how rich am I?¡±

    ¡°I could tell you that we have a few Sun Stones in the bank and you would have to believe me,¡± Tess teases.

    ¡°That''s true. Tess, are you stealing my money and building yourself a vi near the sea?¡±

    ¡°Just one? With how much we have, I could build multiple of them and you wouldn''t even notice,¡± she snorts and smiles, ncing to the side at our healer, ¡°But to quickly answer, before Lily gets even more jealous. In the bank, we have well over one hundred Eclipse Stones.¡±

    Huh, what?

    ¡°Come again?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Nat, you are rich, disgustingly rich,¡± Tess shakes her head, ¡°It could be double that, but the loans you got against epic items were extremely predatory and you guys could get much more. So next time, please take me as well.¡±

    ¡°Tess, do we really have over a hundred million dors'' worth of mana stones?¡± I decide to ignore that it could be twice that.

    ¡°Yes. I''m still in a bit of shock that you didn¡¯t even realize it.¡±

    For a moment, I think about it, and then my eyes move down and I look at the cute corgi that lies by my legs.

    How much are you worth? Surely more than some useless epic item, right?

    Biscuit senses my look and lifts his head, tilting it a bit, surprised I stare at him so intensely, <em>(Food?)</em> he asks.

    No! I can''t!

    I quickly pet him and tell him that he is a good boy and cancel the istion field around us, the voice of the auctioneer getting to our ears once more.

    That''s when I feel goosebumps on my skin, and looking around, I identify the source of it: a little lynthari girl staring at me from one of the balconies. She is there alone and when her eyes meet mine, a big smile appears on her face.

    I just give up and prepare my <strong>[Perception]</strong>, and as the rift appears next to me, I observe it, how it is created, how it interacts with space around it, and how mana moves inside of it.

    ¡°Underling!¡± the redheaded girl smiles, totally ignoring the other people in the room.

    Obelia''s eyes are so wide open that for a moment I think they might fall out, and Jenna seems like she is about to bow or kneel.

    ¡°It''s good you are here, I was getting bored, nya!¡± she stops next to me, ¡°Let''s watch the auction together.¡±

    Things have be more¡­ interesting.

 Chapter 239: Bidding

    Chapter 239: Bidding

    ¡°What are you doing here¡­ boss,¡± I say, ignoring the looks I get for that.

    Meanwhile, the granddaughter of the lynthari matriarch sits on myp. Shamelessly. The matriarch called her Eris before, so I guess I should call her that.

    ¡°Grandma said that I should go there and buy myself something nice if I want to. She even gave me her card,¡± Eris takes out a card made from transparent white crystal and with delicate blue circuits that create something like a panorama of the city.

    Unlike my card, there is no number on it.

    Don''t tell me¡­ is it unlimited? Looking at this silly lynthari girl, I get an idea. Should I use her to buy me everything?

    But seeing her happy expression, I quickly change my mind. Even I''m not that evil.

    ¡°Underling, nya, I will buy you one thing you like, so pick anything, okay?¡± Eris says.

    ¡°Really? In that case, I also want to buy something for the boss, so pick something too,¡± I tell her almost automatically and shift a bit so she sits morefortably.

    No matter how much I think about it, I just can''t force myself to treat her too harshly. I mean, I would be able to do it if my life was at risk or the life of someone from group 4, but in situations like this? There is no need for that.

    Eris continues to chirp something, quickly telling me about her day while the auctioneer keeps showing item after item and selling them off. Then I wonder. What happened to the original Eris. Did her world get destroyed by Cmities? Did she grow old, get a family, and then die in bed surrounded by her grandchildren?

    Seeing how Obelia acts now, did humans find out that lynthari are invaders and try to fight them and either got eliminated by the matriarch or were able to win?

    And Myrra? She is a Champion candidate; was she able to reach that level or died before it? If she did, is she still alive? Did the system copy her world millions of years ago, and there is nothing left of it anymore, maybe even the was destroyed, and only shadows of all these dead people exist in the tutorial?

    Their lives, struggles, hopes, and sadness used to make it feel more real for people who are taken in here.

    The more I think, the less I like it. It''s disgusting.

    ¡°Underling, you have a scary expression, does your tummy hurt?¡± the young lynthari asks, and there is even a hint of worry.

    Great, now even I have little children to worry about myself.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, boss, but you were telling me about how you tricked one of your servants, so what did he do when he found out?¡±

    ¡°Yes! He was so surprised, nya¡­¡± Eris continues to tell me about it while I listen and also pay attention to the auctioneer and wait for the items I wanted. I think they should be numbers 113 and 189.

    ¡°Going once, going twice...the item was sold for five Heart Stones!¡± the auctioneer shouts.

    One Heart Stone is worth around 5 thousand dors, so the prices are slowly but surely going up, the items are also auctioned in order from cheapest to the most expensive.

    ¡°First underling!¡± Eris grabs my shoulders and shakes me slightly.

    ¡°Yes, boss?¡± I ask absentmindedly while watching some weird book being auctioned off.

    ¡°Who are the humans with you? Are they your underlings?¡±

    Now that I think about it, I''m the guild master, am I not? So probably?

    ¡°I think so.¡± I answer her.

    ¡°I see, that means they are my underlings too since I¡¯m your boss!¡± she deres.

    I mean, she is not wrong, and there is some logic in it, and I just nod, which makes herugh happily, and she jumps from my legs to examine her newest targets. For the following few minutes, I observe as she bullies Tess, who just goes with it in a simr way I do, and then switches to Lily and Hadwin, who are less sessful.

    Beforeing back, she plops on the ground and pets Biscuit, who patiently lets her.

    Unlike other lynthari, she doesn¡¯t seem to dislike him. ¡°Cute,¡± she says.

    At that moment, I start liking her a bit more. At least she is someone who can recognize the majesty of the divine beast that is Biscuit.

    ¡°I will buy him from you,¡± she immediately says something that sours my mood.

    ¡°Biscuit is not for sale,¡± I tell her without hesitation, and a surprised look appears on her face.

    ¡°One Eclipse Stone,¡± she says.

    Ha! Does she think Biscuit is worth...I quickly remember the worth of the mana stone...only worth one million dol...what?

    She misunderstands my expression and quickly says again, ¡°Ten Eclipse Stones!¡±

    ¡°Boss, I''ve never been so insulted in my life and neither has Biscuit,¡± I say, curious how high I can get the price.

    ¡°Fifty Eclipse Stones!¡± she offers a price that is higher than two epic items.

    Just how spoiled is she to be given so much by her granny?

    But she confirmed to me that Biscuit is worth more than some random items, and now I can say "<em>I told you so</em>" to Tess who kept disagreeing with me when I joked with her about it.

    ¡°Sorry, boss, he is my friend and not for sale,¡± I refuse the offer.

    That seems to surprise the family member of the most powerful person in the city, but she doesn''t push it and plops back on my legs. ¡°I see!¡±

    Her mood changes and also the tone of her voice is a bit off.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    So that''s how it is.

    I lean closer to her ear, ¡°I also wouldn''t sell the boss for any amount of mana stones,¡± I tell her.

    She doesn''t say anything, but hearing what she wanted to hear, she starts swinging her legs and continues to watch the auction.

    Ha! Kids are easy to deal with!

    <strong>POV Aaron Dalton</strong>

    I look at Kim and Maya and only then turn my card around.

    ¡°Oh,e on!¡± Maya groans and pulls more mana stones from her pouch, sliding them to me.

    <em>(Well, that was easy,)</em> I receive from Dennis.

    ¡°Hey! No cheating!¡± Maya notices it somehow.

    Damn, she couldn''t sense our conversation before. Is Nathaniel teaching her more annoying stuff?

    ¡°It''s something we got too used to, Maya,¡± Dennis defends us, ¡°We did not cheat, I swear.¡±

    ¡°You better not,¡± she squints her eyes and then just leans back on the couch. ¡°This was thest round for me.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to y that violin thing you bought?¡± Kim asks her the moment she does so.

    At that, she smiles at him, and Kim even blushes a bit under her gaze, and she notices that, making her smile even more, ¡°Come on, Kim, you can''t blush so easily. You won''t get Tess like that!¡± she pokes him jokingly.

    ¡°Isn''t he already a lost cause?¡± Dennis asks her, ¡°Tess seems to be going a different¡­ way?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Do you think that? But that''s not true. I don''t think Tess cares if it''s a woman or man.¡±

    <em>(Oh, that''s spicy, isn''t it?) </em>I send to Dennis, and Maya notices that but doesn''t do anything.

    Meanwhile, Kim only innocently stares at her and slowly understands, blushing a bit more and his eyes big from surprise.

    ¡°Damn, it''s almost cute how innocent you are sometimes, Kim,¡± Maya reaches and pinches his cheek while smiling at him.

    After seeing that Kim doesn¡¯t say anything else, she just sighs, ¡°Anyway, there''s something else I wanted to ask you guys. But did you also realize how different Nathaniel is from the first floor?¡±

    ¡°You may have forgotten our holidays under the old capital,¡± I tell her, and through our link, I feel that even Dennis shudders.

    ¡°That''s not what I''m talking about. I know Nathaniel is quite ruthless if someone steps over the line. What I meant is overall. He seems¡­ less harsh overall.¡±

    ¡°It can be caused only by a woman,¡± I say.

    ¡°Do you think Lily finally got her fangs into him? She is an Initiate of Lust, so probably?¡± while taking a sip of his drink, Dennis smiles.

    "You and your theory about her subss; Nat sees Lily as nothing more than a kid. The way he treats her is simr to how he treats Izzy," Maya sighs, ¡°I mean, he is still scary when he wants to be, but it''s harder and harder to call him an asshole,¡± while shaking her head, she reaches and steals some snack from the bowl in front of Kim.

    ¡°I think it''s simple,¡± Kim says in a somewhat somber tone, ¡°Nathaniel is someone that is nicer the stronger he is.¡± The way he says it is really confident.

    <em>(Should we make fun of him?) </em>I hear through our link.

    <em>(We can a bitter, let him cook.) </em>I send back.

    Seeing that we don¡¯t react, Kim continues, ¡°Nathaniel acts harshly only in a few cases. If he feels threatened or if someone threatens someone he likes,¡± he shrugs his shoulders, ¡°During the 1st floor, it was really scary, and we didn''t know what to expect, and there were monsters all around. Nat also wasn''t that strong, so he was a bit cruel at times.¡±

    As always, there are a few orbs made of weird metal floating near him. Kim does this almost constantly and practices even as we y.

    ¡°But the stronger Nat became, the less of a threat we were to him, and the more confident he was with his powers, so he kind of calmed down.¡±

    <em>(Oi, that somehow makes sense.)</em>

    <em>(Shh, listen to him.)</em>

    ¡°Right now, we are almost no threat to him, so he acts nicer. Of course, if we betray him, it will change." Kim shrugs, "I thought about it a lot, you know? I was really scared of Nathaniel for some time, but then I slowly realized how it works.¡±

    Kim smiles a bit and shakes his head while looking at his hands, ¡°Nathaniel is someone who bes nicer the stronger he is. Because that''s when he thinks you can''t hurt him.¡±

    I swear, when I be stronger, I will bully the entire lynthari poption into oblivion. I will force them to use ''nya'' at the end of every sentence, and skills that allow invisibility will not be tolerated, and their usage will be punished. While at it, I will order them to annihte every single monster with such an ability.

    Oh, and calling me ¡°feral one¡± will not be allowed either.

    The reason?

    The goddamn bidding stone item in my hands. I tried to bid on one of the items, and not knowing how to use it properly, I bid one Eclipse Mana Stone. Yup. I bid one million dors'' worth on an item maybe worth fifty thousand.

    ¡°Calling once, calling twice¡­¡± the auctioneer quickly shouts, even his eyes showing his surprise.

    What annoys me are the giggles of lynthari who even know who did the bid and stare towards our balcony, not even caring that I''m here with the granddaughter of their matriarch or that I''m something Champion candidate Myrra cares about.

    No, they giggle, smile, cover their mouths, and their ears and tails move in an amused manner. Some even shout ¡°Cute!¡± at my reaction to my blunder.

    ¡°Oh, you are quite rich, underling!¡± Eris is not helping this either, and what''s left is to act like it''s all ording to n.

    ¡°Yeah, I didn''t want it to take that long,¡± I say simply, trying to keep what is left of my dignity.

    ¡°Sold to the rich young man with ck hair and unusual eyes!¡± the auctioneer shouts, even giving my description.

    Okay, dude, you''re the next.

    ¡°The next item is the rarest consumable on our list¡­¡± The man on the podium lets his voice sound into the room, thest words quieter than a whisper.

    Once again, all of the attention turns to him.

    ¡°We would usually auction itter in between one of thest items, but why don¡¯t we spice things up?¡± he smiles and steps to the side, allowing a big ss box to be brought next to him.

    Inside that box, a chunk of meat as big as the auctioneer lies. I could swear that even through the ss, I can smell the aroma of it.

    ¡°This, my dear guests, is the oldest piece of meat that we ever had a chance to auction off.¡±

    A few people start to whisper with excitement.

    I''m not that surprised; old meat is quite a delicacy here, the older, the better. Obviously, it¡¯s not every meat that is capable of keeping such worth. No, only the meat of high-leveled animals or monsters is either resistant enough because of a high constitution or high mana that remains in it.

    Meat of such a monster can be hundreds of years old and if stored properly, it''s safe to consume it. Not even mentioning its often delicate taste or rarity that makes the right people want to get it just to show off.

    ¡°An estimate is two hundred twenty-nine years old,¡± he says, pausing, knowing his audience, and as he predicted, people talk even more, ¡°Estimation on the level of the animal is close to two hundred fifty!¡± the volume of his voice increases, ¡°As for the animal it belonged to, it''s believed to be the Archdeer that our Matriarch personally helped to y!¡±

 Chapter 240: Preparation to hunt the Calamity

    Chapter 240: Preparation to hunt the Cmity

    Did he just say deer? Archdeer? Oh my, surely nothing wrong will happen if I buy it? I can''t strengthen Bambi¡¯s curse, and I''m sure Biscuit would like that piece of meat a lot.

    ¡°We have the first offer, one Star Stone!¡± the auctioneer shouts. ¡°Surely we won¡¯t end up at one only!¡±

    One Star Stone is worth around 100 thousand dors.

    ¡°Two Star Stones from an older gentleman in the audience!¡±

    ¡°Three Star Stones from a beautifuldy in a red dress on the balcony!¡±

    The price quickly climbs higher and higher. ¡°We have a Sun Stone from a young Lynthari gentleman!¡±

    Half a mil, damn, they might be bigger foodies than Biscuit. But it doesn¡¯t matter; that piece of meat is mine. For a moment, I imagine Biscuit¡¯s thankful shouts and him impatiently tippy-tapping while waiting for the meat.

    ¡°What do you think, Biscuit?¡± I move Eris a bit to the side and look at the corgi nestling by my leg.

    <em>(Sustenance,)</em> he says, and there is a hint of determination in his eyes.

    If I don''t buy this meat, he will go and get it himself.

    <em>(I require sustenance,)</em> sounds in my head, but this time it''s different. The voice is quieter, like a gentle whisper, and I feel goosebumps all over my skin.

    When I look at Biscuit, I notice that his eyes are glowing slightly in a pale purple color.

    ¡°Leave it up to me!¡± I tell him quickly and send a signal through the bidding stone.

    ¡°Oh! We''ve got two Eclipse Stones from a young gentleman with pretty eyes!¡± the auctioneer calls attention to me, and I just nod.

    Damn, how does this thing work? I wanted to bid only one Eclipse Stone.

    After a few moments of silence, the auctioneer shouts, ¡°Calling once, calling twice?¡±

    The silence that fills the room makes a few more people look towards me, and they also notice Eris sitting on myp. Her strikingly red hair and blue eyes.

    Now that I think about it, rich or powerful people probably recognize her as the Matriarch¡¯s granddaughter. Does it mean it might make them scared to bid against someone who is in such a good rtionship with her? Am I indirectly bullying them?

    ¡°Good job, boss!¡± I whisper to Eris.

    The young Lynthari clearly doesn''t know what she did, but she nods and smiles, lifting her nose a bit higher.

    ¡°Sold for two Eclipse Stones to the young man!¡± the auctioneer finally ends the bidding, and his eyes meet mine for a moment.

    The auction afterward is quite boring.

    Eris buys me some weird mana stone that she says has a simr color to her eyes, and in exchange, I buy her some ancient toy based on mana that helps to improve control.

    Obelia bids a few times and buys some nice items for either herself or her guild.

    Tess and Hadwin also point me to buy a few high-rare items that can be spread to our group members, some mana batteries, and other stuff.

    Buying all of it barely makes a dent in the amount of money we hold, so I just keep buying and buying, as we end up with two dozen items. That brings some attention to us, but at this point, I''m not that worried. The only person that I found could threaten me is the Matriarch, and maybe a few more Lynthari. And Cmities, of course. Otherwise, there isn''t much to threaten my life here on the 4th floor.

    As the night progresses, Eris leaves to y with someone else, and I notice Tess joking with Obelia and Jenna, while Hadwin sometimes joins in.

    I spend my time continuing Mana Cycling, which I do constantly, and observing people on balconies, with some showing interest in me. Mostly, it''s simple to guess from their gaze what they want. Most of them just straight up want a good rtionship with someone rich, others looking for a connection to Eris and the Matriarch, some recognizing me as the guild master of Angry Kittens, which is now one of the five big guilds thanks to its fighting power and not the size of the guild.

    I just straight up ignore them, and when they reach out to me with their mana, I obliterate it, often doing so in a way that will sting them a bit.

    ¡°This crest is something we were unable to identify nor even scratch! It''s made of a material that reminds of wood, but it''s extremely heavy!¡± sounds from the podium.

    That makes me curious again, and I look at the auctioneer, and the item inside the ss box reminds me of something. I didn''t notice it while checking the other items sent to auction, so did they just add it, or did I miss it while trying to avoid people? The material seems to be the same as the extremely heavy chest we got from the Champion''s house and were unable to open it, no matter what we tried.

    The bids start at a Sun Stone, and I bid a few times until I win, ending up paying three Eclipse Stones and one Sun Stone.

    ¡°The next item is something extremely exciting; we are getting to thest ten items!¡±

    The lighting changes, and the fake night sky on the ceiling as well, with stars disappearing and being reced by soft, aurora-like blue lights that mix with white ones.

    ¡°Allow me to show you this extremely precious mana stone inscribed by the rising star of Virelia, someone said to be even more talented than Mister Elydor when ites to inscribing!¡±

    The stone they put out, I know very well; I inscribed it just a few days ago.

    ¡°The master inscriber''s identity is a secret, but the skill is real, as confirmed by the Craft guild multiple times. I do not dare to be able to say what the stone contains, but our experts told me that they have never seen anything like it, and the Craft guild master confirmed it as well. Simply, the ones that know understand how valuable it is, and the rest of us can only look at it with amazement!¡± he opens up both of his arms and lights spark off under the ss box, allowing the stone inside to be seen better.

    ¡°The starting price is three Eclipse Stones!¡±

    I watch as the price climbs higher and higher. There are even a few Lynthari bidding and plenty of older men simr to the inscriber that is helping me.

    At some point, they get outbid by Lynthari, so they group together and probably join their money to continue bidding.

    ¡°...once, twice, sold for 7 Eclipse Stones, one Sun Stone, and three Star Stones!¡±

    The final amount is $7,800,000.

    Easiest money of my life.

    I bid on a few items from the top 10: a shield for Haddy, light armor for Maya, a lump of heavy and extremely conductive metal for Kim, a weird set of bracelets for the twins.

    ¡°Finally, the main course of tonight! A mid-epic item we have received from Storm Brigade, one of only 5 big guilds of Virelia!¡±

    The tension can be felt in the air as they bring the weapon to the middle of the room, the ss box around it densely covered in inscriptions and housing a beautiful spear made from a single piece of metal-like material.

    It''s as long as the man auctioning it and gray of color, with a de inscribed with pale blue symbols. The weapon is beautiful yet deadly, and that also makes me wonder, is the Ethercrystal shortsword also a mid-epic item, or is it of low rarity?

    ¡°Starting price is ten Eclipse Stones!¡± the moment the auctioneer shouts that, I can hear people sigh, and bidse flying.

    ¡°Eleven Eclipse Stones from thedy in a red dress, twelve from a young man in a pink suit!¡±

    The bids keep flying.

    ¡°Fifteen from a young Lynthari master with a beautiful gray tail!¡±

    And climbing.

    ¡°Twenty Eclipse Stones from a Lyntharidy with pretty orange eyes!¡±

    ¡°We should be able to buy it, right?¡± Tess moves closer to me.

    She is not even trying to hide the hint of greed in her eyes.

    ¡°Did Obelia let you check the spear before she put it into the auction?¡± I ask.

    Tess nods, ¡°It''s amazing, Nat. I want it.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± I tell her.

    I''m rich.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Thirty Eclipse Stones from a young man with beautiful eyes,¡± the auctioneer gets out of himself, and even the whispers stop, with dozens, hundreds of eyes turning to me.

    ¡°Thirty-one Eclipse Stones from a lynthari gentleman in a ck suit!¡± he shouts again, getting another signal.

    So I send one as well.

    ¡°Forty... FORTY Eclipse Stones from a crazy... from a handsome young man with pretty eyes!¡± he shouts.

    I heard it, you asshole.

    After that, there is nothing, just silence.

    ¡°Calling once, calling twice, calling thrice¡­ sold to the rich young man!¡±

    As if on cue, everyone starts talking, and I turn to Obelia, remembering that I bought it from her.

    She is trying to hide it, but even I can see her surprised expression, and it''s so funny that I remember it. I canugh at it a bitter.

    When I check the card, we still have close to 100 Eclipse Stones on it, even when I count the ones from the sale of my mana stone.

    How do I even spend it all?

    The way back home is refreshing. It''s still dark outside, and I breathe in the colder night air as we slowly walk there. Most of the things we were unable to carry were already sent to our house with plenty of guards, and Hadwin went with them.

    Me, Tess, and Lily just slowly walk. Tess is happily holding her spear, and the smile can''t disappear from her face.

    <strong>Gravitas Javelin (epic):</strong><em>Crafted from a metal known for its ability to alter its mass, this spear can be as light as a feather or extremely heavy based on the wielder''s intent. Its dark gray surface is unmarked by battle, always appearing as pristine as when first forged.</em>

    That reminds me that we still didn''t decide what we will do with the epic bow we got from the Arcane Archer. Seeing how many epic items we have and remembering how some people from themunityin about how hard they are to get makes me feel cozy inside.

    I wonder how difficult it is to get epic items on Hard difficulty and if it''s even possible on Easy and Normal. I will have to ask during the tournament.

    ¡°So now the tree?¡± Lily joins me, leaving Tess slightly behind us.

    I nod, ¡°Yes, the tree. In a few days, and we will be ready.¡±

    ¡°You still won''t change your mind? I would be helpful.¡±

    ¡°I told you before. We either kill it in one hit or bail; there will be no fighting, no healing,¡± I resolutely tell her, and she probably sees it and doesn''t try to change my mind.

    The n is simple, and only a few people will go. Me, Obelia to get us there, Myrra and her bodyguard, Hadwin, and a few of Obelia''s members that are good at enchanting or disrupting mana.

    A few days pass. We split the items, we eat a few pieces of Archdeer meat, and as expected, Biscuit is extremely thankful and keeps letting me boop his nose without doing anything to fight them.

    He doesn''t even shout ''Bitch'' every time someone mentions Obelia, nor use his creepy mana arms.

    We spend a few evenings eating pieces of Archdeer meat that Hadwin grills, cooks, or tries to smoke. Everyone seems to like it and they start liking it even more when they hear how much did it cost.

    They enjoy thepany of each other. Something very different from the 1st Floor.

    Izzy seems a bit off, different from before, now without her sister''s skill affecting her. She is a bit shy, but she didn''t change. It''s still the same Izzy we know, even though she''s a bit less brave at times.

    I think Sophie might have removed or weakened some of the memories that could traumatize the little girl, but I can''t confirm it, nor do I want to stick my nose into this. It''s something the sisters both agreed on and did together, so it''s up to them.

    At first, Sophie seemed worried that her sister might hate her, but the moment the little girl hugged her after a day of removing the <strong>[Geas]</strong>, Sophie started smiling again and kept apologizing to her sister.

    I also examined most of the items we got from the auction and stored most of them in the room under the house for further study in the future.

    The chest didn''t open even with a piece of weird heavy wood we got during the auction, but Min-Jae said he felt something with his skill, so I leave it up to him. I swear I will open this chest no matter what or destroy it in the process.

    A bitter, in the room under our house, I finally decide to finish creating the Tree Obliterator 9000.

    The man named Cael, an older enchanter whom I met one night and who helped me with inscriptions, is here with me. He is here just to observe the process as promised, something he judged to be well worth the help he gave me.

    I clear my mind and look at the items in front of me, I''ve gone over it multiple times and know how it should go, so I do not hesitate and consolidate my <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    First, I take the Ethercrystal Shortsword and put it into a densely inscribed, mana conductive holder. The thing reminds me of the shaft of a spear and it connects to the sword by holding its handle. It fits perfectly, and when I activate the inscriptions we made, it almost seems as if it connects with the sword, holding it strongly.

    I activate set after set of inscriptions, all of them in preparation for the next step and to work together with the epic weapon.

    It takes hours and a lot of mana, but soon I''m ready and into the slot that we prepared, I put the Mana Core Sphere, my other epic item that can disrupt mana and leave asting disruptive attack.

    The core perfectly fits in, and another set of inscriptions secures it inside.

    So there it lies, a long shaft made of silver metal with its entire surface covered in inscriptions, and the epic sword as its de. Near where the handle of the sword is imbued, there is also the Mana Core Sphere.

    "Now, onto the hardest step," Cael smiles, his eyes shining as he observes the process, careful not to interrupt me.

    Huh, I almost forgot he was here.

    I shake my head and after a few deep breaths, I close my eyes, and <strong>[Infusion]</strong>, <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, and <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> all activate and I get to it.

    It''s time to connect them and change the inscriptions on the epic items ever so slightly. For that, a lot of mana is required, so I force my skills into overdrive.

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 38 > Redistribution - lvl 39]</strong>

    <strong>[Infusion - lvl 13 > Infusion - lvl 14]</strong>

    <strong>[Infusion - lvl 14 > Infusion - lvl 15]</strong>

    When this step is done, I use <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to inscribe circuits into the handle of the sword, connecting all three parts in front of me together with a web of circuits.

    The weapon, handle, and sphere, are all interwoven together, the shaft connecting two epic items and forcing them to work together.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 31 > Resonance - lvl 32]</strong>

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 32 > Resonance - lvl 33]</strong>

    I take a step back and give myself a moment to calm down and to get back to the real world. My mana has taken a noticeable bite into it, and I even used some from the reservoir, actually, quite a lot of it.

    It means we will have to wait a few days longer before hunting the tree, just so it can be restored, and so I can create a few orbs, just in case. And fill batteries¡­ yeah, I need to let Obelia and Myrra know.

    Finally, I take a look at my creation.

    <strong>Ethercore Javelin (epic): </strong><em> Javelin thatbines the Ethercrystal Shortsword and Mana Core Sphere, connected by an Arcanadium shaft intricately modified for enhanced mana flux. The Ethercrystal de rapidly absorbs mana, funneling it into the Mana Core Sphere, which has been altered to continuously change the frequency of its emitted disruptive field, affecting a single target. These constant frequency shifts make the field unpredictable and highly effective against a wide range of magical defenses.</em>

    The weapon in front of me is the strongest epic item I''ve seen, surely upper epic without a speck of doubt.

    I step back and let Cael examine the item. He looks just like a kid getting a new toy and doesn''t ask anything. Instead, being the craftsman he is, he wants first to examine it all by himself without asking questions.

    Now then, I wonder how big the disruptive field will be with all the mana the tree possesses.

    And I wonder what will happen when the weapon disrupts its mana flow and how much it will destabilize the integrity of the tree that surely uses some mana just to stop itself from crumbling due to its sheer size.

    It takes a few days longer, but we are ready and standing in front of the array.

    ¡°So, for thest time,¡± I turn to the group in front of me, ¡°We get there and everyone will use their disruptive skills to block our presence and other fields as well.¡±

    That''s why I''m taking Hadwin with me.

    ¡°After that, we will get a bit further and set the circle where I can collect my mana and prepare the attack, all while you block it all so the tree can''t sense us. Meanwhile, Obelia and a few of her members will keep the array running so we can use it in case anything suspicious happens.¡±

    Myrra is also quiet, but she and her bodyguard are both fully prepared. They have plenty of powerful items, and I have a suspicion that one or two might be epic. She will go there mostly as an observer, and the amount of trust she puts in my n is almost scary.

    She truly is a weirdo.

    Well, the one facing the most danger will be me; if the tree senses me preparing my attack, it might defend itself or attack me as well while others use the array. That would be unfortunate.

    ¡°All ready,¡± Obelia says, and I nod.

    We went over the n over and over again and even practiced the formations so there is no need to hesitate anymore.

    It will work.

    After one more check, all of us step in. The air feels heavy, as well as my body. My heart is beating wildly, and I can hear the breathing of some members of this expedition. Shaking hands, nervous nces, squeezing hems of their cloaks,st checks, and attempts at carefully controlling their mana.

    We are going against the Cmity, a being that years ago wiped out the old capital on its own before it got weakened.

    The light shes, and the feeling of falling hits me but quickly disappears as we get transported though the array.

    Immediately Obelia gives orders, ¡°Quick, the fields.¡± She is whispering, even when she doesn''t have a reason to do so.

    I notice that her voice is shaking.

    Multiple fields pop up around us, and I join in as we step outside. I carefully move my mana as weyer disruptive fields around us to avoid detection. We even avoid looking at the Tree as it could detect that.

    It takes a few seconds and everything goes smoothly, just as we practiced, and I feel my confidence growing.

    Then it alles crashing down when I hear Myrra, ¡°Oh no,¡± she says, and her tail is frozen, not moving at all.

    I break the rule we set and follow her gaze towards the old capital, and then I understand the tone of her voice.

    Gradually, more of us notice, and eventually, everyone is staring towards the direction of the old capital.

    The Cmity called the Living Tree is gone.

    Its colossal shadow doesn''t tower over the city anymore.

 Chapter 241: We were wrong

    Chapter 241: We were wrong

    ¡°We are leaving, right now!¡± For the first time, I hear extreme urgency in Myrra''s voice, and she even grabs the item from Obelia''s hand, and uses it to charge and activate the array after throwing a few mana stones on the ground.

    While they are preparing to leave, I send a pulse of <strong>[Perception]</strong> towards the city in a thin cone instead of a field that surrounds me.

    I detect a few items all over the city, but the tree is gone. I can''t see as well as Tess, but there is a crater in its ce, and the buildings around it are not destroyed. It seems like the tree flew or teleported?

    My eyes immediately turn to the sky, and a few more members of the expedition look at it as well,ing to the same conclusion. Skill after skill activates, trying to detect the tree, and Myrra even uses her mana to activate the array faster.

    ¡°Ready!¡± Myrra shouts, and all of us step back into the circle.

    Looking at the capital onest time, we teleport and reappear back in the array near Virelia.

    ¡°Obelia, feral one, you areing with me. We need to see the Matriarch, <em>right now</em>,¡± Myrra orders, and this time she doesn''t joke nor ask.

    But this time I''m not even angry and am inclined to do as she says.

    Unfortunately, there is something that doesn''t allow me to do that. Hundreds, thousands of signatures of monsters are all around Virelia, some of them even inside the city.

    Ant signatures.

    ¡°How¡­ HOW! They were weeks away!¡± one of Obelia''s guild members shouts.

    ¡°With me, we go to the Matriarch,¡± Myrra orders again, and when I do not move, she looks at me, ¡°Feral one?¡±

    ¡°I will check on my group first,¡± I tell her simply, my mana slowly radiating from my body, and kic energy collecting inside me.

    Myrra hisses in annoyance and rushes towards the city without saying anything else, closely followed by Obelia.

    ¡°Be careful on your way back,¡± I tell Hadwin, and he nods in agreement.

    Then, I use the kic energy I collected in an orb to push myself ahead with speed much faster than ever before. The nature around me turns into a blur, and the city bes bigger and bigger, and I even pass by Myrra and Obelia. Yet I use more and more, a bad feeling I''m having not wanting to leave me, and when I notice especially a lot of ants on the hill.

    On the street where our house is.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    When I get close, I find the house nearly destroyed, and members of our group are fighting ants that are much smaller than before. Barely as big as a horse, yet they are much faster, and the barrier that resonates on their skin seems to disrupt mana attacks.

    Ind in the middle of what used to be our house and absorb the inertia of my fall, not even cracking the ground under my feet.

    The first ant rushes me, and kic energy changes its frequency, turning into a high pitch, and the ant''s head explodes.

    <strong>[You have defeated Weaver Ant - lvl 189]</strong>

    The moment I do it, some link creates between all the remaining ants, and when I use kic energy on another, the ant endures. All hundred or so remaining ants somehow shared the damage I did to one of them, distributing it among all of them.

    Instead of attacking again, I let <strong>[Regalia]</strong> form all around my body to absorb its attacks. Then, I scan the area again, confirming what I noticed the moment I arrived.

    Sophie, Dennis, and Aaron are not here. I can''t feel their presences no matter how far I reach. That can mean only two things. They are either dead or they are beyond my detection range.

    The ant bites at me again, and I clench my teeth; <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> slows it to a crawl, not allowing it to move. Then, I reach for one of the orbs I prepared for the Living Tree and send kic energy towards the monster. It''s shared, so there is no damage, but I push more and more. The stronger and stronger attack and the high-pitched noise be more audible.

    The air seems to wave and twist, and a crack appears on the ant''s carapace.

    One more push, and all hundred or so ants explode into pieces.

    <strong>[You have defeated Weaver Ant - lvl 173]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Weaver Ant - lvl 179]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Weaver Ant - lvl 199]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 183 > Lvl 184]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Weaver Ant - lvl 161]</strong>

    Ignoring the rest of the notifications, I check on Maya. She is fine, fighting two gravity ants, surrounded by her <strong>[Armament]</strong> and not seeming to have trouble with them.

    Min-Jae fights too, his telekinesis moving around the chest we got from the Champion''s house and using its immense weight to smash the monsters, even increasing its weight with his <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong>. Biscuit is next to him, using his Tentacles to stop any ant that gets close.

    On the other side, Lily shoots arrows made of <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>, using the epic bow we got, and each attack obliterates the monster, no matter its level.

    I boost myself and reach Tess and Isabe, who are fighting further away, surrounded by a dozen ants.

    Isabe''s fire doesn¡¯t seem to work on them, and I can feel that she is losing control over it, frustrated by it, and especially by something else. Tears are in her eyes and she seems scared, worried.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    There is a <strong>[Stormcrown]</strong> over Tess''s head, and each of her attacks does terrifying damage to the monsters, and her epic spear keeps hitting more of them, always in perfect timing to help everyone.

    The city is burning, and I can hear screams from everywhere, but it''s weird too. There are too few ants; there should be tens, hundreds of thousands of them.

    I quickly help Tess deal with the ants and nce at Izzy, who stops moving, and even more tears appear in her eyes.

    Tess stops in front of me, ¡°We were wrong, Nat, the ants never were after you or Virelia. They were after Sophie and the twins,¡± she exins quickly, ¡°They attacked the moment you guys went to the Living Tree, just a few minutes ago.¡±

    After dealing with their monsters, others join us too.

    ¡°Where did they take them?¡± I ask Tess.

    ¡°They used something like an array, I''m not sure¡­¡±

    The same as me, she must know that they probably took them back to the colony and whatever they n to do is not nice.

    I turn to Izzy to say something but then hesitate. What can I even tell her? Saving them seems impossible. We could be throwing our lives away if we went there.

    ¡°Nat, I want to save them,¡± Tess says simply from behind me. She doesn''t hesitate. Her eyes are clear when I turn to her. She knows going into the middle of the Colony could mean death, yet she is willing to do so.

    How? Why? She barely knows them. Not even a year. Isn¡¯t her life more important?

    Her voice bes softer, ¡°I¡¯d rather do this than constantly regret not even trying to help them for the rest of my life.¡± The lightning stops flickering around her, and she takes a step closer. ¡°I was always serious about all of us bing friends and not even once did I lie. <em>This is the decision I made</em>.¡± She says, <strong>[Deration]</strong> activating for a moment, making everyone feel her will.

    I barely know them, Sophie did hurt me before, and the twins still dislike me, so why do I also want to help them? That¡¯s so dumb.

    With a sigh, I take a step towards Izzy, who is already sobbing, ¡°Sophie used her skill on me, forced me to run away,¡± the little girl cries. ¡°They wanted to take me too. I could feel it. They want us, people with skills like ours,¡± the air around her gradually heating up, and everyone else takes a step back, unable to endure the heat.

    I start absorbing it and take another step towards her.

    ¡°She promised never to use her skill on me, yet she did. She said to find you and stay safe near you,¡± Isabe looks at me with cheeks wet from tears that immediately evaporate as she releases more heat.

    ¡°We will save them for sure,¡± I tell her.

    ¡°You''re lying. I can tell,¡± the little kid shakes her head, ¡°I can tell that you still don''t like Sophie. You don''t hate her anymore, but you don''t like her because she did what she did.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can''t help it,¡± I admit.

    Her mes start to melt the ground we stand on, pushing others back. Brilliant blue mes make iron glow bright and melt the stones.

    ¡°Don¡¯te closer!¡± Isabe shouts, and her mes explode, pushing me back a bit before I absorb them and take another step toward her. Our eyes meet, ¡°They want to do such terrible things to her, and I want to help, but I can''t! Sophie¡¯s skill doesn¡¯t allow me to follow her!¡±

    Isabe expends more and more of her mana, trying to force me away. She is crying but still using her<strong> [Empathy]</strong> on me. She is scared, and frustrated.

    She is just a kid.

    Before she hurts herself by using too much mana, I take thest step and kneel in front of her so our eyes meet. Then, I stop absorbing her mes and only strengthen my body a bit, circting more heat inside to activate my passive healing.

    Immediately, burns start appearing on my face and body.

    Reading my feelings, she shouts shortly and her mes strengthen even more, burning my skin and revealing flesh underneath, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± she whispers.

    Then, I disable my <strong>[Focus]</strong> and let her feel everything. All my fears, my anxiety, my past trauma, and all these feelings I like to push to the back of my mind, ¡°I will help Sophie, Dennis, and Aaron. I myself don¡¯t know fully why and would be unable to express it. So just feel it yourself,¡± I reach with my hand and touch her cheeks, still constantly burned by blue mes, ¡°A simple answer would be that I consider you my friend, I think.¡± The small smile that appears on my face justes up on its own, and I don¡¯t even have to force it.

    With a sob, all of her mes disappear, and she hugs me tightly, and I can feel her small body shake in my arms, ¡°You won¡¯t take me with you to save her,¡± Isabe sobs.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t do it in case she will be¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I caress the back of her head, ¡°But Izzy, check the Community, the number didn¡¯t decrease, meaning she, Aaron, and Dennis are alive.¡±

    I feel her body freeze, and the relief she must be feeling is clearly noticeable, "Do you promise you will save her?"

    "I can''t do that. I don''t know what to expect, but Izzy, I will try. I will try really hard."

    Thest sob sounds from her. "That''s enough."

    Then I send a weak pulse of <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to her head, making her pass out.

    When I stand up with her in my hands, I feel my body screaming to move, to run, but I can''t. Even a small mistake I make could mean their death.

    I pass by a few people and stop in front of Biscuit, who looks at me from the ground.

    This time, I''m serious and don¡¯t use the tone I usually use with Biscuit. Right now, I talk to him in a way I would talk to anyone else from group 4, ¡°Will you protect them while I''m gone?¡± Just a simple question.

    Biscuit¡¯s tail doesn''t swing at all, and the look in his eyes changes. The usual cheekiness is gone, and they are calm and firm. Instead of answering me, mana starts radiating from him. The one that feels extremely disturbing, and his eyes gain a soft purple glow. Even his shadow on the ground grows until it''s dozens of times bigger. Biscuit is strong, stronger than he lets show, but even this is only a hint at his potential. The same as us, he also needs to grow.

    <em>(Friend?) </em>he asks.

    ¡°Yes, I consider you a friend too,¡± I say to him.

    <em>(Friend,)</em> he repeats and hovers into the air, his right front paw bumping my nose and I do the same.

    With this, I turn around and put Izzy into Hadwin¡¯s hands. The older man just arrived, and there is a surprised expression on his face, ¡°They will exin everything to you,¡± I tell him, and then turn around, ¡°Tess, Lily, will you join me?¡± I ask them to risk their life, to go into the heart of the enemy forces.

    ¡°I would go even without you,¡± Tess says.

    ¡°I will help,¡± Lily nods.

    Neither of them hesitates.

    ¡°Biscuit, Hadwin, Min-Jae, Maya, please take care of Izzy.¡± I pause. ¡°There might be a traitor, so be careful. The Living Tree is gone, it disappeared, so expect anything.¡±

    I quickly exin the rest of it to them and then put Lily on my back, push us high in the air, and boost us towards the middle of the city. Tess simrly follows us, lightning trailing her body.

 Chapter 242: Eris

    Chapter 242: Eris

    We reach the area with flooring that is impossible to destroy, and most of the important people are already around there. There are even a dozen lynthari wearing the same ck armor, each of them around level 200. Unlike most of the lynthari we met until now, they are calm and serious.

    ¡°How is it, Myrra?¡± I catch her to the side.

    ¡°Oh, this? This is nothing. Even if a hundred times more ants attacked, we would be fine, feral one, and soon all of them will be dealt with. We just don¡¯t know what the intention was. Whatever it is, this means war.¡± Myrra is also wearing beautiful armor that I immediately identify as epic equipment, most likely mid-grade.

    It''s multiple pieces of armor that seem to be tailored for her, and she must have been wearing it under her clothes even as we went against the Living Tree.

    ¡°And the tree?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Soon, we will send scouts there. They will use arrays all around the old capital and some that are even further, and try to find out where it is. Meanwhile, we did send more to all sides from Virelia, in case the cmity heads here.¡±

    Her tail twitches, and even while talking to me, she listens to other people and lynthari talking a bit further from us, ¡°I will be leading our enforcers,¡± she gestures at the group of twelve lynthari warriors, all in ck armor, ¡°Obelia, Is will being too, and even other two of the five guilds will send some elites while we keep some powers here. You areing too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, me, Tess, and Lily.¡±

    ¡°I see, it''s good to have a healer with us. Thalen is too important, so he will stay in the city.¡±

    ¡°Nathaniel Gwyn, can I have a moment of your time?¡± I hear a soft voice next to me and when I look, the matriarch stands there.

    No one else seems to be able to see her, no matter if lynthari or human.

    Out of nowhere expression on Myrra¡äs face changes and she leaves in the middle of the sentence to talk to other humans, the same other lynthari that unknowingly create a circle with me and the matriarch in the middle, yet no one seems to see us or realize it.

    ¡°You knew why the ants wereing to Vir,¡± I immediately throw at her.

    There is no smile on her face, but her canines show, ¡°Why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°You are manipting people and lynthari in the city. You hid all mentions about the possibility of mind maniption; that''s why we didn''t find anything about it,¡± they are all suspicions I came to over weeks and months, ¡°And that''s why you kept watching us ever since we came. You and the ants both, for some reason, want people with abilities simr to yours.¡±

    ¡°You really are fun,¡± she smiles, and I don''t even notice how but she stands in front of me, her nails against my neck, moving over it.

    A smile climbs onto her face, ¡°The Colony has <strong>[Hive Mind]</strong> while my skill is <strong>[Kin Control]</strong>,¡± she tilts her head and creates another scratch on my neck, ¡°They don''t enter my territory, and I don''t poke theirs. But you and your guild ruined it. That ck-haired woman with green eyes seems to have a really irresistible skill. I wanted to slowly examine it, but I underestimated how much the Colony wants it."

    I reach to grab her hand, but my hand passes through the air, and she stands a bit further away from me.

    ¡°You know, even though me and the Colony have such skills that give us immense powers, we live in constant worry that someone with a stronger onees and takes over thework we¡¯ve built and destroys everyone connected to it,¡± she says.

    The ants never were after me; they sensed the use of Sophie¡¯s <strong>[Maniption]</strong>, the Twins¡¯<strong> [Connection]</strong>, and Isabe¡¯s <strong>[Empathy],</strong> all of them mind skills and simr to theirs. They most likely went after Biscuit, and I still remember the huge number of ant corpses around him. Yet, he didn''t seem to be their priority, and neither did Isabe.

    Not killing them means that they want to use them somehow, probably to deal with the Matriarch or have an advantage over her or straight up evolve <strong>[Hive Mind]</strong> to take over. The Matriarch probably wanted to do the same; she just didn''t expect the ants to get there so secretly without her noticing.

    ¡°You want to either kill or get back my group members,¡± I say.

    ¡°Yes, leaving them with the Colony is too dangerous. But can you guess why don''t mind telling you all of it?¡±

    ¡°You are Eris, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    The matriarch''s smile broadens, her sharp caninesing into view.

    ¡°As expected from my underling,¡± Eris, a redheaded lynthari child, materializes from the rift. She waves and smiles at me and then takes a step towards the Matriarch.

    When they touch, a wave of mana covers their bodies, and the figure of the Matriarch grows while Eris disappears, both reced by a lynthari who isn¡¯t as short as the Matriarch but even a bit taller than Myrra. She has the same red hair as the Matriarch and Eris and, instead of one tail, there are two fox-like ones.

    ¡°You did it just for fun, didn''t you?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the voice now is a bit different from either of them, a skill that allowed the Matriarch to split her body into two, ¡°You might not believe it, but I really like humans. That¡¯s why I made all these rules and that¡¯s why other lynthari like to observe you as well, affected by my personality.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    She is now much stronger than before. Her mana is wild and dangerous, her body bears tremendous strength, and each of her movements feels like those of an apex predator.

    ¡°Underling,¡± she says, a word sounding weird when said by her, ¡°I kept this,¡± she shows me a toy I bought for her at the auction. ¡°You still somewhat irritate me, but you are fun and nice in a weird way; you remind me of someone. It¡¯s silly, I know, but I like you treating me like a kid; it made me remember times when I was young."

    Her eyes cloud for a moment, a memory shing behind, "The times when nothing mattered, and I could just explore the world,ugh, and have fun without any responsibilities. I miss that.¡±

    She touches my shoulder, ¡°Go and save your friends, and by doing that stop the Colony from evolving." Taking two steps back she looks at me questioningly.

    ¡°For me to do that, you will need to cancel your weird field... boss,¡± I tell her.

    A look of shock is quickly reced by a bright, joyful smile on her face, ¡°Make me proud, my dear underling,¡± the field that made others unaware of her crumbles, and she says one more word, unfitting her majestic appearance, ¡°nya.¡±

    Obelia leads, closely followed by Is and a few more elites from the big guilds. A bit further, Myrra runs with twelve enforcers, and behind them, our small group of three.

    We are heading towards the old mines and the array that leads to the heart of the colony and theb where the Cmity was created to serve as a bioweapon during the war.

    This floor is called Waning Realm, meaning a realm that used to be powerful but now is just a shadow of its glorious self; a realm defeated by invaders of lynthari, and in the war, both sides suffered terrible losses. Dead Absolutes and Champions, destroyed cities. Terrible Cmities used for the war, now all weakened in this waning world.

    No matter how we look at it, the lynthari are invaders here, yet can they even me the current generation that has no idea about that, with only Eris, the Matriarch, knowing about it?

    It''s for other people to deal with. For me, it doesn¡¯t matter, and I''m not a person to decide. And to be honest, I don¡¯t care. Right now, I just want my group members back, to fulfill the promise I gave to Izzy.

    It doesn¡¯t take much longer, and we reach the mines and, moving as quickly as possible, we reach the door and then the room with the array.

    Obelia and a few of her guild members quickly get to activate it, and I observe our group. A hundred or so lynthari and people. One of the strongest from Virelia, and even the array has to be changed a bit to allow transporting us all, and that''s what they are doing.

    A few lynthari work with Obelia and are using some items that even Obelia looks at with surprise.

    I watch them work and wonder if that will be enough. Even though this is probably what Eris wanted to do ever since we found the array and where it leads. A quick and deadly force of elites sent to deal with the core of the Colony. A queen, a strong ant that leads them all. Whatever it is.

    There must be someone like Eris, an ant that simrly controls the Colony through <strong>[Hive Mind]</strong>. An ant that got terrified by Sophie¡¯s <strong>[Maniption]</strong>, and now wants to use it to strengthen itself.

    I turn to Tess, ¡°Try to calm down; your mana is seeping out.¡±

    The expression she has is proof of her worry, and impatience. I''m sure she is constantly checking the number of members of our group in the Community, hoping it doesn¡¯t go down.

    Instead of answering me, she only nods and clenches her teeth, and I can see her mana slowly calming down.

    So, I check the gear I have with me. My newest epic weapon, the Tree Obliterator 9000, may not be very useful there, since it''s designed to be effective against a single,rger target, and will take some time to activate. I also have a few mana batteries, the one I got from the Arcane Archer included, and an upper-grade rare armor I got from the auction. An orb filled with thermal energy floats near me, and I continue to fill it with more. My mana is full; my reservoir is full.

    Tess''s <strong>[Stormcrown]</strong> is also floating over her head, and she keeps storing Primordial lightning inside it. She has two epic items on her, the Abyssal Anchor and the spear we just bought not long ago.

    Lily also has an epic bow with her, the one we got from the Arcane Archer, and multiple pieces of mid or upper-grade rare equipment.

    As I try to move Lily reaches me and puts her hand on mine, ¡°Nathaniel,¡± she says and she puts the crown into my hand. The one we got from the 3rd floor.

    <strong>Crown of Eternal Vignce (Epic): </strong><em>This finely crafted crown used to be seamlessly linked to the Saint, but now bears an imperfect connection to a novice healer, enabling the wearer to receive healing powers from them.</em>

    After examining it I look at her. ¡°Just in case,¡± she says, her eyes determined.

    ¡°Miss Myrra, we are ready,¡± Obelia stands up from the array and, taking a few steps, she hands an item used to activate it to Myrra. ¡°They might detect us the moment we pass through, so we should immediately shield ourselves so they can¡¯t do it too urately.¡±

    ¡°Obelia, do you know why we didn¡¯t deal with the Colony as of now?¡± Myrra asks instead, putting the item away and fixing her armor.

    Twelve lynthari elites, the enforcers, surround her, doing the same, and dozens of skills activate, strengthening their bodies, making their mana flow.

    Every one of them is much more dangerous than Elydor, either at or way over Is''s level of strength, not only in pure level, but just sheer amount of experience and control over their skills.

    After Obelia shakes her head, Myrra continues, ¡°The Colony and even their leader aren''t that strong or high-leveled. Their advantage is the insane numbers and cooperation they have through<strong> [Hive Mind]</strong>. Not even once were we able to push deep into their territory to be able to deal with their leadership, but now? We will get to the heart of their territory, kill their leader while preventing them from evolving, and then we will use this,¡± she shows us a small sphere of brilliant blue light.

    She continues, ¡°This is a return sphere made by the Matriarch herself. It''s only one way and it will create a rift to allow us to the ce where the sphere was created, to Virelia.¡±

    Myrra puts the sphere under her armor, ¡°We have one hour before the sphere dissipates under the spatial defenses the Colony did set up, so keep that in mind.¡±

    Enforcers step into the circle that is now increased in size, all sorts of effects sizzling on their skin, tails moving calmly, and ears perked up. Tall with great equipment that is just a step away from epic, they look imposing.

    ¡°One hour should be enough to have some fun,¡± Is also steps inside the circle, seemingly not imposed by the lynthari. On her skin, tattoo-like circuits appear and start shining.

    ¡°Let''s not waste more time,¡± I also step in, closely followed by Tess and Lily.

    Following suit, the rest of our group gets in, and Myrra¡¯s eyes meet mine.

    Then the array activates, and with the feeling of falling, the scenery around us changes.

 Chapter 243: Obstacles

    Chapter 243: Obstacles

    Using <strong>[Perception] </strong>in the darkness that surrounds us, I find us inside a single half-sphere-like shaped room.

    That''s when a few of the enforcers join their skills together and create some sort of domain that doesn''t allow me to perceive further nor any mana to pass inside.

    Myrra also sends something towards the edge of the domain and continues to carefully examine something, ¡°I feel no skill trying to pass through the silencing field, we should be fine for now.¡±

    Multiple skills and items light up the area.

    Everything inside the room is broken, with pirs made of crystal-like white stone, flooring made of polished white wood-like material, things that used to be tables and multiple pieces of furniture.

    There isn¡¯t even a hint of mana inside the room, and most of all, it reminds me of some kind of researchboratory, even though it''s all covered in dust, rotting, and unusable.

    ¡°Locate the source,¡± Myrra orders, and with a bow, two enforcers start scanning the room, ¡°Take these stones; they will point you towards where I and the return sphere are. The less time you have, the weaker glow they will emit,¡± Myrra hands a small mana stone to everyone in the group.

    Unlike what I''m used to, she is serious, and there is a hint of dignity to her.

    I wonder what her being a Champion candidate means, how shepares to Eris, the Lynthari Matriarch?

    ¡°Myrra, the ants took away a few of my guild members. Getting them back is my priority,¡± after creating a field around us, I tell her.

    Intrigue shines in her eyes, and she nods slowly, ¡°I smell her on you. Did you talk with the old woman?¡±

    ¡°I guess you mean the Matriarch?¡±

    ¡°Obviously, feral one,¡±

    I nod, ¡°She knows about it.¡±

    ¡°Then it''s fine,¡± Myrra leaves my field and joins the enforcers.

    Now it''s nearly confirmed that even she doesn¡¯t know about the Matriarch being two beings at the same time. Before sheined about the Matriarch''s granddaughter. Or maybe she knows and pretends not to. Who knows.

    With a soft hum, the white crystal pirs around the room start emitting a gentle light.

    The ceiling also changes a bit, generating flickering light for a few seconds before it turns on. On the floor, mana circuits also appear, creating circles around some ces that now contain only broken apparatuses.

    One of the enforcers most likely located what Myrra called the source, and it seems to be a weird stone imbued in one of the pirs. He sends more mana inside and then does something that turns the walls of the entire room transparent, allowing us to see outside.

    The web of tunnels big enough for three bus-sized ants to pass through are all around us, the walls covered in colorful mushroom-like stuff, some of them even glowing softly.

    Then there are ants, crawling through the tunnels at dizzying speeds, often on the ceiling or on the walls.

    There are many more variants than I ever met. Smaller ones with giant jaws. Bigger ones with shiny carapaces and thin legs, extremely quick and smaller ants. There are even much smaller ones that climb on the bodies of bigger ants and get carried around.

    ¡°Being covert doesn¡¯t seem to be an option, seeing how many of them are here,¡± Obelia says.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make it better?¡± Is giggles, ¡°It¡¯s been long since I fought them.¡±

    ¡°We should first locate the queen or whatever leads them,¡± I say and take a step towards a suspicious group of circuits on the floor.

    I send my mana towards them, and nothing happens.

    ¡°Nice catch, feral one,¡± Myrra says as she passes by me. ¡°But this is safeguarded, and only lynthari can use it,¡± she then sends her mana to it.

    The ceiling starts flickering again, and thousands of dots appear on it, dots of three colors.

    Red for ants.

    Green for lynthari.

    Blue for human.

    There is a big group of blue dots, and then there is a smaller one. Three blue dots surrounded by hundreds of red dots, some of them even bigger than the ones before.

    The map on the ceiling then changes, something akin to zooming out, revealing thousands more dots.

    It zooms out again. Tens of thousands more dots.

    Again. Hundreds of thousands more red dots.

    At this point, no one is talking.

    ¡°Seems about right,¡± Is mumbles, "fuck."

    ¡°They detected us,¡± Myrra says simply, and the map zooms in one more time.

    Thousands of dots are already moving towards us.

    ¡°Feral one, you are on your own,¡± Myrra turns to me. ¡°I wish you luck.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, take care of yourself too,¡± I answer her.

    There are two ces of interest on the map. The one with a few big red dots and three blue dots where I n to go. One more with the biggest red dot where Myrra ns to go. Both of the ces are far away from each other.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    We watch as the ants surround the sphere-like room we are in. Hundreds, thousands of bus-sized or other ants climbing all across the wall, attacking, yet unable to get inside.

    ¡°The moment we exit, we will be unable to get back inside of the room,¡± Myrra says thest thing and activates some sort of array.

    That makes the walls around us flicker, and she and her group pass through it as if it¡¯s not there, even though the ants are unable to enter.

    Me, Tess, and Lily do the same and immediately find ourselves surrounded by monsters.

    ¡°Save your mana for now,¡± I say simply, and mes burst in front of me, setting the mushrooms and ants aze.

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker Ant - lvl 56]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker Ant - lvl 50]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker Ant - lvl 75]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker Ant - lvl 101]</strong>

    The ants around us are weaker than the ones I fought before, the stronger variants not here yet.

    As the mushrooms start catching aze with more of my help, some of the ants even start running away while we continue to run towards where we saw three blue dots.

    The entire time, I''m absorbing the heat from the fire I set, so even Tess and Lily are fairlyfortable.

    Crawling with surprising speed, a dozen ants move across the ceiling, jumping down at us only for me to absorb their kic energy, their falling speed visibly slowing.

    Before they even reach us, I use that absorbed energy to pierce holes through the heads of half of them and create a few more javelins to kill the remaining ones.

    I use only as much mana as I need to kill the ants, never more. I observe their strength and adapt the output ordingly.

    A few minutes in, another type of ant appears, the one with a bigger head and mandibles that open 180 degrees wide.

    The ant is only as tall as me, yet feels much more threatening than some much bigger ones.

    <strong>[Trapjaw Ant - lvl 203]</strong>

    ¡°Be careful,¡± I say, and that¡¯s when the ant disappears, cracked ground left behind him.

    He moves with a speed I''m almost unable to track and stops in front of me, his jaws shutting down, the sound of them piercing the air audible.

    I started pushing myself back with a st of kic energy even before he reached me, and now I watch as his jaws snap shut with thundering noise, the air vibrating.

    Then the ant disappears again, standing back at the ce where he appeared. Slowly his mandibles open to 180 degrees again. There is no mana radiating from the ant other than from his mandibles. What he just showed was done only with the sheer strength and speed of its body.

    Before he can dash again, I shoot a dozen mana orbs at him that he swiftly dodges, and only then the ground under his legs cracks and he disappears.

    <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> activates at full power as this time he passes by me and goes after Tess.

    His movements are too quick and the strength behind them too immense, so the skill slows him down only a little, but Tess already expects him, lightning crackling around her. She jumps up in the air as the trapjaw ant''s mandibles shut with a scary noise and immediately stabs with a spear she holds in her hand.

    The ant avoids it, moving back to the ce where he started. There he stops and his mouth starts opening again, preparing for another dash. That''s when I activate an anchor I left there, and through the <strong>[Tether]</strong> I send a strong st of kic energy there that explodes near the middle of his body, cutting him in half.

    Yet the ant doesn''t hesitate and dashes again, just half of the body with head and jaw, dashing using three legs only.

    He is much slower than before, and before he reaches me, a javelin pierces his head, killing him, and his body slides to my feet with all the inertia it possesses.

    <strong>[You have defeated Trapjaw ant - lvl 203]</strong>

    My domain activates and as we continue and meet other Trapjaw ants, I immediately ce an anchor near them, the ants unable to perceive it. Before they even charge, I send an attack through it, most of the time killing them before they even charge us.

    Slowly, more of them start appearing, some of them even a bit bigger than us.

    Lily and Tess already fight on their own, Lily somewhat awkwardly using a bow and shooting gray arrows made of a tiny bit of her mana. The arrows are deadly, piercing through anything they hit, and Lily mostly aims at bigger ants I slow down with my skills.

    Tess quickly moves around, defending Lily when needed and killing smaller and quicker ants with her javelins that constantly float around her.

    The closer we get to where the map leads, the more ants appear and the stronger the variations, and I have to spend more mana to counter their attacks.

    Gravity ants try to slow us down, me Legion ants start fighting against the fire I set up, Sentinel ants with glowing symbols on their carapaces fight always in pairs.

    Yet it''s not a problem for me. I saw most of these variations and since then my skills and stats have improved a lot. I have an evolved Primary ss now, I have two epic passives, and I''m determined to fulfill my promise.

    At some point, I let my heart beat loudly and my mana flow through my body.

    Thepressed thermal energy turns into golden mes that fill the tunnels and melt everything theye in contact with. The mushrooms, the me legion ants, all without exception, fueled by my mana.

    Through the mes, we walk, not affected by them at all as I absorb all the heat and store it in the orbs that continue to float around me and follow us.

    Getting closer to our destination, I absorb the heat and mes around me, which both almost instantly disappear. Instead, waves of kic energy fill the tunnel, throwing the ants against the walls, piercing their bodies, and exploding the ants in their entirety. Up until another rare variation appears.

    His mana fills the tunnel and pushes against mine while I feel some weird web made of mana around him. His domain negates mine, and he destroys my anchors. The javelins I throw at him he disrupts and shoots a simr one at me immediately that I also disrupt.

    I push more mana into my skills and more javelins fly at him, all of them on the brink of turning into white shining bombs. Yet he pushes out even more mana, tearing them apart into small motes.

    The ant in front of us is small, barely reaching my waist. Its antennae are glowing in pale blue color and the entirety of its carapace is covered in circuits and inscriptions. His eyes are the same as those of the other ants, emotionless, ck, and eerily alien-looking.

    Then his smaller mandibles, which seem soft, open and close a few times. His legs burrow deep into the ground.

    Right after, the mana that radiates from him feels impossibly strong, palpable in the air, and his body, unable to contain it all, starts breaking apart and immediately healing. Yet with every heal, a few symbols from his carapace disappear.

    The ant is getting the mana from the other ants, hundreds or thousands of ants sending it towards this one that is unable to endure it all and will die the moment all healing inscriptions are used up.

    But for these few moments, the ant in front of us is terrifyingly strong.

    <strong>[Mana Channeler Ant - lvl ??]</strong>

 Chapter 244: Crown

    Chapter 244: Crown

    "We don''t have time for this," Tess says, releasing a bit more lightning from her crown, and Lily uses more mana to create a gray arrow.

    "This will be quick," I say. I''ve long since thought about how I would fight myself or deal with someone with mana simr to mine.

    The javelin that I have created, boosted by kic energy, absorbs the mana trying to slow it down and lodges into the Mana Channeler ant after breaking the barrier he creates.

    However, as expected, before the effect of the Sphere imbued in the weapon activates, the ant pushes it out of its body and quickly regains control over his mana, the weapon not affecting him fully. This weapon is made for a different kind of enemy.

    <strong>[Regalia]</strong> forms around my body, and I infuse it with <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, the armor turning transparent blue. Then I redirect most of my mana into the Reinforcement construct and dash at the ant.

    He shoots dozens of mana javelins simr to mine at me, each of them as thick as my arm and twice as long as my height.

    Yet the moment they touch the armor, they are disrupted, like snow melting before a red hot iron.

    The ant creates something reminiscent of a chain that tries to coil around me and hold me in ce, yet it too is disrupted, unable to take hold of me.

    Next, he tries to disrupt the armor around my body. I wait until he is almost sessful before changing frequency, so he has to start over. Whenever his attemptse close, I repeat it.

    A barrier forms in front of me, filled with an immense amount of mana and dark blue to the point where I can''t see through it.

    <strong>[Perception]</strong> activates, and I detect its frequency, applying it to my armor and passing through as if it''s not there.

    An immense amount of my mana is being sucked up by <strong>[Regalia]</strong> and <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, yet I continue using my skills to fight this ant as a huge numberof other ants continue feeding him mana. I watch as his body crumbles under the pressure, constantly healed by healing inscriptions, only half of them remaining.

    The ant doesn''t seem to be capable of more than just channeling mana. This variant is either imperfect and incapable of using more skills or too young and inexperienced to fully utilize all that power.

    An arrow passes by me, and I feel the hair on my body stand up as I get goosebumps.

    The gray arrow made of <strong>[Disintegration] </strong>quickly reaches the ant, and the monster, recognizing the danger, dodges to the side, while in haste creating barriers in front of him.

    Then, judging it insufficient, more barriers start forming, and a good dozen of them one after the other face the arrow as it starts breaking through them. Each barrier pierced has a slowly widening hole in it, slowly increasing in size, as its eaten by the grayish mana.

    I send a pulse of disruptive mana toward the barriers, weakening them further, and the gray arrow hits the wall, eating away at the wall and leaving uneven holes in it as the skill disintegrates everything ites in contact with.

    That''s also when I reach the ant and it creates some sort of mana shockwave that cracks the wall and causes stones to fall from the ceiling ,and totally obliterates any mushrooms on the wall.

    But nothing happens to me, and I push through the javelin Ive created absorbing the mana as the de turns blue.

    Then the amount of mana the ant is getting increases even further, most of his legs exploding and parts of his body crumbling, twisting. All the symbols on its carapace shine bright, and the next attack that hits me disrupts my armor, while the spear in my hand absorbs even more mana.

    The Mana Channeler''s body starts glowing bright white, the monster sacrificing itself to turn his body into a bomb, using all the mana thats ruined him.

    For a short moment, I observe as hispressed mana fills each part of his remains.

    Then I have a feeling that our eyes meet and behind his eyes I feel a different presence, The presence of someone much stronger.

    The ant cks its mandibles onest time before his head also crumples.

    I redirect all of my mana towards Mantle and then activate <strong>[Tether]</strong>, teleporting towards the anchor I left some distance away from Tess.

    Then I divert a lot of my body''s mana into the barriers I form in front of us, each of them shattering one after another, unable to resist the explosion of immense manapressed in the tight space of the tunnels.

    I slowly breathe out and form a mana orb over the palm of my hand.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    The orb continues to shrink, to <strong>[Focus] </strong>to a smaller point until its color changes to pitch ck with a few dots of light inside of it. The orb itself is as big as my pinkie fingernail, yet it immediately starts to dominate all the mana around it. Even that is enough to put immense strain on my body, even with my epic passive. No matter how good this epic passive is it cantpare to the instant regeneration of the Saint.

    Not hesitating, I throw the orb in front of us and create a barrier behind it that I infuse with disrupting mana.

    Then I watch as for the next few seconds the orb absorbs andpresses all the mana from the explosion that fills the tunnel. The size of the orb isnt changing, yet the thing starts feeling more and more dangerous.

    My barrier barely takes any damage as the orb stops most of the suicidal attack and devours the mana, and when it''s gone, it starts slowly trying to absorb mine.

    It just floats in the air eerily at the ce where I threw it, already out of my control, and when I send my mana toward it or create a domain around it, it doesn''t react.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "They are trying to slow us down, throwing one ant after another at us," Tess says, while her eyes stay glued on the ck orb floating in the air in front of us.

    "We are close, so let''s push for a bit more," I start walking again, avoiding the orb that just floats there and tries to suck in my mana.

    For a moment, I try to control it, but as before, it requires a huge amount of mana to use, and right now I''m not in a situation where I can risk a lot of my mana for untested weapons. So, I just leave it behind. It should crumble soon when there isnt enough mana around to sustain it, and just in case, I leave an anchor near it.

    As we continue, I keep setting mushrooms aze, leaving burning tunnels in our wake that the ants have to deal with instead of focusing on us. Because of that, we constantly push to avoid the fire and smoke that are behind us.

    At some point, Tess takes Lily onto her back, and we run faster, pushing away weaker ants while taking a bit longer to kill stronger ones. Once in a while, I check the stone Myrra left with methe light is weaker than before, showing that our time is slowly running out and soon we won''t be able to return.

    I activate an anchor and teleport behind one of the ants, cutting deep into it with a resonating de. Then I twist my body to avoid thepressed shockwave another ant sends at me, and a thermal orb explodes in their midst, only to be immediately absorbed.

    More and more ants with anti-fire skills start appearing. Them and others that can disrupt mana or endure my sts of kic energy.

    No matter how many of them we kill, they keeping, always quiet,municating without sound, and they do not hesitate to put their lives down for the Colony just to slow us down a little or to learn more about our skills as they immediately attempt to counter them.

    As always, the Colony is quick toe up with a tailored counter-offense, and some variants seem to have been created or worked on ever since the start of the 4th floor. The ants have amazing coordination, and down in the tunnels, they are more in sync, attacking us from all sides, some even passing through walls and trying to surprise us while some other variants try to mess with our senses.

    They even try to counter Lily''s <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> by creating a weird barrier that is made of a simr gray mana to our healer''s, yet Lily tears through it as if it''s nothing. No matter what barrier they create, no matter what variant they get, I just need to slow them down a bit, hold them in ce, and Lily shoots them with arrows made of <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>, further strengthened by the epic bow she holds.

    Her uracy is terrible, but she is not even using much mana, and bigger ants just die.

    That makes the monsters focus on her more and more, but then they find Tess.

    A lightning crown floats over her head like some sort of halo, her blonde hair seemingly glowing; she continues to fight, surrounded by lightning that seems alive, and a dozen javelins and an epic spear that attack and defend.

    When she gets hurt, Lily just touches her slightly, sending a burst of healing into her that allows Tess to continue fighting.

    The epic spear she uses can change its weight, and Tess doesn''t hold it; she moves it like one of her javelins and increases its weight before shooting it, and the spear with incredible weight behind it continues to break barriers and pierce monsters.

    Gradually, the tunnels change; there are fewer mushrooms on the walls, and they start bing smoother to the point they feel more man-made, some of them even have perfectly square and t walls.

    The iron-like material they are made of seems to resist the heat, and even my golden mes are unable to melt it, and my attacks don''t leave holes in it.

    As if on cue, we slow our speed, and sending a scan in front of us, I detect the three mana signatures I know so well, surrounded by four monsters, each of them stronger than those weve met up until now. Signatures that shine brightly inparison to the rest of the Colony.

    During thest sprint, without being hindered, we enter the spherical room, like the one the array was in.

    I ignore the details of the room and instead, my eyes find three members of group 4.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    Each of them missing their legs.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    Each of them unconscious, fleshy vines touching their bodies, some of them even burrowed inside their limbs.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    Each of them is barely alive, hearts palpitating; their faces show signs of intense pain.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 40 > Focus - lvl 41]</strong>

    I move my mana and stop Tess and Lily from jumping inside and ignore their screams and the tears in the eyes of our healer. Even Tess has an expression I had yet to see on her face.

    Calmly, I examine the rest of the room, the monsters inside, exits, and the timer Myrra left us.

    My mana crashes inside the room, and when the ants try to push against it, I reach inside the reservoir and mana batteries I have on me, obliterating their coordinated attempt to do so.

    "<em>Not one of you will leave this room alive</em>," Tess Deres, her voice bearing a deep undertone of the skill she possesses.

    There are only four ants, all the others left.

    <strong>[Rift Shifter Ant - lvl ??]</strong>

    <strong>[Inferno Brawler Ant - lvl ??]</strong>

    <strong>[Arcane Juggernaut Ant - lvl ??]</strong>

    <strong>[Ability Leech Ant - lvl ??]</strong>

    Ability Leech Ant stays near our group members, barely bigger than Biscuit, and I can feel waves of mana from him, a skill simr to Sophies web.

    Other ants jump down from the walls, and the first one to step in front of us is the Arcane Juggernaut, the biggest ant I''ve seen so far, most likely twice as tall as the other bus-sized ants and with a carapace heavily armored and surrounded by a body-tight barrier that is so simr to the beast from Beyond.

    Before I even move, the thermal orb I was creating dwindles and disappears, while all the heat within the room disappears with it. The work of the Inferno Brawler that stole all the heat and made it its own, mes creating a circle that spins above him.

    Sophie twitches and a painful groan escapes her mouth, one of her eyes opens, and the little veins all over it burst. She tries to use her mana, but one of the fleshy things twitches, and she screams in pain.

    Nat, Lily calls up to me, and I follow her gaze.

    She is looking at the crown tied to my belt. Her expression is the same one she had when she sacrificed all of her limbs to destroy the Saint.

    I see. So it will be.

    I take the crown and put it on my head. The crown is not perfect and doesn''t seem to work immediately, but I know what to do.

    <strong>[Resonance]</strong> activates, and I connect to the crown in a like Lissandra did to connect to the Saints healing aura and restore her body.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 33 > Resonance - lvl 34]</strong>

    And then gently, Lilys warm mana flows into me, a feeling akin to that of the Saint at the end of the third floor.

    Fuck them up, the petite healer pushes through her clenched teeth.

    I reach into my mana reservoir, and my<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong> epasses the entire room, cing a dozen anchors all around.

 Chapter 245: A promise made

    Chapter 245: A promise made

    <strong>POV Tess Hansen</strong>

    Have I ever been this angry in my life? Have I ever hated another being this much? If Nathaniel hadn''t stopped me, I would already be in the middle of the room, fighting those four ants and probably risking the lives of my three precious friends in the process. The lives of myrades.

    <em>Can I trust you to save them?</em> I want to ask, but our eyes meet for a second and I know I don''t have to.

    Right now, Nathaniel wears an expression I had yet to see on his otherwise emotionless face.

    Fuck them up, Lily spits out, and his mana crashes in waves inside the room.

    Nathaniel disappears, teleporting, and reappears on top of the biggest ant, the Arcane Juggernaut. Mana radiates from Nathaniel in a torrent that I''m sure would tear my body apart, and armor manifests around him, armor that continues growing until Nathaniel is three times taller and surrounded by all that mana condensed into the form of the armor.

    A few fire-based attacks crash against it, followed by some invisible ones that leave deep gouges in the ground behind him. He just shrugs off any thatnd and stays on top of theparatively slow ant, yet from the look, extremely durable.

    Lily groans, falling to her knees, and a few of her fingers disappear as she continues to stare at the crown on top of his head.

    Then more mana radiates from him, the armor turning dark blue and speeding up its movement. The hands of the armor be bigger, and he grabs the head of the ant hes mounted as it tries to shake him off.

    With sheer shock, I watch as he tears the head off an ant, twice the size of a bus. The barriers around the ant just vanish the moment Nathaniel''s armor touches them. The Juggernaut''s body isn''t able to endure, and the head justes off.

    Nat throws it at the Inferno ant who summons a wall of me in response, turning the head to dust in the blink of an eye.

    The massive body of the dead Juggernaut ant falls to the ground and I notice that Lily barely has any mana left as Nat continues to bleed from the wounds hes sustained all over his body.

    Lily''s left leg disappears and I feel movement behind us.

    <strong>[Stormcrown]</strong> activates and my lightning surrounds us, shing against a few attacks directed at us.

    Then one of Nathaniel''s anchors activates nearby and his disrupting mana hits the Rift Shifter ant before he can disappear.

    Immediately I boost my javelins as much as possible and a few of them strike its body, sending lightning coursing through it.

    The ant tries to create another rift, but another anchor near him explodes, Nathaniel''s kic energy destroying a few of the ant''s legs and that''s when I increase the weight of my spear as much as possible until it gets hard to move.

    The spear pierces the ant''s carapace, the sheer momentum behind it allowing it to do so, but the ant disappears again, appearing near Lily.

    Before he touches her, a few gray threads spin around her and pass through the ant''s body while another of her legs disappears. For a moment the ant looks almost confused and then his body falls into two pieces that continue to move.

    My javelins stab through him while I push against him with my<strong> [Psychokinesis]</strong> at full power.

    He uses another rift-like attack that crashes against my lightning, forcing me to use more of my mana until they cancel out each other and my spear finishes him off.

    When I look up, Nathaniel floats in the air, standing against two remaining ants. He has no wings and uses no mana, lightning, or anything. He just floats there and I cant feel anything. It''s almost eerie.

    A small ant jumps on the Inferno ant''s back and golden mes burst forth from them at the same time as it feels like they are sucking the heat from the room.

    Just an arm''s reach in front of Nathaniel they stop, like there is some invisible barrier, and I hear a sound that reminds me of a heartbeat.

    One heartbeatter I feel an immense amount of mana radiate from Nathaniel.

    The second heartbeat and some of the mes move and swirl around Nathaniel as he takes them under his control.

    Third heartbeat and Nathaniel''s legs twist and break as if under immense pressure.

    Fourth heartbeat and Lily''s right hand disappears. I grab her and hold her against my chest.

    Nathaniels face is calm and I can see that he is careful to not allow any of this to touch our friends. Roaring like a terrifying animal, the mes around Nathaniel burst forth, extremely concentrated.

    There is no heat filling the room, his thermal energy just bes more concentrated, focused into a single beam as thin as my finger at speeds impossible to track. It strikes the Inferno Ant in the middle of its body and then moves diagonally, cutting him in half like some sort ofser.

    The small Ability Leech Ant tries to run, but Nathaniel does something, and the ant freezes in the air, unable to move.

    No don''t kill him, someone says, and it takes me a few moments to realize it''s Sophie.

    I stop right before killing the small ant and turn to Sophie.

    After I create several threads of dark blue mana to bind the ant, I ce an anchor near it through which I constantly channel disrupting mana. Then, I float towards her.

    Get me out, she hisses through clenched teeth, and I tear the things from her and the twins while creating mana arms to gently bring them down.

    My body burns and hurts, and I''m barely able to keep myself from fainting, but I take off the crown to save Lily''s mana.

    They wanted to get my<strong> [Maniption]</strong> and the twins'' <strong>[Connection]</strong> to improve their <strong>[Hive Mind]</strong>, she exins.

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    Just rest for now, we will take care of the rest. Izzy and others are safe, I tell her before she asks.

    For a moment, she closes her eyes, tears appearing and flowing down her cheeks, I''m so d.

    She opens them right after, You won''t be able to escape, she says, the First One, the first ant the lynthari Champion created, knew that you would being and hes already trapped others. He and most of the colony are creating a barrier around us so that you can''t return through the rift.

    I watch as Lily sacrifices three of her fingers to slightly heal Sophie, Aaron, and Dennis, and I dont stop her. She is still unable to sacrifice items, unfortunately.

    We will find a way out, I tell Sophie.

    She shakes her head, They know about most of your skills, you won''t be able to break the barrier, especially if the First One intervenes.

    I don''t like it; it''s almost as if she underestimates me. Sure, my body hurts, my mana is low, and they know my skills, but that doesn''t mean they can stop me.

    I will help, so please, Nathaniel, take care of Izzy in case it goes to shit, a smile that appears on her face is sad.

    Then, before I can do anything, her <strong>[Maniption]</strong> activates, and she uses the twins'' <strong>[Connection]</strong> to connect to the Ability Leech Ant and then to the entire colony.

    The little ant starts iling and twitching, and I stop Tess from killing it, You will hurt Sophie if you touch it, I warn her, decoding the web Sophie starts creating. I can''t even disrupt it for fear of hurting her, nor can I observe it any closer.

    Instead, I expand the range of my <strong>[Perception]</strong>, and then for the first time, I see the sheer terror her <strong>[Maniption]</strong> can cause, and understand why the Colony and the matriarch are so scared of her.

    Sophie connects to and maniptes the ants <strong>[Hive Mind]</strong>, and in the process, she takes over the ants in it, fighting the First One for control while its busy with Myrra and others.

    Like a virus, her influence spreads, and the ants closest to us stop moving, and slowly, further ones too. Soon, I''m unable to feel how far it reaches because of my limited<strong> [Perception]</strong>. Her subss greed must somehow help her because otherwise, I can''t imagine how she can do it with as little mana as she has.

    The ants start moving again, jumping against each other, mandibles cking, and skills activating as the members of the colony fight each other in silence.

    So fucking dumb, Lily groans, and the remainder of her fingers disappear, as well as a piece of her arm, and Sophie''s face bes a bit less pale.

    We are leaving, I pick up Sophie and the twins and Sophie with my mana arms, and as the leader, Ignoring the way we came, I take a different path, reluctant to meet the ck mana orb again. I move the little ant as well.

    I continue to use <strong>[Perception] </strong>and track the mana stone Myrra left for me, and we pass through the tunnels. None of the ants notice us, all of them too busy murdering each other. Members of the Colony, whose immense power came from cooperation, are tearing each other''s legs off and biting their heads.

    All because of Sophies skill.

    Rushing through, we finally reach the tunnels near the room we started in, and there we find Myrra and the rest of the group. Some of them are missing, others are wounded, and no one looks untouched.

    "We failed," Myrra hisses, "they waited for us." She pulls out a stone from the matriarch and a rift simr to Eris''s appears in front of us, "Let''s leave and"

    That''s when one of the humans moves and burrows his dagger covered in yellow mana into Myrra''s chest, barely missing her heart as Myrra shifts her body.

    One of the lynthari dashes, too quickly for me to follow, his body breaking in the process. He passes by me and when I turn around, I only see Sophie''s severed head falling to the ground.

    What?

    Another human dashes at me, but before he even reaches me, an extremely concentrated burst of kic energy hits his head. At the same time, a few of the enforcers jump and literally tear apart the lynthari that attacked Myrra and the human that attacked Sophie.

    Sophie''s head rolls on the ground, her eyes open. Panic is about to take over me. A feeling of desperation. A broken promise given to a child.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    Have I given up already? This much is fine. I can do it. Deep breath in. Breathe out.

    Immediately I scan the rest of of our group, but no one shares the mark in their brain the three who attacked us had.

    Good.

    "Through the rift," I say calmly and grab Sophie''s head, ignoring Lily and Tess.

    When I pass through it, I wait until everyone is here and watch as wounded Myrra closes it.

    "I will be alright," Myrra says, blood on her lips.

    I put the twins on the ground and then put Sophie''s head next to her neck.

    It''s fine, we have a few minutes, We can heal it.

    "Nathaniel, I don''t have enough mana," Lily cries knowing what I''m thinking, "even if I sacrifice most of what I have left, I won''t be able to heal it and restart her..." The petite brte sobs.

    "Items?"

    "I don''t know how! I tried, I tried so hard!"

    "I see," I nod and look around.

    There is no other healer.

    For a few precious seconds, I stare at Sophie''s body and then get on my knees and settle in front of Lily, "Sacrifice my body parts," I tell her.

    "I won''t be able to, it would be even harder than"

    "I know," I tell her and then, creating a resonating mana along my hand. I cut off my entire left arm and burn the wound closed with thermal energy.

    I put the arm in front of Lily, "This is the arm you restored for me. You sacrificed your arm to restore it. It''s made by you and strengthened by me. You have a connection to it."

    Slowly, her eyes open wider, and with shaking remains of her left arm, she touches it, "If I fail..."

    "You wont," I say.

    With her eyes wide open, she points what remains of her arm towards my severed limb. Her brow furrows and a few seconds pass, feeling impossibly long.

    Then my arm disappears and the mana that flows through Lily is grander than ever before. The arm she sacrificed came from someone of a much higher level than her. With constructs etched into it, the arm is filled with mana and came from a body bearing two epic passives. It''s a good arm.

    Her healing skill activates, and I watch as the two pieces of Sophie''s body connect.

    It happened just a few seconds ago. The brain didn''t have time to die. Lily can restart the body.

    It will be fine.

    Lily uses more mana, and it keeps flowing through Sophie, restoring her, circting around her heart, and her brain.

    Sophie isn''t a normal human either; she has stats, levels, skills, and passives. Something like this should be possible even with a normal human, but Sophie is more akin to a superhuman like all of us.

    It will be fine.

    Sophies heart starts beating a few times, and some color returns to her face. More warm mana radiates from Lily, and Sophie''s chest starts moving.

    I don''t want to break a promise I made to a little kid. A promise I made to a friend.

    Sophie breathes out and in, and her eyelids move a bit, and she opens her eyes, immediately closing them because of the light.

    I look at Lily, Tess, Sophie, Aaron, and Dennis.

    All of them are fine.

 Chapter 246: The Message

    Chapter 246: The Message

    Our trip back to Virelia is faster than before. I refrain from using mana as much as possible to restore it as I carry the battered members of Group 4 in arms of mana.

    The three of them are all missing legs and are all currently unconscious, something Lily did with the rest of the mana she got from my arm. She also used what was there to restore her legs and now walks next to me. Missing her arms, but on her own two legs.

    Tess is scouting ahead of us with Obelia, while Is and the rest of the group, and Myrra, run beside us. We do not hurry, but we also do not move slowly, and I notice Lily constantly staring at me.

    You were amazing, Lily, I really mean it. The young girl had to endure the strain of keeping me alive while I was dealing with the stronger ants, and constantly use sacrifice to save our group members.

    For me, it''s fine, but it''s hard to imagine how stressful it must be to use all of your limbs powering your skill and then have to rely on someone else, unable to move, and barely able to do anything. Such weakness is something I never want to feel, yet Lily did it constantly, something that once again confirms how far from normal some members of Hell difficulty are.

    I will do anything you want when things are a bit calmer, I return her gaze, All within reason, obviously.

    I see, she smiles, but it''s a tired smile. Can you please tell me again I did well? That it was worth all of this? the pain is still apparent in her eyes.

    No matter how used she gets to it, or how much she pretends to be ok. Without a skill like my <strong>[Focus]</strong>, it must be terrifying.

    You did well, really well. I step closer to her and for a moment pull her armless body close. We saved them thanks to you."

    She nods energetically, the tears flowing down her cheeks, and she doesn''t say anything else.

    A bit of time passes as we get closer to Virelia, until some of Obelias scouts and enforcers seem to panic and speed up, as we keep pace.

    It doesn''t take long, and I feel it as well. The presence of the Living Tree.

    Then we see it as well, the colossal tree has fallen just outside Virelia. There is still some remaining mana, but the Cmity is dead, and there is not even a text over it.

    Most of the walls around the city are gone as well, cracked and revealing the inscriptions etched inside them.

    One of the enforcers starts crying, and more of them join in, with even Myrra lowering her ears and her tail just hanging down.

    What happened, Myrra? I ask carefully.

    The white-haired lynthari turns to me, tears in her eyes. The Matriarch is dead, feral one.

    For a moment, I just stare at her and then toward the city and the tree.

    Slowly, all of the lynthari with us turn towards Myrra all at once and lower their heads, getting down on one knee and facing her.

    Myrra ignores their gazes and continues to look towards the city, tears rolling down her cheeks.

    After we reach the city, we split up and quickly find the rest of group four, all of them fine, yet bearing signs of a big fight.

    Isabees running and hugs the unconscious Sophie. For a few minutes, she refuses to leave her and continues to listen to her older sister''s heartbeat and breathing.

    Then she jumps in between me, Lily, and Tess, and thanks us, her small body hugging us with all the strength she can muster. The entire time, Noodle stays coiled around Isabe''s arm and watches it all with weird interest.

    <em>(Safe.)</em> Biscuit sends me.

    Thank you, I tell him and caress his head. Im sure you did well.

    The best doggo woofs and then wobbles on top of one of the walls of what''s left of our house, and seems to keep watch.

    Cute.

    The Veilwalker guild master was one of the traitors, Hadwin and Maya sit next to Tess and me, while Min-Jae stays with the twins, a worried expression on the young boys face.

    Maya continues, and I notice that she barely has any mana left and her gear is nearly destroyed, all upper-grade rare items. He was either controlled or worked with the Colony for some time. He attacked and injured the Matriarch while she fought the tree.

    Hadwin sighs. The Matriarch fought it, using the trees in the city. Meanwhile, we had to work with a few lynthari to fight Lorven and his guild members."

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    How did the tree get there? Tess asks.

    Maya meets her eyes. It flew. We could feel its mana from far away, it moved really quickly, and Tess, let me tell you, it was so eerie that it''s hard to describe, she shakes her head. The Matriarch apparently activated inscriptions she had built all over the city over hundreds of years and fought against it. Some lynthari even shared their mana with her.

    As I listen to her, the image of young Eris calling me underling is shown in my mind.

    How did the Matriarch look? I ask, bearing a bit of hope.

    She had two tails and was taller than any other lynthari, Hadwin crushes even thest of those hopes.

    I see, I say while looking at my hands.

    I can still feel the air shaking as they fought. The tree tried to use its weird mana particles, but the Matriarch stopped them by creating some kind of pressure and then fought against it by creating rifts and some kind of weird radiation while confusing the tree. She even used the leaves of the giant trees in the city, Maya shudders.

    How did she even kill it? Tess looks between Maya and Hadwin.

    Hadwin answers her, In the end, she activated some array, and that killed the tree. It made it dry out, and it just fell down, along with the Matriarch. The other lynthari took her then.

    Nothing about the Floor quest? Tess asks.

    Maya shakes her head. Nothing. I guess we didnt do enough for it to count as our work.

    She then starts to ask Tess about what happened and wanting to catch a break, I stand up and walk towards our half-destroyed house. No one stops me, and I shift some of the debris and enter what remains of my room. The armchair I like to sit in is dusty and torn in ces, but I plop into it and pull out the strange, blue mana stone from my pocket. The one Eris bought for me at the auction, it now radiates a bit of mana, and I dont even know when she inscribed it.

    I set it on a piece of debris in front of me and send a bit of my mana through, which activates it.

    An illusion of Eris forms around the stone and looks at me, I guess that''s it, she smiles, hiding her hands behind her back. You listening to this must mean I was unable to deactivate it, and there can only be one reason for that, cant there?

    The memory she left behind is even capable of reacting to its surroundings, and it jumps up to sit on the wall nearby, short legs hanging over and kicking the air.

    I left messages like this for most of the people I cared about. Then, for a long time, I was wondering if I should leave one for you, the memory turns to me. You know, I hardly know you. In my long life, you are barely a memory.

    I dont even answer; the memory wouldnt be able to process it or say anything other than what its been made for.

    "Yet, something made me change my mind and I left a message for you., as Eris, the personality I created to mess with my lynthari and humans," she smiles diabolically, then sighs, "What was I even thinking at my old age, messing around like that," even then she giggles.

    "But it was fun, you know. I don''t even remember how long its been since someone put me on his shoulders and carried me around the city. How long has it been since I sat on someone''s knees and stopped worrying about things and just acted like a kid for a few moments. How long has it been since someone wanted to bully and mess with me with such a cheeky look in his eyes."

    The memory sighs, a smile not leaving its lips, "It was fun and I thank you for that," she turns to me and adds, "Underling," her tone is almost as if making fun of me.

    "The Living Tree is on its way to the city. It''s an out-of-control weapon I helped to create a long time ago. We sent it against the old capitals of humans, so I will be the one to deal with it. I will pay for the crimes against humanity I helpedmit. I''m too old to avoid it and soon I will be too weak to deal with it and that would only leave the tree behind to threaten my city. My lynthari and my dear humans."

    Eris jumps down from the wall and emanates a hint of mana detecting me and steps in front of me so the message can continue.

    "I suspect it''s all the work of the First One; he was always smart. The moment he sensed your friends'' skills and detected them reaching Virelia, he probably increased his efforts to manipte the Living Tree. Hes been trying for years." Eris smiles, "What a creepy ant, right? He even kidnapped your friends the moment you left the city. For some reason, he is just as scared of you as he is of the Fallen Hero."

    Eris sighs, "I gotzy, my skills dulled over the years of peace and stalemate, and now I will pay for it. As for you, underling, never let the First One get the opportunity to take your friends'' skills. I would tell you to kill them if needed, but I suspect you would tell me to screw off, such is your Pride," she giggles. "But know this, the moment the First One evolves his <strong>[Hive Mind]</strong> will be the moment another being with the potential of reaching the rank of Champion is born."

    Her eyes meet mine, "Myrra is childish at times, but she will be a good recement for me, and in the future, she will grow much stronger than I ever was. But, underling, there is something I wanted to ask of you too. Please, don''t hate the lynthari." Her hand reaches to me and passes through my cheek, "Every lynthari that remains is just a child, born after the war, none of them know about what happened before. So please, do not hate them, do not fight again, and try to live with them as I always wanted."

    The memory starts bing a bit more transparent and slowly disappearing, "Hating me and those lynthari who did fight in the war is fine, but the others are just kids, so please, get along."

    She bes even more transparent.

    "Nya... I wonder what that word means," she giggles, her voice bing weaker, "I hope you had as much fun messing with me as I did messing with you, my dear andst underling."

    For a moment I feel as if our eyes meet.

    "Farewell then, stay well... nya." She shes me onest smile that stays on her face even as she grows and turns into the tall lynthari woman with two tails.

    She then turns around and, after taking a step away, the memory disappears and all the mana from the blue stone is gone.

    For a long moment, I stare at the blue mana stone in my hands and try to send my mana into it, to activate it again, but it doesn''t work. The intricate inscriptions are gone.

    That''s when I hear a movement and Tess walks from behind the wall.

    "Sorry, I heard most of it," she apologizes while sitting on the armrest of the armchair I sit on.

    "It''s fine," I reply.

    "So that was the matriarch and the little girl we met during the auction."

    "Yes," I nod, "we now know who was behind all this."

    "Are you sad?" she asks.

    "I barely knew her."

    "You didn''t answer my question, Nat."

    "I only met her a few times and we mostly made fun of each other, and I didn''t even know she was messing with me."

    "So that''s how it is?" she asks.

    "Yes."

    I''m about to use<strong> [Focus]</strong>, then I hesitate and stare at the blue mana stone, but in the end, I decide against it, and stay like that a bit longer.

 Chapter 247: Little Kitten

    Chapter 247: Little Kitten

    After a few hours of sleep, I wake up and stretch my body. Jumping from the bed, I take a few steps and enter the balcony, looking outside at the city. Virelia is unusually quiet, and the walls that used to surround it are gone, as well as dozens of buildings destroyed and a few towers have tilted or just straight up toppled.

    Further in the distance, I can see the trunk of the Living Tree. Colossal, grayish bark, and branches without any leaves.

    Defeated, destroyed, killed, just like that. All the preparations and nning gone and useless, the Cmity was defeated by Eris at the cost of her life.

    I can''t understand it fully; it''s so dumb. So fucking dumb. She could have run away, she could have held it back and waited for me and others to join the fight. She could have just kept us in the city and not sent us after... but, that would mean sacrificing Sophie, Aaron, and Dennis, wouldn''t it?

    Looking down I clench and unclench my fist. If I were stronger, I would solve it all. I would be the one deciding the result, and no one would have to die. I wasn''t strong enough, and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth, even though I know they are fake.

    I wonder, could I have pushed myself more? Could I do it differently and focus more on leveling instead of improving my handling of my power? Could I have just left the tree alone and stopped the ants from kidnapping three members of our group and fought against the Cmity with Eris?

    Taking a few steps, I jump back into the bed in the room Storm Brigade has lent me, Obelia has offered to board us until we can find another house.

    Status, I say.

    <strong>Name:</strong><em>Nathaniel Gwyn</em><em></em>

    <strong>Difficulty:</strong><em>Hell</em><em>

    </em>

    <strong>Floor:</strong><em>4 - Waning Realm</em><em></em>

    <strong>Time left until forced return: </strong><em>4y 81d 13h 15m 7s</em><em></em>

    <strong>Traits (1/3):</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>Mana Circuit</em><em></em>

    <em></em>

    <em></em><strong>Lvl 189</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Strength: 87</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 89</em><em></em>

    <em>Constitution: 224</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 707 + 707</em><em></em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Primary ss: </strong><em>Focused Channeler (Epic)</em><em></em>

    <strong>Sub-ss:</strong><em>[Initiate of Pride]</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Focus (Dual Focus Consolidation) - Lvl 41</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 41</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 39</em><em></em>

    <em>Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 39</em><em></em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 34</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Domain - Lvl 21</em><em></em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 11</em><em></em>

    <em>Regalia - Lvl 10</em><em></em>

    <em>Infusion - Lvl 16</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Constructs:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Kic Mana Heart (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Cerebral Harmony (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Pyrokic Resurgence (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Reservoir (epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Arcane Resilience (epic)</em><em></em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Tokens: </strong><em>Beyond Difficulty entrance token</em><em></em>

    <em></em>

    <strong> Shards:</strong><em>3032</em>

    While examining my stats, I feel a touch and an attempt to connect to my mind.

    I allow it to happen, and Sophie''s voice sounds in my head. <em>(Can we talk?)</em>

    <em>(Yes, I willnd on your balcony in a few minutes.)</em>

    <em>(Thank you.)</em>

    I put on some clothes and look in the mirror nearby. The guy looking back at me seems the same on the surface , yet I know him well.

    Asshole, I say, and his mouth mouths the same word.

    Stepping onto the balcony, I locate Sophie and, generating just enough kic energy, fly higher and to the side,nding on the balcony not unlike my own.

    Sophie is wearing simple clothes that are a bit too big for her, and the doors to the room are closed. Behind the ss, I see Isabe sleeping on the bed. Noodle on one side and Biscuit on the other.

    Tracking my gaze, Sophie looks as well and smiles gently. She got surprised and scared by a small spider just a few days ago. I watched her scream and jump backward, hitting her head against the wall, she turns to me. I wouldn''t have been able to see that without removing the<strong> [Geas] </strong>from her mind.

    You messed with your own memories, I do not beat around the bush. Sophie is acting way too casual for what happened to her and the twins deep in the heart of the Colony.

    You are quick to catch on, she sits in one of the chairs on the balcony while I lean against the railing.

    After gathering her thoughts, she continues, I wanted to remove them, I really did, but something stopped me, she looks at her hands, Would I be the same person if I did that? And if I did that, would that make each new edit easier until I simply remove every unhappy memory I have?

    Sophie looks at me, Nathaniel, maybe we humans arent supposed to have this kind of power. Saving someone after their heads been cut off? She touches her neck where a thin, white scar stretches across its entire length, most likely something Lily left intentionally.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    She continues to speak, Or manipting people and removing their free will? her eyes are piercing as she looks into mine, Being strong enough to wipe a small city off the map just a few months after gaining these powers?

    You can think about it as much as you want, but it doesn''t change the fact that there are other people with these powers. People who won''t care about that willplete the tutorial and return to Earth, I easily return her gaze, Unlike you, I dont mind it. I like my powers and the things they allow me to do. I reply.

    She smiles and nods as if expecting this answer, then looks to the side, at the Living Tree outside the city, You know, I tried multiple things with my <strong>[Maniption]</strong>. I tried to manipte fire, manipte mana, earth, and a few others, yet I always found myself progressing the most with controlling monsters or people.

    Sophie breathes in and closes her eyes, I wanted to remove my memories, but decided against it. In the end, I did the same thing I did for the others after we escaped the tunnel under the old capital. I made those memories feel as if they happened years ago, leaving them a faint memory. She touches her neck, I can still feel the de slicing through my neck, I remember the ants trying to steal my skill. Its all in here.

    That much is reasonable, I tell her.

    Do you really think so? I know that you have a skill that allows you to do something simr, she opens her eyes, her hand still on her neck, But I think we will pay for that in the future, Nat, both you and I for trying to cheat ourselves.

    Probably, but that''s for future Nathaniel to deal with, I pass by her and quietly open the door.

    Noodle, now awoken, slithers outside, a bit bigger than before. His tongue flickers towards me as I radiate a bit of mana to feed him. When I reach out my hand to him, he hesitates for a moment, but then coils around it in the same way he does with Isabe.

    Current me will do the best he can, I continue, and carefully touch Noodles head petting him gently.

    The snake closes its eyes, and only his tongue continues to flicker. His body is somewhat cold to the touch, but it doesnt feel bad, and his scales have a nice texture to them.

    I guess, consequences be damned, Sophie says while observing Noodle, Or maybe we are the dumb ones, and all these abilities are to help us deal with this all, something normal. It''s just we still think like humans worrying about useless things.

    I think about it for a while, It might be just as you said.

    Isabes soft cries sound from inside the room, she seems to be having a nightmare as she twitches on the bed.

    Sophie stands up and opens the door. Lilly finished restoring her legs a few hours after sacrificing my arm.

    When I hand her Noodle, she looks at me one more time, The matriarch is dead. You know what that means, right?

    I nod, The Colony will being.

    Yes. I tried to kill as many of them as possible, especially the ones capable of creating arrays, and I even left some traps in their links. But it wont slow them down for too long. A few days maybe.

    Isabe twitches again, and Sophie just waves and closes the door, immediately lying on the bed and hugging her sleeping sister, who quickly calms down.

    Not wanting to interrupt their moment, I jump from the balcony and glide back to my room. There, I open the balcony and pass through my room, opening the door outside.

    The hallway is empty and simple, mostly made of stone and wood with a thick carpet on the polished floor. It has a nice cozy feeling to it. Taking a short walk, I reach the door to the room where Tess is staying with Lily, the two of them are together so she can help our silly healer. I knock and wait.

    Tess opens a few secondster, Come in, Nat. She just lets me enter immediately.

    The moment I do so, Lily sees me too, and a big smile appears on her face. I notice that one of her arms is already nearly back. The left one that is once again pale, and I would bet if she restores my left arm too, it will be pale as well.

    The speed with which she is regenerating her arms is much faster than before. Guess who can enter Beyond now? she asks me, her smile bing even bigger.

    I can hear Tess sigh next to me, and I sit on the edge of the bed next to Lily.

    This is serious; I can see it in her eyes. The moment she heals, she will enter Beyond. As always, her reason is simple: to reach me. To be closer to me, to be strong like me. To be more useful to me. That''s how shes thinking.

    Ever since the floor started, I havent heard her speak about her family, and Tess, who knew Lily just a little bit from school, told me that the ck-haired girl was someone you might call a loner.

    I wonder how her life was before for her to be so possessive of me, to cling to me and the others so much. To have such fear in her eyes that we will throw her away the moment we be much stronger or she bes less useful. It doesn''t matter how much Tess works on it, it doesnt matter that I tried to help too. Lily still lives in constant fear of being left behind.

    Don''t enter Beyond for now, I tell her.

    She continues to smile for a moment, thinking that I''m joking, but I just look at her and slowly her expression changes from that of happiness to hurt and anger.

    I move closer and put my hand on hers, I will train with you. I will help you prepare.

    Lily might have the strongest damage skill out of all of us, and she is extremely hard to kill, but she iscking when ites to reading the flow ofbat and over-relies on her damage and healing.

    I squeeze her arm, I will make sure you be stronger.

    The expression in her eyes changes a bit, hurt and sadness reced by pleading and hope.

    I want everyone to live, Lily, so we will prepare, okay?

    Her eyes shake and she stares at me, taking in every detail of my face.

    I continue, And when you are ready, you will crush the trial and join me and Tess.

    Lily nods, Yes, yes. I will do it.

    <strong>shback - Lily Chen - 8 years old</strong>

    In a dark, small room, a little girl sits on a thin nket. A little girl with ck hair and bangs long enough to fall into her face.

    "Are you angry, Grumpy?" the little girl asks, pulling the cat in her arms closer to her chest, "And don''t meow, it makes you look even more like a grumpy," she says, smiling.

    <em>Meow.</em> The little kitten tries to escape for a bit, but still being weak, is unable to do so and gives up.

    That makes the little girlugh for a bit longer as she snuggles the kitten with two differently colored eyes, yellow and blue, and with ck fur.

    Then silence fills the small room and the entire apartment.

    It is around nine o''clock, and the girl is entirely alone, the floors cold, the power cut off, and tap water rarely flows. Something normal for the girl, too young to realize that it shouldn''t be like that.

    "We will be alone again tonight," she mumbles, holding the kitten tight.

    Slowly she stands up from the floor, her feet are bare and her pajamas are old, dotted with holes. The little girl takes the thin nket and moves away from the door where she has been waiting for someone to return, excited to talk about her day with the little kitten.

    "Its fine, I have you, Grumpy," the little girl says, and after jumping on the bed, she wraps the nket around them.

    With a smile, she continues to watch as the kitten falls asleep. Then, even though there is no other nket on her bed, she slips the nket off of herself and wraps it all around Grumpy.

    Feeling the cold, she continues to shake a bit, but the big smile doesn''t leave her face as she continues to watch the little kitten sleep.

 Chapter 248: This kind of person

    Chapter 248: This kind of person

    Dealing with people is hard, isn''t it? I could be on my own, not worried, not having to deal with them. It would be easier.

    Sure, I like being alone and I really often need solitude to recharge my batteries, but being able to walk into the living room every once in a while and just listen to other members of Group 4, joke with them, tease them, that''s also fun.

    I wonder what my life in the tutorial wouldve looked like now if I had decided to remain on my own.

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>Savi, how is it going on your own?</em>

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em>Great, now even you are calling me Savi. I will only answer if you agree to answer my question afterward.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Deal.</em>

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em> I prefer being on my own. No one tries to stab me in the back. I don''t have to deal with people screwing things up, and there''s no need to babysit weaklings.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>What happened to your group?</em>

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em>They got what they deserved... I''ve answered your question. We''ll see who made the better decision during the tournament.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>I think so too. You can ask your question.</em>

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em>I''ll askter. </em>

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>Sure.</em>

    I close the Community,e to a door, knock carefully, and wait. The hallway is empty and quiet, the entire floor has been lent to us by Obelia.

    The door opens slowly and Min-Jae pokes out and whispers, Dennis and Aaron are sleeping, he says after exiting the room and joining me in the hallway.

    Min-Jae seems tired and worried about his friends, yet it''s much better than when we brought the twins back, after losing their legs and nearly being tortured to death by ants.

    Are they alright? I ask.

    He shakes his head, They kept asking for Sophie and after she left they calmed down and went to sleep, his face takes on a sad smile.

    The implications are clear, the twins most likely asked Sophie to do for them what she did for herself.

    Is it a good decision to take such an easy way out? Should they get over it on their own and be stronger in the process? Is our logic wed as Sophie suggested, should we just use our powers as we like? Is it pointless trying to apply regr humanmon sense here?

    Is it a smart decision given that we are still in Hell difficulty and have no time for people dealing with trauma while the Colony threatens us?

    Nat, I dont think they did a bad thing. I know you probably think that they will be weaker if they take the easy way out, Min-Jae looks into my eyes, but I dont think there is a need for them to be scarred because of this, or for them to wake up shaking and crying. Nat, they are just kids.

    Looking at him, Min-Jae himself is only 15 years old and the twins are 17, yet here he is. A troubled young boy who kept copying me, looking up to me, defending his friends and opinions.

    You are right, Min-Jae, I tell him.

    Am I? he asks, a bit unsure.

    Oh, was he faking it all?

    When I look at him it doesnt look like it, he still thinks hes right but seems weirded out that I might agree with him.

    Keep watch, okay? I will be nearby, I tell him.

    He nods energetically and goes back into the room.

    For a moment, I stare at the door after he closes it and try to read my feelings.

    Back, down in the tunnels, I pushed my emotions to the back of my mind, I kept <strong>[Focus] </strong>running and tried to deal with the four ants that guarded them as quickly as possible at the cost of Lily healing me through the crown. But right now? I constantly feel the suppressed anger raging inside me.

    They kidnapped them, they hurt them, they dared to touch Group 4. Because of that Sophie almost died, Dennis and Aaron suffered a torturous experience, and Lily had to push herself to the brink.

    Oh, how angry I am. Those fuckers are going to pay. I will fucking blow their entire colony sky-high and turn their shitty tunnels into a burning hell.

    Realizing that Ive subconsciously started releasing my mana, I once again focus on Mana Cycling, bring it back under control, and touch Sophies web.

    She connects to me the moment she feels my probing,<em> (Anything happen?)</em>

    <em>(You still have 5 thousand shards from selling the coordinates, right?)</em>

    <em>(Of course, they are yours ording to our deal.)</em>

    <em>(Good, I already know what you can buy for me.)</em>

    I find Obelia near her office with Jenna, whom she quickly sends away. Jenna greets me and closes the door, inscriptions within activating and running enchantments against spying and for defense.

    Unable to help myself, I observe them for a while out of curiosity, and Obelia doesnt seem to mind as she sits in her chair patiently, going over some mana stones inscribed with messages.

    So what happened down there? I ask when I''m done.

    With a sigh, she shakes her head, It was a mess. They were constantly trying to slow us down, and half of us were constantly fighting against their attempts to deactivate our return rift stone. She puts away the item shes holding, giving me her full attention. The enforcers were just as terrifying as they were rumored to be, and dealt with anything that came at us.

    Obelia looks at her hands andughs a bit, I always thought I was one of the strongest in Virelia, even considering the lynthari, yet I could only watch and support them once in a while. That''s how those twelve enforcers are.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    I think you could take one of them, I tell her. I felt their mana and saw them a bit in action, so I do believe that.

    Probably? Their biggest advantage was their coordination. If twelve of them fought together, I dont think there would be anyone capable of fighting them.

    So why did you guys fail?

    The First One was terrifying, Nathaniel, Obelia''s gaze grows serious. I still believe enforcers would be capable of destroying him if they fought, but they didnt have a chance. The other ants constantly fed the First One with vitality, stamina, and mana, through their connection. We damaged the First One, and another ant died instead of him. He used mana, and it instantly got replenished.

    I move and sit on the chair opposite her and observe her expression.

    Obelia continues, With the Colony nearby, the first one is impossible to defeat. He is the lynchpin that ties them all together and guards their<strong> [Hive Mind]</strong> against outside tampering. Plus hes smart and has immense control over the Colony.

    I bet you also already found out what happened while we were gone, so can I ask you for a short summary? I ask instead. I will deal with the antster.

    In short? Do you remember the expedition we took to the old capital with Elydor when we met for the first time? It seems like the moment we escaped, the tree lifted off and started flying towards Virelia.

    How does it even make sense for a giant tree to fly?

    It took a month, but it reached the city while we were away. Apparently, the Matriarch knew about it even then and still sent us to fight the Colony, Obelia says.

    I wonder if she truly sent us against the Colony because she didnt want the ants to evolve their <strong>[Hive Mind].</strong> Was she even willing to put her life on the line to send such a big part of Virelia''s strength against the ants?

    The timing is suspicious, extremely so. There were traitors, people controlled by ants that attacked her the moment the Living Tree got close. Then theres the timing of the Treeunching an attack right after the ants. It''s all too coordinated.

    Is the First One, the leader of the Colony, behind it? Did it manipte the tree and time its attack? Or did they work together?

    Or is there someone or something else?

    Miss Myrra will be lynthari Matriarch after the ceremony. The matriarch''s granddaughter disappeared as well, I wanted to let you know in case you were wondering, she says.

    I nod, I will visit Myrra.

    Yes. But please be careful. No matter what lynthari do or say, they loved their matriarch. She was like a mother to all of them, and some knew her for tens, or hundreds of years.

    I will take that into consideration, but what about you? You now know that the lynthari are invaders here. What will you do? I ask.

    Obelia doesnt seem to be sure of that, but in the end, she shrugs her shoulders. Currently, I''m inclined to tell everyone.

    That could lead to war.

    She nods, Yes. Her expression says that she already considered it. Yet, I still think it''s something other humans should know.

    Even if plenty of them might die because of that? I ask.

    It''s not like I''m worried about people I dont know. I''m just that curious. Over time, I''ve built some respect towards this logically thinking woman in front of me. She is smart, talented, and good at reading people and, most of all, she knows when to take a step back.

    The way you look at me reminds me of a lynthari, she says out of nowhere, a small smile on her face. You keep observing me like Im some interesting animal. As if everything that just happened, all these threats, the Colony, the war with lynthari, the traitors do not affect you at all.

    I guess she also learned to read me a bit after dealing with me all these months.

    She continues, Don''t get me wrong. I''m not insulted or angry. I know people like you, she smiles, her eyes as if she is remembering someone, People like you are a bit crazy and I guess they have to be to be able to reach that level and not even think of stopping.

    Obelia stops remembering and looks at me, But be careful, that kind of person doesn''t tend to die in bed surrounded by the people they love.

    Before leaving for Myrras, I check the upper epic weapon I prepared to be used against the Living Tree.

    I could try to dismantle it and recover the two items I had before, but maybe I can use it against the Colony. Its slow to activate because of my insufficient skill, but it should be useful there as well, for the same reasons I meant to use it against the Living Tree, I think.

    It''s annoying, to be honest. If I were to dismantle it now, I would have to undo the changes Ive made to the items, and that would require some time otherwise I would risk ruining them.

    Sighing, I move past it and look at the chest we got from the champion''s house and the piece I bought at the auction.

    Months have passed since we got it, and we are not even close to opening it. I swear, it would be funny if we learned that it wasnt a chest at all, just a piece of wood shaped like one. Shaped and weighted like one.

    Sure, I wouldin a lot and curse the system, this floor, and everything around me, but I would still consider it a bit funny.

    Well, at least Min-Jae said he is feeling something from the chest and the small item, either thanks to <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong> or <strong>[Telekinesis]</strong>. Seeing how heavy the thing is, it might have something to do with gravity and the former of his skills.

    Leaving Tess to take care of the items, I check my figure in the mirror. I''m still missing my left arm, but it''s weirdly fine, and I just reced it with a replica made of mana.

    This one is much better and more nimble than before, nearly as mobile as my original arm. It will be fine, and when Lily takes care of her wounds and restores legs for the twins, she can take care of it.

    After leaving behind an anchor that shouldst for hours, I jump from the balcony, disrupting the effect the anti-flight zone has on me. Boosting myself with kic energy, I fly to the ce I know Ill find Myrra and, as I get closer,nd on the ground, closing the remaining distance on foot.

    The ce I''m going is in the exact middle of the city. It is a beautiful spherical building that, at a nce, should fall under its own weight.

    Yet, like the dueling area, it''s made from the same indestructible stone, a remnant of the past.

    As I approach the area, Myrra''s bodyguard steps out of the shadows and nods in greeting.

    I return the gesture, and without any words, I follow him.

    It''s my first time being here, so I take it all in, the pretty garden with colorful trees and walkways made of indestructible stone.

    Entering the spherical building, I watch the lighting is simr to that of the auction house. The light seems dim and moves slowly as if reflecting the mood of every lynthari we meet on our way.

    We reach some stairs which run the entire length of the building leading upstairs, where there seem to be multiple floors, hidden above the lights and illusions on the ceiling. Even then, we ignore the floors and just continue until we reach the top and pass by multiple lynthari guards, one of them was even one of the 12 enforcers we met prior.

    Finally, the doors open, and I enter the room as Myrra''s bodyguard closes them behind me.

    The room is delicately beautiful, and massive circr windows offer a view from anywhere you stand in the room. Myrra stands in the middle of the room, wearing clothes unlike any I have seen her in before. They are less shy and colorful than the ones she once wore. These are mostly made up of cks and grays, simple, yet somehow beautiful, making her white hair and tail all the more striking.

    The matriarch has led us ever since I was young. I have never known another leader in my entire life, and neither has any other lynthari, she starts, her voice is not as haughty or energetic as it was before, I mean, sure, I fought with her a lot, but what kid hasnt fought with their elders?

    Myrra sighs, and I notice a bunch of mana stones on the table nearby, all bearing simr inscriptions, a memory from the matriarch.

    She notices where I''m looking, Yes, she left a lot and some things I have learned Taking a few steps, she stops in front of me, She left it up to me to decide what to do with Obelia and the fact that she knows what I just learned. She left it up to me to deal with your group too, feral one.

    Myrra reaches and fixes the sleeve of my missing left arm, reced by one made of mana. I wonder what I should do with you all.

    Wont it wait? my eyes meet hers, Right now we both have the same goal.

    In the dim light of the room, her canines seem also shining. White and sharp, Yes, we have to deal with the fucking Colony first.

 Chapter 249: Craft guild

    Chapter 249: Craft guild

    "Your weapon should work against The First One as well if we''re lucky. Most of the skills need at least a bit of mana for activation and upkeep, so disrupting the connection he has to other ants should stop him from receiving their mana, and vitality, or ordering them around," Myrra says.

    "Only if we''re able to keep him impaled on it. How big is The First One?" I ask.

    "His head sits at about the same height as mine. His body is covered in pitch-ck matte ting. Unlike other ants, he doesn''t shine at all. We don''t know what skills he has, but just the raw strength and vitality he received made it near impossible to deal with him."

    "It''s fine, I already have a n," I tell her.

    "You are quick, feral one. What is it?"

    When I exin it to her, she starts talking about things likemon sense, calling me an idiot, and the like. We repeat the conversation we had when I told her my n to kill the Living Tree.

    In the end, she sighs, "I''m not even surprised, and somehow this sounds a bit more reasonable than your n for the Living Tree. For now, prepare for it, and I will set some as well. The matriarch left us some things that should help us hold the fort here in Virelia."

    "What about <strong>[Kin Control]</strong>? Is it gone now that the matriarch has died?"

    She seems surprised. "First, I learn the matriarch got her kicks by pretending to be her own granddaughter and teasing the lynthari, then I learn about<strong> [Kin Control]</strong>, and now I find that you probably knew before I did. Tell me, feral one, did she like you so much because you so often feel like a lynthari in human skin? Is it because of your bearing? Are you also a Champion candidate?" Each word she says moves her closer to me.

    "It''s not my fault, Myrra, it''s you guys that keep pestering and bullying me," I say in my defense.

    "<em>Sure</em>," she sighs, takes a few steps back, and sits on the windowsill of one of the big circr windows. "<strong>[Kin Control]</strong> is gone, but I don''t think shes even used ittely. She made sure the skill would lose its hold over us as soon as possible and so the ants wouldn''t be able to take it over and control us. Now that the matriarch is dead, it should only take a few days."

    "So from one point of view, the matriarch was the lyntharis weakness?"

    "If you want to think about it that way, feral one, sure. But at the same time, she could do the same to the ants, especially from within the city, so they didn''t dare to attack. That''s where your friends stepped in."

    She stops looking outside. "Before you came here, I spent a lot of time wondering if I should kill your friends, feral one. Thest thing we want is for them to fall into the hands of the Colony again." Myrra giggles, her golden eyes shining, "Some lynthari even wanted me to lure you here and deal with your friends while you were busy."

    "But?"

    "But they don''t know you, feral one." she continues, her eyes on me. "Ever since you entered the room, Ive felt that thing youve been feeding with your power and that you n to use against the Colony. I feel your connection with the tower, and I know you can return there quickly. And if we fail, you could end up being a bigger problem than the Cmity."

    "A wise choice you told them to fuck off, right?"

    Sheughs again. "Yes, I did. But tell me and be honest. Would you kill me if I allowed it to happen and your friends died?"

    "Yes."

    "Oh, that absolute certainty of yours. It stings a bit that you said it without hesitation, but I like it. I like it a lot."

    "I will be going then."

    When I reach the door, she stops me. "Feral one, I did think about killing you and your friends. For causing her death, however indirectly. She sent us to stop the First One from taking their skills. Maybe she would be alive if the enforcers and I had stayed here."

    "Maybe," I pause.

    "Yes, maybe. I will see youter, then," she says.

    I leave after that, and unsurprisingly, half of the enforcers, the strongest among the lynthari, stand there. Just in case, ready to rush in to protect their new matriarch.

    They issue a short greeting as I pass by them, and Myrra''s bodyguard leads me to the exit.

    "Please be careful," he says before I leave him behind.

    Once again, I use kic energy to push myself high into the air, and this time, I fly over to check in on the old enchanter, Cael.

    The first thing Cael asks me is whether the weapon he and other enchanters helped me with performed well. The second question is if I could help him get ess to what remains of the Living Tree to examine it for materials. Its not until his third question that he asks about the attack on the city and the matriarch''s death.

    Are all craftspeople like that?

    I answer his questions and spend the rest of the day discussing my ns. At some point, the two of us are not enough, and he leads me to the Craft Guild.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The Craft Guild is one of the biggest buildings in the city and the most luxurious, clearly showing how important their work is. We enter without trouble, and I learn that Cael was once the vice guild master.

    Of course.

    "Young Sir, please! Look at this enchantment I created!"

    "Mister, could you exin how this works for me?"

    "It''s him! The young man that inscribed that stone!"

    "The guild master wanted him as vice guild master"

    A bunch of men and women keep pestering us as we pass through the room, and I''m surprised how quickly the information regarding our presence spreads.

    It''s awkward, the way they keep looking at me like I just invented chocte or something. As if I''m some kind of celebrity.

    How would they look at me if I told them it''s mostly my high-level skills,bined with massive quantities of mana, and money that allowed me to perform an amount of testing that would be impossible even for most mid-guilds? Especially when its all being wasted on a single person.

    Actually, should I tell them? It would be fun to watch.

    Instead, we eventually get rid of these people and reach the highest floor of the building where all the high-ranking enchanters reside, when they are here, and where the guild master is. Six men are already waiting impatiently within the circr room. Cael sent them a message before we arrived.

    I stop in front of the door after feeling their presence with my skill.

    For a moment, I examine the inscriptions all around me. On the door, in the walls, on the ceiling, inside small mana stones hidden within the floor and connected through web-like pathways. There is so much of it, and just examining them takes my mind off useless stuff.

    "They might be getting impatient," Cael says carefully after a few minutes.

    I sigh and gesture to an employee nearby, and he opens the door after bowing.

    "Master Gwyn, it''s such an honor to have you here!" immediately, one of the men attacks me.

    "I''m a massive fan of the work youve done!" another one joins in abined attack.

    "Theo, Davi, please, leave it forter and do not pester him. You are old enough to have some self-control," Cael defends me.

    "That''s easy for you to say. You are keeping him for yourself! You should share..."

    "Davi! That''s rude to say in front of our guest! " Finally, the guild master of the Craft Guild reacts.

    Hes even older than Cael and has long gray hair and an impressive beard. He is the perfect image of a wise old archmage you might see in children''s stories. Even a cosyer couldnt do a better job.

    Allow me to wee you, Mister Gwyn. Cael told me about the things youve been working on, and I was able to find some help. In a few minutes, a few more people will be arriving. They started immediately after they heard about it.

    I can only stare at him. For some time, Ive been thinking about what I should do to pay them back for all the help they gave me while I was working on inscriptions to alter the functionality of my epic weapons and the arcanadium shaft thatbined them.

    But this?

    Seeing their faces, hearing them gulp to keep from drooling every time I step closer to the empty mana stones on the table.

    Paying them back? Hell no, it looks like I''m not using them enough, seeing their greedy eyes. It''s at the point Im starting to have suspicions that I''m the one being taken advantage of.

    The door opens and a few more men rush in, excitedly asking if we already started.

    I''m too busy, so let''s start. If someone else joinster, you can inform them, I take a few steps towards the table in the middle and pull out the epic mana stone Sophie bought for me for 5000 shards and put it on the table, of mid or upper epic grade.

    It''s as big as a baseball and other than being a storage unit for mana and other energies, it doesn''t have any other effect. What makes it an epic item is the amount of energy it can contain. The mana stone already has a lot of thermal energy inside of it, yet I continue to store more, and the golden meszily swirl inside.

    I look around the room, There are three goals I want to reach.

    Their eyes flick between me and the stone.

    First, store as much energy as I can inside this stone. Two parts thermal, one part kic, without hesitation, I tell them about the Primordial energies I have and ignore the looks of pure shock even Cael gives me.

    I need help with this as even now I feel that soon I won''t be able to store anymore. It''s either the way I store it, the item''s rarity, or theres something Im missing. Maybe it''s just too much of it; I didn''t hold back when I started filling it, unlike the time I created one to bomb the ants. But that doesn''t seem to be it; the stone is an epic item, so it should easily handle something like that.

    "Second,e up with a mechanism that will release all that energy at once when I want it to, as well as the energies of other filled mana stones near it."

    Sure, I could start feeding it to the point where it can''t hold anymore and is about to explode. However, unlike orbs made of mana, I don''t have as strong a connection to it and itcks that intuitive feeling. It would be unfortunate if the stone exploded somewhere in Obelia''s tower and took a good chunk of the city with it.

    Third, there is one of my skills I need to make sure it will work with As I continue to exin, they watch me, a childish curiosity reced by an academic one, and I can see gears in their heads spinning already as they starting up with solutions and ideas.

    All of them quietly listen and let me talk, waiting for a pause to start talking about how they would go about it.

    Yup, let''s just fake it and pretend I know what I''m talking about because I need their help. Just one of my orbs is not enough. It would be powerful, yes, but not enough.

    I will nuke these bitches into oblivion for touching what is mine.

    I return to the towerte that night, more tired than Ive been in a long time. Not physically but mentally.

    Everyone else is already asleep, and I find the quiet of the tower reallyfortable, more so for the fact that no one will try to speak to me this deep into the night.

    I pull one of the armchairs out onto the balcony and plop down.

    The city is dim and quiet, yet in the distance, I can see the lights all around the trunk of the Living Tree outside of the city. Lynthari guarding it.

    Yawning, I stare out at it and think about how I feel about it dying without my contribution. I reflect on what happened and what I could change, but in the end, I stop thinking and just continue to enjoy the quiet.

    As if in revenge against my busy day full of meetings, I do not go to sleep and enjoy the feeling of solitude.

 Chapter 250: Surrounded

    Chapter 250: Surrounded

    Two days pass, in the same fashion. I wake up, I train, I spend some time with others, I join Cael at the Craft Guild, I meet with Myrra, I rest on my own for a while and experiment with the items I got from the auction. A few weird mana stones with delicate inscriptions and a bracelet that reacted to my energies.

    For the bracelet, I already found out that it''s the metal that reacts so strangely well to them, and even after asking around, no one was able to identify it, and I got a few offers from curious cksmiths.

    So for now, I decide to keep it and continue examining it. The mana stones are more interesting. The inscriptions arent anything super powerful; I just like how delicate and intricate they are and I already have plenty of ideas on how I might improve my inscriptions.

    What''s interesting is that if I''m right, the stones were made to be imnted under the skin of an animal and synchronized with the animal''s pathways, all to some effect that Ive found impossible to divine from the damaged inscriptions.

    But I''m not even annoyed; the inscribed parts are enough to give me a few ideas for improvements to my constructs. Yup, I did not forget about them, and after getting my trait, I n to go for a huge one and improve on my kic mana heart, probably the riskiest and the most powerful of my constructs.

    As I said before and will continue to repeat, the second-floor Nathaniel was impressive as heck. Knowing what I know now, I would probably have noped out and never attempted to do something like that. Yet that cute little douche did, and seeded, even though he almost died. Quite impressive.

    So yup, I would like to get a few more levels and get my trait after level 200 from the quest, but in the past few days, Ive barely left the tower and only ever for short periods as I maintained an anchor inside.

    I also continue to send a trickle of mana toward the anchor I left near the ck orb. I do this so the orb takes that mana instead of trying to mess with my anchor. As time passes, the pull on the mana Ive been sending through the anchor weakens. This is either due to the ck orb weakening and crumbling after days, or the ants dealing with it.

    The Colony is confirmed to be sneaking around the city, and the only reason we dont attack is the protections that are especially set against them over long years by the matriarch. Eris had her lynthari and inscribers create massive circuits connected to dozens of power sources all over the city and then used her skill to make everyone forget.

    After she died, Myrra and a few other lynthari learned about them from messages left by the matriarch and immediately reactivated them and checked to see if they were working properly.

    In the end, it was judged that with how many there were and how many surprises the matriarch left, it would be best to just wait for the ants to attack and use it rather than go on a suicidal mission against the First One powered by the Colony.

    From what weve learned, the weaker ants stayed in the Colony, and that number is a high percentage, but theyre just doing nothing either.

    Nope, the Colony created a set of rys from their territory all the way to the city. Each step of that ry is a big group of ants that receives vitality, mana, and strength from the weaker members staying in the Colony then sends it along, to Virelia through <strong>[Hive Mind]</strong>, where their leader can use it when they decide to attack.

    I''m sure there are massive losses, yet the sheer amount of energy they are sending makes up for it.

    Of course, that doesn''t mean there are no ants surrounding Virelia; nope, there are tens of thousands of them, each of them is one of the stronger variants, and they are still really far away so most people can''t even use ranged attacks. Rarely do I see Tess, Min-Jae, Obelia, and other humans or lynthari trying to get in kills, but the ants are protected most of the time.

    Surprisingly, Tess still gets some kills since she can see much further than anyone else, and her<strong> [Psychokinesis]</strong> is extremely good inbination with her Primordial lightning when ites to ranged attacks. Especially when she borrows the epic bow we got from the Champion''s disciple down in the mines.

    Not wanting to be left behind, I take some potshots as well, but I don''t see as well as Tess and decide Id rather use my mana to feed the bomb I''m preparing.

    The ants also return fire to force defenders to spend mana on the barrier epassing the city. This barrier is powered by the mana of their bodies and mana stored in batteries all around the city.

    I''m quite fascinated by the way its created in multiple segments and isnt always active. The barrier is split into hundreds of segments and makes use of something simr to Sophie''s web, which reaches far beyond the city.

    When the protections are activated, the detection web senses an attack aimed at the city, and through mana stones left behind by old humans and lynthari, it calctes the trajectory of the attack and then activates the required segment of the barrier.

    It''s much more difficult, and I''m not allowed to get close to the heart of it all, and no one else is. Hell, most of the lynthari and humans don''t even know where it is, and there are dozens of fake stations all over the city.

    Yet, no matter how good the protections are, most people are nervous and constantly shudder when a segment is activated and attacks crash against it. People scream andin, and the mood between the lynthari and the humans bes worse by the day, as rumors spread.

    Running away is impossible as the Colony seems to be ever-present and surrounds the entire city, and even try to dig under it, where they find extremely strongyers of stone and traps left behind by the matriarch.

    The Colony is highly capable, and its amazing cooperation is hard to imagine a single group being able to deal with, confirming my theory that there are always multiple ways to clear a floor.

    Maybe you can face the Fallen Hero on your own as it''s a single enemy. For the Colony, you can use Virelia, lynthari, and humans to deal with it. The tree is a single massive target, so maybe it can be dealt with from a distance, maybe it can be poisoned, or maybe you can even use another Cmity against it.

    It''s still difficult, but there are more options that seem to be testing different sets of skills and slowly introducing us to the worlds where the system exists, to Champion disciples, Champions, Absolutes, to the Pairing, and all that stuff.

    It does what the name suggests, even though it is in quite a messed-up way, and that makes me wonder what world we will be introduced to after finishing the tutorial. There were plenty of warnings about what could happen to worlds with people with powers like ours, and it could happen to Earth too.

    So, what level will we be when we get out? I already noticed my leveling slowing down for both my skills and level, and I''m not even level 200, with an estimation of a champion being close to or over 500. Maybe around that level for the ones capable of reaching it? Or more probably, Champion candidates, maybe bing a Champion will be something that happens outside of the tutorial. I could be wrong, but I don''t think I am.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    So far, every floor we visited was rumored to have only a handful of Champions and a single Absolute, with the second floor being an exception, having two before Lissandra killed the second one and the Champions who tried to fight her too.

    As for Earth, it could be the same: just a handful of Champions, each being someone from Hell difficulty, with those who got into Beyond being the most probable candidates.

    Returning to reality, I first look at my newly restored left arm. It''s as pale as before, the same pale shade as our silly healer''s restored left arm.

    Then I look up at Lily, who is currently sparring with Maya. Sparring and getting her ass kicked.

    Once again, Lily falls on her bottom and sighs, "I want to use my skill."

    "Nope, no disintegrating Maya," I say.

    "Maybe she could try to use it a bit, Nat, I bet I could avoid it." The armor around Maya disappears, and she moves her hair from her sweaty forehead.

    "We will get there, but first Lily needs to fight while saving mana and her body parts. She has a very bad habit of losing limbs."

    "I know someone simr," I hear Lily mutter.

    I decide to ignore it gracefully. "She can''t yet sacrifice her items, she doesn''t have that much mana, and both of her main skills are very mana-hungry. Do you disagree?"

    Maya shrugs her shoulders, "I guess you are right. After sparring with her for a day or two, I can see that. Nothing personal, Lily, but I thought you would be stronger." She smiles and offers Lily her hand to stand up.

    That''s typical of Maya, always underestimating herself. Does she think I helped her improve <strong>[Focus] </strong>and <strong>[Armament]</strong> for nothing, plus her amazing <strong>[Boost]</strong>? Out of our group, Maya is one of the stronger members. Well, maybe not when ites to skills and stats or mana. No, she is calm and calcting and has learned to blend her skills, and her fighting style is versatile.

    "Lily, the 1st trial takes one hour, the second one takes 7 days, and both of them will be testing your weaknesses. You know what they are, right?"

    Yes, I know. I mean, I won''tin about that, Nat, but wouldn''t it be better if I could train<strong> [Disintegration]</strong> too?

    Maya giggles a bit, understanding right away.

    Lily seems confused, so I answer, See, and that''s your problem. Until you are more efficient or capable of using it for longer, it should be your trump card. You created thin threads using it, so we will start with something like that instead of disintegrating an entire monster or wasting huge amounts of your mana on a ranged attack.

    At least she is listening, seeing how her eyes are glued to me. We will also teach you to use smaller ranged attacks. Something like orbs instead of arrows. But Lily, thats forter.

    I jump to my feet and stretch. We should test how much mana you receive from sacrificing your hair. We can start with a single hair and continue to add more until there is a noticeable effect. Then we will see if you can sacrifice your teeth instead of fingers. It''s better to not be able to talk than lose a finger. For a stronger boost, you can sacrifice one kidney instead of an arm or leg.

    Maya starts looking a bit ufortable and even mutters something, but Lily doesnt seem to mind.

    I continue, We will try sacrificing things like your sense of smell, and taste. Maybe you can eat a lot of food and then sacrifice that. Maybe we can have you gain some weight and you could sacrifice your body fat.

    My gears are spinning, and I could swear I''m smiling. There are so many options.

    You can change your body, Lily. So why do you need items? You can maybe grow another finger for each hand. Maybe you can grow some small fake organs inside you and sacrifice those. You can use my left arm, as weve found out. So what if I cut it off, we store it, you restore my arm, I cut it off again and you leave for Beyond or another fight with multiple arms to use to power your skills."

    Ew, Maya says.

    Amazing, Lilys eyes are almost glowing.

    So leave it up to me, well make a badass out of you yet.

    Yes! Lily shouts.

    A few dayster we all stand around the chest from the Champions house.

    Yes, the time hase. It took months of curiosity, impatience, and frustration. We had people try to open it, we used skills, we used items. I even risked it and created a tiny orb of ck mana, yet nothing helped.

    Not even Biscuit could open it after I told him there was better meat than the cut of Archdeer we bought at the auction.

    I look around the room and catch the eyes of Izzy, who smiles at me brightly. Lately, Ive be her second favorite human and the 4th favorite member of group 4 after Sophie, Noodle, and Biscuit. The ten, no, eleven-year-old girl hugs me every time she sees me and rarely leaves Sophie''s side.

    The twins are here as well, all four legs back and smiling. It''s not the same smile they had before, but it''s close. Thanks to Sophie, the memory has be more distant. Not quite gone, and the emotions are still there, but they use that as fuel, and over the past few days, Ive seen them train extremely hard, evening to Sophie and the others for advice.

    Min-Jae continues to exin his process, and I listen to him with one ear while looking around the room. Everyone from group 4 is still here, safe and healthy. I can also say it''s partially thanks to me, and it''s getting harder and harder to lie to myself.

    It''s a weird feeling, as it''s been years since I had someone I could even consider a friend or someone I kept seeing day after day and created a bond with. It''s almost like camaraderie, like Tess talked about.

    I look to the left and catch Tess''s eyes, and her expression clearly shows that she has some idea of my thoughts. She smiles brightly, her steel gray eyes returning my gaze without wavering.

    I have a few pieces of Archdeer jerky saved, call Tess an asshole, I lift Biscuit and whisper into his ear.

    <em>(Asshole!)</em> he shouts before I even finish the sentence.

    That only makes Tess smile even more.

    So, as I said, I think this crest is something like a ma activated by gravity-type skills, and I noticed pathways through the chest, so if I do this, Min-Jae, excitedly moves to the chest after using his skills to activate the crest.

    Then he puts the crest on the chest, and even though none of us can feel anything, he moves it across the chest multiple times in specific patterns. Clicking noises sound out one after another, and finally, he lifts the crest, sending more mana through it and ces it on onest point, before taking a step back.

    Ready for anything, we step back, and I get ready to activate my skills.

    I think it won''t open on its own, I say and create mana arms that reach from me and try to open the chest.

    Feeling how heavy the lid is, I create a few more and then slowly open it.

    Curious, everyone takes a step closer and looks at the single item inside, a transparent ss tube filled with watery liquid. The tube is floating exactly in the middle of the chest, and inside that tube is a single thing.

    A human eye with a yellowed iris.

    There is no text from the system over it. No name, no rarity. This is not something that could be considered an item; it''s just an eye.

    The eye of someone who was extremely powerful, from what I can sense.

 Chapter 251: Eye

    Chapter 251: Eye

    I keep looking at the tube and just wait for the word that will surely follow.

    It''s inevitable.

    (Food?)

    No, it''s not food, I answer and only then scan the eye with my mana.

    As I thought, the eye is different in a way that''s difficult to properly detect. The pathways feel normal, and yet it''s not a normal eye. Maybe the eye has been changed by a trait the original owner had. Maybe it''s because it belonged to a high-level being.

    I take the tube and look at it up close. I wonder, if we have the leisure of dealing with it right now, what with an attack from the Colony due anytime? Will it even be useful?

    Nat, do you think you could gain a cool new power if you reced your eye with this? Min-Jae steps closer, clearly excited by the idea.

    I don''t know, to be honest. Even if this eye contains some skill, trait, or whatever, could you gain it as well? How does the system work in such a case? I think about it.

    These modifications arent anything we''ve seen before.

    What if you could just acquire a trait that modifies your eye, then transfer the trait by removing the eye, and imnting it in someone else, then have a healer restore your eye? Does it mean you could repeat it dozens, hundreds of times and give people the same trait you have? I ask.

    Logically, probably, yes, Sophie joins in, But the eye you transfer could reject the host regardless of ones ability to use it or there could be other requirements for the trait to reactivate.

    Would the system even allow that? Hadwin asks.

    It could be a weaker version of the original, or it could be possible if the original owner was dead, and you had a host capable of using it! Min-Jae takes the tube from my hand and I let him.

    Min-Jae continues to stare at it, Even now I feel a connection to my skill, Nat! At first, I thought it was <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong>, but now it feels like a weirdbination of <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong> and <strong>[Telekinesis]</strong>!

    Tess takes the tube from him, It''s not that simple, Kim. I know where youre going with this, but we know nothing about it. We don''t know if it''s possible, we don''t know if Lily can transfer it, and we don''t know if it will hurt you. She nces at the tube once more before putting it back into the chest.

    Why would you store it if not for something like that? Min-Jae''s eyes do not leave the tube.

    I mean, there is some logic in it, and I grab it again, probing with my mana. There is no reaction at all, nor do I feel the connection Min-Jae mentioned, so I look at him. He isn''t lying in hopes of getting the eye for himself, right?

    I''m not lying, I really sense something! heins immediately, as if he knows what I''m thinking.

    Are you guys really thinking of pulling an eye out and recing it with this thing we just found? I mean, what the fuck. Maya says like a normal person.

    Maya, wanna bet it''s a super super strong eye that could give you an amazing ability? Aaron pokes at her.

    Maybe it will allow you to see into the future, Dennis nods.

    Maya only shakes her head, Or it might give you some ancient infection even Lily won''t be able to heal."

    There is risk, of course, but it was hidden in a chest that we couldnt damage at all, that itself came from the Champions manor, so it has to be good for something, I say.

    Is this some sort of hidden reward? An eye with some kind of ability? If so, is it for specific people? People like Min-Jae? He is the only one sensing anything from it.

    I grab the tube. Everyone, try to probe it with a bit of your mana and see if you sense anything.

    The tube slowly passes from person to person, and everyone just shakes their head. Izzy even quickly passes it while saying Ew. When the tubees into Min-Jae''s hands, he passes some mana through, and the eye noticeably reacts. The yellow iris glowing slightly.

    Oh great, it was a shlight in the end, Dennis giggles.

    Min-Jae continues to channel more and more mana through it, but the eye just glows a bit, a hint of circuitry ever so slightly visible on the surface. The way the boy looks at me makes his intention clear.

    Once again, I take the tube from him and examine it even more carefully, channeling different kinds of energy through it, I even try resonating my mana and changing the frequencies.

    The eye doesn''t react to me the way it does for Min-Jae.

    After all these months and all this excitement, the goddamn thing Id hoped would be equivalent to Peacemaker or the Sword of Aeons is a glorified shlight. Should I still try to use it? Maybe I could slowly learn how to control and use whatever it contains.

    My eyes meet those of Min-Jae, and he seems to know what I''m thinking. Yet he still smiles, You did most of the work, and it''s probably safest for you to use it, Nat. Sorry, I didn''t want to make it sound like I''m too shameless he sighs.

    Feeling someone''s gaze on me, I look up and meet Tess''s eyes. The tall blonde asshole of a maniptor is smiling, she clearly knows whats going through my head. Even Izzy tries to connect to my feelings, but I don''t allow her to.

    Damn it. Damn it!

    Once again, I try to channel my mana through the eye, and it doesn''t react at all.

    Whatever, I didn''t want it anyway.

    I throw the tube at Kim. I have that ck mana thingy that I''m slowly getting the hang of; I don''t need the creepy eye of some long-dead asshole.

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    Nat I Min-Jae starts.

    Shut up, you twerp, I interrupt as I locate Lily and gesture for her toe closer, Well do it right away since we don''t know when the Colony will attack.

    Lily and I sit on the floor, as Kim lies down next to us, his head between us. He''s surprised at how quickly things proceed, and hes shaking already.

    Heh, you didn''t expect this to happen so quickly, right, you greedy little jerk?

    Recing his eye should be easy with the new skill Lily received when shebined <strong>[Rejuvenation]</strong> and<strong> [Reshaping]</strong>. The new skill is called <strong>[Reconstruction]</strong>, she acquired it when we went to save others. Its improved her healing by a lot, even though it reduced her skill level.

    The n is simple. Lily will use <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> to painlessly destroy your eye. I will channel my mana through you, Min-Jae, and you will let me; it might hurt a bit because I will need to use a lot of it. That mana will be there just in case the new eye pulls some kind of bullshit.

    I have plenty of experience with <strong>[Infusion] </strong>now, so this should be simple if he allows it, which he is capable of.

    I will also surround the eye with my mana, so I can disrupt it if it tries anything. Lily will also have <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> prepared. In the worst case, we will destroy it and Lily will reconstruct your eye, I say.

    It''s a simple n, but things like that tend to work the best.

    I also prepare more scenarios in my head. I can use <strong>[Tether]</strong> to ce an anchor on the eye and try to teleport it away. I can create a barrier around Min-Jae''s brain and blow off his face, which would be quite a bad experience, but its workable if something does happen.

    Now, before we start, I will examine it once more, I say as I open the tube, which is surprisingly easy. I put my finger into the thing and touch the eye directly, focusing the full power of my <strong>[Perception]</strong> on it.

    There is no sense in asking anyone else in the city for help. After all the weeks Ive spent here, Ivee to realize that the amount of mana I have and my skillbinations make me one of the best in Virelia when ites to this, probably the best now that good ol'' Elydor is dead. May we meet again one day.

    Examining the eye, I find more pathways I can easily identify as channels for mana to activate the eye and its powers, whatever they are. I examine it extremely carefully over and over again, looking for memory constructs, traps, some creepy virus, memories, anything really.

    And then again.

    And again.

    Multiple hours pass like that, and Lily pokes me multiple times while Min-Jae continues to shift nervously. In the back of my mind, I hear some of them talking, bored.

    I consolidate my <strong>[Focus]</strong>, activate <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> around the eye, and constantly use<strong> [Resonance]</strong> to disrupt any mana that could be left.

    <strong>[Perception - lvl 39 > Perception - lvl 40]</strong>

    And I find nothing. After probably hundreds of years, nothing remains inside the eye.

    Pass some of your mana through, I say to Min-Jae, and he quickly nods, touching it, and doing as I say.

    Then I start examining it again. There is some effect the eye is trying to produce, but it doesnt seem to be transmitting that effect through the optical nerve hanging from it. Its more like it projects in front of it and shares information through the nerve.

    Well, let''s do it.

    Ready? I ask Lily.

    She quickly nods and listens as I exin the steps to her one after another while Min-Jae nervously stares up.

    I will try not to make it hurt, she tells him and puts her finger on his right eye.

    Left one! he shouts quickly, and with a sigh, Lily does it.

    I activate <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> and restrain his movement while infusing him with my mana as he lowers his defenses. Its a lot of mana, and he shudders in pain, as much as he can under the effect of my skill, and I gesture to Lily.

    With a short st of gray mana, his eye disappears, and immediately her mana rushes in, staunching the bleeding and healing it. Noting ack of space, she uses<strong> [Disintegration]</strong> again, and more of his flesh disappears.

    The entire time I''m carefully observing and moving my mana through his head, ready to shield his brain.

    Lily quickly ignores the terrified expression in his remaining eye and the pain he must be feeling then pulls the yellow eye from the tube. After inserting it into the socket, she maneuvers it slightly, and I help by creating a thin thread of mana and moving the optical nerve into ce.

    She uses more of her mana, and the wound quickly heals, regrowing skin, part of an eyebrow, and his eyelid. It immediately covers up the wound, and then she focuses on the inside, letting her skill and experience lead her. She works on the connections very carefully, connecting all the nerves and muscles, giving herself enough time to do it properly.

    Meanwhile, I continue observing the entire process and have my mana ready to activate the countermeasures.

    Soon its done, and I release Min-Jae from my hold.

    His eyelid moves, and he blinks a few times, both of his eyes moving as he looks around. the light brown original and the new yellow one. They both look the same and move the same, the only difference is the yellow color.

    I observe as his mana slowly moves and gradually starts circting through the new eye the same way it does with the original. Lily also is ready, her fingers close as the mana slowly reactivates it.

    Then Min-Jae actively cycles his mana through the eye, just a little bit, a whiff, and the circr circuits on the iris glow slightly.

    I feel fine, he says and cycles more mana through it, the circuits activating more fully.

    The eye produces an effect that I identify as something like abination of Tesss<strong> [Farsight]</strong> and my<strong> [Perception]</strong>.

    It''s really weird, I see these waves everywhere, and theres this creepy sensation to it, Min-Jae reaches out with his hand as if he is touching something invisible.

    Then he channels some of his mana into the air, activating his skill. His eye activates a bit more, and he closes his hand into a fist.

    At that moment, something in the room changes that is hard to identify, and a big chunk of the wall gets torn off andpressed into a small point, reducing all that stone into a smooth ball barely bigger than a golf ball.

    It takes a huge chunk of Min-Jae''s mana to create that effect, about half of it.

    Huh? he mutters and does it again.

    Another big chunk of the wall gets torn off and with immense gravitational force pulled towards the center where its then squeezed, andpressed.

    The rest of his mana disappears, and Min-Jae wobbles, on the brink of passing out from the strain of using too much mana too quickly, yet he smiles, and both of his eyes shine with excitement.

    Like me, he knows this is only the start of what the eye will allow him to do and my suspicion is as good as confirmed. The eye must have belonged to someone very powerful to allow him to use his skills this way, even with his rtively low level. Maybe a Champion or at least a high-level Champion candidate.

 Chapter 252: Obsession

    Chapter 252: Obsession

    After Min-Jae restores some of his mana, we do a few more tests, and I conclude that the eye is not giving him a new ability. It seems to allow him to utilize his skills more effectively orbine them?

    It''s hard to say what exactly it does, and he says his connection to his skills improved, whatever that means, and that he can see waves that he suspects are gravitational, again, whatever that means.

    So, what he did was channel his skill through that wave with a bit of mana and caused a spark, as he calls it, that in turn created a small orb of extreme gravity.

    It takes a lot of mana, but it''s something I think he should be capable of doing on his own in the future. So that''s it? Is the eye that weak, or does he just need some time to utilize it fully? Well, he seems happy and bes even happier when he tries his <strong>[Telekinesis]</strong> and learns that he can use these waves to move heavier projectiles as well, so he goes to practice just that.

    I think it''s a good thing, he was starting tog behind a bit andtely has been in a bad mood, Tess says the moment Min-Jae leaves with the twins and Lily to test it more.

    Kim focuses too much onparing himself to other people and puts heavy expectations on himself, Hadwin shakes his head, Hepares himself to you especially often, he says looking at me.

    Thats dumb; he shouldn''t do that, I respond.

    But he does. Even his subss, envy, confirms it. He looks up to you, and he wants to be like you. One day it could kill him, Hadwin stands up, looking at me.

    Min-Jae is his own person, Haddy. If this is the way he wants to live, he can. If he thinks it''s worth risking his life to reach that, he can do it as well, I return his gaze.

    Kim is just a kid, he is young and dumb, Hadwins voice bes a bit louder.  Ive tried to speak with him multiple times, but he only listens to you. You should talk to him.

    The room bes quiet, and everyone looks at Hadwin and me as I continue, Then, let me ask you, what will happen if I do speak with him? I can even beat him up a bit if you want me to, I can force him to take it easier. It wouldn''t be difficult, and I know the words.

    Tess pokes me slightly, but I ignore her and continue, What will happen if we leave the 4th floor and get split again? What if we end up on a floor where everyones on their own? Do you think every floor will be like this one? Giving us time to prepare infort? Things will inevitably go to shit sooner orter.

    We can stay here longer, we can train until were ready, and move on then, Hadwin sighs. I know where you are going with this, and I partially agree with you, but there has to be a middle ground, his voice sounds a bit weaker.

    Probably, but look at it this way. Currently, he has multiple stronger people around, and then we have our own pocket healer. When other than now will he get a better opportunity to push himself?

    Fuck, I hate how much sense it makes, Hadwin shakes his head.

    Tess also joins in, You also forgot one thing, Hadwin. Kim might be young, but he is not a kid. Sure, he is a bit more impulsive than someone older, but he can make his own decisions. her voice bes softer. You know about his family situation back on earth and how much he hated his life there where they controlled him entirely. I think hes much happier now, however weird that is.

    Haddy is just worried! Isabe interjects, clearly annoyed, You all talk so much, just look! She exims before activating her skill.

    I let it connect to me, and I sense it''s connection to everyone else in the room, as a feeling of anxiety flows into me. It''s a pure and nice feeling, like a parent worried about their child.

    Then I realize that Isabe is sharing Hadwin''s feelings with us and cut the connection.

    Sophie realizes it as well and hits the back of her sister''s head, Izzy! You can''t do it without asking! she shouts at her.

    Meanwhile, I look at Hadwin and notice that the older man with his elegant haircut and well-kept beard seems to be the most embarrassed here.

    At the same time, Tess giggles next to me. Not maliciously, as if she were making fun of someone. She just seems to be amused.

    Leaving another session with Cael and the craft guild and with another set of inscriptions engraved onto the epic mana stone, I reach the branch of one of the highest trees and for a moment sit there, observing the sections of the barrier activating.

    The attacks from the ants are more frequent now and getting stronger. Theye from all sides, Virelia being totally surrounded.

    Some ants must have detected me because multiple times in a row the segment far across from me activates, blocking the attacks aimed at me.

    Cheeky fuckers.

    Once again, I feel the need to move, to attack them, to jump into their lines, but stop myself from doing so. It might be just what they want. The important thing right now is to not allow them to get Sophie and the twins, and to not allow the First One to evolve his skill.

    While knowing that, I stand up, and <strong>[Regalia]</strong> activates, and I start creating a javelin that increases in size and grows until it''s three times as long as me and as thick as my arm. I push more mana into it, the javelin turning dark blue with streaks of light blue.

    Now then, what should I infuse it with?

    I pick <strong>[Resonance]</strong> and infuse the weapon with its effect. Then, while being careful, I spend a few more minutes and try to create temporary inscriptions on my mana weapon. It''s difficult, and they constantly keep tearing apart, so I simplify them by stabilizing the javelin.

    Gradually, I push more mana into the tip of the weapon and <strong>[Focus]</strong> it to a much smaller point, making the tip turn ck and start to suck on my mana. Quickly, I make a few more changes, hoping that the ck tip will dominate the mana ites into contact with and transfer a small amount of it into the <strong>[Resonance] </strong>infused javelin.

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    I let my heart beat a few times, creating just enough kic energy, and then use it all to push the javelin.

    It pierces through the air like a sh and passes through the one-directional barriers surrounding Virelia.

    When it reaches the ants'' defenses far away, it resonates and passes through them as if they are non-existent, and hits the ground near a bigger group of the ants as they quickly surround it. The ants do what I thought they would; they start channeling more mana towards it, trying to tear it apart.

    It''s too far for me to sense, but the javelin dominates more of their mana, and for a short while, it uses that to strengthen the<strong> [Resonance] </strong>enchantment Ive set to have the effect of my old skill, <strong>[Oscition]</strong>.

    The javelin untangles into long threads of mana, coated in an osciting effect, and cutting through most of the ants.

    <strong>[You have defeated Barrier ant - lvl 166]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated me Legion ant - lvl 169]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Gravity ant - lvl 151]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Gravity ant - lvl 199]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Ant warrior - lvl 180]</strong>

    <strong></strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 189 > Lvl 190]</strong>

    I create another javelin, and this time I do something different.<strong> [Tether]</strong> activates, and I create an anchor on the de and then another one near where I am standing.

    The javelin receives thest infusion of disrupting mana, and I shoot it at the ants, this time toward a different spot. It pierces through the barrier again, and I activate the anchor, appearing in front of the ants.

    Immediately, I feel the effect of dozens of skills trying to affect me as my Mantle fights against them with the aid of the <strong>[Resonance]</strong> barrier Ive created.

    The kic energy converts into thermal, and Ipress it as much as I can like I did back in the Colony.

    I project a golden beam in front of me as thin as my finger, and reminiscent of aser, cutting dozens of ants apart as I fuel it with more and more energy from my wildly beating heart. I pour all my frustration into it,pressing the beam even further and redirecting it constantly as they continue to create barriers to block it and strengthen them.

    The skills trying to affect me weaken, and some melee range ants dash at me only to be cut in half. The notifications about kills ring somewhere in the background while I do it as efficiently as possible, monitoring the area around me.

    Then I feel a terrifying pressure reaching towards me and immediately activate the anchor I created.

    The pressure tries to disrupt the activation of my skills, but I fight against it with <strong>[Resonance]</strong> and disappear from the spot, reappearing back on the branch of the tree.

    I skip notifications about kills and look at the skills.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 34 > Resonance - lvl 35]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 14 > Tether - lvl 15]</strong>

    Well, thatst bit was a bit dangerous. Was it the First One, or just some highly coordinated attack? I would love to jump in multiple times, but a suspicion tells me that the quickly improving and evolving Colony would be able to analyze my anchors and <strong>[Tether]. A</strong>fter a few tries, they could stop me from using them, and that would be dangerous.

    A few more notifications ring, and curious where they areing from, I look towards the ce I shot the first javelin tipped with ck mana, and that area seems to have be hell for the ants.

    Dozens of threads of mana as thin as my pinkie swirl around from the remains of what used to be the javelin, and the threads with oscition coating cut through the ants even now, to my surprise.

    The ants made a huge mistake and used a mana-hungry skill to stop it, only to find a nasty surprise in the ck mana thing, whatever it is. That little ck tip of highly focused mana constantly takes most of the mana the ants throw at it and uses a small part of it to fuel the remainder of the javelin and threads of mana while corroding the temporary inscriptions I left on it.

    But good things do notst, and soon the inscriptions crumble, and that small ck part dominates the javelin, absorbing the mana to fuel itself.

    The ants finally identify the effect and, to my surprise, instead of trying to destroy it, they just create a field around it that seems to block all surrounding mana from getting to it and leave it as is.

    Just for the fun of it, I create another javelin, turning the tip of it into ck mana, and this time fill it with thermal energy and connect it to the ck mana like I did before, with inscriptions.

    The javelin once again passes through the barrier, but the moment it reaches behind it, the ck part immediately devours the rest of the javelin, either because my bnce is too off or I messed up with the inscriptions.

    The ants once again surround it with some field and leave it there.

    Well, enough ying; let''s visit Obelia, as I promised Tess.

    When we reach her office, we get in without incident and are left alone with the Storm Brigade guild master.

    You seem serious, Tess. Did something happen?

    Tess nods. I want to ask you to please stop spreading the rumor of the lynthari invasion of this, she says directly, without beating around the bush.

    I have to remind you that this is called Nebulon, and the lynthari ARE the invaders here, Tess, Obelia says directly, her eyes flicking to me for a moment.

    Then Obelia grows cautious. Her body straightens up, and I see her subtly warming her muscles and letting more mana flow into her body. She is getting ready for a fight.

    Tess notices it as well but ignores it. I agree, but I dont think this is the right time.

    I disagree, Obelia stands up. No one from the human guilds is dumb enough to fight lynthari now, and we will all cooperate, she walks around her table and stands in front of us. What will happen after the Colony is dealt with will be up to them.

    You are worried that Myrra will try to kill you after the war before you can spread the information. So you want humans to know in the event that the lynthari are weakened and they decide to fight, Tess realizes it the same moment I do.

    Obelia doesnt answer, but she doesnt have to even confirm it; she takes the tiniest step toward the door, and an item in her pocket activates.

    Dont, I warn her, and our eyes meet.

    For a moment, she returns my gaze, her eyes wild and threatening, Would you really do that? she asks, her mana not stopping and filling her body even more.

    Yes, I answer with absolute certainty.

    "Before things get out of control, why don''t we do it like this," Tess interrupts us quickly, "Be more careful spreading it, spend much more effort on making sure there isnt any trouble during the war with the Colony. After we deal with the Colony, humans can decide what to do. Nat and I don''t care about what happens afterward."

    Tess starts sounding more threatening, "If you decide, you can murder each other, Obelia. Fight against lynthari, burn the city to the ground, you are free to do whatever you want when this fight is over. But I won''t allow you to risk the lives of mypanions over your obsession."

    Obelia looks between me and Tess and nods, "Deal."

    The entire time, I observe her curiously.

    It''s fascinating how much a logically thinking person can change their behavior when ites to the things that matter to them.

 Chapter 253: Against the Colony

    Chapter 253: Against the Colony

    After getting back, I train on my own until my head starts to hurt. I keep trying to improve efficiency and create tiny ck mana orbs that crumble on their own after a while. They take quite arge amount of mana for their size, and I have to reduce the amount I channel into the mana stone I''m charging, but I think it''s worth it.

    Thest king seemed to recognize the ck mana, and he was close with the Absolute of their, so it surely is something good or scary. Or even better, both. Even I myself am not sure what it is.

    I suspect that it''s just something simr to the second stage of Mana upgrade Potency, the Dynamic mana. Or it could be something simr to Lissandra''s <strong>[Singrity]</strong>, with its effects limited to mana while requiring huge amounts of mana to use.

    Back then, when I created a ck dagger from it, I was able to cut the connection between the king''s crown and the Saint''s healing powers. A connection that I could barely sense and couldn''t affect with any of my skills, a connection that had been weakened, though, it was made by an Absolute.

    The other thing it did was ignore the king''s absorption ability, the sheer density of mana having been enough to avoid the skill.

    Then there was the case in the Colony territory where a smaller ck orb absorbed an amount of mana that was enough to turn a Mana Channeler ant into a massive bomb, powered by hundreds and thousands of other ants.

    And thest case where I was able to create a tiny ck mana thing that, through inscriptions for a few seconds, continued to power my skill by dominating the mana of the enemy.

    Thatst part gave me a few ideas on how to finally utilize it and do something Ive wanted to do ever since I saw Lissandra doing it, the reason I spent months examining the epic Ethercrystal shortsword. Maybe I can finally absorb mana. Not ambient mana like Lissandra did, that much is still impossible, no, maybe I can absorb the mana of attacks made against me.

    I will use <strong>[Focus]</strong>, <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, and <strong>[Mana Domain] </strong>to that end, and damn, will I need a lot of healing to test it properly and to get a feel for it.

    Once again, I will have to rely on Lily and her crown, but it''s fine; our silly healer improved a lot in the past few days. She just needed some instruction, and when she got it, the speed of her improvement became staggering, like with Maya, after I gave her my advice or even Kim a long time before.

    Most of the time, I thought it was better to leave them on their own toe up with their own ideas, and they did, they really did, but now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn''t just end things at that. I myself learned a lot of my skills by observing others. <strong>[Disruption]</strong> from Hadwin, and<strong> [Armament]</strong> from Maya, for example, even my <strong>[Regalia]</strong> came to me from Maya''s ideas. Let''s just hope they don''t getzy and rely on me too much.

    So, should I take this responsibility and try to be a bigger influence on their growth and give them some pointers? I could make them much stronger short term, but it could make them overly reliant. Or would it just be a slight push to further their improvement?

    With a sigh, I hold my right arm in front of me and continue drawing inscriptions on it with mana-conductive paint. The paint is extremely expensive and made of dust from pulverized mana stones, iron particles, and otherponents that are kept secret. The paint needs to be used quickly, and when you channel mana through it, it bes extremely durable and hard to remove from skin.

    It''s my first time using it, but I do not hesitate as I draw a mix of circuits and inscriptions on my arms, inspired by my experiments with the ck-tipped mana javelin.

    Yes, the n is simple. I will create a ck orb that will absorb mana and attacks, and my arm will transfer that mana to me, then I will use<strong> [Resonance]</strong> to change its frequency inbination with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> to make it my own.

    As Dennis would say, this is an extremely ghetto way to do it.

    Exactly how I like it.

    Of course, my arm might explode if I do a poor job while creating the ck mana and use too much or too little, but it''s something for emergencies. I don''t have to use it, but it''s better to be prepared.

    It could also be useless, as the orb takes a lot of mana to create, so if I cant absorb more than I used to create it, I will end up with a loss.

    Well, whatever.

    I finish thest inscription and send my mana through it, and the lines glow for a moment. I do it again, and this time I use <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to cut into my skin just under the lines and infuse them with more mana, strengthening the effect.

    If I had more time, I would rather prepare a construct, but this is the most I can do at the moment.

    I look up at the constant shower of attacks that currently light up the night sky. They are timed to constantly activate a few segments of the barrier, and at this point, they feel more like a psychological attack. The First One is here, and the citizens of the city shudder under the siege. No one seems to be able to sleep, and a lot of people are out on the streets or hiding in bunker-like facilities. It''s nearly impossible to find anyone without some amount of armor or a weapon.

    I jump from my balcony andnd in one of the sitting rooms, and even before I enter, I hear slow, soft music reminding me of tones I used to hear on Earth, unlike any music I''ve heard here.

    For a moment, I listen, and a weird feeling of familiarity and coziness washes over me, and then I enter the room.

    Maya is sitting on the couch, holding a violin-like instrument she ys on. She makes mistakes and misses notes, but the music she ys makes me want to ignore those small imperfections.

    Tess is there as well, with her eyes closed and a distant smile on her lips. She is sitting near Maya, leaning against her, and even humming along to Mayas ying.

    I catch Isabe''s eyes, and she brings a finger to her lips and taps the seat next to her. I oblige and sit down, which causes Noodle to slither from the little girl''s arms and climb onto me. Used to it already, I send bits of my mana towards him. The white snake is heavier than before and a bit bigger, yet he is still young and really weak. He might have the blood of some ancient beast but he hasn''t shown any powers as of yet.

    Out of nowhere, he straightens up and quickly leaves myp, climbing back onto Izzy.

    That''s when Biscuit appears and floats up onto myp. I hear him growl quietly, and the white snake seems like he''s bowing his head, and only then does Biscuit calm down and woofs at me.

    Obeying his order, I pet him.

    The sounds of attacks crashing against the barrier mix with Maya''s music as our entire group sits there and quietly listens.

    Soon the attacks be more frequent and impactful, and the vibrations can be felt. Some people even scream in rm, and constant waves of mana wash over the city, strengthening the segments of the barriers and activating secondary defenses.

    And Maya ys, slowly, gently. Her fingers move more nimbly, and the expression on her face is distant, and she smiles sadly.

    I look to the twins, as they lean against each other, exchanging constant messages through their skill. Even now, they don''t seem to be back to their normal selves, and out of all of us, seem to be the most worried about what''s toe.

    Min-Jae, beside them, his eyes on Maya. His original brown and the new yellow eye. The atmosphere around him is different now. He seems more confident, but not in a bad way. Unlike before, when confidence felt forced and fake like a threatened animal raising its hackles to appear bigger. He is calmer now as if the power he just acquired gave him the hope he needed.

    Sophie, next to Izzy, is working on multiple mana stones and etching simr inscriptions into each of them. Just from observing them a bit, I know that the stones are meant to work together, probably strengthening the web she constantlyyers around herself in preparation for the sh of her <strong>[Maniption]</strong> against the First One''s <strong>[Hive Mind]</strong>.

    Hadwin, sitting near the doors, seems protective, by the way hes looking around. He is in full armor as he has been these past few days, and I can feel him constantly using his <strong>[Strengthening]</strong> to make it more durable.

    Then there is Tess, her eyes closed as she leans against Maya. Over her head, a <strong>[Stormcrown]</strong> hovers, creating shadows and crackling quietly as she continues to fill it with a terrifying degree of Primordial lightning.

    And Lily, a petite ck-haired girl holding a crown in her hands and ying with it, making a fewst changes to it and her body. Her hair is longer than before, and there are more changes inside her as well, as per my suggestions. An epic bow is to her left.

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    For a moment, I just sit there as well, enjoying the mood of the room and the people surrounding me.

    The word <em>(Friends,)</em> sounds in my head, and I look down at Biscuit, who returns my gaze.

    I guess, I whisper to him.

    <em>(Friends,)</em> he repeats.

    I

    <em>(Friends.) </em>He puts more weight on this word.

    Maybe, I finally agree with him.

    That''s when the strongest explosion so far sounds throughout the entire city, and even the tower we are in shakes.

    An rm follows immediately, and Maya stops ying. That''s it, I guess, she says.

    That''s it, Tess stands up, and her eyes meet the gaze of each of us. Stay safe, everyone.

    A few more words and awkward hugs are exchanged.

    I will continue as nned then, I say and activate my skill.

    Nat Tess starts, but I do not let her finish. After Lily hands me a crown I immediately put it on my head and activate <strong>[Tether]</strong>.

    I appear in front of Myrra, who is surrounded by twelve enforcers. I reach the table and ignore Myrras words. There are multiple mana stones filled with mana, fire, poison-like feeling stuff, and other things. Theyre all like my mana stone filled with thermal and kic energy.

    Examining them for a moment, I take my mana stone out as well as a te made from highly conductive metal.

    I ce my mana stone in the middle, and around that, I set other mana stones filled by lynthari and humans. The stones Ive added to mine are as filled as mine or more, and they start to hum quietly, all of that energy in one ce is terrifying.

    My hand hovers over it and I breathe out, and in. I makest-minute changes to a few lines and activate the thing. The skill, Ive constantly fed with a trickle of mana to prevent it from disappearing, also activates.

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 15 > Tether - lvl 16]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 16 > Tether - lvl 17]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 17 > Tether - lvl 18]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 18 > Tether - lvl 19]</strong>

    Then I feel resistance, a barrier the ants must have set up around the anchor I left behind with the ck orb down in the tunnels. <strong>[Resonance]</strong> activates, and multiple times over, I start changing the frequencies.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 35 > Resonance - lvl 36]</strong>

    Someone actively fights against me, feeling the danger and the amount of mana I''m trying to transfer.

    I consolidate my<strong> [Focus]</strong> and continue to change frequencies, only to be stopped by them being changed again. The game continues for a while, and I totally shut out Myrra in the background. The world bes ck and white, with mana stones in front of me shining with a brilliant light that hurts my eyes. I feel my head start to hurt, but I push more, and the crown activates, filling me with warm mana.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 36 > Resonance - lvl 37]</strong>

    The presence is pushing against me, fighting, trying to stop me, and I realize that it''s the First One.

    A wave of rage washes over me, but I push it to the back of my mind and continue the effort, further activating the crown and healing me.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 37 > Resonance - lvl 38]</strong>

    Finally, I get a step ahead, and before the frequency changes can stop me, I activate my skill once again.

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 19 > Tether - lvl 20]</strong>

    The te with the stones disappears, and a momentter, I feel an attempt to exploit the lingering connection and send the stones back, but it''s something Ive already anticipated.

    Somewhere on the other side, the set of inscriptions I prepared for this case activates and disrupts the efforts, and another wave destroys the connection.

    Then there is quiet, a terrifying quiet.

    I return to the room, and a short st of kic energy destroys the window, and I leave and get on top of the building.

    The amount of mana that I feel from behind the barrier almost makes me vomit. It''s the First One, absorbing as much mana as he can through the ry that leads here the entire way from the Colony territory. He is doing it to get as much as he can before the connection cuts off.

    I look towards where the territory is.

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker ant - lvl 71]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated me Legion ant - lvl 119]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Gravity ant - lvl 101]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Gravity ant - lvl 79]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Gravity ant - lvl 93]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Ant warrior - lvl 60]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker ant - lvl 81]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker ant - lvl 68]</strong>

    <strong>...</strong>

    The notifications continue to ring constantly, line of text after line of text, nearly all of the ants at 100 or lower, the weaker ants left behind in the safety of the Colony to fuel their attack effort through a set of rys.

    <strong>[Lvl 190 > Lvl 191]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 191 > Lvl 192]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 192 > Lvl 193]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 193 > Lvl 194]</strong>

    My lynthari, human joint attack continues to give me and everyone else involved, including the few members of group 4 who were able to fill weaker mana stones.

    The lights appear far away on the horizon against the shadow of the giant anthills, and even the clouds in the sky are bathed from below in multi-hued light. Orange mixed with blue, yellow, gold, and green.

    Before the set of rys feeding the First One with mana from the Colony cuts off, he harnesses all he can connect to. Simultaneously, he throws it against the city barriers, causing them to immediately crash and crumble under the force. A green attack crashes against the city like a wave, destroying buildings and killing thousands of people in the area.

    The barrier tries to reactivate again, but the wave locates its sources and obliterates them, and then slowly particles of mana from what used to be the barrier start falling from the sky.

    And the notifications continue.

    <strong>[Lvl 198 > Lvl 199]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 199 > Lvl 200]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 200 > Lvl 201]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 201 > Lvl 202]</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions, you havepleted a side quest. You can now pick your second trait. Please remember that humans are limited to three traits in total. Choose carefully.</strong>

    <strong>Your traits are based on your performance up until now within the tutorial.</strong>

    <strong>Mana-Responsive Muscture</strong>

    <em>Enhances the user''s muscr strength in direct corrtion with their mana levels. The greater the mana, the more pronounced the physical strength, enabling the user to perform impressive physical feats that go beyond ordinary capabilities. This enhancement adapts to the user''s mana levels, making it highly effective in various scenarios that demand physical prowess, frombat to challenging physical tasks.</em>

    <strong>Mana-Dependent Regeneration</strong>

    <em>This trait enables the user''s body to utilize their personal mana reserves to elerate the natural healing process. Unlike standard healing, which is typically constant, this regeneration rate dynamically scales with the user''s avable mana. When the user''s mana levels are high, the healing is significantly faster, but it slows as mana diminishes.</em>

    <strong>Arcane Skeletal Framework</strong>

    <em>Alters the user''s skeletal structure to efficiently conduct and store various forms of energy, including mana. This not only strengthens the bones, making them more durable and resistant to damage but also creates an internal energy reservoir. This reservoir provides a steady supply of energy, augmenting their magical capabilities.</em>

    <strong>Compact Mana Heart</strong>

    <em>Transforms the user''s heart into an organ capable of sustaining andpressing mana. This modification enhances the effectiveness of all mana-based abilities and reduces the physical and magical exhaustion typically associated with high-level spellcasting. The heart''s ability topress mana allows for more efficient and potent use of magical powers.</em>

    <strong>Mana Wavelength Iris</strong>

    <em>This trait endows the user with the ability to perceive a vast spectrum of mana wavelengths, far beyond normal capabilities. It sharpens the user''s ability to detect even the most nuanced mana fluctuations, providing an unparalleled awareness of magical currents and energies. This leads to refined insight into the flow of mana.</em>

    <strong>Energetic Dispersion Dermis</strong>

    <em>The user''s skin gains the ability to diffuse a wide range of iing energies, including kic, thermal, and magical attacks. It acts as a protective barrier, effectively spreading the impact of these energies across its surface to significantly minimize damage. This trait is especially effective against concentrated mana attacks, providing a passive defense mechanism that can be crucial in magicalbat.</em>

    <strong>Mana Echo Chamber</strong>

    <em>Converts the user''s chest cavity into a chamber that resonates with ambient mana, storing it until the user chooses to release it. This stored mana can be unleashed in powerful bursts, useful for amplifying the impact of spells, creating sudden protective shields, or as a burst of energy in critical situations. The Mana Echo Chamber is particrly valuable for spellcasters who need an extra reserve of energy during intense magical confrontations.</em>

 Chapter 254: The First One

    Chapter 254: The First One

    Quickly, I read all the descriptions and without hesitation, I pick Mana Wavelength Iris. Immediately, I feel the trait making changes to my eyes, and I squint a bit from the pain as they gradually change.

    A terrifying pressure weighs on the city, and from under me, I feel Myrra activating something the Matriarch left behind.

    The three giant trees inside of Virelia start moving, branches cracking and leaves glowing. Those trees start releasing leaves that float around the city and frequently interrupt the iing attacks.

    Of course, the trees arent normal, the Matriarch said she helped create the Living Tree, didn''t she?

    Myrra joins me on top of the building, fully armored and her face serious, followed by her bodyguard and 12 enforcers d in ck armor.

    That seemed to work better than expected, she says.

    I nod as I observe the improved level over her head as well as the higher levels of lynthari with her.

    The pressure of all that immense mana from the First One doesn''t let up. He still has a lot of the ants he brought with him to attack the city, ants that may be lower in number than the ones left behind but are higher leveled. And currently, the First One is using all of that shared mana and vitality.

    Everyone in the city hears the loud crack, and the crashed trunk of The Living Tree starts moving, floating into the air.

    <strong>[Reanimated Sunseeker Tree - lvl ??]</strong>

    A text appears over it as the tree floats higher, a gray trunk with branches without any leaves on them. The tree floats high in the air, a sight feeling much more terrifying knowing how much weight is moved like that.

    So these fuckers really were behind the Tree attacking us, Myrra hisses through her teeth.

    I can only nod as I observe the tree create a barrier around itself and even from as far as it is, I can see it releasing particles that are carried toward the city, crashing against the swirling leaves of the three giant trees.

    The Sunseeker Tree, The Living Tree used to be a Cmity at the level of a Champion. It was severely weakened after destroying the Old Capital to the point of getting to three question marks. And now its reanimated remains are weakened even further to the point of two question marks. Yet it''s still much stronger than the defensive trees left behind by the matriarch.

    Feral one, your weapon? Myrra asks.

    I show her my empty hands and continue to wait.

    A gray arrow pierces through the air, and everyone with some sense can feel the disturbing mana it contains. That arrow sshes against the barrier of the Reanimated Living Tree, eating a big hole into it without any problem.

    Then, like a falling star, a long javelin pierces through the air. The javelin flies even faster than the gray arrow, white and red lightning trailing it. The de of the javelin, made of an Ethercrystal shortsword, burrows deep into the trunk of the Living Tree with a thump that I can hear even here in the city.

    It only takes a few seconds for the de to fill with mana from the Tree, and pass that mana through the arcanadium shaft into the Mana sphere core which creates an ever-changing disruptive field.

    For a few moments, the tree floats there and fights against the effect, yet soon enough it starts falling down. To get confirmation, I shoot a mana projectile through the hole in the barrier and hit the tree with a weak attack.

    The capsized Reanimated Living Tree stays on the ground, its barrier disappearing first, and soon its particles follow.

    Its trunk starts to crack, some of the branches even break, and thousands of giant green leaves from the city attack it as well, covering and corroding it. A few minutester, finally, the notification sounds.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Sunseeker Tree - lvl 283]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 202 > Lvl 203]</strong>

    Even though I didn''t do much, I leveled up, either because my creation of the javelin was considered an assist, or I was just so close to 203 that even a little bit of experience was enough. Well, I hope Tess and Lily got quite a few levels from it.

    I turn to Myrra, "Did you think I wouldn''t expect those assholes to try to pull something like this?"

    Interrupting my speech, silence fills the city, as if someone absorbed all the sound. It''s deafening and ever-present. All the fires burning, the sound of battle, the sound of the wind, all the voices. Everything is gone.

    An absolute quiet ensures.

    Then a single sound permeates all.

    <em>ck.</em>

    As if someone is tearing apart the space itself, a terrifying force washes over the city.

    For a long moment, nothing changes, and then everything over a certain height starts falling, smoothly cut. The three giant trees, most of the tall towers, the barriers, all of it cut smoothly and crashing down towards the city on the people and lynthari.

    Sound once again fills the city; after deafening silence, they sound much louder.

    Then I realize that the attack didn''t contain mana, none at all.

    I look towards its origin, and a single ant floats in the air. The ant isn''t even that big. A ck matte carapace that seems to absorb all light. Huge mandibles, now closed after generating the attack. Wings made of mana keep the ant afloat.

    Even without focusing too much, I can feel the connection the ant has to all the ants inside and outside of the city. Thousands, tens of thousands of threads leading back to him, like a bonfire surrounded by specks of light trying topete against it.

    The First One.

    For a moment, I feel as if our eyes meet and the ant disappears, the bombardment of the city continues, more dangerous now that weck the protection of the trees and barriers generated by the towers.

    <em>(Javelin,)</em> I say through the <strong>[Connection]</strong> the twins created.

    I watch as the javelin Tess used to attack the tree pulls itself free and flies back to where I think Tess is. Then I let the twins get my location and, piercing through the buildings in its way, the javelin flies towards me, and I grab it after absorbing its kic energy. I inspect it for a moment, it still seems to be fine, and the inscriptions are working as well.

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    <em>(We already got one ant alive, the next time the First One attacks, we will help Sophie mess with his </em><strong><em>[Hive Mind]</em></strong><em>, as nned,)</em> Dennis transmits.

    <em>(He will expect that,)</em> I remind them.

    <em>(Of course, he will,)</em> this time it''s Sophie talking, <em>(But it doesn''t matter, I''m ready for it. That piece of shit will pay, I will make sure of it.)</em>

    <em>(Fuck Sophie, you are so cool right now, I might fall for you,)</em> Aaron interjects.

    <em>(Don''t, just help me,)</em> she sends.

    <em>(Of course, as nned. We also owe him big time,) </em>Aaron continues.

    <em>(Yes, we owe him a lot,)</em> Dennis adds, and his voice sounds more serious than usual.

    <em>(Nat, I still havent used your severed arms, so my next attack will be even stronger!)</em> Lily also joins the conversation.

    <em>(Save some for healing, I n to go all out for a while,)</em> I remind her.

    We are ready, I say to the lynthari surrounding me.

    With a nod as acknowledgment, they start preparing as well, skills circting in and out of their bodies, armors, energies, and some connection they have among themselves. Tails erect in a threatening disy, pupils glowing, eyes wide open, hands squeezing weapons.

    And I wait for my trait to finish altering my eyes.

    The next attack is a golden me, much bigger than I''m capable of creating. Funneled by the First One, powered by thousands of ants. The leader of the Colony is attacking from far behind the walls of the city, out of range of Sophie and the twins.

    It''s not a problem for him. The mes sweep into the city like a wave, momentarily crashing against the walls and barriers that the Lynthari and humans have erected.

    Myrra and the enforcers wait with me, even now holding back and relying on the other warriors within the city to activate barriers and inscriptions fed by thousands of mana stones, gradually bing more and more depleted.

    He doesnt seem to want to enter the city, Myrra says through her teeth, her posture more threatening than Ive ever seen.

    <em>(I can mess with </em><strong><em>[Hive Mind] </em></strong><em>to try to get him into the city,)</em> Sophie sends.

    <em>(Don''t,)</em> I warn her, <em>(Stay hidden, the moment you do something he will send all the ants against you,) </em>I look around the city which already seems to be 20% destroyed, it hasnt even been that long since we started.

    While talking, I continue examining my new trait. Unlike the Mana Circuits I got before, this one seems closer to being active than passive. Ive already gotten a grasp of how to activate it, and I even think I can keep it active near indefinitely, if not at my level.

    If there were trait rarities, I''m sure this one would rate quite high, just from observing the changes it makes to my eyes.

    <em>(Here he goes!)</em> Tess shouts through the connection.

    He appears again, just like before, all sound vanishing from the city and then a single snap resounds, the attack destroys dozens of buildings and barriers, cutting in a straight line.

    This time the First One doesn''t disappear. Even before Sophie uses her <strong>[Maniption]</strong>, I feel a gaze on me, and this time I''m sure I meet thepound eyes of the Colony''s leader. A clear challenge.

    <strong>[Hive Confluence Sentinel - lvl ??]</strong>

    Then a disgustingly huge amount of blue mana starts radiating from the ant. Every time I think it''s enough, more and more of it flows from him, feeling never-ending.

    <em>(I can''t do anything! There is too much mana!)</em> I hear through the connection.

    All of that mana surrounds the ant floating in the air, moving, changing, shaping, and forming something like my <strong>[Regalia]</strong>. The mana takes the shape of a giant ant with the First One burrowed somewhere in the middle.

    This doesn''t feel like the most efficient attack possible, no, this feels more like a message. A show of power, as the ant surely knows what I used down in the tunnels. This is a challenge. Loud and clear.

    The giant ant made of mana takes a step, its leg destroying a massive building that it dwarfs easily. The attacks crashing against the ant amount to nothing at all, not even sending a ripple through the mana construct continuing to move towards me, like an unstoppable force.

    Heh, a giggle slips from my lips.

    Myrra shouts something, and I nod, without listening, and she and her enforcers all disappear to attack the First One.

    I feel a smile crawl onto my lips as the giant thing continues moving towards me, and evenunches dozens of projectiles. The projectiles javelins made of blue manacrash against the building I''m standing on, even though they are unable to damage the gray stone.

    I disrupt the javelins that hit my body and continue to watch.

    Heat starts collecting at the center of the giant mana ant, and from the mouth of the First One, a golden me roars at me, a me as thick as my arm with the appearance of aser.

    The me splits apart as it reaches me as I just manipte the heat that reaches me and redirect it instead of wasting mana to control it.

    Then the First One tries topress mana like I do with my <strong>[Focus]</strong>. A ball of mana floats in front of the ant, an orb as tall as me, immediatelypressing and turning blue, purple, and light blue. The First One tries topress it even more, he tries to focus it into a smaller point.

    And he fails.

    Unable to replicate what I do he gives up and instead of the orb turning ck, it starts glowing white, preparing to explode.

    The enforcers and Myrra start attacking the giant figure and tear the attack apart, causing it to explode and finally deal some damage to the ant.

    And the entire time, I just watch. With a big smile on my lips.

    You little shit, I say out loud.

    I raise the javelin in my hand high into the air, de pointing towards the sky. Over the tip of the de, a small orb of mana materializes, barely the size of a golf ball. Mana flows from me into that ball, filling it, turning it blue with streaks of purple and light blue until the orb starts shining white and is about to explode. Then, I push further and use my <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    I do something the monster in front of me wasn''t capable of doing.

    Warm healing mana flows from the crown on my head into me, supporting me and fighting against the strain as Ipress all that mana. The orb turns pitch ck with tiny dots shining inside of it like stars in the sky.

    Then, I poke the orb with the tip of my javelin, and it starts absorbing the ck mana. The de of the Ethercrystal Shortsword starts cracking. Even the upper epic weapon is unable to handle it.

    I fight against the pull on my mana, and my heart beats three times, powered by the entirety of my mana, generating a huge amount of kic energy.

    I change the setting and use all of my mana to strengthen my body, grab the javelin, and my right leg slides backward as I get into the stance. While my muscles scream, I throw the javelin and the moment it leaves my hand, I boost it with the kic energy I collected and leave an anchor on the handle.

    Before I can even blink, the javelin reaches the ant and stabs the huge mana construct. The massive amount of mana surrounding the ant, a result of thousands of colony members powering it, vanishes in an instant the moment the ck de of the javelin touches it. The de of the javelin cracking even further.

    I activate the anchor and reappear next to the javelin, which I grab and float in the air, facing the matte ck ant in front of me.

 Chapter 255: One less

    Chapter 255: One less

    Myrra and the enforcers surround the First One the moment the mana disappears. Dozens of attacks crash against the carapace, damaging it, destroying limbs, and wounding the ant, as it constantly regenerates.

    <em>(Attacking!) </em>Sophie sends, and I can feel her skills and the web she was preparing reaching towards the ant.

    The moment she does so, I realize that this is what the First One was waiting for. He doesn''t even turn his body or anything, but I know he immediately detects where Sophie and the others are. A shockwave explodes near him, pushing himself toward where the others are and avoiding the attacks I throw at him.

    <em>(He is after you!)</em> I quickly send.

    I use the anchor I left near them to teleport, but my skill is interrupted by a strong pulse of mana from the First One.

    Fuck.

    I boost my body, rushing after him, the javelin in my hand constantly fights against me, as the ck mana inside the de threatens to break loose.

    When I reach them, they already stand against the ant, thin threads of gray mana flickering around them, Maya, Hadwin, and Biscuit in front facing him.

    Min-Jae is shooting huge chunks of buildings at the ant, his new eye glowing, but he seems to be unable to use his new attack against the ant. Tess is constantly moving her javelin to attack and defend.

    I dash from behind the First One, armor surrounding my body and <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> activating and trying to slow him. However, the skill slips off of the ant, unable to grasp him at all. <strong>[Resonance]</strong> doesn''t damage him, and the massive amount of mana he is drawing is impossible to disrupt.

    Taking a risk, I activate my trait for the first time, an intense pain immediately engulfing my head and eyes, and the overload of information threatening my sanity. An amount of information that seems to be impossible for a human to ept.

    A beautiful and impossible number of waves constantly floating around and permeating everything. Small particles fill the atmosphere and every living being. Hearts pumping the mana that flows through our bodies. Connections based on mana. And something more.

    I watch as the mana around the First One moves in sharp patterns while the ant seems like a giant bonfire and everyone else is barely a spark.

    Sensing it, he turns to me, and that mana coils like a snake and surges against me.

    Groaning in pain, I deactivate my trait, unable to handle it any longer. I hold the javelin in front of me. The weapon absorbs mana for a moment, until the de cracks. Suddenly, the mana explodes into the surroundings, just for an instant. Then, it converges into a single spot, forming a floating pitch-ck orb that begins to absorb all the mana close to it.

    This forces me to push my body upwards and fly over it to rejoin the fight.

    Meanwhile, The First One dashes against the group. He endures a gray arrow several times stronger than the one that hit the Reanimated trees barrier. Dashing through it, he redirects small bits of it, forming mana projectiles that take the attacks in his stead. Meanwhile, he regenerates his body as it takes damage.

    A shockwave destroys Min-Jae''s projectiles and multiple buildings as well. Maya gets thrown away, her body broken and mangled.

    Tess''s Primordial lightning pierces his body, but the ant regenerates. Tess uses an abyssal anchor which only pulls him for a moment before the ant destroys the epic item with a snap of his mandibles.

    A st of kic energy depletes all the energy I was storing and erupts, destroying a few buildings and throwing him to the side. His armor absorbs most of it, and the destroyed parts regenerate. He rushes again, right towards Sophie, who has her hands on the shoulders of the twins.

    For a moment, the First One, and all the ants in the city with him stop. Some of them even start attacking each other, and Sophie starts tearing the threads that connect the First One to the rest of the Colony, taking over thework he created.

    Another gray arrow sshes against the ck ant, and he regenerates, slower this time, still using mana to absorb most of the attack.

    Myrra and the lynthari arrive as well, surrounding him with a constant barrage that crashes against his durable body. A strong gravity field pins him to the ground, while mes burn him and ice surrounds his carapace. Myrraunches an attack using projectiles made of a multicolored, ss-like material. Meanwhile, the enforcers begin creating a barrier around the ant, covered in inscriptions, all twelve of them working in unison.

    Even through all this, the First One starts moving again, slow step after step on constantly regenerated legs. His mana gradually increases and he pushes against Sophie''s<strong> [Maniption]</strong>.

    Two enforcers fall dead, mana projectiles they were unable to stop prating their heads.

    Biscuit gets thrown away with a shockwave while protecting Isabe.

    The ant redirects another gray arrow, his body regenerating faster now, even as Isabe and I maintain abined assault. The constant ze of our gold and azure mes melting the buildings around him.

    A tricolored orb I shot at him gets absorbed and he shoots it back at us, forcing us to defend against it. I constantly need to redirect the First Ones attacks while keeping up the damage and attempting to cut off the connections.

    Eventually, Sophie''s skill weakens, and even the twins tumble down.

    Our preparations finallyplete, my eyes meet Lily''s. I move back and reach towards the ck orb. Mana starts radiating from my body, and I <strong>[Focus]</strong>, forcing the orb under my will and changing its shape. I feel blood in my mouth and warm mana flowing into me through the crown. I activate the circuits etched into my arm and reach out to grab the ck dagger Ive created from the orb.

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    All sounds disappear from the area, and I watch my severed right-hand fall as if in slow motion. Immediately, I move behind the floating dagger and watch as it absorbs a surge of golden mes directed at me.

    Another snap sounds and Hadwin''s body is cut at the waist, falling to the ground in two pieces after he shields Sophie and the twins. The ants'' attack pierces through Hadwin''s shield and sword, then cuts through his armor, yet despite its strength, it is unable to reach the people Hadwin is protecting.

    Lily begins to move towards Hadwin, but another snap echoes and she stumbles, with both of her feet severed and Hadwin''s head split in half.

    I fail to stop these attacks.

    Immense mana radiates once again, this time emanating from all the ants surrounding us. It creates a field that makes movement and even breathing nearly impossible, forming an area that epasses the First One and our group.

    The ck ant turns and looks towards me andunches another attack that gets absorbed by the ck mana dagger between me and the ant. It''s not even a serious attack.

    The First One snaps again, and multiple enforcers die while trying to protect Myrra.

    Still in shock, I stand there, my eyes on Hadwin''s body, until the First One tracks where I am looking and a concentrated shockwave erupts from the ant.

    Feeling as if my body is about to break, I reach through the domain and stack a number of infused barriers in front of Hadwin. But the ant shatters each and every one of them while still looking at me, and breaking thest one the attack tears Hadwins body apart.

    A memory of his feelings shes through my mind from the time Isabe made us feel them. His gentle affection for the kids, the hint of sadness behind it all. A man striving to start a new life and bury old memories, slowly beginning to care for kids who bring him immense joy as he watches them enjoy life.

    A memory of the two of us fighting, over and over again. Him trying to kill me. Him apologizing. The first floor, the second, even the third. His expression when he got the rare shield he was so happy about.

    The world feels as if it slowed down, and I deactivate the hold <strong>[Focus]</strong> has on me and just use it to manage my skills.I take the crown from my head and throw it to the ground, the sound of it deafening in the silence. That makes the First One tilt his head. Our eyes meet, and I create a hand from mana and touch the ck dagger floating in front of me, the inscriptions on my skin activating.

    And then I start walking, each step unhurried. My eyes keep staring at the First One while my trait activates once more, a myriad of information and a whole new world opening to me, threatening to overload my brain.

    I nce at the ck dagger, and the entirety of my mana moves, the dagger dissolving, the blue mana of my conjured hand turning ck, and bits of that mana even flowing into my body and through my circuits.

    The First One also takes a few steps. Watching him with my trait, the mana around him burning bright like a bonfire.

    As we head towards each other, he starts to hesitate, each step bing slower and more careful.

    At some point, he stops, and skills activate around him.

    Watching all of it with my new eyes, I cut his skill apart. I disrupt his attempt at teleportation, I destroy the buildup for his shockwave, and a single barrier I create blocks his snapping attack, cracking afterward.

    <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> powered by ck mana activates, and the First One freezes on the spot. I reach out to him andy my hand on his body. I begin to absorb the entirety of the heat hes generated while my kic energy crashes against him, attempting to tear his body apart.

    Focusing solely on defense, he continues absorbing vitality from the Colony, and even my attacks are unable to damage him. Feeling the pain scorch my body, I reach out and cut off all of the connections, leaving him isted.

    For the first time in his entire life, the ant loses the connection he bears to the other ants, yet he still faces me proudly, his eyes staring into mine while his body freezes all over and pieces of him explode.

    Then I stagger, my trait deactivates, and all the information disappears. The ck mana inside of my body immediately threatening to kill me. Quickly I force it into a ck orb outside of my body, ready to use it on the ant.

    The First One starts thawing, and the connections quickly reappear, like a phoenix rising. The ant is restoring all his wounds, and all that strength starts running through his body again.

    Then, he attempts to flee, dragging his damaged body away from the ck orb.

    My eyes activate again for a split second, and turning the orb into a dagger, I stab the ck mana into the First One, targeting the ce he was protecting the most during the fight. With a <strong>[Tether]</strong>, I connect the ck dagger to his body, and when the First One disappears, it teleports with him.

    Strength leaves my body, and my eyes deactivate again. For the first time since the start of the floor, there isnt even a drop of mana left in my body, nor in the reservoir. The strengthening is gone, making my body extremely weak inparison to everyone around me, yet I still push myself back on my legs and walk towards the others.

    Sophie has an unbelieving look in her eyes as she holds Izzy against her chest and stares down at what remains of Hadwin.

    Tess is trying to pull away Lily, who constantly keeps trying to reconnect the pieces.

    Min-Jae starts crying while standing near the twins, who are both unconscious.

    Looking to the side, I see a wounded Biscuiting closer. There are multiple big wounds on his body, and one of his legs seems to be broken, yet he still is pulling Maya behind him as gently as he can. The woman seems to be on the brink of death, her chest caved in, bloody foam around her mouth.

    Lily, I say, almost scared of my own voice. It''s calm, and quiet, yet audible, even through all of the fire and screams around us.

    Lily looks up at me from the ground, her eyes full of tears and blood on her. Pieces of her missing, used for <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong>.

    Heal Maya, I tell her.

    For the first time, I can see anger in her eyes directed towards me. How can you she shouts, close to screaming.

    Maya will die, I interrupt her and return her gaze.

    The words stick in her mouth, and her eyes shake while she looks at Maya. Tess whispers something in her ear and hugs her. Sobbing Lily finally moves and starts healing Maya. She closes Mayas wounds, causing her breathing to return to normal and even Mayas face starts looking better.

    Only then does Lily stand up, moving towards me, putting her hand on my shoulder. How can you be like this! she sounds at me. Hadwin Hadwin is!

    My shoulder breaks and my body is easily moved by her. There is barely any mana in me and everything I have immediately gets turned into thermal energy to support my healing. Lily notices and immediately lets go of me, her face scared, and her expression changes as she looks at me.

    She touches me again, this time extremely carefully, and sends her mana through my body, examining it. Her expression grows terrified, and I return her gaze as she starts healing me.

    No one else says anything and the only sound to be heard is little Isabe sobbing, surrounded by all the destruction.

    Checking the Community the number of people in Hell difficulty is one less.

 Chapter 256: No goodbyes?

    Chapter 256: No goodbyes?

    I leave the people from group four to deal with the aftermath and head to the area under Storm Brigade''s tower.

    My body hurts terribly, but after getting healed, I feel better, and my mana keeps regenerating as I feed my passive with thermal energy. Even that little bit is helping and slowly the rest will heal. Until then I better not sleep and keep my body strengthened and infused with mana.

    It is worse for my head and especially my eyes. Despite all the healing I received, my vision is still blurry. My new trait seems to be even more demanding than I thought. Just the sheer amount of information I received caused me to end up like this. But just for those few short moments, I saw an entirely new world open up to me, and I wonder. Is that how Lissandra saw things? Is this a step towards where she stood?

    Well, I will get there, and for that, I need to be stronger, much stronger as today''s fight showed.

    Much, much stronger.

    I climb into the fallen tower, the strengthened walls still supporting its shape, and I find my room that is now on its side in the severed top of the tower.

    The bed is broken, the furniture has been thrown around, and broken pieces of the wall have destroyed a lot of things, but I find some clothes, a few bags that I fill with some water, food, dozens of higher-grade mana stones, my experiments, the weird bracelet I won from the auction, and some other stuff.

    I look around one more time and, without knowing why, pass through a hole in the wall into Hadwin''s room.

    The room is simple, and there are barely any decorations as the older man wasn''t one to collect such things. On the ground, I notice several pieces of clothing, some gels he used for his beard and hair, and some snacks that Hadwin had liked and left here to eatter.

    There lies a box made of delicately decorated wood and on top of it, sets a paper with a few words in English: <em>Happy birthday, Lily!</em>

    She said she would be 18 soon, didn''t she?

    I clean the debris from the table and then I set the box on top, so I can fix it up a bit. After that, I flip the bed onto its feet, make up the covers, and move the broken furniture into the corner.

    Slowly I pick up Hadwin''s things and put them on the nearby table and the bed. The oil he used to care for his sword and armor, notes for swordsmanship, and handwritten theories on his skills. As I move the notes, a small piece of paper falls from them, and when I pick it up, I freeze.

    After months in the tutorial, I see a glimpse of our world. A photograph of Hadwin, a woman hugging him, and a young man bearing a resemnce to the man. The photo is in a terrible state, going through four floors after all these months. Yet it''s still there, in a state that allows me to see its content, clearly showing how much it meant to him.

    That''s his wife Olivia and his son Jonathan, both of them died just a few weeks before he got into the tutorial, Tess enters the room, her steps slow and careful as she ducks to step though the hole in the wall. They were both murdered by a young man. Hadwin said that for the first few floors, you felt like that man to him, and that''s why he.

    I see, I take a few steps towards her and put the photo into her hands.

    I will put it next to his body when we bury him. He would like that, she whispers.

    Before I leave the room, her words catch me, Will you stay for his burial, Nat?

    There is no need to.

    I see, I will see youter then. Take care.

    Yes.

    I intentionally use Mana Cycling to the highest effect to keep my mana from leaking and people from detecting me and cutting off the twins'' <strong>[Connection]</strong>.

    There is no need to stay for the burial, he is dead, and he won''t even know. It won''t help him, it won''t help me.

    As I walk through the streets, it''s as I thought, all the ants are gone. They ran away with their leader who should be terribly hurt and having to deal with the ck mana that I tethered to him. I continue to send my mana to the tether I left on him to keep it from disappearing and to keep the ck dagger connected to him. As before <strong>[Tether] </strong>is reacting weirdly to ck mana and can partially ignore it.

    The streets are broken, buildings have fallen, and corpses are everywhere. Some other streets are nearly fine, a weird contrast to the destroyed ones. Civilian casualties seem to be low as most of the dead ones have some weapons or armor on them, and in the end, it''s 20-30% of Virelia that got so damaged, with the rest being nearly fine.

    I also notice humans giving ugly looks to lynthari, a rumor about the lynthari invasion most likely spreading, but that''s not something I care about. Unlike those of us from group 4, these people will be gone when the floor ends.

    My mana continuously restores itself, and I gaze at my new arm Lily restored. It still appears blurry due to my hurting eyes, making me feel lightheaded.

    Passing through the street, I steal some food from a store, some items in the next one, and another bag where I put more useful things.

    I exit Virelia and enter the green fields, walking on a pathway. I do not even look back at the city and climb up to hills for a bit longer, where, at the top of the highest one I meet Myrra. She is sitting there, staring in the direction of Virelia. Myrra is wearing her armor and has supplies with her.

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    You know, feral one, you might not think it, but Ive gotten to know you well, really really well as Ive been observing you.

    I wont stop you then, I continue to walk.

    She jumps to her feet and follows by my side, So, how do you feel?

    To be honest? Disappointed, I answer. Something inside me wants to talk.

    In yourself? Myrra asks, slowing her steps to match mine.

    Partially, yes, I answer.

    Do you think being with your friends made you weaker? she asks.

    "Yes, I think so. I enjoyed it at the time, and I believe I improved in a way I wouldnt have been able to on my own. But there is always this question: if I were on my own and forced to constantly fight for my life, would I have grown stronger?"

    Then there is also that other thing, right, feral one?

    Yes. If I was alone and they were on their own, would they be able to improve more and be stronger without me being there?

    "Some of them could be dead without you," she says, and as she speaks, I hear no pity in her voice. She matches my tone, trying to understand me and engage in a conversation.

    Thats also true, I agree.

    Yet you are still leaving them, Myrra says, and we enter the forest, and continue walking under the trees that bend and creak in the wind.

    "This is what I''m thinking: If I stay with them, I can help, sure, and more of them would survive. But then there woulde a day when they would be on their own and probably die because I kept them safe, and they unconsciously relied on me."

    Thats true, but there is more to it.

    "Yes," I pause briefly. "Perhaps it''s better if they die now while trying to grow stronger on their own. That way, it''s less heartbreaking than staying with them, growing close to them, forming friendships, and then suffering through their deaths because they were too weak."

    Thats so cruel, feral one, so very cruel to say, Myrra is smiling, our conversation taking her mind off things she doesnt want to think about. "But even I know that you are lying."

    Maybe? I will have to find out and for that, I will need some time on my own.

    You got scared, didnt you? You never wanted to get attached, and when that man died, it was a shock for you, her eyes almost seem to glow as she looks down at me.

    I agree, it was a shock to see him like that, I nod.

    So you are running away?

    The same as you, Myrra.

    Sheughs, canines showing for a moment but she doesn''t deny it, So what will they do without you?

    Knowing Tess, they will train for a while and then go to hunt the Fallen Hero, I shrug my shoulders, Tess is smart, so she surely realized howcking they were.

    No goodbyes?

    No goodbyes.

    Coward.

    A bit, I agree.

    All this talking makes me feel a bit better, and telling this to Myrra, who will be gone with the 4th floor, is somewhat easy.

    Are you sad, Myrra? I ask her.

    Sheughs, Such a question, feral one. I have watched my friends I knew for tens, and hundreds of years die. A woman I looked up to my entire life ever since I was a child got her head bitten off, and I saw her mangled corpse, she continues to smile.

    We exit the forest and continue to climb into the mountain. This is the first time in my life I saw so many lynthari die. For the first time, I fought with my life on the line like this. I was terrified.

    Step after step, I force my body to walk until I can''t anymore and sit down. Even this bit of walking makes my breathing rough, and sweat runs down my body. I feel like throwing up, and my hands shake until I close them into fists.

    Myrra joins me, and we look towards Virelia, still some smoke above the city. Even from this distance, we can see the remains of the Living Tree and broken towers and the trees in the city.

    Myrra, how do you be a Champion candidate? I ask.

    Not turning to me, she answers, The title was given to me by the matriarch, as she was the only one from the lynthari that ever saw Champions and could tell if someone was capable of reaching that. But it''s unofficial. To be a true Champion candidate, you need a Champion to acknowledge you and for the system to ept it.

    She turns to me, You could call me a fake Champion candidate, feral one, and you wouldn''t be lying.

    "I see," I nod and get to my feet, stumbling after I take the first step. I force some strength into my legs, and Myrra follows me.

    We continue to walk slowly, having conversations, and in that short time, I learn more about her than Ive been able to in the past few months. Her fears, her hopes. A lot about lynthari and fake Champion candidate Myrra. I also share a lot. Talking feels good right now, especially knowing she won''t tell anyone, and slowly I realize that, as she says, Myrra knows me really well.

    Shes continued to observe me ever since we met for the first time, my manners, my movements. She can tell my feelings even through my t face and can read my mood. Like a cat, she observed me from a distance, nearly unnoticed, and, ording to her, fascinated by the things I have done.

    We reach the side of a certain mountain after a long walk, and now even my reservoir is slowly replenishing as we delve into the tunnels after touching the walls and activating inscriptions in them, making them light the tunnels.

    Our steps sound especially loud down there, and soon we reach the door that I open and then another and enter a big room with an array in the middle.

    For the next day, we rx, we heal, and we prepare.

    Here, down in the dark tunnels without anyone around, Myrra cries for the first time. She cries for all the lynthari and humans that die. Finally out of sight of everyone, breaking her majestic facade and cracking the mask. It takes only a few minutes, and after that, we don''t talk about it and I do not mention it.

    When we are ready, I pull out a few mana stones, put them into the array, and let Myrra activate it. The one-directional array right into the heart of the Colony.

    Before stepping into it, I create an orb from tricolored mana and push it to the point it starts glowing bright white and leave it on the ground near the array.

    I guess with this the array will be gone as well as our way out, Myrra says while looking at the orb.

    Did you change your mind? I ask.

    Such a dumb question, she says, and activates the array, transporting us to the heart of the Colony.

 Chapter 257: Just two losers

    Chapter 257: Just two losers

    <strong>POV Tess Hansen</strong>

    A day has passed since the attack of the Colony and the city is still a mess. Lynthari are left without their new matriarch, Myrra. The humans are looking for someone to me, and rumors about lynthari being invaders are spreading.

    Lorven being a traitor, Is is terribly hurt, and Obelia is reorganizing her guild and moving it to a different building.

    Hundreds of dead fill the streets, many of which are destroyed, and a lot of houses are unusable.

    It''s not a nice look. But it''s hard to care for all of that while looking at the situation in our group. Hadwin is dead, Nathaniel is gone, Lily is moving like a soulless husk while mumbling that even Nathaniel left her. The twins are ming Sophie for not doing well enough even after they let her use their skill, and Kim is awkwardly trying to get everyone to get along.

    And I as well, am feeling my uselessness during all of that. I know that the enemy we faced wasn''t weak, yet I still feel that I could and should have done more.

    I sigh and look at Maya sitting next to me, in the garden of one of the smaller houses that Obelia got for us.

    You are sighing way too much, Tess, she smiles, but that smile doesn''t reach her eyes.

    Not everyone can use their skill to block their emotions, I shoot back at her.

    Maya just nods, So, what are we going to do?

    Be stronger, obviously.

    You are not worried about the Colony?

    I am, the First One was terrifying. But Nat hurt him badly and knowing him, he is after the ant to finish what he started. Especially after what that ant did to Hadwin.

    But that isn''t the only reason he left, she says, and I nod.

    I continue, I think it''s better this way, Maya, I really do. We started relying on him way too much, and the fight against the First One was a wake-up call. Yes, the situation was terrible, but in the future, it will probably be way worse.

    Lily got too attached, Kim followed him like a puppy, and I kept asking him for advice, Maya counts down, I mean, these arent bad things, there are bigger groups in Hell difficulty than ours doing team y, but I do agree with you that we might have be toofortable.

    Yes, that''s why we will be on our own for a while, Maya. We will level up, we will help Lily with Beyond, and we will go and take down the Fallen Hero on our own.

    And if someone else dies, Tess?

    I won''t allow it. And if anyone doesnt want to go, they can stay here for the rest of the tutorial, I won''t me them.

    Sounds like a n, Maya pokes my shoulder and stands up, I will speak to Kim and the twins and try to help them a bit. Will you deal with Sophie and Lily? They seem down too.

    Look at you, giving me orders, I stand up, with a tired smile on my face.

    Maya''s expression is gentle, I dont think theyre the only ones that need some help and time to process it all, Tess, so think of yourself too, and if you need help,e to me. You can think of me as a knock-off version of that weirdo.

    I''m the one who wanted this group to happen, and I''m the one who kept urging Nat to join us. Ive been trying to make us all friends, so Id better not let it fall apart so easily.

    Having Maya worry about me feels weird, but in a nice way, as she said, with her<strong> [Focus]</strong>, she can be like Nat at times. She can be calm and reliable when she needs to be, and shes smarter than she usually lets on. And now that Hadwin is I shake my head and push the thought out. There will be time for me to grieveter.

    Yes, let''s prove that there was a reason for us to end up in Hell difficulty.

    The room we were transported to before has been destroyed, walls crumbling, crystal pirs missing. As far as I can see, the tunnels are scorched, and burned, with some lingering smoke hanging around, and ant corpses lie scattered across the floor.

    Myrra and I start walking, our skills lighting the pitch-ck darkness, and our senses constantly scan the area, on the lookout for copsing tunnels and enemies.

    Yet there are none, and minutes turn into hours, the never-ending stream of tunnels empty and void of any life.

    At some point, we reach the parts of the tunnels made from that same gray metal that makes up some of the buildings in Virelia. The indestructible one. These parts are only scorched on the surface, and here we finally detect some life. Ants, most of them barely level ten.

    There is no hesitation at all as we kill any ant we detect, it doesnt matter how much they run or that they don''t even try to attack.

    Skills activate, fire burns them, and projectiles made of ice pierce them. There is no mercy in our actions, and as we delve into these parts, more of the ants start appearing, and I sense the skill I left on the First One. The connection is weak and really far away, but it''s something we can use for navigation, and we head in this direction.

    Once in a while, we reach a dead-end, either a natural one or one caused by the explosion or the ants trying to block us as tunnels made of stone mix with indestructible hallways. We spend days mapping the tunnels and looking for a way through and sometimes even making our own way.

    A few times they try to bury us down there, but the anchors I keep leaving behind us always help, and we teleport before we end up buried.

    My domain''s reach has also expanded, so I frequently send it as far ahead as I can, creating anchors in different tunnels and transporting us to them.

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    Other than the ants, no monsters live here, and the only sounds are those of our skills, or their chitin legs against the gray stone or the tunnels that connect to it.

    Neither Myrra or I speak much and when we do, it''s usually a short conversation.

    We reach a point where the tunnels are blocked with skills alone, as theyre all made from that gray stone that even the ants seem incapable of destroying, so we just bulldoze our way through the monsters. There are no ants able to resist us, and they are barely any trouble between my skills and Myrra''s.

    The fake Champion candidate Myrra likes to use fire and ice skills, but often shebines them, creating an element that is hard to describe. Myrra calls it Aurora ss, and it''s a crystalline material with reflective facets that change colors ording to how she uses the skill.

    I sense that she is using another skill to facilitate thebination, but I don''t question her any further and observe her creation. Myrra is creating barriers from it, sometimes weapons. Once in a while, she creates a surface from Aurora ss, steps through it, and reappears from another surface nearby.

    I don''t understand it fully, but it''s a nice way to take my mind off stuff and examine it.

    My eyes still hurt, my sight is hazy, and my head isn''t quite back to normal, so I run my passive constantly, fueled by my thermal energy. Its slowly healing the aftereffects of Mana Wavelength Iris, the trait that allows me to see into the world of mana more than before. But at a cost, as these things always go.

    Would this trait have even been offered if I had spent more points on physical stats to better prepare my body for such a trait? Or would it have been withheld if I had gone that way?

    It''s something I want to know and might learn, further in the future, along with methods for controlling the ck mana. During the fight against the First One, I was able to use it and let it flow through my body, using that mana to power my skills making them much more powerful. Its most likely something akin to picking Potency over Amplification for a Mana upgrade.

    Anything interesting going through your mind, feral one? Myrra asks as we sit in the middle of a straight tunnel that stretches on for what feels like forever.

    We took a break after the ants tried to drown us and then suffocate us. Surviving it took a toll on both of us.

    The usual stuff, my skills and such, I respond.

    She smiles a bit and leans against the wall, It''s already been days, aren''t you missing your group?

    I think about it for a bit and then give her an honest answer, A bit.

    She fixes her hair a bit and her tail continues to sway, I noticed it before, but you are not easy to rile up or quick to open up to people. You might joke, and spend time with them, but you still like to keep a distance. Tell me, are you scared of letting people get close?

    The way she says it annoys me. It sounds like she is looking for a fight.

    Instead of answering, I ask her, Why are you here, Myrra? Is it really to kill the First One, to protect lynthari, or do you want to take revenge for the matriarch? Or maybe you want to take revenge for yourself? Too ashamed of your fears during the fight and your inability to do more?

    Our eyes meet neither of us avoiding the gaze of the other, the silence almost threatening. After a few frustrating days down there, both of us are a bit touchy.

    Myrra stands up and takes a few steps towards me, her tails standing up in a threatening manner and her pupils wide open. Both of her canines show their full beauty. She is really angry.

    What, not used to a human talking back to you? I add to the fuel and I see her hand closing into a fist, veins popping on it.

    So I add a bit more, Or maybe you were scared of responsibilities? You didnt want to end up like your matriarch, tied to her title, and wanted to keep your mostly careless life?

    Mana starts leaking from her and she opens her mouth, You think it might be your fault that that man died. She takes another step closer. But you dont feel much sadness so that worries you so you decided to run. Hoping theyd either be strong enough to survive so that you could befriend them, or that they would die now before you get too attached.

    Myrra lowers herself, her eyes in line with mine, Come on, Feral One, deactivate that fucking skill and try to say those words to me again.

    I feel my heart beating wildly just at the thought of turning off <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    She squints her eyes, her mouth turning into a smile, You wont do it? So why dont you attack me instead?

    Fuck off, I say instead.

    Myrra startsughing, Such wordsck an impact, hearing them from someone hiding behind skills.

    Said the pampered lynthari who kept bothering people because they were too fucking bored. Hiding under their matriarch''s skirt, instead of dealing with the Cmities. Maybe if you guys didn''t fuck around all the time and actually did something, she would still be alive. I say and watch as her face changes.

    I continue, Did it hit too close? Go on, why dont you attack me? I mock her.

    Myrra does just that. She swings her fist at me and I duck under it, immediately following it with a kick that Myrra dodges with a speed that I barely track.

    As on cue, we both use our mana at the same time to strengthen our bodies. Neither of us uses any skills as we decided beforehand and we just attack each other, using our bodies.

    Her fist hits my face and rocks my head back as another punch hits my chest, throwing me against the wall. She is faster than me, even as I use the entirety of my mana to strengthen myself. Myrra seems to specialize in dexterity while Im mostly split between constitution and strength.

    A few more blows to my chest and one more to my face, thest one drawing blood. They all hurt, but I hold on and when she attacks again, I let her connect and grab her arm.

    Our eyes meet for a second and I bury my knee into her belly, lifting my knee topensate for her height.

    Myrra gasps for air and my fist hits the bottom of her chin. This time it''s her head swinging back, only to rebound as she smashes her forehead into my face, breaking my nose and causing me to stagger backward, dripping blood.

    Still I hold on and kick, aiming for her crotch this time and managing to connect.

    Myrra groans in pain, shock on her face. You little bitch, she gasps and punches me two more times before I manage to avoid the third, throwing a punch to her side, and finally letting go.

    More mana roars through her body and she leaps into action.

    For several long minutes, we continue, exchanging blows. Its not pretty and we barely bother avoiding each others attacks, as if the pain makes us forget. Blood is drawn, bones are cracked, and we throw each other against the walls as we fight in the long pitch-ck tunnel lit by my thermal orbs floating nearby.

    Two beings over level 200 fist-fighting like drunkards.

    And as the fight progresses, my hold over<strong> [Focus]</strong> bes weaker and my attacks reflect that and Myrra grows more aggressive as well. We kick, we scratch, and we bite. Myrra spits blood into my eyes in an attempt to gain an advantage, so I punch her in the neck. She chokes me and I break her finger.

    In the end, I throw onest punch at her chin and she staggers and then falls, face against the ground.

    With a sigh, I lean against the wall of the tunnel and slide to the ground. My entire body hurts, my bones are cracked, I have wounds all over, and yet I do not use my passive, and breathe heavily.

    Myrra lifts her bruised face From the ground and our eyes meet. Both of us have the same expression.

    Just two losers.

    Unable to stand as she looks into my eyes, she starts using her arms to pull herself closer, crawling towards me. She reaches me and thenys her head on my thigh, turning away from me, and curling up, as her body starts to shake.

    Slowly I reach out with my bruised and bloodied hand and gently caress her hair without saying a word.

 Chapter 258: Ancient array

    Chapter 258: Ancient array

    We rest for a while, and the power of our stats heals our bodies. In my case, it''s mostly my passive skill doing the work, but it''s good enough.

    When we finally continue through the tunnels, I feel a bit different. Weirdly, I feel better, as some of the tension leaves my body, and it seems the same goes for Myrra.

    Fuck, feral one, I didnt expect you to kick me in the crotch, twice. Do you have no manners? Even her tone is a bit different now.

    Says the person who spat blood in my face, I reply.

    Feral One, I bet you there are humans willing to pay me for the experience, she says.

    I stagger in surprise, and she notices, which makes her smile even more. I mean, she is not wrong, but damn.

    Thankfully another group of snapjaw ants appears, and I avoid reacting any further. Already used to fighting them, we move quickly, keeping mobile and slowing them with Myrras ice and my<strong> [Redistribution]</strong>.

    Even with multiple Gravity ants and a Sentinel ant supporting them, we deal with them fairly quickly, and yet another group tries to slow us down.

    As always, I can feel my <strong>[Tether]</strong> far in front of us, meaning the ck mana orb is most likely still hampering the leader of the Colony and severely damaging him or messing with his mana control.

    Hopefully, it won''t kill him in the end. I have a lot to pay back. I dont care that I mostly got my ass kickedst time. This time I wont rely on others. I wont rely on Lilys healing or Sophie to slow him down, I will fuck him up on my own. Sure, Myrra will probably want to get in a few hits, but I can live with that.

    I have been too reliant on others for too long, and its stunted my growth. Instead of trusting in myself, I relied on external help. I will be careful not to do so from now on.

    He is moving again, I tell Myrra.

    We speed up, breaking into a sprint, killing any ants in the way as quickly as possible and, reducing the distance in the process. It takes another few hours for us to even get close, and thats when the firstrge group attacks us, hundreds of ants fill the tunnel, and its impossible to see through the sheer number of bodies.

    They block my yellow mes, and a constant barrage of ranged attacks forces us to create barriers to block it. Any attempt to create an anchor in the middle of them and drop a bomb is quickly disrupted.

    I quickly create two javelins. I infuse one with disruptive mana and the other with thermal energy. Both of them shoot off quickly one after the other, the former disrupts their barriers and thetter explodes in the middle of their group.

    <strong>[You have defeated Warrior ant - lvl 168]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Disruptor ant - lvl 159]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Gravity ant - lvl 165]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Spellslinger ant - lvl 195]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 205 > Lvl 206]</strong>

    More attacks follow, and Myrras mes envelop the tunnel, maintaining constant pressure. There aren''t many me Legion ants, so I also add my mes to the mix, and we slowly burn through them all.

    A burst of kic energy pushes their smoking bodies aside, and we continue our run and finally reach a room bigger than any weve seen in a long time.

    The room is cylindrical in shape, and the ceiling seems to stretch on forever. I can''t even see where it ends, and it''s wider than two football fields, its impossible to imagine normal humans doing something like this.

    But I dont stare at it in awe, nor do I waste time checking the details. My eyes settle on the ant. The one with the matte ck carapace floats near the middle of the room, surrounded by thousands of ants, with even more on the walls. The sheer amount of ants is hard to even count, yet I do not feel worried.

    Their leader, the First One, just stands there; he does not attack, and he does not use the mana of the Colony. No, there is a ck mana dagger impaling his body, it seems to have reacted with<strong> [Tether]</strong> and made it impossible to remove from its body. The ck dagger constantly pulls on the skills mana and, in a twisted way, keeps <strong>[Tether]</strong> running.

    I feel Myrra tense next to me, her eyes also on the First One.

    Armor surrounds my body, I maintain my normal size this time, and I boost my body with the kic energy Ive been collecting, flying right toward the First One. I use bursts of kic energy to brush aside any ants in my way and disrupt hundreds of ranged attacks that enter my range, tanking others and using my anchors to avoid those I cant.

    Mana permeates my body, cycling, and flowing like a hurricane, as my new trait activates.

    I am immediately assaulted with an overwhelming amount of information, but I keep my eyes glued to the First One, absentmindedly dodging iing attacks. I watch the waves of invisible mana flow freely through the air, the ambient mana no one controls permeating the world.

    And the entire time the First One just stands there, his eyes watching my every move, and then a push of mana from the other ants activates an array underneath him. The amount is enormous, and it needs to be for him to absorb any through that ck orb.

    My attack passes through the air as the First One disappears, and I observe the mana swirling in the air; I use my enhanced eyes, I cant even perceive this otherwise. I watch waves of mana swirl, move, and crash against each other, then point in one direction.

    Left without their leader, the remaining ants once again send most of their mana toward where the First One disappeared, and those that rely on physical stats attack us.

    It takes just a bit of fighting before we realize that most of the ants are weak. Most of the stronger ones died in Virelia or havent returned yet, and even the ones that returned through the array had to spend extreme amounts of mana or even sacrifice themselves to facilitate the transport. Plus, we havent seen any mushrooms around in the past few days, and theck of food seems to have weakened them even further.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    And now, theyve spent most of their mana to allow the First One to disappear somewhere, giving him what remained.

    What follows next isnt even a fight. The ants are weakened, drained of their vitality and mana to keep their progenitor alive, and no matter how many of them jump at us, they are barely a threat to me and Myrra.

    Every time it looks dangerous, we escape into the tunnels limiting the number of ants able to attack us, and now barely anyone seems capable of destroying my anchors, and I keep firing my tricolored orbs through their ranks, killing ants in the hundreds.

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 24 > Tether - lvl 25]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 25 > Tether - lvl 26]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 26 > Mana Domain- lvl 27]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 206 > Lvl 207]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 207 > Lvl 208]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 208 > Lvl 209]</strong>

    A few ants group together in attempts at suicide attacks or trying to endure and drain as much of our mana as possible. They cooperate, creating barriers, and countering our skills. Theye up with ways to use skills against us, constantly changing frequencies. My senses are at their peak, and I activate my new trait multiple times, but only for a few seconds at a time to avoid dangerous situations.

    The Colony is deadly, but not right now. Most of them are low level and the rest are severely weakened, either sacrificed by the First One or having a need to protect him programmed into them.

    Myrras Aurora ss allows her to teleport when needed, and she uses it like my anchors tounch attacks. I even saw her create two mirrors from that ss, one to absorb the ants'' attacks and the other one to send it back, but she rarely uses this move, as it seems to be costly and situational.

    I duck to the side, as a trapjaw ant passes by me, a st of kic energy burrowing a hole in him. Immediately after, I duck under a projectile and move to the side to avoid another attack.

    <strong>[Resonance]</strong> activates, and I shrug off an attempt to disrupt my armor, grabbing another ant by a leg, pulling it off, and sending it away with a kick.

    I jump backward as the bus-sized one charges at me, and my mes burn his face, blinding him until a mana orb lodges in his head, whereupon it expands tearing it apart. I surround myself with thin threads of concentrated mana, they are hard to detect and infused with<strong> [Resonance]</strong>, causing any ant charging into them to be cut apart by wire-like threads. It always takes them a few moments to detect and disrupt them, meanwhile, they kill plenty of them while reducing the number of attacksing our way.

    Another group uses ranged attacks against me, so I duck to reduce my size, and create a small barrier in front of me that I skew a bit so attacks deflect to the side, instead of hitting it directly and consuming more mana.

    I add an anchor to one of the javelins andunch it at the ants that attacked me, and when it reaches them, I send a burst of thermal energy through it.

    We fight for what feels like hours, and I slip into a rhythm as if hypnotized and keep taking mana from my reservoir.

    It doesn''t feel dangerous, and the weakened Colony without their leader or heavy hitters is somewhat more of a chore to deal with. Yet, I feel no pity and no hesitation. I kill every single ant I can see or sense. Each one of them could have been one of the ones sending mana to the First One during that day, indirectly helping him to

    Abined attack from dozens of ants crashes against my chest armor and sends me flying through the room, crashing against the wall. Right after, more attacks bombard me as Iy there. They keep crashing against the <strong>[Regalia]</strong> infused with<strong> [Resonance]</strong>, barely doing any damage other than wasting my mana.

    I push my thoughts to the back of my mind, and putting my hands on my knees, I push myself back to my feet, using <strong>[Infusion] </strong>to send thermal energy through my armor, making it seem like embers are glowing under the surface.

    More attacks hit me, and I boost my body right into them, burning them alive.

    When every single ant is dead, we move towards the middle of the room, pushing all mangled, burned, frozen, cut bodies of ants to the side to see the floor. Surrounded by all those corpses, plenty of them as big as a bus, we stare at the damaged array.

    "You can fix it, right?" Myrra asks me.

    "Yes, but it will take a moment; there are traps left behind, and some parts are really damaged."

    Afterward, I immediately get to work, "Can you bring my bags from the tunnels? I have some stuff I might need in them."

    Myrra nods, "Can do."

    As I get to it, I notice that the array is more damaged than the one in the old mines, and I even have to redirect some of the inscriptions, like using ster to fix them instead of recing them.

    Once in a while, I activate Mana Wavelength Iris to work on them, and even though its extremely taxing, it helps a lot to speed up the process.

    "Did you know that when you use that skill, a golden ring appears around your pupil? It''s not too thick, and I can still see the color of your eyes, but around the ck of your pupil, that golden circle appears," Myrra says out of nowhere.

    I pause for a moment, "I see," I nod and continue.

    I hadn''t realized until now. Ive met multiple people with simr effects all of whom have mana circuits in their eyes. Ruby and Obelia, for example, and even Min-Jae''s new eye had some under the surface.

    As I work, my mana continues to replenish over the hours I spend on the array, and I still have some left in my reservoir.

    When I''m done, we sit there for a bit. Myrra takes out some food and water, and in the same fashion weve grown so ustomed to over the past few days, we share food while exchanging a few words. We do not talk much, trying to keep our minds sharp for what is toe.

    When we finally feel ready, I activate the array, and Myrra steps in, both of us pulled along and transported.

    Appearing on the other side a strong wind hits us, strong enough to push even our strengthened bodies, and I absorb some force from it with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>.

    A chilling cold immediately prates my body, but Myrra starts releasing heat around us, and I absorb more wind until we create a warm, quiet bubble around us.

    Looking around, I realize that we are on top of an extremely tall mountain battered by blizzards. The falling snow barely allows us any degree of sight, and after probing the area with my senses, I detect only more mountains and another array.

    Gesturing to Myrra, I start walking, releasing a bit of absorbed kic energy to blow off the snow until we reach a cave, which we enter.

    Unlike the surrounding area, there is no snow in the cave, and lights glow on the wall, likely the work of the First One as he passed by to activate another array, keeping thest bits of mana he received as he left. This array is a bit different and seems to be much older than the ones I''ve seen before. The design is more robust and less efficient as if it was made by someone who didn''t care how much mana it would take to activate. Someone with a high enough mana pool to ignore that.

    The array is not damaged at all, the First One was probably incapable of doing so.

    As I send my senses to it, I start examining it and where it leads with the help of my new trait. I follow the trail of mana, and when I see where it points and get an estimate of the distance it transports over, I almost feel likeughing.

    The one-directional array in front of me leads to a ce somewhere high above us. To a ce in the orbit of the.

 Chapter 259: What will you do now?

    Chapter 259: What will you do now?

    One of the reasons the First One teleported so far is to put distance between me and the anchor I left on him. Probably in hopes of cutting off my connection and getting rid of the ck mana dagger. Or the reason could bepletely different.

    Staying over the ancient array, I hear a soft ding of the notification and open the system. Going through the options, I notice that a side quest was added.

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em> Save Virelia from annihtion</em>

    <strong>Reward: </strong><em>1000 shards</em>

    I turn to Myrra, "What is up there? Did the matriarch leave any info on it?"

    Debris, or something, we were curious about it, and tried to dig up information on it, yet we couldnt find anything concrete. Just a bunch of disjointed rumors.

    The tall, white-haired lynthari releases more heat, pushing against the chilly air up here on this impossibly high mountain. I notice that the longer we are here, the worse the cold gets. Still, this ce is strangely beautiful. Devoid of life, leaving us with the clear white snow, and the sound of roaring wind, with snowkes darting wildly around. The only sign of life is the partially charged array the First One left behind, and its slowly losing the mana that charged it.

    "Remains of the war between lynthari and humans. The lynthari Absolutes base was there before getting destroyed, orbiting around the, allowing him to move anywhere he wanted. But Feral one, even the matriarch, didnt think there was any way left to get there. This," she points at the array, "shouldn''t exist anymore."

    I probe the array with my senses and examine it more closely.

    The side quest and its timing most likely mean that the First One is trying to destroy Virelia. Either because of his programming or he just wants to finish what he started and hurt Myrra and me for hunting him down.

    Myrra says something behind me, but I filter it out and examine my body. My mana has rebounded for the most part, I even have some in reserve, and I have over three thousand shards in case I need something.

    The floor quest isn''t finished, so that means the First One is still alive, meaning he survived the transport and wherever he is, it is livable or he wouldn''t survive in his weakened state.

    I step into the array and look at Myrra.

    Sheughs shortly and without hesitation steps into the circle as well. There is no more need for words, and she only smiles, her posture confident.

    An armor made of aurora ss forms around her epic armor. Its beautiful, almost like a work of art with thousands of multi-colored surfaces slightly reflecting the light.

    I activate <strong>[Regalia] </strong>as well, blue armor surrounding my body including my head, the helmet doesnt have a visor. I make it as airtight as I can. I strengthen my armor as I prepare<strong> [Infusion]</strong>. Then, I fill the array with my mana, immediately appreciating the different circuits expertly inscribed into the circle. They are simple and elegant, not very efficient, but they are easy to work with.

    I reactivate what mana remains from the previous charge and add more of mine, much more, feeling a massive drain. One after another, parts of the array light up, as my mana flows through them, reactivating it.

    Lost in my work, I want to use more mana, but then I realize that weve already arrived. The transportation was extremely smooth and I barely noticed it.

    A quiet hum wees me and a myriad of inscriptions surround us. Most of them have been deactivated for hundreds of years and some of them were reactivated mere hours ago. The room is rtively small and circr. There are no windows, just walls made out of the gray stone that Ive seen so oftentely. The same indestructible stone that made up some of the tunnels we passed through and a few of the buildings in Virelia.

    I observe Myrra''s movements as she gestures to me to wait and her helmet disappears.

    With fascination, I watch as she inhales a few times and flicks her tongue, tasting the air for a moment.

    It seems fine, she says.

    My helmet disappears, but I keep armor around my body, just in case.

    The air Im breathing feels weird, somewhat chemical or artificial. Fake, maybe? As if its been through dozens of filters or left to stagnate in a poorly ventted room.

    This way, I tell her and start walking towards my anchor.

    The First One is not far.

    Side by side, we walk through the dimly lit hallway, the architecture is radically different from anything we''ve seen so far. Simple, functional. Even the lights are just lines on the walls without any twists or decorations, just a straight line releasing a dim orange light.

    We continue carefully, watching every step, examining every hallway, ready for anything. As weve been hunting the First One, weve learned about all sorts of traps and gotten used to constant danger and watching our steps.

    But there is nothing. No traps, theres barely any mana to be felt, and it''s eerily quiet except for a constant hum somewhere in the distance. It starts to feel like we are underground once more until we reach the window.

    At first, we hesitate, seeing a panel of ss, our senses probing, looking for weaknesses, for traps. I detect the First One too and he is still a few minutes off. So I take a fewst steps towards the window, Myrra carefully following behind me.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Then, we stand there for a long minute, staring out the window.

    I don''t think Ive ever been so lost for words. So lost for thought. The view in front of me makes it hard to do anything else but stare. My worries, my problems, my need for revenge, all of them be so distant. So unimportant.

    So small.

    Behind a window the size of a small car, a is surrounded by pitch-ck darkness with a few stars glowing dimly so far off.

    The is so far below us and no matter how giant it is, it looks so small right now.

    Myrra''s, the Waning Realm as the system called it, is half covered in snow and wild mountains that stretch acrossrge swaths of the surface, a wild beautiful shade of white. The bottom half of the is made of rocky ground and green continents with a few seas with clear blue color. Cloudszily float across it.

    It''s beautiful. A view I didnt think I would ever see in my life.

    I want to see things like this. I want to see them more often. I want to reach that level where even things like this will be normal. And I will get there.

    But there is something I need to do first.

    I step away from the window, back to the hallway, and continue to walk towards my anchor.

    Barely able to take her eyes off the view, Myrra follows me.

    We pass through a room with a ss floor that makes it terrifying to walk through. Nothing changes and this ce seems as solid as before, yet there is this irrational worry that our steps alone could break it like normal ss.

    Then we enter a room with another window, this one turned to the opposite side. A view of infinite darkness behind with lonely stars shining by.

    We also detect one of the First Ones traps, trying to tear a hole in the wall and throw us into space.

    I dont think it would be able to damage it, yet I still disrupt it and notice a few thin threads of mana that I take care of.

    At some point, this ce we are in starts shaking and the hum intensifies as if we started moving.

    So thats how it is.

    The First One ns to use this ce, a reminder of an era passed long by, and crash it into Virelia, hoping to kill us in the process.

    I create a domain around myself and try to ce an anchor behind the walls, out in space. And I fail; my senses cant pierce the walls any more than the void outside can get in. We are trapped here and the shaking intensifies and as we pass by the window I can see that we are moving, passing through other debris, and remains of what used to be a much grander build. Some other debris crashes against us, making us shake even more, yet the damage is none or minimal.

    I check the anchor I left on the snowy mountain with the array and it''s too far. I can send my mana there, yet teleporting seems to be impossible, the amount of mana I have is simply not enough.

    So we continue. We destroy the traps and pass through the rooms, ignoring the wonders that surround us, until we reach the center of all of it.

    There the First One waits. A ck carapace that seems to absorb light itself and a dagger impaling him through the back close to his head, constantly absorbing the majority of his mana.

    The ant steps away from the pir, barely any mana is left inside his body and he is forced to rely on the strength of his physical stats. He takes a few more steps, moving even further back, and just stands there, our figures reflecting hundreds of times in hispound ck eyes.

    Myrra hisses, about to charge him, but I put my hand on her, Check the pir first.

    She tries to get away from me, but I strengthen my body and pull her back, He did something. Check. The. Pir. First. There arent any traps and I probably wont be able to activate it as it''s only meant for lynthari, I repeat.

    Myrra curses but does so as I take a few steps, keeping myself between the ck ant and the white-haired lynthari.

    Just looking at the creature makes my blood boil, but I push all those thoughts to the back of my mind, though some of them surface, even through<strong> [Focus]</strong>.

    As if in answer the First One cks his mandibles a few times, a soft snapping sound echoing through the room.

    We are falling, Myrra says.

    Can you tell where? I ask.

    After a minute Myrra confirms what I was thinking, The trajectory has already been calcted its going to strike Virelia her voice breaks in the end.

    Mana radiates from her but she quickly takes it under control and channels it into the pir, the vibrations weakening and through kic energy, I feel our movement slowing. Myrra is using her mana to power the base and keep us in orbit.

    The First One cks his mandibles.

    Not enough, I dont have enough mana! she pushes more and more of it, weakening herself near our enemy. Hoping to redirect the base.

    The feeling of the ant looking right into my eyes flows through me and there is even a question I can read or feel from him.

    <em>What will you do now?</em>

    The ant brought us here in hopes of cutting the connection to the tether. When it didn''t work, heunched the base at Virelia, and now here he is, waiting for us to waste mana stopping the base, to weaken ourselves. To stay trapped here with him.

    He wants us to waste mana, not even for a moment giving up on his attempts to kill us. And seeing the way he looks at us, we will need to use most of our mana to stop the base from falling on Vir, Im sure he calcted that. Using some of it to fight him would make stoping the base impossible.

    "Cheeky little fucker, aren''t you?" Not taking my eyes off him, I take a few steps back and put my hand on the pir.

    Without any hesitation, I release my mana and push it inside. I start infusing all of it, the mana from my body and reservoir as well.

    Myrra, I bet this base has some kind of radar, so find the ce with thergest number of ants.

    This ant is smart. I do not believe weve gotten all of the Colony. No, he most likely saved some and hid them to rebuild the Colony after killing us.

    I continue, And then when you find a ce with enough ants, crash us into it.

    The First One freezes, his mandibles stop moving, a sheer surprise to be felt even from his monstrous body.

    I ce an anchor near the pir and start sending my mana to it, and even with my gradually decreasing reserves, I step into his way.

    <em>What will you do now?</em>

    The ant''s body moves, and he rushes to stop us.

 Chapter 260: The last of the Colony

    Chapter 260: Thest of the Colony

    There isnt any mana radiating from the First One, all of it has been sucked up by the ck dagger tethered to his body. He is just using the sheer strength of his stats.

    Using my mana as effectively as I can, I block his body, and the armor surrounding my body disappears, reforming only at the point of impact with the ck ant.

    I channel mana towards the pir where Myrra, trusting in me to protect her, continues to steer the orbital base and looking for signs of ants to target.

    Seeing how desperately The First One attacks me, my assumptions are probably right, there is indeed a smaller Colony he ns to return to and rebuild after dealing with us. The leader of the Cmity never gave up in the first ce.

    His attacks are quick and hard-hitting, but they are far from what they were when he attacked Virelia, and neither are mine.

    Both of us are tired, our reserves low, reducing us to a lowly brawl with weak bursts of our skills.

    He tries to get to the pir and cracks his mandibles together in an attempt to cut it apart with his ranged attack, but I stick my hand in the way and cover it with dense armor, blocking it and getting a cut on my arm.

    Then my fist moves, a thin spike forming around it, and I stab it deep into his body. When I try to erge it, the mana gets pulled in by the ck dagger, and even the armor around my arm flickers.

    All this time I feel the First One''s attempts to cancel out the anchor binding the dagger to him, and as before, I continue to channel my mana into it to keep it from being destroyed by him or the ck dagger.

    An attack throws my body to the side, and I sacrifice a bit of my mana to shoot a projectile boosted by kic energy at his head, which he dodges, and I''m back to attacking him before he can charge Myrra.

    I need more mana! the lynthari shouts.

    As requested, I channel more of my mana into the anchor near the pir. I do not hesitate to weaken myself, and instead of using it against the ant, I send it to the base.

    The First One''s panicked attempts to stop it warm my heart. His demeanor cracks. His movements are quick and desperate, and his attempts to cancel my anchor or control the ck dagger reach a peak.

    And I''m here. I block his way. I take on his attacks. I sacrifice my mana to destroy his ns even in exchange for more wounds on my body.

    At some point, aughes out of my mouth, as I break one of his legs and kick him away from the pir. Then even more of my mana flows out of me, and the base shakes even more, a sure sign of Myrra''s work.

    The First one attempts some sort of mental attack against me, but I shrug it off with my Mantle and use some mana to stop it from reaching Myrra. Unlike before, I feel happiness as I deplete my mana. Every drop I send to the pir means more pain caused to the ck ant.

    In the end, he stops moving and just stands there, staring at me.

    Nearly all of my mana is gone, and Myrra finally changes the trajectory, spending most of her mana as well.

    Ten minutes until impact. He won''t be able to change the trajectory anymore, I locked it, Myrra says.

    Instead of answering her, I continue to smile and talk to the First One, I know what your n is. You will wait for us to get close to the point of impact and connect to the Colony to get their strength and maybe use it to stop the crash.

    My mana is slowly regenerating, all in preparation for the final sh. I don''t want to fight now, no, I want the First One to watch his ns get demolished, his Colony to get destroyed. And only then will I finish him, letting him know his ce.

    Or you might be trying to get rid of the dagger again. Maybe you want to kill Myrra and me once you get some power from the remaining ants.  I take a step closer. But you will fail.

    Oh, is that why some assholes like to monologue so much? I know that I hated Elydor and Emeric when I heard their cocky monologues. Back then I was curious why they acted like that, why they talked that way.

    Yet, now I''m doing the same.

    It''s so silly it makes me giggle once more, all my hate brought to the surface just by looking at the enemy in front of me.

    Minutes pass and the base takes on more turbulence. through the window, I can see the growing closer, the clouds closing in, and the fire caused by friction.

    I form a small orb next to me and ce an anchor on it. Myrra prepares her attacks.

    Then the First One receives the first wave of mana and strength from the Colony, a few seconds before crashing. A majestic power surrounds his pitch-ck body and the glow in his eyes changes. The ck dagger dissolves, as the leader of the Colony finally manages to dispel it. He immediately removes the anchor I left on him.

    He snaps his mandibles and I pull Myrra down, avoiding the sh that cuts through the air where we stood.

    The entirety of the First Ones mana attempts to slow the movement of the base, he tries to absorb it. He tries multiple skills at once, the pressure destroying him even as he immediately regenerates his body in exchange for the lives of the Colony.

    And I disrupt his attempts.

    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates, allowing me to quickly decipher the frequency and I disrupt all his attempts. The mana that The First One has right now is too much for me to fight against, so I just find the trigger, the important part of the skills, the threads that it can''t work without. And I snap them without mercy.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 39 > Resonance - lvl 40]</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions, you havepleted a side quest and received a skill upgrade token!</strong>

    Then it''s toote, the base too close to the ground. The ants eyes meet mine and for the first time, I can see the emotion in them despite their alien nature. It''s hate.

    Good.

    My domain activates around as big an area as I can and I absorb kic energy around Myrra and me as we crash against the ground. Time feels as if slowed down and I constantly look for something, while the walls around us crumble and bend, an immense amount of energy around us.

    Then I find it, a crack in the base, and finally, my domain passes through, creating an anchor outside of it.

    I grab Myrra and transport both of us outside and right after Iunch my orb as far as possible.

    A second passes, the amount of energy and heat around us immense and putting a strain on me, and only then do I activate the anchor, transporting us to the orb that has traveled quite far in the meantime. I repeat it until I''m almost out of mana.

    Myrra creates a barrier around us and we wait and fight against the shockwave and waves of heat as they pass over us. There is nowhere to hide as the sand dunes surrounding us are thrown into the air as the ones closer to the impact melt in ce.

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker ant - lvl 15]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker ant - lvl 80]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Sentinel ant - lvl 164]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker ant - lvl 67]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Worker ant - lvl 88]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated me Legion ant - lvl 115]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 210 > Lvl 211]</strong>

    I try to stand up from behind Myrra, but I stagger and fall to my knees, my head throbbing and hurting like crazy, and my vision blurs, I can barely see with one eye.

    Standing up again, I push Myrra to the side and start walking towards the impact site, my feet burrowing into the hot sand thrown aside in waves, creating a deep crater of melted material, the heat palpable in the air.

    In the center of that hole, a base lies, a building made of gray stone and of a shape I can hardly describe right now, with all the broken pieces everywhere. The base, by my estimates, used to be as big as a small shopping mall.

    Absorbing the heat around me, I step toward the edge of the giant crater and start sliding down toward the center of the explosion. I roll a few times, get burned twice, and I still barely see with one of my eyes, yet I reach the base.

    A scan detects me, and the ck ant crawls from inside. Wounds all over his carapace, unable to be healed anymore, all the remaining vitality of the Colony used to keep him alive.

    My mana epasses the area, and I find only corpses of the ants and even the notifications have stopped. The explosion has set the subterranean tunnels aze causing the explosion that killed them.

    The First One is thest one standing.

    Surrounded by the debris of the orbital base, and heat strong enough to melt the sand into ss, the ant takes a step towards me.

    It''s a wobbly step, a few of its legs are broken.

    I feel Myrra''s mana move, but I don''t stop her, and a barrage of Aurora ss hits the ant from the side, cutting him in half, the back half remaining behind in the sand.

    Yet the ant doesn''t stop. He falls to the ground and starts using his remaining functional leg to pull himself closer to me.

    Slowly, second after second, he moves closer. Sticking a leg in front, burrowing it into the sand, and pulling, half of his body sliding on the ground.

    The entire time I feel his attempts to connect to my mind. It''s not an attack, only an attempt atmunication. Either hateful words, maybe begging, maybe something entirely else.

    And I wont let it connect, not even to give onest word to the leader of the Cmity.

    He finally reaches me, and his cracked mandibles snap around my shin, trying to cut it. The First One bites over and over again, his weak attack dealing no damage at all, not even piercing my skin.

    Feelings roar inside me for a moment and then there is a strange calm. I stare at this being, strong enough to be considered capable of reaching the rank of Champion and kic energy flows through my right leg.

    Then I stomp on his head.

    <strong>[You have defeated Hive Confluence Sentinel - lvl 264]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 211 > Lvl 212]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 212 > Lvl 213]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 213 > Lvl 214]</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions! You''ve sessfullypleted the 4th floor''s main quest in the fifth round of the tutorial for Hell difficulty. An entrance to the 5th floor has been created.</strong>

    Next to me, the portal to the 5th floor opens.

    I stomp again, the sand exploding under my feet and turning what remains of the First One into mush. And again, sending more kic energy through my leg, I stomp as hard as I can. Again and again, until my leg hurts and even what energy I have been able to recover is gone.

    I receive 1,000 shards and a skill upgrade token frompleting side quests, and then another side quest appears.

    <strong>Side quest: </strong><em>Kill the Cmity</em>

    <strong>Reward: </strong><em>4000 shards</em>

    <strong>Attention, a milestone reached. Entry into Irreversible Narrative Progression has been detected for group 4. In ordance, the Community Interface with other groups will now be deactivated.</strong>

    I open Beyond Community.

    <strong>Sset -</strong> Weve alsopleted <em>our quest and the entrances have appeared, but we will be staying.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Take care.</em>

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em>Yes.</em>

    After that, I close the Community.

    Myrra slides into the crater, moving slowly, tired and devoid of mana. Even then, she looks at the remains of the ck ant and burns them to ash.

    You keep looking there, she turns towards the entrance to the 5th floor, Judging from how you move your eyes, it''s about my height and a few times wider. But I cant see or sense anything.

    None of us wants to talk about what just happened, so we shift the conversation to something else.

    I will try to exin itter, I say, and Myrra nods. How about we rest for a while and examine what remains of the base?

    Myrra follows my gaze, curiosity also showing on her tired face. Let''s do that.

 Chapter 261: Neither wrong nor right

    Chapter 261: Neither wrong nor right

    In the end, we rested for over two days, one of us sleeping while the other took watch. After those two days, I feel much better. I even sacrifice some shards to buy food and water, which I share with Myrra. When she starts asking too many questions about where ites from, the system interferes, and from then on, she acts like it''s normal.

    Such a disy of control by the system over natives is disturbing, but knowing there''s nothing I can do, I try to ignore it.

    I look towards the small crater where the First One died. I don''t know what I expected, but I feel empty.

    It''s not like I can say revenge isn''t worth it. Not at all. That bitch had to go down. It''s just that the joy I felt for killing him is slowly diminishing, and I know in a few days he will be just a memory. An enemy dealt with, a step on my way towards wherever this all leads me. Just a fake, the only proof of his existence, the empty hole left by Hadwin.

    While Myrra sleeps, I sell the skill upgrade token after examining all the options for upgrading my skills. I make sure to remember the most useful ones as it helps me understand my skills and what should be possible. Even then, I follow the n I made long ago and decide not to upgrade any of my skills.

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 5000 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Skill upgrade token</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    I confirm, and my shards increase. Thinking back on the skill upgrade token I soldst time, I only got 2500 shards, and this time I received 5000, meaning there is most likely a rarity to skill upgrade tokens as well.

    After trying for a while, I confirm that I can''t im my rewards for clearing this Floor''s main quest, I will likely need to enter the 5th floor to receive them.

    <strong>Floor quest:</strong>

    <em>Destroy one of the 4 Cmities</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>Epic Passive skill</em>

    <em>Skill upgrade token</em>

    <em>2000 Shards</em>

    <em>60 stat points</em>

    <em>ess to other Communities</em>

    More shards, ess to othermunities, and mainly an epic passive skill. Then theres the matter of the 9000 shards I already have. I could buy another passive if I wanted to, or I could wait for the 5th floor or maybe wait for the rest of group 4 to deal with another Cmity.

    They received a confirmation for clearing this quest even though they weren''t here, likely indicating that floor rewards will be received by the whole party even if only a single member clears the quest. And knowing the system, all such rewards will only be distributed once we reach the next floor.

    So yeah, let''s wait and buy ourselves a juicy epic passive. Thinking about it, I may receive 2 epic passives on the 5th floor, so that''s really something.

    My increased level is now over 200, a new trait, my ns for improving the kic mana heart, another round of active tempering, and enchanting experiments with ck mana. There is so much to do as always, but I like it. Things like this are good at taking my mind off useless stuff.

    Thinking again? Myrra stretches, her tail twitching as she does so.

    We are currently, in the massive crater the crash made, weve set up a tarp over the area, creating a nice shady patch in the middle of this desert.

    I already ditched my warmer clothes for a morefortable set and at times I even absorb heat from my skin and release it to cool off. At some point, I even split my mind with <strong>[Focus]</strong> using a portion to keep it running constantly. There are no enemies, no monsters, nothing, so I can handle the mana expenditure quite easily.

    Weve found ourselves at the edge of the desert where the fallen hero wanders, from what Myrra has told me.

    You are doing it again, the tall lynthariins.

    And what will you do about it? I shoot back.

    Myrra blinks a few times. You used to be so cute back when I first met you. So careful and shy, she shakes her head.

    That was long ago.  I get up on my feet. Ready to examine the base?

    She answers in the affirmative and quickly stands up. Being a lynthari, she gets bored quite easily, especially without anything interesting happening.

    Looking at the materials, I suspect that the orbital base, parts of Virelia, and many of the tunnels the colony took over were made by a lynthari Champion or their Absolute. Her hand slides across the surface of the base as we enter through the ruined section.

    The material is extremely durable and it took falling about a hundred miles from orbit and crashing into the earth to even damage it.

    Someone probably had a skill rted to creating and manipting stone. Look at it, it''s all made from the same material, I offer as

    Myrra lights up our surroundings, Or they could convert normal materials.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    The base is tilted, and some of the tunnels have copsed as we delve deeper inside, looking for traps that could have been left behind by the previous owners and the First One.

    At least its cooler here than it was outside, so we take it slowly, examining the rooms and tunnels, looking for anything useful. But like the orbital base: It''s empty, the rooms cleared of nearly everything. There are no mana stones bearing messages and no personal belongings. Just long tunnels and empty rooms.

    The only worthwhile parts about it are the inscriptions I get to examine, marking some down onto cheaper mana stones. Myrra finds another pir, which she activates making use of her lynthari heritage and starts searching for anything useful.

    What she does find are mere tidbits of information, most of the useful data has been cleared, either by the previous owner before leaving the base or the system, and we learn next to nothing from it.

    Myrra can somewhat control the base, but to make it run as before would require skills neither of us possess to repair it.

    The most useful thing we get from all of this is a map of arrays. The old ones from the war, which have mostly been destroyed, and the newer ones the base''s scan found when Myrra was looking for remains of the Colony.

    We give it a few more days in hopes of finding anything useful, but in the end, we give up and head towards the closest array.

    I have a strong suspicion that Myrra has figured something out, but she is trying to hide it and her behavior is off.

    For now, I decide to let it be and observe a bit longer.

    And so we travel through the dunes, either running or flying when we get bored. We are surrounded by a never-ending field of golden dunes that look exotic and nice at first, but the repetitive view bes stale after a few days. The weather is too hot for my liking as well, but Myrra seems to be enjoying it. Her ears twitch and her tail sways as she seems to absorb the heat with an expression of joy.

    I wont return to Virelia, she says to me as we stop for a short break.

    The sun shines on her as she mps her eyes shut. Her white hair shining especially bright.

    Please dont ask, I have my reasons and I will tell you sooner orter. Is that ok with you? The determination in her voice is clear.

    I see no problem in agreeing, and respond, Sure.

    She opens her eyes and looks at me, same as I''ve been watching her and a subtle smile graces her lips.

    The two of us really are alike in many ways, aren''t we? Its kind of nice because it prevents conflict. Kind of. But its also annoying because she seems to understand what I''m thinking, and I''m not used to that.

    We reach the array and spend some time digging it out from under tonnes of sand and then I have to spend more time fixing it. All while the white-haired lynthari sunbathes nearby with her eyes constantly on me.

    Freeloader, I snap at her.

    I''ve heard worse, she answers, unbothered, and turns her face towards the sun.

    While pushing my mana into the array and checking it for any leaks, I open themunity. Beyond Community is still working, even though the system turned off the others.

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em>I''m sorry to hear that, Sset! I hope it will get better for you guys. As for your question, Maximilian and Jakub can still ess the Hellmunity, as well as other groups, so it''s most likely only you.</em>

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em>You guys probably killed the Cmity, right? That''s why your Community got blocked. And us being able to talk means that you decided to stay and havent entered the 5th floor yet.</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em>Oh, you are smart as always, Savant!</em>

    <strong>Sset -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>Yes, we did. I see no reason to keep it a secret.</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em>Our group hasn''t even started yet! We are still in Virelia, and everyone seems to be having fun with the guild and enjoying some rest. Meanwhile, weve done some information gathering and been trying to get to know some of the lynthari and guild masters.</em>

    <strong>Sset - </strong><em>Gareth, do more of you n to enter Beyond?</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em> A few wanted to, but I convinced them to change their mind. Most of us have already used upgrade tokens too.</em>

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em> So nice of you. It''s easier to control your group if you are the strongest, right?</em>

    <strong>Gareth - </strong><em>Yes.</em>

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em> How unexpected of you to admit it so easily.</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em> I''m their leader, so it''s my responsibility to choose the way. Risking their life in Beyond is not something they need to do. Just me going through it is fine, my friend.</em>

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em> What if they want to?</em>

    <strong>Gareth - </strong><em>If they decide to do so, I will help and will work hard to prepare them. That much is expected of me, of course. But they trust my decision.</em>

    <strong>Savant -</strong><em> Disgusting.</em>

    <strong>Sset - </strong><em>They might end up being too reliant on you.</em>

    <strong>Gareth - </strong><em>Sset, from the way you talk I can tell that you are still very young, so allow me to exin. It''s not bad that they rely on me, it''s not wrong to look for someone to lean on in these situations. It''s even to be expected.</em>

    With interest, I watch the conversation, forgetting about my mana flowing through the array.

    <strong>Gareth - </strong><em>I have decided to take on this responsibility and be that person for them. I will protect them as much as I can, and we will cooperate so all of us can improve, together. So that we not only survive but get through this with people we can rely on.</em>

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>What if they die? What will you do then?</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em> First, I''m sorry for your loss, Noname, I heard a lot of good things about Hadwin from Jakub. I''m sure he will be missed by a lot of people. And to answer your question, we would grieve and prevent it from happening again. Death is something to be expected under these conditions, but not something we take lightly.</em>

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>What if you die?</em>

    <strong>Gareth - </strong><em>I am really strong. I won''t die, and will do my best to not let any of them die under my watch, and I will make sure they are prepared for the case I''m not around.</em>

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>You are wrong.</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em> I''m neither wrong nor right, my friend. The same goes for you.</em>

    I look away from the window, thinking about what Gareth said. There are some things I like about it and some I really don''t.

    But in the end, he still feels suspect to me, and I''m more inclined to Savant''s opinion that Gareth just wants to be strong enough to control his group, and this is just a mask.

    As I''m about to close the window I notice one more message.

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em>Grumpy entered Beyond''s first trial.</em>

 Chapter 262: Revisiting

    Chapter 262: Revisiting

    I will need a bit more time for this, I tell Myrra.

    Sure, I will keep watch, she answers and continues to sunbathe without any shame.

    Immediately, I open the Community again and wait.

    During the time I spent helping her before the fight against the Cmity, Lily improved a lot and I dont believe she entered Beyond unprepared. The problem is that the trials are customized to the person taking them, testing their weaknesses and forcing them to improve their skills, so there is a limit to how much you can prepare.

    I examine my feelings; there is a hint of worry and satisfaction. Lily could have entered Beyond anytime after I left, and her doing it now means that it wasnt an emotionally motivated decision. She probably thought about it on her own and decided that she was ready, without so much as letting Tess know. I know how Tess would react.

    Its what I wanted, and thats where Gareth and I disagree. Savant and I seem to think alike, and Gareth is nearly the opposite of our opinion, while Tess is somewhere in the middle.

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>How has she been the past few days?</em>

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em>Mostly fine. After Hadwin died, she threw the bow away and decided to fight close range.</em>

    Oh, I think I can see why she made that decision. Lately, shes yed the role of a rangedbatant/healer. Seeing others get hurt probably forced her hand, and so shes decided to fight on the frontlines using <strong>[Disintegration] </strong>at<strong></strong>close range and relying on<strong> [Reconstruction]</strong> to keep her alive.

    I can understand that, considering what happenedst time.

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em> She should be fine.</em>

    And so, we wait, constantly checking the timer, counting down the hour, and keeping an eye on the number of people in Hell difficulty.

    <strong>Easy difficulty </strong><em>1340/2000</em>

    <strong>Normal difficulty</strong><em>870/1000</em>

    <strong>Hard difficulty </strong><em>259/500</em>

    <strong>Hell difficulty </strong><em>44/250</em>

    <strong>Beyond</strong><em>5/10</em>

    I find it hard to focus on anything else, so instead of working on the array, I just toggle in between the timer and member count. Its silly, honestly, as if it would even help. As the time grows closer, my eyes stay glued to the counter.

    10 seconds

    5 seconds

    1 second

    <strong>Beyond </strong><em>5/10</em><strong> > Beyond </strong><em>6/10</em>

    <strong>Gareth - </strong><em>Group 4 is a bit crazy if I have to say so myself.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy -</strong><em>Hello.</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>Wee, Grumpy! Good job!</em>

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em>Im d youre ok. Where are you at the moment?</em>

    <strong>Grumpy - </strong><em>Nearby, I wille to you. </em><em>Is he here?</em>

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>Hey, good job with the first trial.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy - </strong><em></em>

    <strong>Grumpy -</strong><em> When are youing back?</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>When you guys deal with the Cmity. Sset can tell you more.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy - </strong><em>You promised youd owe me after we saved Soph and the twins. So you better keep your word.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Yes.</em>

    After that, we exchange a few more words, and reaching the time limit the Community turns off.

    Lily seems to be anxious and unhappy, but it''s not an easy thing to solve. Shes just that kind of person and she is the only one that can deal with it. I, on the other hand, have decided to be selfish and stop worrying so much about others. Yes, I have decided to stay with the group after the start of the 4th floor, but not to this point. I''m not like Gareth and never will be.

    I quickly fix the array and turn to Myrra, Ready.

    Unlike before, when we used charged mana stones and items to activate it, Im fully capable of operating it on my own without any items. There is almost no need for mana stones, as there are only two of us, and I will be able to handle the expenditure with my own mana.

    I thought you were losing your touch, feral one. It took you quite a long time.

    You know, Ive slowly lost all the respect I ever had for lynthari, I wont let her bully me.

    She nods seriously, Thats what often happens when you get strong. Youve just reached a level of strength above our own, so youve lost your sense of mystique and reverence for us. Its obvious that you would feel differently now. Myrra enters the array and stands next to me, Ive changed a bit as well. Without the matriarch and her personality affecting us, all lynthari will change.

    I almost ask what she thinks is happening in the city now, but I change my mind. Myrra must know something that''s making her reluctant to return, and Im sure I will find out before the floor ends.

    What I find sad is that there might be a waring, and Erissst wordse to me. The ancient lynthari loved her kin and humans alike. She created a system that allowed them to coexist however strange and even put her life on the line to protect the future of both races.

    And with her sacrifice, she only hoped for two things. For humans not to me young lynthari who never participated in the war and for the two races to get along. A simple, naive wishing from someone who fought in the war of Champions and Absolutes.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the vition.

    I cut off this line of thought as I activate the array. After a lot of testing, preparation, and a few minutes of charging, both Myrra and I disappear from the desert.

    The desert view is reced by a rocky area with a forest to the right and far in the distance, I can see the towers of the Old Capital.

    I see that we have a few scavengers here already, Myrras canines show as we detect the presences around us.

    Its probably the camps they set up while their members go through the city.

    Want to bet that they started moving the second the First One ran from Virelia? I offer.

    I wont bet with you on that. It would be too easy for you. I just thought I ordered a blockade of all the arrays, but it looks like there are some we didnt know about.

    The end of the floor is approaching, so there is no need to hesitate or be nice. Myrra also speaks of the scavengers with disdain, so I do not hesitate to move toward one of the camps.

    On the way, I purposefully trigger one of the detection stones theyve left around the camp and it sends a signal.

    Hey! You two! We know about you, soe out! someone shouts and even tries to pressure us with his mana.

    Still using Mana Cycling to hide my mana, I do as Im told as a curious Myrra follows me.

    Fuck, another lynthari, the man sighs when we get close to each other.

    Ten or so humans surround us.

    <strong>[Elemental Mage - lvl 141]</strong>

    <strong>[Shadow Assassin - lvl 128]</strong>

    <strong>[Terra Guardian - lvl 152]</strong>

    <strong>[Storm Raider - lvl 129]</strong>

    <strong>...</strong>

    All of them are close in level and show no visible signs of alliance to any guild.

    I have to tell you that we have the support of high-ranking lynthari, miss, so I will need to ask you to leave, he says towards Myrra. He talks carefully, bluffing with a partial truth.

    Well, we did expect a few lynthari to try this kind of thing.

    Oh my, feral one, what are we going to do? Should we leave? Myrras eyes glow in the dim light and her fluffy tail twitches a bit, showing her yful mood and annoyance at being told off.

    Some things do not change so easily.

    Give me everything you retrieved from the Old Capital, I say simply to the people surrounding us.

    At that moment, I stop focusing on cycling my mana and allow some of it to leak. Before they can even say anything, the pressure of my mana hits them, and no wordse out of them. To show the difference between us, I activate <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> holding them for a few seconds, barely allowing them to breathe. Then a pulse of<strong> [Resonance] </strong>disrupts their skills.

    I let go of them, and without muchint, they rush into their camp, bringing out everything they got from the city.

    When they bring everything to me, it''s quite a lot. Some equipment, some mana stones, and a few other items. Most of it isnt that valuable.

    I pick the most interesting ones while ignoring the looks they give me.

    As we leave the camp to approach the next one, I sense a pulse of mana shoot over me towards the camp Im heading to and stop. The pulse was clearly sent through an item, most likely as a warning.

    A javelin forms over me, and I ce an anchor on it before boosting it towards the camp where I was heading.

    Then I turn around and return to the camp we already looted.

    W-what? We already gave you everything you wanted! their leader shouts.

    Did you send a signal to the other camp? I ask bluntly.

    What? We didnt do Before he finishes, a st of kic energy sends him rolling through the camp, crashing against everything in his way.

    I reduced the power by a lot, but even this was enough.

    After taking a few steps, I stop in front of another guy. Did you send the signal?

    Immediately, he nods, none of them even attempting to fight.

    See, that wasnt so difficult, I say to calm him down, but it seems to make him shake even more.

    Pushing him to the side, I reach the tent where they keep most of the items, and a small orb forms in my palm,pressing and quickly turning golden, releasing immense heat even in this state.

    I would run away, I warn them and throw the orb in between the items.

    Myrra reaches out to me, and I touch her, both of us disappearing and appearing near the javelin I tied an anchor to. A few secondster, the camp we just left explodes into golden mes that devour everything in their path with a roar.

    Quite ruthless, Myrra says while looking at the humans that surround us.

    Im not in a very good mood, I answer her, and more of my mana radiates from my body, pressuring the men and women standing against us.

    They shout warnings among themselves, preparing for a fight, but I do not stop there. Like a tsunami, waves of mana radiate from me in the center, putting pressure on them, showing them my level. The amount of mana hints at a much higher level than I currently possess, people are rarely dumb enough to invest in the mana stat so heavily.

    The expressions on the faces around me change. From determination and anger to shock and fear. They drop their weapons, deactivate their skills, and step back, sweat on their brows, hands shaking.

    They are the kind of people who recognize strength and know what to do in such cases. Members of guilds that do not hesitate to kill people to gain an advantage.

    So, I do not stop there and reach into my reservoir, more mana radiating from me, making my presence felt for miles away.

    Slowly, one after another, they drop to their knees, unable to even look into my eyes.

    Only then do I stop, and my mana disappears in a moment, pulling the aura I radiated back into my body.

    Bring me everything you got from the Old Capital, I demand.

    After looting a few more camps, my bags start getting full, so I get a few guys to carry them for me. So far, there are some metals they got from smithies, upper rare items with interesting effects, and plenty of mana stones, some of which have inscriptions I haven''t seen so far.

    There are also pieces of wood that are extremely durable, and look new even after hundreds of years. Some mana batteries too.

    I pick only the best things and ignore the rest, most of the guys we visit dont even try to fight with us and just immediately surrender their stuff.

    Myrra, bored, talks to them a bit and learns that there are in fact two lynthari in the city that she seems to know. Mohg and Gawyn, a duo that she says is well known for their damage output. Apparently, they are lynthari troublemakers and some of the young lynthari who like to y around the most. It seems that without the influence of the matriarch, theyve be even worse.

    Mohg and Gawyn organized a group of humans from a few of the midsized guilds with ns to find interesting items in the city.

    What pisses Myrra off the most is that they came here even before the fight against the Colony started, leaving the other lynthari to deal with it. In the end, she just sighs and says cryptically that it doesnt matter.

    We leave all of our things near one of the arrays, and I position a few mana orbs nearby, some of them shouldst a day at least. There is no anchor on them or any effect, and I dont even exin it to the men carrying the stuff we looted. Their imagination will surelye up with more terrifying ideas than any lie I coulde up with. We leave them without saying a word, seemingly without a care for our things, and that seems to scare them, so they quickly leave.

    So after raiding all the camps, we head into the city, where thergest group should be, over a week into the search.

    And here, we find the corpses of two dozen humans, thrown around the streets, smashed against the floor, bloody sts on the ground. Men with holes in their chests, a woman''s body without a head.

    Blood is everywhere, a massacremitted with the pure power of physical stats as confirmed by checking the remains with my eyes, there is no mana around.

    Looks like your lynthari duo did have some fun, I say to Myrra.

    She doesnt answer, and with a frown on her face, we follow the trail of blood and massacre, finding a dozen more corpses. severed limbs are everywhere and organs are sttered on the walls.

    We reach one of the towers near the center of the city and find two more corpses. Lynthari with their chests caved in, one of them has had their head pulled off and the other is missing an arm.

    Both of the lynthari are very dead.

 Chapter 263: Child of this planet

    Chapter 263: Child of this

    The area where the fight happened is destroyed, the walls have been crushed and the road is full of deep craters from the duos attacks. For the first time, I detect the attackers mana in the air. And I recognize the signature almost immediately.

    Oh my, isn''t this interesting?

    After looking over the corpses of these lynthari shes probably known for over a hundred years, Myrra follows me, and both of us enter the tower.

    This is the biggest tower I''ve entered so far, and yet it stood in the shadow of the Living Tree, dwarfed by it. But on its own, this building is impressive, and the fact that it still looks so good after so much time tells a lot about the way it was built.

    The hallway is massive as well, with polished stone floors, covered in a light coat of debris, dust, and fresh blood, apanied by a few more corpses.

    Under my feet, broken ss and the remains of old furniture crunch and tter echoing across the room, but I don''t mind it that much, and Myrra seems to agree. Currently, the lyntharis face bears a strange expression, somewhere between anger, sadness, and something I cant identify.

    At the end of the trail, we find Is sitting on thest remaining piece of furniture. The pale, ck-haired guild master of Obsidian Circle greets us with a smile, waving at us with a hand covered in blood.

    "Feral angry kitten and invader Myrra, it''s nice to see you!" She greets us.

    "Who is here with you?" I ask curiously instead of returning her greeting.

    The other person I sense in the tower is somewhere far above us and using something that makes it difficult to identify their signature, no matter how hard I try.

    "It''s probably a secret, but who cares," Is jumps to her feet, the old armchair behind her cracking. "It''s Thalen," she says.

    Is sends a pulse of mana shoots toward the signature Ive carefully detected. Most likely a warning or a call for help.

    Without much trouble, I reach out and disrupt it before it even reaches the ceiling.

    "That''s rude, Nathaniel," I note that she calls me by name. "You know I won''t have a chance against you and Miss Invader without Thalens help."

    "Isn''t that your problem?" I reply.

    "I guess," Is shakes her head, and after looking at Myrra, she looks back at me. "Are you with the invaders now?"

    "I''m on my own side. What you and the lynthari do is not my problem."

    The pale womanughs. "You talk as if youre not even one of us." As she speaks, the tattoos on her forearms increase in size spreading all over her body, changing their shape and effects adapting to her fighting style. And I let her, carefully observing what she does.

    "But you always did that, didn''t you?" Is stretches her bodyzily. Muscles under her skin move, showing the strength of her body.

    <strong>[Stoneheart - lvl 228]</strong>

    "What are you and Thalen doing here?" Myrra asks for the first time.

    Is answers without hesitation, "Thalen had a spy among the scavengers that went to the Old Capital, and they located a few really interesting items, so we came to get them. You know, mostly the kind of thing that only works against lynthari. Poison against you guys, paralyzing enchantments. Stuff our ancestors were using during the war."

    "So it''s gotten that far?" Myrra asks in a somber tone.

    "Yes, the Colonys attack didn''t help, and between you and the Matriarch being gone, things went to... well, to shit. You will have to tell me why you decided not toe back, Miss Invader Myrra. Still, I don''t think you being there would change things much."

    "Obelia''s work?" When I ask, Is turns to me.

    "Mostly Thalen''s. I work with him, and Obelia helps us. Both of us owe Thalen a lot, stuff like prolonging the lives of people we care about, saving our lives, and restoring missing limbs. Over the years, things like that tend to umte."

    And here we go again.

    "Doesn''t Virelia have other healers?" I ask, even though I suspect the answer.

    Myrra answers me instead of Is, Only a few lynthari, and they rarely heal humans. As for human healers, they tend to disappear."

    "Thalen can be quite persistent if he wants something. Feral angry kitten, did you know that he also asked Obelia to bring him your little healer?" a cruel smile climbs on Iss lips, He only did it after you left, of course. He thought that it would be easy for Obelia, she was able to gain your trust after all. Shes good at reading people, so it wasnt supposed to be that difficult for her.

    Is tries to send another signal to Thalen, but I disrupt it again, this time more aggressively. At that, she furrows her brow and smiles at me.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    She takes a step away from us, Tess was somewhere else, and even your other guild members were busy, so it was the perfect opportunity. Yet, Obelia returned with her entire arm and leg missing, barely escaping with her life. Even Thalen was unable to restore her destroyed limbs. What is with that ck-haired healer of yours?

    An anchor I ced behind Is explodes with kic energy and pushes her toward us. Her barriers prevent her from being wounded, but It does shorten the distance, as a dagger made of blue, resonating mana cuts into her neck.

    Is ducks under my swing and shouts loudly, the floor under our feet vibrating. The shout doesnt reach Thalen, I will not allow it, so I use my resonance to create a dome around us. Yet Is still smiles, knowing that the more skills we use, the higher the chance of Thalen detecting us.

    Like snakes, glowing tattoos swirl all over her body, vibrant against her pale skin, and at the same time, she moves at immense speed, using her body to the fullest.

    Is takes on a st of golden mes with a swing of her hand and pushes through<strong> [Redistribution]</strong>, but I boost my body with the entirety of my mana for a split second, taking advantage of my epic passive to do so.

    I be faster than her, and my dagger severs her hand cleanly, the resonating de ignoring the incredible barriers shes built up over her skin and the sheer strength of her body.

    The woman doesnt even flinch, and in exchange for her hand, she kicks at my chest as I surround it in armor infused with kic energy made with <strong>[Regalia]</strong>. My body doesn''t move at all and the armor absorbs her attack.

    Jumping back, she flings her bloody stump at me, throwing blood at my face, and jumps away from me, running towards the stairs.

    There, Myrra stands, floating pieces of her aurora ss surrounding her.

    What a fucking situation, Is giggles. She boosts her body more, tendons and muscles tearing as she dashes towards Myrra with a leap that feels impossibly long.

    Is tanks multiple of Myrra''s attacks and dodges the strongest ones, her talent showing as her body moves with a nimble uracy, and incredible speed, each movement containing immense power.

    The flooring cracks under Iss feet, her attacks destroy pieces of aurora ss, a swing of her fist disrupts mes, and her kicks break Myrras ice. One of the tattoos on her body glows and disappears, in the process restoring her hand and healing her body.

    Meanwhile, Myrra fights calmly, with barely any emotion on her face, each attack calcted and executed with perfect timing in a way that shows her long years of experience with her skills.

    Even with a lower level than Is, I watch as Myrra destroys her, calcting the pale-skinned woman''s attacks to the point it nearly seems like she is ying with her as she teleports from one aurora mirror to another and stabs Is with the shards of ss after finding the weak points of her barrier.

    And then, after a minute, Is, unable to get through her falls to her knees, her tendons cut, terrible wounds all over her body with Myrra standing in front of her. The tall lynthari looks majestic. A proud gaze in her eyes and a rxed stance while aurora ss flickers around her body, moving ording to her will. Myrra isnt even warmed up yet.

    So this is the Champion candidate I heard so much about, even now, Iss expression is daring without any hint of fear.

    A fake Champion candidate, someone says from the top of the balcony overlooking the hallway.

    A presence Ive felt moving closer the entire time stops hiding its signature, and the older red-haired man reveals himself.

    Thalen, guild master of Luminous Order, the only human healer in Virelia.

    <strong>[Pulsebinder - lvl 234]</strong>

    The warm mana that I know so well radiates from him, and the small tattoo on Iss neck glows brighter. A mark left by the healer that works not unlike the Crown of Lily that I used.

    Is immediately heals, at a speed much faster than Lily can pull off.

    I dont think there is a reason for us to fight, the man says. His voice is calm and confident, and I notice him holding an orb that he seems to be operating with his mana.

    Little Thalen, who do you even think you are? Ive known you ever since you were a brat, barely reaching my waist, and now you take such a tone with me? Myrra''s canines show and her cat-like ears stand up, her swinging tail showing her annoyance.

    Miss Myrra, I have nothing but respect for you and do not wish for us to fight.

    Interesting to hear from the one who went looking for weapons to use against lynthari, Myrra''s canines extend even more.

    Thalen looks at Is, who just smiles yfully, and then he sighs, turning his attention to Myrra again, Its not something I want to use. The weapon will only be there to make sure the lynthari are willing to have a conversation with us. I promise not to use it as long as you dont threaten us.

    Sounds quite reasonable, doesnt it? Curious, I observe the white-haired lynthari.

    Thalen, dear little Thalen, I always hated you for spewing such bullshit with a straight face, taking a step towards Is, Myrra continues to stare at the red-haired man.

    Its all for us humans, Miss Myrra. I think it''s reasonable to strive to be free of you, especially after we found out that our world was invaded by you. A circle of mana appears behind him, its diameter half the length of his body.

    That circle starts glowing, and Thalen floats over the railing and into the air over Myrra. Mana radiates from the man, his pure white clothes contrasting with his stark red hair.

    He spreads his arms, You dont even seem to be interested in the title of lynthari matriarch, so I ask you, no, I beg you, allow us humans to decide on our own. Allow us to decide whether we can live with lynthari or if we just cant bear it anymore. His face takes on a sad expression.

    Thalen then turns to me, And for you, guild master of Angry Kittens, Nathaniel Gwyn, I ask you to stand on the side of your race, as you are also a child of this.

    Even though he tries so hard, I notice his tone change slightly. Almost imperceptibly as he says the name of our guild. A hint of contempt, as if even saying such words out loud is beneath him.

    Yeah, no, I respond.

    May I ask you why?

    I dont like the name of your guild. What is it even, Luminous Disorder?

    Its Luminous Order, Guildmaster Gwyn.

    Looming Disorder?

    Luminous Order.

    Oh, Ruminous Border.

    ...Guildmaster Gwyn, did I get on your bad side somehow?

 Chapter 264: I wonâ€™t do it again

    Chapter 264: I won¡¯t do it again

    A bit. Sending Obelia after one of my guild members is a bit rude, dont you agree? I ask the man.

    Still floating there with the golden circle behind him, Thalen looks down at Is, shakes his head, and turns back to me. There was a misunderstanding.

    Sure.

    My intention he starts, but I interrupt him.

    Im not interested in talking with a fake, the moment I say that, his expression changes. A look of sheer surprise overtakes his face, much to my amusement.

    How funny. Did he really think no one would notice?

    Youre just trying to spew more bullshit. Is pretends to be dumb while spewing out your secrets, maybe in hopes we will kill you, I say, and they exchange nces, and Is just smiles, mostly confirming what I said.

    Feral angry kitten, we did have some fun together, right? We trained a lot, and I dont think were so different, so what do you say? Won''t you join me? Is asks me.

    Sorry, I don''t trust you and I think Myrra wants to kill you, after answering, I turn to Myrra, who seems to be as amused as she is angry, her feelings betrayed by her tail.

    Is that so? Is sighs, I guess my only option is to fight alongside Thalen. What do you say, old man? Without me, you wont be able to get the items out of here. We can talk things out a bitter.

    More mana radiates from the red-haired man, and he nods, You can go all out. I will take care of the aftermath. We will

    He doesnt even finish his sentence when the anchor Ive been stealthily setting up next to him explodes, finally allowing him to sense its cement, toote for him to cancel it out. I didnt try to set it closer because he would surely have felt it, but in exchange, I send much more energy through it. The explosion throws him against the wall, the left side of his body is missing and bleeding.

    At the same time, Myrra attacks Is again, aurora ss surrounding her and creating a dome around both of the women.

    Before I can reach Thalen, he is already fully healed, and the golden circle behind him reactivates, spinning wildly.

    Armor forms around my body and covers it fully, and I face down an attack that reminds me of <strong>[Oscition]</strong>, Generated from the golden circle behind the man.

    Thalen disrupts even the small anchors I ce near him, not falling for the same trick twice, not realizing that Ive made them easily noticeable. He then lets my mes hit him. Yellow mes turn golden, burning and charring his extremely durable body, which even then regenerates at an immense speed. Ive been doing that for a while, by the time I notice the effect of the mes weakening.

    No, its not like they are getting weaker, its more like he is getting more resistant to them.

    Some sort of adaptive resistance? Probably a trait or passive.

    I cut off the mes, and my javelins pierce his body through and through, but before I can expand them and tear him apart, he uses his <strong>[Oscition]</strong>-like skill to destroy them.

    So interesting.

    We continueunching attacks against each other, and I keep testing him, limiting my output slightly to see more of his skills, while using <strong>[Perception] </strong>at the same time to observe the fight between Myrra and Is.

    You are really strong, one of the strongest humans I ever fought against, Thalen says after I throw a small tricolored orb against him.

    With his tough body, he takes some of the damage and avoids the rest while healing his wounds. He''s doing it the entire time, getting hit by my skills partially to gain resistance against them while waiting. Hes not attacking much, most likely the type that builds up resistance, prepares a n, and then ends the fight in one fell swoop.

    I, on the other hand, ignore his words and continue to limit my output.

    Still, Im getting a bit annoyed by the way he talks, so I reach out to him with my domain, and I use <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to disrupt his skills in the middle of him restoring the leg I cut off.

    While he quickly focuses on regaining control over his skills, I ce an anchor that he is toote to disrupt and teleport next to him.

    The feeling of my fist hitting his face is satisfying, and he crashes against the wall, then falters in the air before he starts floating again. His broken neck returns to its original position and the wounds on his face heal to a perfect state. He does that while he keeps healing Is through their bond and through the tattoo on Iss neck, so she can stand against Myrra.

    I hear cracking, and through<strong> [Perception]</strong>, I observe as Myrra is sent flying and crashes against multiple walls, breaking through each of them.

    Is immediately charges at me, her body moving nimbly like a wild animal and with a speed I had yet to see. She jumps in the air and reaches me in a split second, her fist hitting my cuirass as I use <strong>[Infusion]</strong> on to channel kic energy through it. The surface of the armor ripples, and it absorbs all the energy of her attack.

    Is pushes against the air with her feet, a short burst of mana or a skill allowing her to push against the air. She continues to strike at me, dozens of attacks in a moment barely longer than a blink.

    And I absorb all of them, even though I can barely see them.

    For a moment, I even activate my trait, watching the way she moves mana through her tattoos and the way she keeps up barriers over her skin, and make sure to remember the flow of mana.

    Before my head starts hurting from all the information that I''m still unable to filter out, I cancel the trait and release all the kic energy I collected from Is. The explosion throws her away and pushes me towards Thalen.

    Blood spurts from the pale woman, and her broken body crashes against the floor, immediately getting restored. In the meantime, I reach Thalen, disrupting his attack and grabbing his arm. Before he can do anything, I try to disrupt mana inside his body, but he counters that while a constant stream of<strong></strong>Osciting attacks start tearing my armor apart, no matter how much I strengthen it.

    Like a lizard dropping its tail, Thalen cuts off his arm, only to immediately restore it after putting some distance in between us.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    He decides to use the orb he found in the tower, the weapon against lynthari.

    Well, he tries to.

    I activate an anchor I left on his body and teleport behind him. Mana flows through my body, strengthening it, and I tear off both of his arms, taking the orb from them.

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 26 > Tether - lvl 27]</strong>

    I dodge Is charging at me, and Myrra also quickly passes by, surrounded by armor made of aurora ss as she faces Is again.

    Thalen restores his arms again and turns to face me, and I activate another anchor I left on him, this time exploding the right side of his body.

    Fear appears in the redheaded mans eyes while he regenerates his body.

    Try to guess how many more anchors I left on you, I say taunting him.

    I am getting better at masking them, I happened to notice that as an option among the avable upgrades for the skill. My new trait helps a lot, that and the fact that this isn''t his real body and he seems to becking in ces.

    Flying higher, I dodge Myrra as shes thrown by Is, and when the ck-haired woman reaches me, I st her away with a surge of kic energy, barely doing any damage but getting rid of her for a while.

    In the meantime, Thalen uses his skill to cut off most of his body. Only his chest, neck, and head remain untouched, floating in the air with a seraphic golden circle behind him. The blood and pieces of flesh drip from the man towards the ground and severed limbs. Then his heart sends more mana through his body, and the missing parts are restored, reced by new ones.

    I knew you were strong and I knew you had faced the Cmity on your own. However I have not taken you seriously and didn''t show you the respect you deserve, he says and bows curtly. Then the amount of mana he is releasing doubles, and the circle behind his back expands as parts resembling wings form at the sides.

    The look in his eyes changes, I wont do that aga...

    His head explodes.

    For a second longer, his headless body floats there before the golden circle and wings behind his back flicker and disappear.

    <strong>[Infusion - lvl 19 > Infusion - lvl 20]</strong>

    "I left three anchors on you when I touched you," I say to the now-dead body.

    I deactivate the trait Ive been using as I ced the anchors. There is no notification, obviously, as the body we fought wasn''t the main one; either an avatar, a copy, or something else.

    Seeing that, Is immediately tries to flee, boosting her body to the maximum and rushing towards the door we used to enter the tower.

    I wait for a moment, and just before she gets out, I activate the anchor I left there before we even entered the tower. I teleport in front of her. Unable to stop her inertia, Is crashes against my body, and before she recovers from the shock of impact, I coat my hand in <strong>[Resonance]</strong> and cut off one of her legs. Then I st her towards Myrra, who follows close behind, teleporting through pieces of multicolored ss.

    Instead ofnding on her back, Is twists in the air, a barrier over her skin expanding and surrounding her with a sphere that absorbs Myrras attack. The spherical barrier then shrinks back to her skin, and part of it elongates to give her a prosthetic limb in ce of her missing leg.

    She pushes against the floor and avoids another attack from Myrra. She then charges to my side. I track her movement, and doing so, our eyes meet. In the end, she notices and strengthens the barrier in front of her, creating multipleyers. The anchor I ced there explodes, sending her crashing against a nearby wall, destroying it and sending dust and debris into the air.

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 27 > Tether - lvl 28]</strong>

    I deactivate my trait, and this time my head hurts a lot and my sight blurs. I send thermal energy through my body, activating my passive in an attempt to alleviate some of the aftereffects.

    Fuck, Is groans from the ground. She doesn''t move and justys there, most of her tattoos losing their glow and her barriers weaker than before.

    She is faking, I tell Myrra.

    Feral one, who do you think I am?

    Is, still lying on the ground, giggles and tilts her head, looking at me. I always hated you, creepy-eyed fuck.

    Mana explodes from her body, barriers absorbed into her skin, and for a short moment, she moves like the wind. Chaotic and hard to grasp. She dodges Myrras attacks and tries to flee once more, only to be blocked by Aurora ss. Then she moves even faster.

    Her tendons and muscles tearing from the strain, each of her attacks sends Myrra backward and damages even the epic armor the lynthari is wearing. In thest attempt, she lets Myrra stab her with a weapon made of Aurora ss that passes through Iss chest entirely. In exchange, Is bites down into the lyntharis neck and giggles like a demon. She tries to bite again after tearing a chunk of flesh from it.

    But she doesnt have the opportunity and freezes in the middle of the attack, as the bottom half of her body separates. However, she still tries to attack, to scratch, to grasp, her weak attempts blocked by Myrra. Gradually she slows down, and the light starts disappearing from her eyes.

    <strong>[You have defeated Stoneheart - lvl 228]</strong>

    Myrra lets go of her body, and it falls to the ground, the head of the dead woman bouncing off the floor. The emotions on Myrras face are hard to read, but I ignore it ande closer, searching through the pockets of Iss clothes. Maybe she had a nice item or two.

    While doing so, I also examine the tattoos on her skin, making sure I remember them all.

    I spend a minute on it, but I dont find anything; the only things I can consider an item are her intricate tattoos. Is always liked to rely on her body alone.

    Feral one I hear from over me and look up at Myrra, who continues, Do you really feel nothing? You knew her, you two did spar a lot, and yet here you are, searching through her pockets, while her bodys still warm.

    I stand up and dust my clothes a bit. I look over Myrra, who still holds a hand on her bleeding neck. The wound nearly healed already, either thanks to a skill or some items or maybe a hidden tattoo she possesses.

    After thinking it over, I answer Myrra, She tried to kill me, didnt she? She also allied herself with someone who attacked my group, I answer. I mean, she wasnt that bad, and we did have some nice duels, but Im not strong enough to just let her live without worrying about it biting me or others in the back.

    So, you would leave her alive if you were much stronger?

    Probably? I mean, if she didnt threaten my group and had only attacked me I probably would. If I was much stronger, it would consider it cute rather than threatening.

    Myrra opens her mouth to ask something else, but I interrupt her, You keep telling me that you know me so well, so why dont you answer your own questions?

    We start walking towards where the corpse of Thalen is.

    You only care about your guild, and you wouldn''t hesitate if you had to kill anyone here. You might be sad afterwards, but you would do it, Myrra says carefully back in the hallway of the tower.

    To answer her question, I hand her the orb, the weapon against lynthari that Thalen held. You are mostly right, but I think I would hesitate to kill you as well. As for Is, I never trusted her.

    After saying that, I search Thalens body and dont find anything interesting.

    I notice that Myrra wears a strange expression, and her tail is swaying weirdly, but I decide to ignore it. Honestly? Myrra is often annoying, and we fought multiple times, but most of the time she is honest and not the type to stab people in the back or treat them cruelly without a reason, and thats what I like about her.

    Yes, its true what she said, and I only care about Group 4 out of everyone on this floor, because everyone else here is fake and will disappear. Yes, I did treat some lynthari and humans well, like Cael, Obelia, Eris, Myrra, and even Is at times.

    There is no reason for me to be cruel, to murder people for pleasure, or to kill others for their goods. Thats a path I dont want to walk. Sure, if ites to it, I wont hesitate because there is a difference between being cruel and being stupid, and actively hurting myself. But I won''t do it if there isn''t a reason to.

    Thats what Ive decided for now, and I will continue to do so, changing my ways only if I have no other option.

 Chapter 265: Wrath

    Chapter 265: Wrath

    Thebination of Mana Wavelength Iris and <strong>[Tether]</strong> is really strong, but its taxing, and I can barely activate my new trait for a second or two. cing anchors that are harder to detect is nice, but I''m not sure if they are well hidden or if Thalen was just the unobservant type. Or maybe he didnt care because it wasn''t his real body.

    I will need more testing, and yes, there will be people quick enough to run away the moment I send something through the anchor, or people capable of disrupting or using them against me. But I will deal with that in the future. So far, I''m really happy with my new trait and will be sure to supplement my build with two nice epic passives after I enter the 5th floor.

    <strong>[Perception]</strong> epasses the room I''m in. The range of the skill is smaller on purpose as I''m trying to fine-tune it and maybe find some hidden stuff. Myrra and I split up, both of us going through the tower and searching for any interesting items, so far it looks like Thalen already found the best one and thats in Myrras hands now.

    The tower bears signs of times passage that are mostly cosmetic. Dust, faded colors, worn-out carpets, furniture crumbling to dust, that kind of thing. Otherwise, the building is still holding strong, and even though its empty, I can still sense the circuits running through the walls. After checking thest room I was interested in, I channel my mana through the wall and observe where it leads, and then walk in the opposite direction. I will try to find the source, the ce where mana enters the wall.

    As Im tracking it, I meet Myrra in the hallway.

    Two more anti-lynthari stones, three rare items, some mana stones, and conductive metals, she holds a bag in front of her, her search has clearly been much more worthwhile.

    I''m trying to find the source of the mana filling the walls and powering the enchantments, I exin.

    Oh, you mean the core.

    Do you know anything about it? I ask.

    A bit, its not the kind of thing I''m interested in. From what I know, most important buildings and the homes of powerful or skilled people have it. It can be as simple as a high-quality mana stone that the owner keeps and replenishes with mana daily, and to power enchantments, she smoothly jumps over a piece of broken furniture blocking one of the doors.

    She puts a finger to her lips and after a moment of thinking, she continues, Some have mana stones so big that its impossible for one person to fill, so multiple people do it. Then there''s also the option of creating an array of mana batteries capable of keeping enchantments running at full power for weeks, or in restricted mode for months or years, maybe even longer. It''s the kind of stuff I never caught an interest in. I consider observing humans and lynthari to be more fascinating, she smiles shamelessly.

    These mana stones you speak of, are they as big as the ones we use as currency? I ask to confirm.

    Sometimes. Often they are raw mana crystals too low quality to be used like proper mana stones, or in cases where you don''t care about size and just want them to hold as much mana as possible. But in the end, it stilles down to the skill of the enchanter. A good one can create a blueprint, weave a web of enchantments, and inscribe them in a way that will increase efficiency by tens of percent inparison to someone less skilled.

    Now that I think about it, I have a few mana stones with that kind of information. Nothing too good, just the kind of stuff they would teach at schools. Damn, from what I know, some of the inscriptions could be trademarked here, and I wouldnt be surprised. I think I will ask Tess to get some and leave them somewhere I can retrieve them.

    After channeling my mana through the wall, I notice that Ive been following fake circuits all this time. Actually, there are so many of them that I didn''t notice until now.

    Thinking about it, it makes sense. These fake circuits were probably designed to prevent this kind of tracking, and there were probably more anti-tracking inscriptions that are currently inactive due to theck of mana.

    The way Myrra is smiling at me tells me that she knew and enjoyed watching me walk into a dead end.

    As if nothing happened, I send my mana through the walls again and use my eyes for a split second before continuing.

    Is this your trait, feral one? You didnt answer me before, but when you are using it, a golden ring appears around your iris. Its pretty.

    I nod and change the subject, You said the core is powering enchantments. What are the most popr ones? I know there are some to fight against detection skills, some are strengthening the building, others for istion, or maybe even heating.

    One of the first are anti-detection, anti-teleportation, reactive barriers, and instion. There are a lot of them. For heating, to repel insects, to absorb the shock of earthquakes. I even heard stories about enchantments capable of making entire manors fly, enchantments that absorbed mana from attacks to strengthen their barriers, enchantments that killed you if you used specific skills or said specific words.

    I quite like what Im hearing; it all sounds really versatile and like something I will totally try to learn how to do. I also push my n to steal secrets on the matter higher on my priority list. For example, I can already imagine building a manor for Biscuit and creating an enchantment that would feed him deer jerky at pre-scheduled times. Or an enchantment that would activate and attack anyone who uses an invisibility skill.

    Thats nice indeed.

    I dont rush my search for the core, and we examine a few more rooms in the process. Some of them are more interesting than others, but all of them feel empty and lifeless without mana or people flowing through.

    The silence is nearly eerie, made even worse when we pass by windows and see the entire city like this; there is no movement, and it looks drained of colors. Even the wind seems to avoid it and doesnt pass through the streets.

    Breaking through a few walls, we finally reach the core, a pir as tall as me, made of a light purple mana crystal. It stands proudly in a simple room, and the set of inscriptions around it is extremely delicate. After examining it for a while, I channel my mana into it, but even that little trickle seems to cause problems, the pir has likely been programmed to only ept mana from certain people to avoid maniption.

    All the possibilities fascinate me endlessly.

    <strong>[Resonance] </strong>activates, and I start changing the frequencies of my mana, while <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>, <strong>[Infusion]</strong>, <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>, and <strong>[Perception]</strong> continue to run in the background to ease things along. All these skills work together under the watch of my split <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    Its something Ive just started learning to do, and the advantages are just as obvious, as the disadvantages presented by myck of proficiency and the weakened effect of the skill.

    Before I get fully into it, I send a message in the Community.

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Sset, is everything ok with your master?</em>

    It takes a few minutes for Tess to answer; like me, she checks the Community often, just for a second or two to see messages, in consideration of the 15-minute limit we have.

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em>She will be dealt with.</em>

    I see, she must be angry too, after learning that Obelia worked with Thalen to kidnap or kill Lily. Tess isnt one to hesitate in such a situation.

    <strong>POV Storm Brigade</strong>

    Out of nowhere, a sh of light passes through the air, ignoring our defenses, and I watch as my partner for this watch gets thrown against the wall. The rm rings in my head, and the core sends more mana into the barrier, but the shes continue.

    By the third one, I finally realize what it is.

    "It''s the third disciple, Tess!" I shout while activating an item that ensures the message is heard by everyone else on duty tonight.

    Ducking behind the wall, I quickly crawl towards my partner and find him already dead. He shows no signs of life, a javelin is lodged in his neck.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    My heart is racing, but I push myself back onto my feet, activating my skill which covers my body in stone armor, drawn from the ground. At the same time, the javelin that impaled Rnd disappears, pulled back towards where it came from.

    I track its movement, trying to identify the woman that even the guild master called a rare genius.

    A few seconds pass, and only then do I realize how far out Tess is, a distance none of us can hope to reach quickly, I can barely see the tower she is standing on, let alone her figure.

    Like a dart, something appears from the javelins destination, and I feel a tug on my body and lose my bnce. I reach out with my hand to stop myself from falling.

    But it''s not there.

    I look down, and half of my body is missing, a javelin pierced into the ground behind me, red and white lightning flickering around it. My mouth opens to scream, but I feel only blood rushing out and the world starts darkening.

    Out of nowhere, I feel so tired. I try to fight against it, but the javelin behind me gets pulled back towards the source of the attack and on its way back, it pierces through me again.

    Before my heart stops beating, I realize it''s the same javelin that killed Rnd and find that funny. I don''t know why, but...

    <strong>POV Storm Brigade</strong>

    Layering ice, metal, and mana barriers in front of us, we block one of the javelins.

    "Fuck, why would Tess attack? How far is she even out?" someone exims.

    "Maybe she''s with the lynthari!" another suggests.

    "Go and get Jenna, the first and second disciples, or call the guildmaster, we need to..." Jonathan screams.

    Another javelin pierces through the barrier with such strength it feels like it weighs a ton. The javelin pins Jonathan to the ground, and before he can even scream, lightning burns him from inside.

    Before I can move, the javelin gets pulled back with Jonathan still impaled on it. In mid-flight, his body gets torn into two pieces that fall somewhere outside.

    Unable to help my fascination, I watch the trajectory of the javelin, the one our guild master sold during the auction. The attack came from so far away.

    "Barriers!" I shout.

    I manipte all the metal I can reach andyer it into the barrier we create in front of ourselves, but I know it won''t be enough. A sh of lightning, and another attack crashes through the barriers as if they are made of paper.

    Then there is only darkness.

    <strong>POV Storm Brigade</strong>

    "Get out of the courtyard, hide somewhere and hide your mana. She can see your mana even through the walls!" I scream at a petite ck-haired woman dressed in servant''s clothes.

    "Sorry!" she screams and rushes towards me, carrying a bag with her.

    I scan her, and she has a bracelet that identifies her as one of the servants.

    "What the hell are you even doing outside sote? Just get in and tell the other servants to..."

    The young woman, almost a girl, puts her hand on mine. From up close, I notice how pretty she is: shining ck hair with bangs, pretty eyes, pale skin, and soft lips.

    Stop

    Thest thing I see is gray smoke.

    <strong>POV Storm Brigade</strong>

    There is no way Im going outside! She has Primordial lightning and an epic weapon; there is no way I can stop a single attack from her. Just get the guildmaster and!

    Before I can continue, I detect another presence, and all four of us turn to the neer. It''s a petite ck-haired girl dressed as a servant. Someone got into the tower! she screams. One of the warriors told me to

    I identify her bracelet and let my guard down.

    Okay, calm down and tell me what happened, and what''s with that bag you have with you, I reach out towards her and ce my hand on her shoulder. For a moment, a weird expression crosses her face as I touch her, but I ignore it.

    Senna, just send her away and

    In the middle of the sentence, Sennas face disappears, and her lifeless body falls to the ground.

    Huh?

    I send mana through my body, let go of the girl, and try to pull my hand back. Only then do I realize that my arm is gone in its entirety.

    Do not touch me, the young servant says with an expression that terrifies me.

    Someone screams, and then I see nothing.

    <strong>POV Jenna</strong>

    The 1st disciple died, the second one as well, but finally, I reach the top of the tower where the attacks came from with three of our elites. As expected, Tess stands there.

    Tall, beautiful, and lit by the moonlight. Even on this night, her golden hair seems to shine, and the crown of lightning over her head makes her seem more regal than anyone I have seen in my life.

    Jenna, she greets me shortly.

    Behind her back, a dozen javelins float. One epic and the remainder are upper rare grade, but the most dangerous thing is the lightning flickering all around and the sheer amount stored in the crown.

    Tess, I greet her back and absorb all the mana my batteries hold, a storm cloud forming over our heads as our elites surround her.

    Tess looks up, observing the cloud and the lightning that flickers within. My lightning. The one Ive worked twenty years to master.

    Then her crown erges and radiates more mana. The stormcloud I created darkens and expands even more.

    And I lose control over my lightning. She takes it from me and reces it with something of hers, something much stronger. Something Primordial.

    And she does it with such ease as if my years of work are worth nothing.

    For the first time, the hate I always felt towards her is reced by fear.

    Fighting for control over the storm cloud I created, we attack. I watch as Tess reaches her hand up and swings it downwards, drawing a pir of red and white light from the stormcloud over our heads.

    The air itself shakes, and then I die.

    <strong>POV Obelia Jenth</strong>

    The wall around my doors disintegrates, destroying all the inscriptions and expensive materials, and theye crashing down, revealing a petite ck-haired girl with a bag in her hands. There is no sign of the guards in the hallway, and even now I can feel and hear a constant barrage of attacks outside.

    Your door needs some work, even the ones to the room he enchanted were stronger than this, Lily says and enters my office. She does so without any worry, even though she must be feeling all the protections I have.

    I push against the table and stand, stepping on my prosthetic leg, and follow her eyes to look at my arm, which is also a prosthetic.

    Yes, even Thalen was unable to restore it. It was the first time I saw him so terrified, I say in response to her unspoken question.

    When she doesn''t react I offer her, How about we make a deal? In exchange for my life, I will do anything you want of me.

    My eyes meet those of hers, and I can see no mercy in them, no hesitation. They feel like she is looking at a bug.

    Nathaniel would ept, I try again.

    A look of surprise appears on her face, and she startsughing. It''s augh that I would consider cute, and that makes her look even more innocent.

    You dont know him at all, she says, stillughing and smiling at me. You stepped over the line.

    Lily takes a step towards me, ignoring the fact that the closer she gets, the more enchantments light up and the more mana radiates into the air.

    Her voice is smooth, but dark, We are his, I AM his. She throws her bag on the ground, and from it, something rolls out.

    With fascination, I stare at her lips as she proims, He is probably the most rational out of all of us, but Obelia, you dont have any worth anymore. You and your guild have betrayed him.

    Only now do I recognize that the things that fell from the ground are limbs. Small hands, like those of the girl in front of me. There are a dozen of them.

    I activate all the enchantments, and my mana moves as well, sparking the lightning, which feels somehow hesitant as if traumatized from my sh against the young healer before.

    My red lightning shes against wisps of gray smoke that surround her, and the hands on the ground vanish, and the pressure I feel from her strengthens overwhelmingly while her hair bes shorter, and one of her hands disappears.

    The wounds that she receives from the defenses of my office get healed immediately or blocked by that terrifying skill of hers. The entirety of my mana flows from me, fighting against her, enchantments, items, and even epic items. All of it is useless, and her entire arm disappears, strengthening her once more when I''m already out of mana.

    You are weaker than I thought. I think Tess is already stronger than you.

    Her words sting, no, they hurt a lot, and the feeling of pride and hate I hold towards my third disciple surfaces. But I push it away, there is no sense inparing myself to a genius like her.

    I can''t even run because then I would fall under attack from Tess, so the only thing that remains is to fight against the girl in front of me, till the end. She stands there, petite, innocent face, her arm missing and in simple clothes. Wisps of gray smoke destroy everything they touch. It doesnt matter if it''s mana, my body, or items. All of it is equal under the force of her skill.

    I would recognize your sub-ss anywhere, it''s Wrath, isnt it? I stagger back, with a deep gash in my chest as the life leaves my body.

    I feel so cold.

    "You do not need to know," she says and thest thing I see is her face.

 Chapter 266: In the desert

    Chapter 266: In the desert

    Close to two weeks have passed, and I''m ready to leave the old capital. I believe I gained a lot from this ce, and I think I could discover more. Maybe find some secrets I missed, hidden items, and more about this floor. However, when I weigh it against what I could gain from the next floor, it pales inparison.

    Status.

    <strong><em>Name: </em></strong><em>Nathaniel Gwyn</em><em></em>

    <strong><em>Difficulty: </em></strong><em>Hell</em><em></em>

    <strong><em>Floor:</em></strong><em> 4 - Waning Realm</em><em></em>

    <strong><em>Time left until forced return:</em></strong><em> 4y 51d 14h 1m 57s</em><em></em>

    <strong><em>Traits (2/3): </em></strong><em>Mana Circuit, Mana Wavelength Iris</em>

    <strong><em>Lvl 214</em></strong><strong><em></em></strong>

    <em>Strength: 103</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 101</em><em>

    </em>

    <em>Constitution: 246</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 782 + 782</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong><em>Primary ss:</em></strong><em> Focused Channeler (epic)</em><em></em>

    <strong><em>Sub-ss:</em></strong><em> [Initiate of Pride]</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong><em>Active skills:</em></strong><strong><em></em></strong>

    <em>Focus (Dual Focus Consolidation) - Lvl 42</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Maniption (Advanced Mana Maniption) - Lvl 43</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 40</em><em></em>

    <em>Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 40</em><em></em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 40</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Domain - Lvl 28</em><em></em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 28</em><em></em>

    <em>Regalia - Lvl 17</em><em></em>

    <em>Infusion - Lvl 20</em>

    <strong><em>Constructs:</em></strong><strong><em></em></strong>

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Kic Mana Heart (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)</em>

    <strong><em>Passive skills:</em></strong><strong><em></em></strong>

    <em>Cerebral Harmony (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Pyrokic Resurgence (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Reservoir (epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Arcane Resilience (epic)</em>

    <strong><em>Tokens:</em></strong><strong><em></em></strong>

    <em>Beyond Difficulty entrance token</em>

    <strong><em>Shards:</em></strong><em> 9462</em>

    <em></em>

    Ive done another round of active tempering, which boosted me 20 points in Constitution and 10 in Dexterity and Strength.

    While in the rtive safety of the city, I also thought about improving my Kic Mana Heart construct but decided against it in the end. For now, it might be smarter to wait and see what passive I receive in case it gives me some more insight into it. It seems like a good n. Manuals are not avable because of the system, so that''s it.

    As I walk through the empty city, with a bag filled with items, I think about Myrra. In the past two weeks, shes barely left me and shows little intent to return to Virelia and be the matriarch or help with the problems there.

    From Tess, I have learned that there are daily killings of humans and lynthari. Obelia is dead, Is is dead, and Thalen has disappeared, so the big guilds that were supposed to help are gone.

    Cheeky Obelia was also sure to hide a bomb - information that surfaced after she died, ming lynthari for her death. Ast spiteful gift from a smart woman whose obsession cost her life.

    After that, there is no more information from Virelia. Tess and others spent all the mana stones they could, the stones have retained some value for their practical uses. They also stole a lot of useful things from headless guilds among other ces and hired a big group to help them move it all. Then they escaped Virelia about a week ago, heading to the desert to face the Fallen Hero.

    That''s where I will go too. Sure, I don''t tell anyone about it, but I will make sure to watch them from a distance and maybe help if it looks too bad. I don''t want them to know, so they won''t rely on me.

    I also miss that silly corgi and the asional nights we all spent together in the small living room of our first house. It was annoying at times, but I liked that feeling of coziness and camaraderie Tess talks about so much.

    As for looting, I already found one epic item, so I will be happy with that for now. It stings a bit, I had hoped for more, but its just as well, Ive never wanted to be reliant on items, and I already have so many things to work on.

    <strong>Aqua Arcanum Vial (Epic):</strong><em>This small vial contains constantly swirling water. When uncorked, it can unleash a torrential water st or create a protective, swirling water barrier. The Aqua Arcanum Vial can also absorb surrounding water sources, replenishing its contents and making it a versatile tool.</em>

    I wouldn''t use it inbat as I already have problems spending my mana and using my skills, but it''s a nice item to have, it should allow me to save some shards on buying water.

    Ready to leave, feral one? Myrra greets me the moment I reach the towers where we set our base.

    She still looks nearly the same, the only difference is her clothes, which are still ck, contrasting with her white hair, tail, and ears. The clothes are simple, and she carries a few of the things shes looted.

    I nod, Lead the way, nya.

    Feral one, can you please stop? I only said it one or two times so you don''t have to...

    Twenty-seven.

    With a confused expression, she turns to me.

    I repeat, You''ve said ''nya'' twenty-seven times.

    Why would you even count that she lets her voice trail off and then shakes her head, Let''s leave.

    After using the array, we appear in the desert, along with a big pile of items I put on the massive metal te and pull behind me. It''s quite heavy, so I even have to strengthen my body through reinforcement to pull it across the sand.

    Obviously, Myrra finds it extremely funny and continues to tease me. She is immediately in a much better mood, enjoying the heat of the sun on her skin and shedding the thickeryers of her clothes to sunbathe with a big smile on her face.

    Typical cat.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    <strong><em>Noname -</em></strong><em> How is it?</em>

    <strong><em>Sset -</em></strong><em> I made Grumpy waste hermunity limit, so she won''t see what we''re talking about. Of course, this is only if the system clears the messages in the chat at the times we believe it does.</em>

    <strong><em>Noname - </em></strong><em>Good, how''s the search going?</em>

    <strong><em>Sset -</em></strong><em> We already sent the guys back to pull all the items weve got with us. TheStrongestOne helps a lot with that. I also found the crater you talked about, and weve traveled north from there and located our target. I left some markers behind so you can track us. We''ll start in a day or two.</em>

    <strong><em>Noname - </em></strong><em>I will do so. How are the others?</em>

    <strong><em>Sset - </em></strong><em>Excited, sad, and a bit scared. But I''ll pull them together.</em>

    <strong><em>Savant - </em></strong><em>Noname.</em>

    Out of nowhere, Savant interrupts my conversation.

    <strong><em>Savant - </em></strong><em>You still owe me an answer to one question.</em>

    <strong><em>Noname - </em></strong><em>Yes, I do. Go ahead.</em>

    <strong><em>Savant - </em></strong><em>You asked me before how it is to be alone, so I want to ask you this. How is it to be with a group? One of you, a man called Hadwin, died. How do you feel about it?</em>

    <strong><em>Noname -</em></strong><em> You would waste your question on something like that?</em>

    <strong><em>Savant -</em></strong><em> It will allow me to understand you better.</em>

    I see, Savant sure knows how to ask questions I don''t like to think about the answer to.

    <strong><em>Noname -</em></strong><em> Some time ago, we got a lot of money. The boys had a good idea, and we were able to leverage our items.</em>

    Savant patiently waits, so I also give myself a moment and then continue.

    <strong><em>Noname - </em></strong><em>We spent the entire night buying things for everyone in our group. Things that would make them happy or be useful to them or their training. We bought things for everyone except Hadwin.</em>

    I stare ahead over the dunes, feeling the warm heat of the sun on my skin as memories sh through my mind.

    <strong><em>Noname -</em></strong><em> I forgot about Hadwin, and we didn''t buy anything for him. Back then it was okay; we just gave him mana stones, and he picked something on his own. But since he died, I can''t stop thinking about it.</em>

    I want to write another message, but Savant interrupts me.

    <strong><em>Savant - </em></strong><em>That''s enough for the answer.</em>

    After that, I close the Community and gesture to Myrra as we head towards the crash site of the orbital base.

    The ever-present dunes and scorching sun get old rather quickly, but I start to enjoy the warmth on my skin after a few weeks in the cold and cloudy old capital. Right now, even though the only thing to see are the dunes all around us, the sunshine makes things look more lively.

    Soon, we reach one of Tess''s markers, a small stone holding some of her mana though its already been buried under a dune by the wind that shapes this desert. But because I know what to look for, I''m still able to locate it and continue to follow the trail.

    As she has many times before, Myrra follows me, and there is a hint of distant sadness to her. It''s hard to describe, but it''s the expression of someone waiting to hear the bad news. Myrra is smart, and like me, she likes to observe others, so she must have noticed something. The question is how much the system has allowed her to notice.

    I decide to push it away, as something for future Nathaniel to deal with before entering the 5th floor. So, for now, we silently push through the dunes while I pull the iron sled of items behind me.

    Minutes pass. Then hours, and a day, as we track the marks Tess left until we reach one of the biggest dunes and climb on top of it.

    They are in front of us, Myrra says quietly and points somewhere in the distance.

    I''m unable to see anything unlike her, so she forms her aurora ss into a big te in front of us. The ss shifts and changes multiple times until it seems to work like a telescope, and through it, I finally see Group 4, all of them walking in line, moving multiple sleds simr to mine.

    Out of nowhere, Tess stops and turns around, staring right at us. Lily steps up next to her and looks in our direction as well, but unlike the blonde she can''t see that far.

    Tess only shakes her head, and the smile that shes across her face seems to be meant for me and not for Lily.

    Your group can be scary at times, Feral One, but are you sure you don''t want to help them? The Fallen Hero is a terrifying enemy.

    I watch as Biscuit wobbles through the sand, his short legs often sinking and slowing him down, and yet he is too proud to ask for help and continues to follow the group. The snake around Isabes arm is much bigger now, and out of everyone in the group, Isabe seems to enjoy the desert the most, even keeping two fire orbs floating nearby. I can''t sense it from here, but I think she might be using the sun and hot air here to strengthen them.

    Then there is a group of three boys walking closely behind Maya, all pulling sleds while Sophie walks in the back, surely casting her web all around.

    They are the same, yet different, and a wistful feeling overtakes me. How silly it is, how unustomed I am to this kind of feeling.

    When I turn to Myrra, she gazes at me sadly, For a moment, you were smiling, Feral One. A real, warm smile. It disappeared as quickly as it came, but you were.

    She reaches out and brushes a lock of hair from my face, her touch gentle as if she is handling something delicate. I watch her for a moment, curious about what she will do next, but she stops and pulls her hand away.

    Tutorial, I say.

    She tilts her head and opens her mouth as if she wants to ask something, but then her face changes, a nk expression appears on it, and then it reverts to the state it was before I said that word.

    Fourth floor, Waning Realm, Floor quest, I say quietly.

    After each word, her expression changes to nk and then reverts.

    So, I just stay quiet, and she smiles at me apologetically, Sorry for touching you, Feral One.

    It''s fine, I tell her.

    It takes a day longer than we expected to spot the Fallen Hero.

    Even from as far away as I am, I can sense the sheer amount of power the armor possesses, and when Myrra uses her Aurora ss, we can see it as well.

    As the rumors said, it''s most likely an upper epic suit of armor that, while the Champion was alive, most likely served to transfer some of his owners mana into sheer physical strength.

    Now, with the Champion dead, the armor uses his still-beating mana heart to power itself and move around, searching for enemies. Either some changes were made to the armor when its wearer died, or the Champion programmed it to do that before he died. To help humans fight against the enemy.

    The gray and red armor itself is scratched all over; in ces, it looks like it has started to rust, and there are even holes in ces, the biggest one on the back of the helmet, is most likely the one that killed its owner.

    The movement is unnerving, clearly not human. Each step is somehow awkward and hesitant, yet full of strength.

    Tess and the others notice it as well and from really far away, she starts to observe it, moving the group so they can avoid it while she collects enough information.

    I spend that day examining mana stones as I pull the sled behind me and speak with Myrra, trying to tease her, or practicing my skills. Yet none of these actions help me to get my mind off what is about toe.

    Straight and clear, I''m worried.

    Pathetic, am I not? After all the things I said. All my resolve that they should get stronger or die now before we be closer. Gareths wordse to my mind more and more often as time passes, and I find myself thinking maybe he was right.

    When the time finallyes, I''m ready to dash in there and help, but only until Tess''s face appears in full view on the piece of aurora ss allowing us to see far into the distance.

    Tess smiles brilliantly, and her gray eyes have an unnatural shine to them from the desert sun. As it has these past few days, her <strong>[Stormcrown] </strong>remains suspended over her head.

    <em>It will be fine,</em> I read her lips.

    Don''t go around nting death gs, you stupid blonde, I mumble under my breath and then sit back down.

    Fine, I will trust you. It''s hard for me to do so, but I will believe in you guys.

    Show me what Group 4 is capable of.

 Chapter 267: The Fallen Hero

    Chapter 267: The Fallen Hero

    The group takes a formation unlike any they''ve used before. For the first time, Tess hangs back, opposite her normal position, on the frontlines. She is so far behind that it would be hard for her to move close to help.

    It surprises me, but I soon realize why shes done so. Tess will be focusing on dealing as much damage as possible without being distracted by her opponents'' attacks. From such a distance, she will be able to make each of her attacks as strong as possible.

    Obviously, that also means she will be putting a lot of trust in the rest of the groups ability to stay alive. For someone wanting to protect her friends so much, it''s an unexpected decision.

    On the other side, Lily is back on the frontline, next to Maya, who has the epic crown on her head, and plenty of mana batteries in contraptionsyered over her body.

    The petite healer seems to be determined, and I instantly realize that her position on the front line was her choice.

    Dennis and Aaron are both on the sides and slightly behind Lily and Maya. Seeing as no one is talking, they must be using <strong>[Connection]</strong> tomunicate.

    A bit further back are Isabe and Sophie, the sisters close to each other, Noodle coiled around Isabes arm as she holds the epic bow Lily used to wield.

    Thest member of the group, Min-Jae, is off to the side of the sisters. He has switched to smaller projectiles for this fight, and he spins them around his body, something he started copying when he saw me doing it. The projectiles in question look a lot like golf balls, but I know they are extremely heavy because of his gravity skill.

    One of his eyes is brown, and the left one is yellow, and it''s already glowing and I''m sure hes improved his control of it.

    Ive thought about it before, but I think his eyes are simr to my own, the only difference is that I have two eyes that allow me to see waves of mana. While his eye seems to allow him to see waves of gravity.

    Biscuit is also there. He stands on the dune, a gentle wind blowing against his fur, and the corgi seems to be enjoying it while he breathes quickly. His tongue is sticking out as if he is trying to cool off. So far, he is not using any skills, but he is ready.

    The fight starts suddenly. Initiated by Kim shooting one of his small metal orbs at the Fallen Hero.

    I watch through Myrras Aurora ss as the armor stops moving and turns around. The corpse of the Champion d in Valorte. Even damaged, the red and gray armor is beautiful. And most of all, it''s dangerous, confirmed by the First Ones fear of it.

    When the armor starts moving towards the group, I understand it. Nothing changes after it notices the group. There is no mana emanating from it, and no skills activate. No, the entirety of that immense mana is turned into sheer strength.

    The armor takes a step, and the entire dune under it explodes, and with one leap, it flies through the air right toward the group.

    The silence is broken by the crackling of lightning and a terrifying noise that pierces the air as a gray spear crashes against the armor. The lightning spreads, covering the armor. The sheer strength of the impact pushes the armor away, and both burrow deep into a dune, sending an explosion of sand into the air.

    Lightning shes again, and the spear gets pulled back.

    Isabe attacks next. One of the fire orbs floating over her shoulder elongates and turns into a ming arrow which she nocks to her bow. Even though the bow is nearly as tall as her, she manages to draw the string of mana that appears and fires the arrow. As it leaves the string it grows even brighter and morepressed, a brilliant arrow made of blue fire that Isabe subtly maniptes topensate for herck of skill.

    The blue arrow leaves a wake of shimmering hot air, and when it passes over the sand, it melts. The longer it flies, the more it speeds up, and by the time it reaches the crater left by the armor, I can barely track it with my eyes.

    The explosion that ensues sends mes high into the air, some as tall as a building. The impact sprays molten sand into the area, and as it falls, it shines brightly like drops of hot ss.

    Even before the fires disappear, the armor climbs out of the sand, slightly charred but unharmed.

    At that point, its movements change. It''s not so inhuman this time, no, it''s slow and elegant. The Fallen Hero stomps on the ground, and the sand explodes high into the air like a series of geysers as the shockwave blows away the mes.

    It''s not using skills at all; it''s just sheer physical stats, Myrra whispers, her eyes glued to the piece of ss.

    The armor moves again and disappears from sight, another shockwave erupting in its wake.

    It takes another leap, much lower and faster this time.

    Just before the armor reaches Maya and Lily, I notice Kim moving his arm, and the armor stops mid-air and crashes back to the ground, pulled by the immense force of gravity.

    Mana radiates from Maya, and her mana armor envelops her, denser than anything shes ever shown me before. She uses <strong>[Boost]</strong>, moving past Lily, and as the armor stands up, her ax crashes into it, sending it staggering backward.

    Before she can attack again, the Fallen Hero swings its arm, and she is sent flying, as the front of her armor cracks. The armor takes a step to follow her, but Lily appears in front of it, and the armor changes its mind and punches her. The punch is smooth and elegant, looking like the result of thousands of repetitions.

    Its hand passes through Lilys chest, but then the twin''s illusion disappears, and Lily hits it with her fist instead and sends a st of gray mana through the punch.

    For the first time, the armor takes damage, the smoke-like mana leaving deep gouges.

    The armor starts moving at terrifying speed, and I notice the bag on Lily''s back growing smaller as she uses<strong> [Sacrifice]</strong>. As she does this, she moves nearly as quickly as the armor. They exchange blows until the armor feints and then kicks, breaking her arm. She rolls across the ground over a distance longer than a football field.

    It dashes at Lily, but Dennis is there. He grabs her and pulls her away while a dozen illusions obscure them, each one realistic enough to fool even me, and each of them with different mana signatures.

    Instead of dealing with them individually, the armor stomps, creating another crater as the shockwave destroys the entire dune along with the illusions.

    Isabe shoots another arrow, but this one is different. Sophie, knowing that she can''t manipte a mind that doesnt exist, uses <strong>[Maniption]</strong> topress the arrow and even tie the web shes created to it.

    There is no explosion of mes from the area, just a localized burst that is extremelypressed and thus pierces a hole through the Fallen Hero, exiting on the other side.

    A piercing noise follows, and a spear trailed by lightning flies directly at the heros heart, and for the first time, the armor blocks. It puts an arm in front of its chest and is sent flying.

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    Before the spear can return, the armor grabs it and stabs at Maya, who charges it. She barely dodges, but the next elegant stab pierces her chest. The armor tries to move to finish the woman encased in armor but is prevented by the web Sophie prepared coiling around it and halting its movements.

    Maya gets to her feet, the wound on her chest healing at a visible speed, and her armor flickers and disappears. Instead, she creates an axerger than she is that takes on a dark blue color with a streak of light blue mana flowing through it.

    Her swing is quick and deadly, the axe burrowing into the armor''s neck.

    Getting a warning, she lets go of the weapon and uses <strong>[Boost]</strong> to escape quickly.

    The armor tears apart the skills holding it back. Not by disrupting them, no. Just by using raw power that defies any attempt to slow it down.

    At the same time, a dozen javelins trailed by lightning crash against it. One after another, each of the javelins crumples and breaks, and yet they leave dents in the armor and channel their lightning through it.

    A few fire arrows join in, and Min-Jae also uses his eye, closing his hand as he reaches towards the armor. As he closes it, the armor moves quickly, and instead of its chest, its forearm gets crumpled under the force of the press.

    The Fallen Hero turns to Min-Jae, and its focus stays on him. Lily, pushes the attack and gets thrown by a skillful kick that leaves even more of her bones broken.

    A swing of its arm destroys the illusion and the entire dune in front of it. The sheer pressure of the swing throws Maya and the twins away.

    Then it rushes at Min-Jae.

    Dozens of iron balls crash against it, each one that hits slowing it down a bit more as Min-Jae stacks his <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong> and increases the weight of the armor.

    The dome-like web Sophies been creating shrinks and tangles around the armor, slowing it even further, but it''s still not enough.

    Every time it gets slowed down, more mana flows through it, strengthening it further. The heart of the Champion beats weaker than when he was alive, but its still loud, even after his death.

    The spear the armors been holding starts pulling it toward Tess, but the armor just grabs it with both hands and breaks the epic weapon like it''s nothing, and the pieces fall to the ground.

    Another stomp sends sand into the air, blocking the view as the armor charges.

    I watch as a big armored arm grabs Min-Jae and tears off the boy''s arm, only for the illusion to disappear as Lily stands there instead of Min-Jae, her arm torn off. The petite healer uses her skill, and all the sacrifices in her bag disappear, her waist-long hair shortening even further.

    She doesn''t regenerate her arm, no, the petite maniac even sacrifices the arm the armor is still holding, and then punches the Fallen Hero in the chest, her gray mana flowing through him.

    At thest moment, the armor shifts, and a burst of gray mana eats its arm instead of reaching its heart.

    Immediately after, with immense speed, it punches Lily, denting her chest, and then breaks Lily''s neck.

    Before the armor can tear off her head, purple tentacles coil around it and tie it up, not allowing any movement.

    After a moment of struggle, the Fallen Hero gets loose, and when it tries to find Lily, she is already gone, an Illusion from the twins helping her escape.

    Turning towards the newest enemy, the armor takes a step towards Biscuit, who doesn''t even growl, just observes it curiously.

    Biscuit tilts his head, a focused expression overtaking his face, and instead of purple tentacles, an orb of purple mana materializes in front of the corgi. The orb starts off as big as a basketball but shrinks to the size of a golf ball, its purple color darkening with streaks of different colors flowing through.

    Don''t tell me.

    The orb starts glowing bright white, and Biscuit shoots it at the Fallen Hero who tries to run away but is once again stopped by Sophie.

    Aaron appears next to Biscuit and grabs him from the ground. He activates<strong> [Haste]</strong> and runs at a speed that is almost as quick as the armor.

    Then the Fallen Hero changes again. The first time it happened, its awkward movements became smoother and elegant, yet this time theyve be confident and domineering. Even though Sophie holds the armor, it straightens up and shes its hand towards the orb flying at it.

    The orb disappears as if it never existed, and an immense force shes against the ground, creating a deep and long crack in the sand.

    Another sh with its hand destroys Biscuit''s mana arms as they reach toward it, and the stomp creates a shockwave that forms another crater around the armor.

    Biscuit growls and javelins made of purple mana form by his sides as he is being carried by Aaron. The mana projectiles shoot towards the armor, which blocks each of them easily.

    Meanwhile, Tess and Min-Jae finish their preparation, and from high in the air, something starts falling. It''s the chest made of unknown material that once contained the eye Min-Jae now sports. The indestructible chest is falling much quicker than it should be, and I''m sure it''s much heavier as well, the force behind it immense.

    Dozens of purple tentacles explode from the ground and surround the armor. Sophie activates her skill, and even the twins seem to use their <strong>[Connection] </strong>in a weird way.

    With a shockwave, the chest smashes against the armor, crumpling and bending it and forcing it to its knees. The sheer weight and inertia dealing immense damage.

    But slowly, the Fallen Hero still stands up. Its stance changes once more, and it disappears from the spot, reappearing in front of Min-Jae and Maya. The young boy doesn''t even have time to react, but Maya does. Her <strong>[Boost]</strong> gives her enough speed to face the armor for a few seconds even though she is bleeding and tearing her body as she moves, the crown on her head keeping her alive.

    A dozen attacks are exchanged in a second, both of them changing positions to try to gain an advantage over each other while Lily moves nearby.

    Even though the armor has only one arm, it dominates Maya, and the moment her skill deactivates, a hand swings to her face. Messages are exchanged between the group and Lily grabs the armor by the hand, her body strengthened by <strong>[Sacrifice],</strong> now capable of following the armor.

    Quickly pulling its arm away, the armor dashes and disappears, attacking Isabe.

    Lily disappears simultaneously and steps into its path, the two of them exchanging blows.

    Giving up on her ranged advantage, Tessnds nearby, a crown over her head and lightning crackling and trailing her body. Her face appears on the piece of aurora ss, and she deres something, the armor freezing in mid-movement and turning to her.

    Tess''s crown disappears, the lightning that formed it flowing down her body and into her hand where it reforms into the shape of a spear. The blonde faces it and attacks the armor as it changes its stance again, to the form with elegant movements.

    Lily, with her presence masked by the twin''s skill, jumps on the armor''s back. Her gray mana turns into a dagger which she repeatedly stabs into the armor''s helmet, causing it to stagger a bit. More messages are exchanged between the members and skills activate, forcing the armor to stop its movements.

    Then Tess takes a step forward and a spear of lightning pierces right through the ce where the heart is supposed to be.

    In the following silence, nothing moves for a while, and the wind continues to move sand over the dunes until it stops as well.

    Finally, the Fallen Hero staggers and falls to its knees.

    <strong>Congrattions! Your group haspleted your Floor quest and defeated the second Cmity.</strong>

    <strong>You have received 4000 shards.</strong>

    Relieved, everyone from Group 4 groups up, smiles on their faces as they check on each other and seem to read notifications as well.

    The boys, still weak and wounded, start checking the armor lying on the ground, and I notice they are talking quickly.

    In the end, they did it; on their own, they defeated the Cmity, and I see that every single one of them has be stronger. Some of them by a lot, and some didnt have the chance to show it fully because of the opponent they were facing.

    Another soft ding sounds, and curious I check the new Floor quest that has appeared.

    <strong><em>Floor quest: </em></strong><em>Kill Lynthari Matriarch Myrra</em>

    <strong><em>Reward:</em></strong><em> 6000 shards</em>

 Chapter 269: 5th Floor

    Chapter 269: 5th Floor

    <strong>Congrattions! You have cleared the 4th floor of the Hell difficulty tutorial. Wee to the 5th floor: Mentorship</strong>

    <strong>You have acquired:</strong>

    <em>Unique Passive skill</em>

    <em>Skill upgrade token</em>

    <em>2000 Shards</em>

    <em>60 stat points</em>

    <em>ess to other Communities</em>

    Well, there goes my 6 thousand shards for killing Myrra.

    Do I regret it?

    Not even a bit, nope, not even slightly. The system can go and delete its System32 folder, or step on a Lego, or something.

    I confirm my decision by flipping the bird at the screen in front of me andying down on the grass. The sky above me is beautiful and as far as I can sense there are no humans or monsters around. The 5th floor seems peaceful so far.

    My thoughts keep going back to the 4th floor and the mana stone I left behind. I wonder, will it help? Will the system ignore it and delete the floor instantly? Will the stone trick it, even a little? Have things changed because of Lissandra? The stone might only prolong Myrra''s suffering, yet I still find myself hoping.

    Lying there I open themunity.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> so how is it?</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Nat! I''m happy that you are safe!</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> Who is Nat?</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>oh, sorry! But don''t worry, there is no one else, just our group</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>how can you know that?</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> no one else has talked so far!</em>

    Oh boy, maybe all the hits she took on the left some damage she couldn''t heal.

    <strong>Izzy (Hell, group 4) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>hello, Noname! what a terrible name!</em>

    <strong>TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>long time no see</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> wee to the 5th floor</em>

    I talk for a while, and greet group 4 members. After not talking to them for a few weeks it feels weirdly nice and I feel myself pushing my feelings about what happened with Myrra and the end of the floor to the back of my mind.

    For now, I will hope. I will allow myself to expect the best. I will trust that Cockroachsandra is as scary as she likes to think she is.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>so has everyone been split up?</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> yes, from what we found so far everyone is in their own instance of the 5th floor. They seem to be identical to each other, but it looks like we won''t be able to meet each other.</em>

    <strong>TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>I have to go, my disciple is getting impatient!</em>

    Huh, disciple?

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> I will be going as well. Don''t forget to check the Community every hour, stay safe everyone</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Food!</em>

    We exchange a few more words and I close the Community.

    Well, it looks like I will be on my own for a while. Min-Jae said he had a disciple, so what is this floor about?

    <strong>Floor quest:</strong>

    <em>Raise and protect your disciple</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>???</em>

    <em>Skill upgrade token</em>

    <em>5000 Shards</em>

    <em>100 stat points</em>

    <em>Trait strengthening token</em>

    <strong>Wee to the 5th floor! Your disciple will be summoned in 24 hours. The disciple will be chosen from the tutorial database, specially for you.</strong>

    <strong>If your disciple dies on the 5th floor you will be severely punished.</strong>

    <strong>If your disciple dies outside of the 5th floor you will lose a certain amount of shards.</strong>

    <strong>Time until the appearance of the disciple: </strong><em>23h 51min 10s</em>

    That''s a lot to unpack.

    Asking others doesn''t seem to make sense as they surely don''t have any more information than what the system has given me. The most important part is that the death of a disciple will lead to severe punishment. The weird part is that it mentions the possibility of death somewhere outside the 5th floor. What does that mean?

    And what does it mean by raise and protect? Does that mean my disciple will be young?

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>How old are the disciples?</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Mine is 6 years old, the others are the same. Sorry, I have to go!</em>

    Oh boy, this floor is getting messy. The rewards are too, just some question marks as the first reward.

    At least it looks like I have some time so why don''t I sort things out?

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 5000 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Skill upgrade token</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    I confirm and the skill upgrade token disappears. It looks like it was the same grade as the one from the side quest and that leaves me with 20,462 shards.

    Just in case I go through the shop and look for a rarity higher than epic, but I don''t find any at all. It looks like even 20 thousand shards is not enough or there is some other requirement that I need to fulfill for it to unlock. Maybe another Primary ss upgrade? Subss upgrade? Higher floor? Do I need to find something of higher than epic rarity in the wild for it to unlock in the shop?

    Well, it''s something to think aboutter.

    I spend the next few minutes scrolling through the passives offered to me by the shop and then the ones I''m getting from the 4th-floor quest.

    After a bit of thinking, I decide to buy a passive I thought about before. There still isn''t anything better and as Ive noticed with the weaker version I possess, I could be capable of learning it on my own and turning it into an active skill, hopefully. Plus, out of all healing passives, it feels the strongest, making use of Primordial thermal energy.

    Yes, I could go healing passive based on the amount of mana I possess but none of those Ive been offered feels like the burst of strong healing I need. It feels like an excuse, but the main reason is my hope of acquiring an active healing skill and I tried a lot while relying on my mana to get there and trying to copy Lily. It didn''t work at all so maybe Primordial thermal energy will get me there.

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    When I try to buy it a notification pops up.

    <strong>Unable to buy another passive! Every being within the system is limited to 5 passives at most.</strong>

    <strong>Please get rid of one or sell it to rece it with a new one.</strong>

    And it''s as expected.

    I heard about it from Dennis when the boys tried to have a build with a dozen umon passive skills, but they told me they were unable to go over five. I had hoped it was because of their lower level or because of them not having a primary ss upgrade, but it looks like there is a limit to the amount of passives one can held.

    Now that I think about it, there might be one for active skills as well. Currently, I have 9 active skills so maybe it''s 10? The system likes rounded numbers.

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong>

    <em>Cerebral Harmony (rare)</em>

    <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare)</em>

    <em>Pyrokic Resurgence (rare)</em>

    <em>Mana Reservoir (epic)</em>

    <em>Arcane Resilience (epic)</em>

    One of the passiveses from the Primary ss so that leaves only 4 passive skills for the user to decide. An annoying limit, but there might be a reason for it.

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 200 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Pyrokic Resurgence (rare)</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    Then I buy the new passive.

    <strong>Phoenix Embrace (epic):</strong><em>The user harnesses Thermal Energy, channeling controlled bursts of heat to elerate the healing process, using primordial energy''s transformative nature to heal their wounds.</em>

    It cost me 12,350 shards, leaving me with 8,312, I decide to keep them for now while I once again go through the epic passives Ive been offered forpleting the 4th-floor quest.

    This time there are 6 of them, but I didn''t find any of them in the system shop when I checked.

    <strong><em>Basilisk Gaze (epic):</em></strong>

    <em>The user possesses a passive intimidating aura, causing unease and fear in adversaries. This skill doesn''t paralyze with a look, but it does unsettle opponents, making them less effective inbat.</em>

    <strong><em>Mana Overload Absorption (epic):</em></strong>

    <em>The user''s mana channels are highly proficient at absorbing excess mana, mitigating the negative effects of mana overloads, and ensuring stability in challenging magical situations.</em>

    <strong>Mana Forge (epic):</strong>

    <em>The user''s maniption of mana transcends its limits, enabling them to shape mana into intricate and powerful constructs. These creations possess remarkable durability and destructive capabilities, making them formidable.</em>

    <strong><em>Kic Momentum (epic):</em></strong>

    <em>The user''s mastery of kic energy allows them to effortlessly transfer tremendous kic force between their body, weapons, and projectiles, resulting in devastating impacts and unparalleled effectiveness.</em>

    <strong>Energy Conversion (epic):</strong>

    <em>The user naturally converts ambient energy into personal strength and stamina. This passive skill grants them increased endurance and resilience, making them less susceptible to fatigue and energy-based attacks.</em>

    <strong>Labyrinth Mind (epic):</strong>

    <em>The user''s thoughts are incrediblyplex and protected, rendering them near immune to mind-reading, scrying, and mental intrusion. This skill also confuses anyone attempting to manipte their thoughts or memories.</em>

    So, let''s go through them one after one.

    I probably got Basilisk Gaze because I like to use my mana for intimidationtely. I don''t like it much because it is passive and walking around with a field like that sounds annoying. But now that I think about it, I''m capable of turning off my passive skills so it should be fine, turning this passive into a semi-active skill.

    The effect is most likely really strong because it''s a passive skill, but I would rather deal more damage and kill my enemies quickly rather than scare them and kill them slowly. So this ones a pass for now.

    Mana Overload Absorption is simr to a skill I was offered a while ago, the old one was only of rare grade. I like this one a lot, a lot a lot. If I don''t change my mind Ill pick this one.

    Mana Forge is also interesting and would strengthen my <strong>[Regalia] </strong>a lot and would probably make it easier to create the mana mecha armor I already used a few times. Yet I hesitate, as it''s something I will slowly get to on my own and I don''t need <strong>[Regalia]</strong> to be much stronger, it''s really strong already and I''m even using <strong>[Infusion]</strong> to give it an even bigger boost. This one is also a skip for now.

    Energy Conversion sounds interesting. Does it mean the passive is capable of turning heat into strength and stamina? Maybe even cold? Would a higher rarity skill be capable of turning sunrays into more power? That does sound incredible. A being with such a passive? Turning sunrays, cold air, hot air, strong wind, gravitational force, and other energies into physical stats?

    The effect likely won''t be that strong otherwise the skill would be straight-up broken and this asshole system wouldn''t allow that, but I should keep it in mind.

    Labyrinth Mind is probably something simr to my Mantle and Reinforcement constructs. I also like it a lot, but with my immense mana, I should be able to protect my mind on my own, which was confirmed when Sophie wasn''t capable of Manipting the First One while he was releasing a lot of mana.

    Well, Mana Overload Absorption it is, the question is what skill should I rece?

    Thinking for a while I sell Cerebral Harmony for 200 shards and rece it with the newest one. I think the boost Cerebral Harmony gives to my mind and mana connection is too weak at this point to even notice so it should be fine.

    As expected the pain is terrible and it feels like my mana channels are burning, a feeling almost as bad as when I got my first trait. The worst part of it is how long it takes. Minutes of burning pain that is made worse by the feeling of iting from inside my body.

    Using <strong>[Focus]</strong>, I try to filter it out and examine the changes being to my body.

    As many times before I can''t even feel the source of the changes or what is guiding them. I''m also incapable of feeling mana or anything else applying the changes. It''s just happening.

    The system is truly as scary as it is assholish.

    Epic passives being dealt with, there is one thing I want to check before testing them. Something I was really, really curious about ever since the start of the floor.

    I open themunity, click on Easy Difficulty, and type my message.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>hey, what was your floor quest for the 4th floor?</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -</strong><em>oh, another one from group 4! Wee!</em>

    <strong>Sami (Easy, AFK) - </strong><em>lol, another loser from Hell. Only on the 5th floor, lol.</em>

    <strong>Maria (Easy, AFK) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>Ignore Sami, he likes to think he is funny.</em>

    <strong>Potato (Easy, Royals) - </strong><em>Noname, did you meet Ligma on the 4th floor?</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) - </strong><em>our floor quest was to kill some abomination ant. I couldn''t even see his level, but he had two question marks. One group killed him a few months ago; we went to the 5th floor.</em>

    <strong>Sami (Easy, AFK) -</strong><em>we even have people who went to the 6th floor two months ago, lol.</em>

    <strong>Potato (Easy, Royals) - </strong><em>did you learn about Updog?</em>

    <strong>Sami (Easy, AFK) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>they might be on the 7th or 8th floor already. I bet they could take you on. I don''t trust that Sset guy at all. There is no way there are three question mark monsters.</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -</strong><em>what''s your level, Noname?</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Sami, I will see you during the tournament. Thanks for the answer, Channeler. Is Mana the best stat? I will keep my level to myself.</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -</strong><em>oooo, I like you! Mana rules! Are you also a mana build? I''m 2 parts mana and one part constitution, and people call me crazy, heh. What are you? 3 mana 1 con? Or maybe even 4 mana 1 con?</em><em></em>

    <em></em>

    I check my stats.

    <em>Constitution: 246</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 782 + 782</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>something like that. Can I ask you a few questions?</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -</strong><em> sure, but you will have to answer some of mine - well, the ones you can.</em>

    Im really starting to like the guy.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>will do.</em>

    I ignore other messages as there are at this point a dozen people chatting, and I don''t have that much time with my limit formunity and need to save some forter.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>how many groups are there in Easy difficulty and how many people started in each? Can you tell me your floor quests and your average levels?</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -</strong><em>heh, Sset asked the same questions. 10 groups in total, each group with 200 people, but plenty of them moved to normal difficulty. One group nearly all died and only 1 person survived out of all 200. We think he killed everyone else though. First floor - survive for 30 days in the forest, there were goblins and some wolves, all low level. The second floor was to stop a powerful mage mass murderer, the third floor was some post-apocalyptic city with zombies, and we had to reach the Saint and help to fight it, the fourth floor was to kill the abomination ant, two question mark monster.</em>

    Nice answer, short and to the point.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>thanks, what would you like to know?</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -</strong><em>did you really have to fight 5 cmities one of which was a giant ant with wings that was over level 250 and led tens of thousands of ants?</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>only 4 Cmities and the ant didn''t have wings, he made them with mana. And yes, he was around that level.</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) - </strong><em>heh, I was testing you. I wanted topare your answer to Sset''s. Thanks. My limit is gone so see youter!</em>

    After Channeler leaves, I skim through a few messages and turn off themunity. Tomorrow I will check the normal one.

 Chapter 284: The Sanctuary

    Chapter 284: The Sanctuary

    Once again, we stand in front of the massive iron door leading to what I can only guess is a bunker, also known as the Sanctuary.

    Darren keeps looking between me and the pile of food and water on the ground.

    The entire time, I keep <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> on Vega so she can try to fight against it, as I disrupt her mana to up the difficulty for her.

    Even though we are not leveling right now, she is raising the levels of her skills, and my intention is to help her learn how to recreate the effect of my Mantle. Making sure she can maintain control of her mana is a higher priority than raising her level.

    Vega is getting hurt, and blood leaks from tears in her skin, as more blood flows from her nose, earning me a few weird looks.

    Its not poisoned or anything, I tell Darren when he stays too silent.

    I know that it most likely isnt, and we can check for and remove the poison if needed. I just cant understand where you got it from, and Im sure you wont tell me even if I ask.

    He looks towards me and I nod, confirming his suspicion, then I increase the pressure on Vega as she starts to get the hang of fighting my skills. Did she level up her skills?

    I like to be honest, Darren, and I dont like it when things be tedious or take too long. I know you likely have some trouble within the Sanctuary, and I want you to let me in.

    You realize what you are asking for, right? There are a lot of weaker people we are protecting, our families, and our kids. We dont even know you.

    And you realize that in the worst case, I can get inside on my own. Usually, I wouldnt mind taking some time to prove myself, but I dont have the luxury.

    Nina, who once again stands by Darrens side, touches her sword, and our eyes meet.

    Dont, Darren warns her and turns back to me. For a second, he nces at my disciple next to me and then back, Do I have your word, Nathaniel?

    Kind of? If you guys attack me or my disciple, I will fight back.

    That much is reasonable.

    Father Nina leans closer and whispers something into Darrens ear, but he shakes his head.

    He reaches into one of his pockets and pulls out a mana stone. He activates it, and sends a signal somewhere behind the giant circr iron door.

    The massive door emits a few cracking noises before opening in a slow, smooth motion. There doesnt seem to be any mana involved at all, its motion powered by thebined strength of multiple men and women pushing it from inside.

    They only open the door part way, and when Darren gestures to me, I release some of the pressure Im putting on Vega and continue to disrupt her mana. We follow behind him, along with a dozen guards and Nina, some of them taking a moment to grab the supplies I left outside.

    Wee to the Sanctuary.

    We enter into a rough circr tunnel filled with buildings made out of wood, mostly, which mostly seem to act as a space for the guards to rest. We get a few surprised looks as we pass by them, and the men on duty pull a series of ropes to close the door behind us.

    The inside of the tunnel is made out of stone with gray veins of iron running through it. It reminds me of the gray stone from the 4th floor, the one used for the tunnels and orbital base. Its not like the material is the same, but the iron veins seem to be strengthening it, and when I send mana toward it, I sense channels gouged through that are empty and void of mana. The iron itself seems to serve as durable and mana-resistant shielding.

    We delve deeper into the long, straight tunnel, taking us deeper underground. Some channels seem to have been cut into the stone to help with flooding.

    I reach out and touch the walls, they are rougher than the floor, almost as if they were carved out in a hurry.

    Did your group build the Sanctuary? I ask.

    Darren shakes his head, The Sanctuary is older than anyone alive. From what we know, it was a bunker built long before the war, left abandoned and unused. Our ancestors came up with better types of bunkers, and the Sanctuary was considered to be obsolete. Some of the survivors found it after the war.

    I listen carefully to what he says, and I cant help but feel a tingle of curiosity and excitement. I cant exin it properly, but this feels like fun. Even back on Earth, I liked the videos of people delving into old buildings and exploring them, or visiting bunkers from the World War era. There is something creepy, and exceedingly fascinating about them.

    How old is the bunker, and when did the war start and end? Also, who fought in that war? And dont ask me why Im asking.

    Darren closes his mouth in the middle of the question.

    Nina answers instead, We estimate its around 120 years old. The war against the Veil started around 100 years ago and mostly ended around 99 years ago. For the rest of the 99 years, the Veil has been trying to wipe out what remains while fighting the monsters.

    I dont even have to ask another question, as Nina continues, The Veil is the creation of the guild of enchanters. Something meant to protect our cities and help us with our war against the monsters. We dont know what happened, but the Veil turned against us and wiped out most of humanity within days of their activation.

    We stop in front of yet another circr iron door. This one is smaller than thest, but still three times taller than me. Darren sends a signal, and we wait for them to open.

    Thankfully, the monsters used the opportunity and attacked too, and that split the Veil along both fronts. Thats probably the only reason there were any survivors.

    I ask, And the monsters, what are they?

    They are just monsters... There isnt any one species of them, there are dozens. We believe there are a few really strong monsters either dominating or manipting the others into attacking us. The monsters came here around 120 years ago and took over some territory in an event known as The Pairing.

    Huh, that''s interesting. So Pairings can happen even in worlds dominated by monsters? Or is it something else? Is it another race they just consider to be monsters? Or are the monsters just weapons of war, once used by another race, like the Colony and the Living Tree that the lynthari created?

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    I partially expect my quest to learn about the fall of this to bepleted, but nothing happens. Obviously, that would be too easy.

    The door finally opens, and we continue walking deeper, the floor narrowing and descending into stairs. The echo of our steps starts to change, and we have more light as well. In the distance, I can hear voices and other sounds.

    Soon enough, the cave opens up in front of us, and Vega loses her concentration, but I let it slide this time and stop disrupting her mana.

    The cave, if I can call it that, is a perfect arch with smooth walls, with a mana crystal at the top of the dome. That crystal emits a gentle orange light that lights up the entire cave. A wide variety of buildings litter the cavern. The oldest towers and buildings appear to have been carved from a single block of stone..

    In between those buildings, are houses made out of wood and bricks, as people weave through the alleys and streets as they go about their business. I estimate there are somewhere between a few hundred, and a few thousand people. Plenty of them are under level 20, and there are a lot of kids as well.

    The Sanctuary seems to be a city of survivors, and even now, I cant find anyone stronger than me. That exins why Darren was so worried.

    Master?

    Yes?

    You can continue, my disciple says.

    I nod and renew my attempts to disrupt her mana.

    Where do you get water and food from? I ask.

    Darren seems relieved, seeing my reaction, orck of it. Did he expect me to murder everyone or something? Well, I can''t even be mad. Its fine to be so paranoid when you have so many people relying on you.

    There are some old facilities we were able to reactivate and power. A few smaller gardens and a filtration system. We mostly get our water from the outside and use filtration to get rid of the poison.

    That must take quite a while to get enough water for so many people.

    He nods, Its nonstop work and dangerous too. There is a small aquifer that slowly fills, but we only use a small part of it. We also keep it replenished in case we would need to. Then we also hunt animals and have people that can get the poison out of their meat.

    It still sounds suspicious, even if they did have enough strong people to bring the water, it would be a goddamn hard task. Do they have items like my Aqua Arcanum Vial? Something able to contain more water than its size should allow?

    So, what is the problem you have down here?

    Darren exchanges a quick look with Nina, and she steps ahead, I will be your guide and tell you as much as we can. Father has work to do.

    Thats fine with me.

    Im d, I will see youter tonight. Darren then quickly leaves, followed by a few of his men.

    The moment he leaves, Nina turns to me, I dont trust you.

    Okay.

    Taken aback after my answer she continues after a moment, I trust father, but he is getting less decisive as he grows older and has more people to take care of. I believe we could fight you.

    My silly disciple once again stops focusing, and to punish her, I send a bit more mana towards her. Like a p on the wrist.

    You should have done that outside then, I respond.

    Yes, maybe I should have, she doesnt seem to be overly antagonistic, just the hotheaded type that doesnt like to hold in their feelings.

    Amon variation of the extrovert ss.

    I would like to see your filtration systems. I have some water with me and would like to see how it works, to prove it, I pull out my epic Aqua Arcanum Vial.

    So you also have a water storage item, Nina looks at it and then back to me. We can do that.

    I follow behind her, and the guards follow us as well.

    How much water can it store? Looking at its shape, its at least upper umon or maybe low rare? Ours are usually bigger, and thepression isnt that good, but since we can''t fix damaged ones, we keep using them.

    I avoid answering her question, You also said you were able to activate only some of the facilities?

    Yes, there are many more, but oftentimes we dont even know what they were used for. We dont have enough mana to start some or enough skill to fix the others. And yes, before you ask, I can show you some. They dont work anyways, so its fine.

    We pass through the streets of the city, and I start noticing that most people tend to wear homemade clothes, simr colors, and styles. They are fairly thin, but not overly so, and seem to be at least somewhat taken care of.

    They greet Nina and her guards with a smile, and my guides return them. For a moment, their faces be less tense.

    I nce back at Vega and notice that she is looking around with a suspicious expression. Her body is tense, and her mana is radiating, ready to fight. She twitches every time someone makes an unexpected movement and keeps searching for escape routes.

    Her expression is colder than it was when we were on our own. She still tries to put on the mask to look innocent and defenseless, but it feels fake. A big difference from the rxed behavior she exhibits around me.

    I also notice that people don''t seem to care about her red eyes or horns. Either her appearance is somewhat normal or its the work of the system.

    Pushing through the streets, Nina leads me towards the edge of the cave where we enter another tunnel, though its much smaller this time. It''s still wide enough for multiple people to walk side by side and better lit. Passing by a few men and women who seem to be working, we reach another cave, smaller than the main cavern, but still sizable, with the same domed construction.

    This is one of our unused filtration nts. You just need to pour the water you have into the tank, close it, and then send your mana through the control device. As if challenging me, she continues, Do you think you can do that?

    The smile that shes across her face tells me that it''s a bit harder than she lets on. Perhaps she expects me to falter once or twice, or perhaps she is trying to use reverse psychology on me.

    The filtration tank is under the floor. It seems to be really long and narrow. Like a wide tube. At the bottom, I can sense some inscriptions and other things that seem to help with the filtration.

    Out of that tubees another that leads into the transparent tank in the wall that seems to store filtered water. This one is much bigger and empty. Next to that, is the control panel Nina pointed out. little more than a piece of iron with some inscriptions and a few mana stones, all connected to the tank under the ground.

    I take out the vial and, while looking at Nina, start pouring the water inside.

    At first, she is smiling as she watches the water trickle down.

    Then I control the item and increase the pressure, causing much more water to flow through.

    Her expression turns to confusion, and when I continue for a minute, it turns to shock.

    When I finally stop, the tank, which is probably big enough to fill a swimming pool, is full. The remaining water in my vial is multiple times that.

    Nina bes even quieter when I put my hand on the control panel and activate it, avoiding any broken inscriptions.

    A soft hum fills the room, and the water under the floor starts going through the filtration system, fed by my mana. That water moves through the tubes and flows into the giant ss tank that epasses the entire wall and goes deep into the stone.

    I make a few changes to the way I use my mana and find a few slightly hidden mechanisms in the control panel, turning off a few invisible switches. The drain on my mana dramatically increases, but the water starts filling the tank much faster. It pours from the tubes and inside of the tank like a series of waterfalls, quickly filling it within a few minutes.

    Vega, noticing how much I''m enjoying this, pulls on my clothes, Asshole, she whispers so only I can hear.

    What are you, Biscuits disciple?

 Not a Chapter: Announcement (1st April)

    Not a Chapter: Announcement (1st April)

    So guys, once again I''m dissatisfied with the name of the story. Many of you know that some time ago, it used to be "Weapons of Mass Destruction," but I changed itter to "Hell Difficulty Tutorial." Yet, I still think it''s missing something, so I have decided to change it.

    I''m happy to announce a new name for my story: "<strong>Is It Wrong to Try to Survive in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial When You''re Just a Guy with Excessive Mana and a Corgi?</strong>"

    The synopsis has also changed a bit:

    <em><strong>I identally Became the Most Powerful Mage in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial Because I Didn''t Know Where to Stop Adding Mana.</strong></em>

    <em><strong>Never underestimate the guy who has so much mana it should kill him...</strong></em>

    <em>Nathaniel''s bus ride was supposed to be just another boringmute. But now, he, 23 fellow passengers, and a corgi named Biscuit are stuck in a "Hell difficulty" tutorial, battling monsters and leveling up.</em>

    This tale has been uwfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    <em>Easy difficulty, anyone can handle. Normal difficulty, you''ve got to put up a fight to get by. Hard difficulty is where only the tough onesst. And Hell? That''s where you have to be a bit out of your mind!</em>

    <em>With his terrifying talent for mana maniption, Nathaniel decides to invest every stat point into mana. Attribute imbnce be damned. It will either kill him before the monsters and his enemies can, or turn him into one of the most powerful beings within the system.</em>

    I hope you guys will see why I made the decision and like the new name and synopsis as much as I do.

    Lastly, to reflect who the true MC of the story is, I have decided to change the cover. Once again. Some of you might recognize the cover from before.

    Unfortunately, the story will continue to be told from the perspective of the secondary main character, Nathaniel Gwyn. However, in our hearts, everyone knows who the true MC of <strong>"Is It Wrong to Try to Survive in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial When You''re Just a Guy with Excessive Mana and a Corgi?"</strong> really is.

    I hope you guys will continue to enjoy the story for a long time toe.

 Chapter 289: Against the Veil Guardian

    Chapter 289: Against the Veil Guardian

    For a moment, we look at each other. Two men in a small white room covered in blood, with boxes full of bloody limbs in the corner. Keeping an eye on him, I find a rtively clean spot and sit on the floor, resting my back against the wall.

    And then I just sit there.

    The man''s eyes are calm, and yet they have a weird shine to them. They are not the eyes of an animal backed into a corner, tired and threatening. They are more like the eyes of someone whos given up.

    You are not one of them, his voice is quiet and rough as if he is not used to talking.

    Im just passing by, I reply.

    Just passing by, he repeats.

    Yes. By the way, do you know anything about the Veil, the Mirror, the Valley, Pairing, war, monsters, or Veil Guardian?

    He seems to be taken aback and chuckles. Even that chuckle sounds weak and forced. It sounds like hesughing at himself.

    You are not going to ask about... he gestures at the room.

    Is there any need to? Locals seem to have an interesting diet. That''s it. They likely forced you into this. At least I don''t think anyone would go along with this willingly, and the cor around your neck confirms it.

    Another chuckle, Youre wrong.

    Am I?

    He brushes the hair from his face, his deep eyes staring into mine, Fuck knows how long ago I agreed to this, the man says to my surprise.

    In the beginning, it was simple, really. They needed food and I wanted to help. Probably out of regret or maybe I felt like I owed these people something.

    You seem to have changed your mind halfway through, I gesture at his neck where the cor is.

    His smile shows his teeth, it feels almost threatening, Do you know how it feels to have your legs and arms sawn off day after day for decades? To know what they are doing with them? It doesn''t matter how much you want to help, after enough time you cant take anymore. So get off your fucking high horse, you brat.

    I ignore thest sentence, So, you want to get out?

    For the first time, he hesitates, almost like pure panic appearing on his face, A lot of them would die without the man still says, his eyes changing, a hint of craziness surfacing.

    He pulls his knees higher and hides his face, Kids, men, and women. Innocent people, my skill isn''t good enough at regenerating others to do it with someone else or an animal, he wobbles from side to side, his voice even weaker than before.

    I give him time and gradually he calms down enough to look at me, changing the subject, The Veil was our biggest hope, even I contributed, everyone did. But none of us knew much. The Enchanter Guild were the main organizers and they were very secretive about their greatest creation. The most brilliant minds on our. People treated them like gods.

    Some sanity returns to his eyes, Oh, how beautiful their promises were. Every single city, protected by a Veil epassing the entire. A construct so perfect it would run on its own following a set of rules overseen by a coalition of all the worlds kingdoms.

    Out of nowhere, he startsughing, Pairing, weve experienced it twice now. Either we were unlucky or we did something wrong. Who the fuck would know for sure, what with the system being so cryptic all the time. Once again, heughs like he just told a great joke.

    His eyes meet mine again, and this time they are calm, sane, and clear. Now fuck off. I''m tired of your face. Leave me alone. You can take some and snack on itter, he points at the box full of limbs, a cruel expression on his face.

    I give him one more look, then activate one of my anchors and reappear inside the city, on top of one of the skyscrapers. To be sure, I check the anchor I left near Vega and send my senses through. I get a little bit of feedback, but everything seems fine.

    Three orbs form next to me, and I start feeding them: one with kic energy, another with thermal, and thest one with mana. Dark blue, golden, and pale blue to the point of transparency, the orbs follow me as I jump off the building and boost myself towards the granny. For a short moment, I enjoy the feeling of wind on my face as I''m flying through the air until I reach the cottage at the top of the skyscraper. I pass through the field which sends her a signal before entering the house.

    What, did youe to break more of my pots you brat? Don''t tell me the kid that was following you died. Where is she? The Vitalist inquires.

    She is fine. Safe and currently training. I have a question for you if you don''t mind.

    No gifts, you still owe me, and youe here asking for more. So typical of the current generation, she grumbles, but I notice a hint of curiosity in her eyes. I think she must be bored, being here alone most of the time.

    How old are you? I ask.

    That makes her cackle, and she doesn''t answer.

    Are you from before the war?

    Why would I tell you?

    What is Veil?

    Don''t be annoying, she snorts.

    Do you know a man with the ss Lifebloom Weaver?

    Stop asking she freezes in the middle of the sentence. Her expression changes and turns dark. I <strong>[Focus]</strong> and try to read her mood as much as possible. I observe the movements of her body, her face. I even listen to the sound of her heart as it beats, each one creating the tiniest bit of kic energy I can feel as well as her movements.

    Friend?

    She doesn''t say anything.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Husband?

    Nothing.

    Family?

    Her heartbeat speeds up, a slight twitch across her face.

    Son? Father?

    Listen here. Do not even dare speak of this in front of me, or I will never heal that brat of yours again. How dare you

    He is tied up there, did Darren tell you? my words silence her, I spoke with him and he said at first he did it because he wanted to. But now they use some cor to keep him there.

    She falls silent, and the pause stretches so long that I''m tempted to leave when she finally whispers, "One hundred twenty-seven."

    Yes?

    That''s how many kids younger than ten there are in the Sanctuary. One hundred twenty-seven.

    Do they all know?

    She just shakes her head.

    What a fucked-up situation.

    "Leave." That word is barely a whisper, more a plea than a threat.

    And I do just that. I activate one of my anchors and appear near the city''s center. I sit on a rooftop with my legs hanging over the edge and continue to fill the orbs next to me while spinning them around.

    The thing, the weird invisible lines of mana covering the sky and probably the entire, is probably the Veil, or at least a part of it. I tried to touch it shortly after starting the 5th floor. That''s also when the Veil Guardian appeared, likely summoned by the attempt. The monster''s name makes a lot more sense now.

    So what is the Veil? A construct covering the entire? I heard a lot of praise for the Enchanter Guild from Darren and Nina, though Ive mostly dismissed it as a legend. But maybe I was wrong. My current skill makes it hard to even imagine how something like that would work.

    What powers it? What keeps it there? What stops anyone else from messing with it? How was it created? And then there are the obvious questions, why was it used against humans and why did it cause so much more damage than the monsters brought over by the Pairing?

    As for Pairing, the man said it was the second and I would like to know about that. What are the causes of a Pairing and how is it decided.

    Another question, were they paired with a of monsters or was another race using them for war? Like Lynthari on the 4th floor with the Living Tree and the Colony.

    The more time passes, the more questions I have and the much shorter this floor feels.

    Taking a bag off my back, I take out a brush and a container with mana conductive paint. I start drawing inscriptions on the roof after clearing it. While doing so, I check the inscriptions painted on my body and there seems to be no change from before.

    Once again, I check the anchor near my disciple, and, making sure everything ok, I start using more of my mana to feed the orbs. My heart beats, and working as a medium, it turns mana into the two Primordial energies I possess.

    I let two hours pass like that and then I stop feeding the orb. Instead, I create a javelin over my shoulder. Having created it with <strong>[Regalia]</strong> its already tougher than it used to be, but I cant stop there. I make it denser, which increases its weight, either because of the skill or the properties of mana changing. I dont use<strong> [Infusion]</strong> to keep feeding the javelin with my energies or skills. No, I just make it as dense, heavy, and tough as possible. Focusing on doing that, I''m able to stop it from exploding. Thanks to my improved mastery and skill.

    Feeling ready, I breathe in and out.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong>

    The world loses some of its color and the skill filters out some of the noises. In addition to the three orbs floating beside me, another takes form. This one is smaller and quickly fed by my focused mana as it turns ck, while I keep it under control with <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>,<strong> [Mana Maniption],</strong> and<strong> [Resonance]</strong>.

    Then I activate my trait, a golden circle appearing around my pupils, while I channel mana into the inscriptions Ive painted on the ground and get ready.

    Moving the javelin a bit further away, I look at the sky and <strong>[Focus]</strong>. Knowing better what to look for, I identify the lines I noticed the first time. The lines of mana that likely epass the entire.

    The Veil.

    I touch them, I examine them, trying to collect as much information as possible, already feeling the strain my trait is putting on my body.

    And as expected, the monster appears.

    <strong>[Veil Guardian - lvl ??]</strong>

    It stands on the rooftop of the building opposite mine. Its red eyes glow with hate, and a deep growl reverberates through the air, breaking the remains of ss in the windows. The des it has in ce of its arms have a blue shine to them, and I feel its senses touch me.

    Not giving it a chance, I nearly deplete the kic energy from the orb I created, and the javelin shoots at the guardian, boosted by all that force. A sonic boom threatens to deafen me as the javelin breaks the sound barrier and disappears from its ce beside me.

    It pierces through the monster''s chest, barely missing the heart, and continues to fly much further, piercing through everything in its way. The javelin doesn''t slow at all, the sheer density, weight, and amount of kic energy I used turning it into a terrifying weapon.

    The Veil Guardian wobbles on its legs, and red blood seeps onto its gray skin. It roars, and the blue veins on its body expand. A gravity field epasses me and immediately starts pushing me down to my knees with a force that tears at my body.

    I fail to disrupt the effect even with my eyes activated, Ive expected this ever since I first saw the monster use the skill.

    Not hesitating and ording to my n, I let the ck mana seep into my body, the inscriptions covering me activate and help alleviate some of the pressure. The effect of the monster''s skill gets overpowered by the sheer power of ck mana strengthening my body, and I watch the monster jump from the roof, heading towards me.

    I send mana mixed with kic energy into the inscriptions on the floor, and they resonate, shooting all that energy through the skyscraper I''m standing on.

    The building starts crumbling when the energy pierces through it in its entirety. One of the tallest buildings in the city starts falling to the side.

    At the same time, the Veil Guardian avoids golden mes infused with disrupting mana, and it disrupts the anchors I ced all around the ce.

    It crashes against my barrier and breaks it, weed by another one which also breaks. I set barrier after barrier, slowing the monster down. Then my mana flows and surges from my body.

    <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> activates, and I absorb all the kic energy from the falling building. Gradually, the broken skyscraper slows its fall, and things be eerily quiet as the pieces of the building slowly continue to fall.

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 41 > Redistribution - lvl 42]</strong>

    Ipress thermal energy inside of the orb even more, and a stream of thermal energy shoots off like aser.

    The guardian avoids it, but it cuts another skyscraper in half, which also slows as it falls.

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 42 > Redistribution - lvl 43]</strong>

    This time I dash at the monster, using bits of that energy to strengthen my body in the way symbiotic transference used to do.

    The air itself around the monster reverberates with high-pitched sounds. Wound after wound appears on the monster''s skin, the kic energy threatening to tear apart the extremely durable monster. The sound rises pitch and volume, as its wounds deepen, and the guardian uses its arms to cover its chest and head.

    Finally, the attack pierces its guard, and the right arm of the monster explodes at the shoulder, falling to the ground.

 Chapter 293: To pay you back

    Chapter 293: To pay you back

    Taking a few steps, I reach the open circr iron door that leads to the facility, and from where I stand, I look towards the city that is in a half-spherical cave.

    As I noticed before, there are plenty of buildings that seem much older than the others. They are likely the original buildings of the cave. Yet even they show the passage of time. There are scratches, and there is rust on the surface.

    There are even a few cracks on some taller ones. The newer buildings are mostly made of wood, with some y-like material for daubing. The city isn''t perfectly clean, no matter how people try, there just isn''t enough water.

    People are even wearing clothes that are made from old cloth or leather. Plenty of them are thin and scarred. Everyone seems to have something to do, trying to be useful to keep the Sanctuary going.

    And plenty of them are cannibals without ever knowing, eating meat they thinkes from the animals hunted outside.

    <em>(Why such a change of heart?)</em> I finally ask the granny, <em>(You seemed of a different opinion before.)</em>

    I''m honestly curious.

    <em>(Will you do it?)</em> she asks me instead.

    I then think about it for a bit longer and answer, <em>(I will free him and give him the chance to kill himself. The decision will be on him.)</em>

    <em>(Ha! Even if it means he might kill himself and most of the people will die of hunger sooner orter?)</em>

    <em>(Weird thing to say after what you asked of me. So, is that sufficient to pay you back?)</em>

    <em>(I guess I will have to live with that much. Yes, consider your debt repaid.)</em>

    After that, the connection turns off, and I break the transmitter in my hand and watch as pieces of it fall to the ground.

    I send my mana ahead, and a thermal orb forms in front of me, which I start to fill with golden thermal energy.

    Ive officiallypleted the quest to find out what''s happening in the Sanctuary, and Ive already gotten a thousand shards. I also filled more tanks with water and filtered it, but that hasntpleted the other one asking me to help the survivors. I n to try one more thing, but with 10 days left until the end of my 3 weeks with my disciple, it''s time to head north.

    "Minion, stay here for a bit, okay?" She doesn''t react, even as I say this, totally focused on her training to the point where she isn''t even checking her surroundings.

    I would be a bit more annoyed if it wasn''t something I do myself.

    Instead of trying to talk to her again, I just create a barrier in front of the door to the facility and then use the anchor I left on the surface.

    With a push of kic energy, I send myself high into the air and then deeper into the forest.

    <strong>[Perception] </strong>fires off as I start looking for animals. Even they are quite abnormal. In a ce where veil shriekers roam freely, only the stronger ones have survived. Well, them and the ones that have learned to avoid them.

    With the speed I''m flying at, it doesn''t take that long, and I locate the first one.

    <strong>[Berserk boar - lvl 190]</strong>

    The boar detects me while Im hovering in the air. Its eyes turn blood red. There is no mana, and I detect it as an animal with a full physical build.

    I create an anchor near its eye and send a sharp explosion of kic energy through, obliterating half of its face. The monster sways, and for a moment, it looks like it will fall, but then the wound starts healing, fully restoring itself. I send three more piercing attacks through the monster, each burrowing deeper into its head. There it reaches the skull which disperses and reflects the attack.

    As its healing, its head little more than a bloody skull, the boar jumps into the air, using its sheer strength to reach me. A single red eye glowing maniacally.

    I avoid it with ease, and when the boar falls back to the ground, I quickly create andpress a mana arrow. I boost it with kic energy, and it pierces through the animal''s skull. I tried to avoid damaging the body too much at first; there is no way I won''t show the beauty of a full mana build to someone focused on physical stats.

    The boar wobbles, healing even that wound. The feeling I get from its body bes even more dangerous.

    With a sigh I allow myself to settle on the ground and my mana radiates into the area.

    <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> grabs and holds the monster, even though its strength is nothing to scoff at.

    I take a few steps and touching its head I release the kic energy Ive collected, exploding most of its head and the entirety of its brain.

    <strong>[You have defeated Berserk Boar - lvl 190]</strong>

    Then I touch its body and send it through <strong>[Tether]</strong> to the anchor I left at the main entrance to the Sanctuary.

    I check the side quest and it''s still notpleted. Collecting more kic energy I lift off again and <strong>[Perception]</strong> sends a pulse into the area. I reduce the amount of details it collects and focus more on extending the range. Sensing multiple presences, I fly towards them for half a minute andnd on top of one of the bigger trees.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the vition.

    Down in the clearing, there is a group of animals.

    <strong>[Lightning Bison - lvl 122]</strong>

    <strong>[Lightning Bison - lvl 180]</strong>

    <strong>[Lightning Bison - lvl 165]</strong>

    <strong>[Lightning Bison - lvl 198]</strong>

    <strong>[Lightning Bison - lvl 201]</strong>

    <strong>[Lightning Bison - lvl 200]</strong>

    They detect me nearly immediately but don''t seem to be too bothered. Only two of them that are over 200 look at me. Projectiles form over their bodies like arrows made of lightning and shoot toward me.

    Before the projectiles even reach me I disrupt them and continue to observe the animals.

    They are all probably twice or thrice the size of bison on earth. Their fur is brown with streaks of lighter brown that look like lightning. Their horns are bigger than the horns the ones on earth have. The horns are transparent and look as if they have lightning trapped inside of them.

    I return fire with a mana arrow as a test.

    It meets with a barrier of lightning created by one of the bison and they all turn to me. The attacks on my position intensify, bombarding me with a barrage of lightning which I continue to disrupt. For a second I activate my trait and observe the attack and change the level of disruption I''m using, lowering the expenditure of mana.

    At one point they destroy the tree I''m standing on and as it falls I hold myself in the air. Behind me six javelins form and I startpressing them, making them heavier and stronger. It''s not to the point of the javelin I used against the Veil guardian, but I wouldn''t call them weak either.

    The group of Bison senses that, but they don''t seem to be too bothered. Even their attacks seem halfhearted as if they were trying to send an annoying fly away.

    It might be me hiding most of my mana or them not having to deal with any real threats. Hell, they may be dumb as heck for all I know or waiting for me to drop my guard.

    When I feel like all six javelins are strong enough, I turn to them.

    Finally sensing something, they form a domed barrier around their group, the six of them working in unison.

    Without hesitating, I release all the kic energy Ive been collecting and boost all of the javelins right after sending a disrupting wave through the anchor I left near the Bisons.

    The disrupting wave weakens the barrier and the heavy and extremely boosted javelins pierce through the rest.

    Each of the mana javelins pierces through the head of one of the monsters.

    <strong>[You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 122]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 165]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 180]</strong>

    Half of them die immediately and only the stronger ones survive the wound. They roar and start collecting mana, lightning flickering around their bodies.

    I use the anchor I left near them and teleport, <strong>[Regalia]</strong> forming armor around myself while I take out the Voidsteel slicer. <strong>[Resonance] </strong>flows through the de, synchronizing with it and making it even sharper and infusing it with mana disrupting properties. Before they even react, I remove one of their heads.

    <strong>[You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 201]</strong>

    Lightning tries to jump from its body to the de and me, but its disrupted the moment it touches the metal.

    The remaining two move at surprising speed, their horns elongating and the front of their heads emitting a shield-like barrier full of lightning.

    I boost my body, dodging the attack and matching the speed of the monsters. The de shes again, removing another head.

    <strong>[You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 198]</strong>

    A lightning attack from the remaining bison disperses on my armor and I let its charge hit me. As the attacknds, I absorb the kic energy of the charge and my body doesn''t even move from the spot. More lightning explodes all around us, tearing the ground apart and exploding the trees, giving me goosebumps as I feel the hair on my scalp rise.

    I transfer absorbed kic energy into strengthening my body and move to the side and sh again.

    The Bison tries to block the attack, but the de ignores all the defenses.

    <strong>[You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 200]</strong>

    I calm down my mana and continue to search for any danger while I step closer to the monster. For a while, I examine its body.

    The skin isn''t as tough as I thought it was and the only part that interests me is the horns. So I take some time to remove all the horns before using<strong> [Tether]</strong> to send them to the Sanctuary.

    This time a big chunk of my mana disappears. The expenditure isn''t as big as if the Bisons were alive or if I had to deal with a natural barrier. Ive tried it before but using an anchor on someone who isn''t much weaker than me is extremely difficult. Well, it''s not like I don''t have enough mana anyway.

    When they are gone, I check the side quest again. And nothing.

    With a sigh, I lift off and head towards another group of animals.

    After sending through a few dozen more animals, the quest has finally beenpleted and I receive 1000 shards. The entire time, I made sure I was hunting them far enough at ces where the survivors would never go. I did it to avoid scaring off the animals they usually hunt.

    When I use the anchor to reappear in front of the Sanctuary, the giant doors are wide open, and it looks like the entire city is there, skinning or moving the animals inside. They are carefully taking the skins, bones, organs, everything. Nothing seems to go to waste.

    Hundreds of people jostling about, childrenughing, adults smiling. Every one of the unknowing cannibals seems to be happy. Some of them start to notice me and rush me with big smiles on their faces.

    I quickly use another anchor and reappear near Vega. When she doesn''t react to my presence, too focused on her training, I grab one of her small horns and shake her head.

    She doesn''t even try to push my hand away, resigned to her fate, knowing that her best option is to hope I get bored. That amuses me even more, and I continue to wobble and gently shake her head for an entire minute. The way she tries to hide her annoyance makes it even more fun. To frustrate her even more, I stop when she is reaching out to push my hand away.

    Minion, your awareness sucks, I tell her, Anyway, get ready and pack your things, were about to leave. I will be back soon after dealing with one more thing.

    My senses flow into the Sanctuary and I quickly find Darren and Nina. Teleporting outside of the facility where Vega is packing our stuff, I move towards them.

 Chapter 294: Heading North

    Chapter 294: Heading North

    A group of ten or so people, including Darren and Nina, waits for me near the facility that Vega and I were using. Even though most of them seem happy, there is an awkwardness to their smiles. It deepens even more when I reach them.

    Before Darren says anything, I interrupt him with a listening finger, "You can use that annoying skill of yours. It will make things a bit easier."

    He closes his mouth, and his forehead furrows. A hint of worry on his face.

    "I want to thank you for what you did. The amount of food you gave us should be able tost for years," he says carefully.

    That''s true. Most of the animals I brought were higher level, and just a little bit of their meat is enough to feed a low level human. And that is what most of the survivors here are.

    "Good, I want you to tell everyone what they were eating all these years."

    The smile disappears from everyones faces. I dont fail to notice Nina watching me with newfound interest. Shes the only one from the group that seems intrigued.

    "I understand where you areing from, but we just can''t. Even though the food we have willst for years, the time wille when we will need..."

    His words die off in the tunnel as he uses his skill. His face gradually pales. He shifts ufortably and tries to say something, but no wordse out of his mouth.

    I speak in his ce, "Darren, I''m this close," I gesture with my hand, "to killing everyone standing here. This fucking close to dyeing the walls of this shitty bunker with your flesh and blood."

    His face pales further even though I''m not even releasing any mana or threatening him otherwise.

    I take a step towards him, "I will go to check on the man down in the tunnels. I will free him and give him the opportunity to kill himself if he wishes to do so. Or he can leave and fight you guys. If he really wants to, he can stay down there. It''s up to him."

    Darren''s mouth opens and closes. He probably wants to say something about children or women. People dying without food. The same old bullshit.

    But I dont care. They should know. Then they can kill Darren for doing this to them if they wish to. Or they can embrace what they were doing and continue doing so, bing savages. What''s important is the choice Darren never gave them.

    "Sounds good, right, Darren? So meanwhile, while I''m down there with your surprise meat supplier, you will go and talk to everyone in the Sanctuary."

    The only one from the group with a different expression from the others is Nina. She looks relieved. Is this something shes always wanted to do without ever finding the courage?

    Looking at them onest time, I ce an anchor as far as I can and repeat it a few times until I teleport down to the tunnels. Irvin sits there on the bed as before, surrounded by blood and pieces of his limbs in the corner.

    One grumpy granny sends her greetings, a Vitalist. Now that I think about it, I never asked for her name. I tell him while taking a few steps towards him.

    He doesn''t react at all for a while, so I start examining the silver cor on his neck.

    The cor looks extremely delicate yet it''s surprisingly tough and covered in a web of inscriptions. There is no mana stone or anything else. It''s just mana-conductive metal that takes mana from its wearer and uses it to produce some sort of disrupting effect.

    As I examine the cor, the man speaks to my surprise, Her name is Valery, she is my daughter.

    Huh, really? She looks much older than you.

    His eyes cloud, and he smiles as if remembering something funny, She never cared about her appearance nor has she ever tried to use her skills in that way. Always thought of others first.

    He then looks at me, There is no use. Darren destroyed the key long ago and without it, you won''t be able to

    Done! I say and the cor opens with a soft click.

    Shortly, I check the item.

    <strong>Null Cor (Epic):</strong><em>Actively disrupts the wearer''s magical attempts and skills, using absorbed mana to diminish both magical potency, strength, and dexterity.</em>

    How? Just how?!

    What do you mean? It was affecting your mana and stats, not mine. I just needed to find a few switches and deactivate it. It wasn''t that difficult.

    There is no way he shakes his head, You wasted your time. I''m not going anywhere.

    I move the thermal orb I had been filling for a long time and let it float in the air in front of him.

    While he looks at it, I exin, If you touch the orb, it will release all of its energy. It should be able to kill you just fine.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Even while talking to him, I observe the cor. It''s as good an item as I thought it would be. A really nice reward and either an upper epic or close to it.

    Did you help me and remove the cor just so you could keep it? the man asks.

    I ignore his question, Your daughters helped me and my disciple a few times so Im helping her in exchange, and you by extension. You now have multiple options. You can stay here and continue what you were doing. You can go out and kill Darren and others to get revenge. You can escape and find your daughter. Or you can just die if you can''t live with memories of what happened, I nce at the thermal orb floating in the air.

    I take a few steps away from him, Take your time if you want. The Sanctuary now has enough food tost them for a few years and find a different way. And around now everyone should be learning what they were eating.

    How could you the man''s voice is quiet, without any energy, Do you know how many people might die because of what you have done.

    There being no need for more words I take one of the transmitters I stole and copy the frequency Granny used to contact me. Then I throw the transmitter to the man. Before he can answer, I teleport to my disciple.

    Our stuff is already packed and even Vega is ready. I take the bags and throw them over my shoulders.

    Vegaes closer and lifts her arms so I can lift her onto my chest.

    With a sigh, I do so, and she puts her ear against my chest while I boost my body and move through the tunnels. Much faster than if she had to run.

    The tunnels are empty, not a single human is there, all of the presences I can feel are in the main cave where Darren, Nina, and others who knew about the tunnel stand and talk to the people. There is screaming, there are tears, and some of them are even throwing up. Mana fills the air and the weapons have been drawn.

    I reach the entrance to the sanctuary without being bothered and use mana arms to unlock the door and then carefully channel kic energy to force it open. The massive iron door slowly opens and I exit, closing it behind me in the same fashion.

    An hourter, I''m still flying and there is no kill notification for the man down in the tunnels.

    Master, I want to learn to fly too, Vega says.

    We are high in the air, flying towards the north. I''m flying much slower than Im capable of to avoid hurting her. I also get to enjoy the view this way. Currently, we are over a cloud bank watching the sunset. As far as I can see there are only clouds, lit in beautiful golden light. Even after all this time, it feels somewhat unreal and beautiful.

    Maybe at around level 150 or 200, you will start flying. I slow down and float there.

    The eyes of the little half-demon are wide open, shes still not used to flying, and she holds on to me like a baby ko. She is still looking around, taking it all in.

    From so high everything looks so small and our problems seem unimportant, right? I move us lower and we pass through the clouds and stop right under.

    As far as I can see there are mountains, hills, giant trees, and valleys. Once in a while even ruined cities from before the war. And all of it seems so small.

    I''m not even level 20, Vegains.

    There is something we can do about that, I lower us and float towards the spot where I sensed the movement.

    And it''s as expected. The most terrifying enemy. The animals with the worst curse. Bambis curse. A group of 10 deers rests on the small clearing while two more keep watch. The guards are sending their mana senses into the forest surrounding them while their antlers shine with a pale blue color.

    They are called Windrider Deer and all of them are around level twenty. That surprises me a bit, to see how low-level they are. So I fly around a bit and only then do I notice that the entire forest where they are is epassed in inscriptions that work like the grannys setup. These inscriptions don''t seem to be directed at humans so much as they are monsters and other animals.

    Oh my, did we cross into someones farm?

    Minion, what do you think about stealing?

    She blinks a few times and then says carefully while gauging my reaction, If master is fine with

    Yup, totally fine.

    I don''t mind it at all! She then looks around, What are we going to steal?

    We have a few monsters for you to y with. There is something called Bambi''s curse and it''s likely to be passed from master to disciple knowing the system. So it''s good for you to get experience facing this sort of monster.

    C-curse?

    I keep us afloat maintaining our view of the herd of deer and make my voice deeper, It all started with a single fucking deer that a girl called Tess killed. Disciple, let me tell you, even though I had no prior experience skinning an animal I believe I did very well. Yet ever since that day, this curse has been something Ive had to live with

    Thest deer falls dead and along with him, Vega slides against a tree. Wounds cover her body, her heart is beating wildly and there is barely any mana left inside of her.

    I can choose Primary ss now, master. I did it she gets out in between gasps for air. Even though she is so wounded she is happy.

    You stopped checking your surroundings, I remind her again.

    I can see how difficult it is for her right now, but a trickle of mana extends from her as she starts examining her surroundings again.

    Her smile starts to disappear from her face when I add, Otherwise very good job.

    Thank you! The smile brightens her face again immediately.

    "I especially liked how you dealt with the 5th one. Cutting off a piece of its antler and gouging out its eye with it was a nice move."

    "The antler was very conductive, master! I was able to extend my mana inside of its head!"

    "Yes, I noticed that. It also scared the 6th deer, so that''s a bonus."

    "It did?"

    "Yes, when you did that, the deer stopped attacking you and went on the defensive, and that was a mistake."

    "Oh, I see now!"

    "Anyway, for now, go through your Primary sses, and when you are done, you will tell me what you think is the best option. We will then go over the options, and you will try to defend your choice."

    "Yes!"

    "Meanwhile, I will do a bit of skinning and try to smoke some meat."

    "Please be careful not to strengthen the curse, master!" Vega warns me before going through the options.

 Chapter 295: The Bastion

    Chapter 295: The Bastion

    We unlocked our primary sses after entering the second floor. For me, it was around level 24, if I remember correctly. Vega got offered hers at level 20.

    I like Kic Channeler and Ether Warrior the most! my disciple says in the end.

    She gets to choose between 5 sses, unlike the 10 I was offered, and that makes me wonder. Do those choices reflect things shes done? Or is there a difference between going through the tutorial and leveling with the normal system?

    You like Kic Channeler the most because it''s connected to your demon heart? I ask her.

    Yes! she says without hesitation.

    Damn weirdo demons, half-demons, and their obsession with hearts.

    Vega continues, I like what master told me before! I want to learn how to make an antomic bomb. Mana Channeler sounds nice too, but I like using my body more.

    Do you like Kic Channeler because you hope it will help you learn how to fly quicker? I ask again.

    Yes! Once again, she answers without hesitation.

    I can only sigh at that. In the end, she wants to master kic energy. During the fight with the deer, she used it for a split second to try to push one of the deer away. She failed, but ever since shes been practicing and trying to replicate it.

    It''s not a bad choice, either. The ss will probably synergize well with her heart. She could use kic energy for attacks like me and maybe even learn to absorb kic energy without needing to use<strong> [Redistribution]</strong>.

    Vega also has enough talent to do multiple things at once, so she could find a way to synchronize it with her skills.

    As for <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>, well, she has <strong>[Concentration]</strong> too. So just these two skills could be enough to allow her to create mana bombs or try to learn a skill simr to <strong>[Armament]</strong>.

    Okay, pick Kic Channeler.

    With a big smile, she does just that and continues to read the notifications and her status.

    I got a rare passive called Kic Storage, master! Rare! She tries to move and jump to her feet, but her wounds stop her, and she squeaks in pain. Yet, she is still smiling, My active skill is Kic Barrier and I even got 5 points to mana and two to every other stat!

    That sounds like a defensive skill, surprisingly, but damn, Kic Storage sure sounds good. I should look for a simr epic passiveter. Even though I got Mana Reservoir so long ago I still consider it the strongest epic passive I have. If the passives have low, mid, and upper grading like items, then Mana Reservoir is for sure upper.

    We will test themter; for now, rest.

    Then, even though I told her to get some rest, I watch as she starts testing her skills. I''m not even surprised.

    She uses her Kic Barrier, and this creates a thin, skin-tightyer over her skin. Vega takes out a knife and prods at the barrier with the handle. I watch as the barrier gives a bit, and when I activate my Mana Wavelength Irises, I can see how the attack disperses. Some of the attacks energy even seems to be absorbed by what I think is her passive.

    At the moment, I think the passive works like my Mana Reservoir and will allow her to store and use stored kic energy for attacks. In the future, she could use it to strengthen her body or maybe do something with her heart.

    So far, so good. What shecks is a ranged attack, but we will try to do something about that.

    I leave her to her training and open themunity.

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone) -</strong><em>no, I won''t tell you how I cleared the 4th floor.</em>

    <strong>NotAaron (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>oh,e on!</em>

    <strong>Knight (Hell, group 4) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>as if you didn''t expect that answer.</em>

    <strong>NotDennis (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>we just need Noname to beat up Savant during the tournament. I bet that will make Savant a bit less cocky.</em>

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone) -</strong><em>Youre free to try. I don''t mind if you attack me all at once, either.</em>

    <strong>NotAaron (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>ha! You just cleared the 4th floor, and we have been on the 5th one for nearly two weeks already!</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>NotAaron, don''t forget that it means Savant killed one of the Cmities alone.</em>

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone) - </strong><em>Why would I only kill one Cmity?</em>

    <strong>NotDennis (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>well, fuck.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> mana is the best stat.</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>food!</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Food is not a stat, Biscuit.</em>

    Stolen story; please report.

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>FOOD!</em>

    What?! Really?

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone) - </strong><em>At least that corgi makes more sense than some of the Group 4 members.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>How do you like the 5th floor so far?</em>

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone) -</strong><em> Not very much, to be honest. I''m still waiting for my disciple, so I can gauge things properly.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>I think you will be surprised.</em>

    I let Group 4 bully Savant a bit longer and then disconnect from themunity. That reminds me that I should probably check easy and other difficulties once in a while. There could be more information to be had.

    I nce toward the deer meat hanging on sticks made of mana, Ive ced a few thermal orbs nearby, in an attempt to dry the meat. It probably won''t be as good as properly smoked meat, but I used some spices I brought from the 4th floor, so it shouldn''t be terrible. Sure, it''s not like we arecking food at the moment, but it''s fun to try.

    Just like my disciple, I refuse to ck off and so Im examining my body, trying to figure out how to use ck mana more. Ive also been keeping a small orb of ck mana at my side at all times. I force it under my<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong> and keep trying to learn more.

    A few days ago, before the fight with the Veil Guardian, I did another round of active tempering, which gained me 15 stats in constitution, 5 in dexterity, and 5 in strength. One point in mana, too. That made me even happier.

    My stats are looking nice as always:

    <strong>Lvl 218</strong>

    <em>Strength: 108</em>

    <em>Dexterity: 106</em>

    <em>Constitution: 261</em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 856 + 856</em>

    I also have close to 12 thousand shards that Ive decided to keep. I don''t know what awaits me in the Valley or in the Bastion, so I want to have them ready. It also might be a good idea to start saving them for a time when I can buy items and passives of higher than epic rarity.

    My pinkie cracks and twists, a rush of mana tearing it apart as I lose control for a moment while trying to control the ck orb.

    As quickly as I can, I reduce my output and check on Vega. Thankfully, she seems fine. I got hurt even with my passives and control because of the amount of mana I''m using, so I''d rather be careful. I start again, more carefully this time.

    Both of us spend a few hours training like that until I collect some of the food and pack it.

    Vega lifts her arms in the air, and I grab her under the armpits and lift her onto my chest where she nestles her head against my chest. Once in a while, her tiny horn pokes my chin or neck, but I decide to let it go.

    Examining the map etched onto the small mana stone, I fly towards the Bastion. I avoid the ces marked as dangerous zones the domains of strong monsters, ruins of old cities with active weapons, or ces where the Veil is particrly active. Some of the ces I''m avoiding are as big as small countries, zones where Champion-level opponents shed, the only things left behind, mana radiation, and remnants of skills.

    I mean, damn, even after a hundred years or something like that, these ces are dangerous enough to kill people. They probably aren''t dangerous to more powerful individuals, but it''s still telling. If given the opportunity, I should check on them without Vega present.

    Our flight continues like that until we reach the mountain behind which the Bastion lies. I notice Vega starting to get cold, so I generate and release a small amount of thermal energy, and that makes her cling to me even more.

    When I meet her eyes, she averts her gaze. I''m sorry, master. She weakens her hold a bit.

    I don''t mind, I tell her.

    Her ruby colored eyes shine for a moment, and she holds me tighter again. She is just like a little animal. A baby ko clinging to her mother. I''m not too dumb to understand that.

    Vega has grown up on the streets alone. She is half-demon, and most of the humans in her vige hated her for it. She doesn''t have anyone to rely on. And shes what? 6 years old? Shes just a little kid. It makes sense that shes starved for warmth.

    She reminds me a little of Lily, who has simr tendencies, and that makes me wonder if Lily doesnt have a simr past. At this point, I wouldn''t even be surprised if all of the group 4 were a bit twisted like that. Everyone other than me, of course. I''m the most normal person here. It''s the rest of group 4 that just can''t stop being scary.

    As Im thinking about these things, I pass over one of therger rocks and finally catch sight of the Bastion. Just as Nina described it in our conversations.

    The Bastion is what used to be called a Skyhold Bastion, a floating ind if you will. An ind big enough to house around fifty thousand people. Skyhold Bastions were mostly used for war before the copse or as guild halls for powerful guilds. Some even served as houses for the rich.

    Very few pieces of information were left behind, and theres barely anyone left from before the war. And all of it was caused by the Veil.

    So there it is, the Bastion. It has fallen to the ground, nestled in between two mountains, one of which has partially copsed into the city. The stones have buried around 20% of the Bastion.

    The base of this floating ind is a perfect half-sphere with giant circuits on the bottom and countless smaller ones. Even from afar, I can see that the circuits are made from a different, crystalline material while the rest of the base is made of white stone.

    There are even a few of the original buildings left standing in the Bastion. A tower in the middle and a few more all over the fallen ind. There are a lot of structures built by the people who currently live there, and most of them have been made of wood or stone.

    The entire Bastion is slightly tilted to the left, and even from our distance, its presence feels overwhelming.

    Yes, there are stats and people dozens or hundreds of times stronger. People with skills, items, and other stuff. So building something like this probably isn''t as impossible a task as it would be on Earth. But still, it''s hard to take it all in. The Bastions diameter is probably on par with the length of Central Park or the Golden Gate Bridge? It''s hard to say.

    I nce at Vega who cant stop staring at it, her mouth drops open and her eyes spread wide. It''s a funny sight, so I etch it into my memory.

    When I look around, there doesnt seem to be anything too interesting. Ahead sits a few more mountains and a grassy in with a few trees leading up to the Bastion. To the right, stand still more mountains, and behind them, I can sense immense mana. Yup, even as far away as I am, I can feel the mana from the Valley.

    When I activate my eyes I can see it, a dark cloud or thick mist that hangs inertly over the Valley, which is multiple times the size of the Bastion. And the sheer density of that mana is something else.

    I poke Vega, Keep checking your surroundings, minion. And you forgot to control your heart. Try to not get hurt.

    Maybe I got Bambi''s curse, just like master! the little half-demon says smugly.

    I notice that she starts doing what I told her and scanning our surroundings.

    As a reward, I poke her squishy cheek, It doesn''t work like that. Anyways, let''s check the Bastion.

    Yes!

 Chapter 296: Rebellious phase

    Chapter 296: Rebellious phase

    Darren warned me before to be careful approaching the Bastion. Apparently, some of its old defenses still work and are powerful enough to kill higher-leveled monsters and humans. There is even a rumor that it once defended against a Veil Guardian. Yup, there are multiple Veil Guardians, and the one that kicked my ass is just one of many.

    Well, before this floor ends, I will pay him a visit, so it''s fine. I''m totally not pissed off, nope. I''m totally not bottling it under my <strong>[Focus]</strong>. I''m totally fine.

    Anyway, <strong>[Focus] </strong>is totally the best skill.

    I ce another mana projectile and, with Vega in hand, I jump to the side. A barrier I create deflects the attack, and I disrupt another one. I sense another presence under my feet, as it gets closer, I stomp, releasing a burst of kic energy from my feet.

    <strong>[You have defeated Corpseeater - lvl 99]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Corpseeater - lvl 89]</strong>

    I manipte my mana slowly so Vega can watch, and surround us in it. It radiates gently around us, as I make sure to keep it from hurting my disciple. I form the mana Ive released into a set of armor twice my height, lifting us into the air, and suspending us in the chest of the armor. I haven''t had an opportunity to show off my mana mech until now. I epass it in my <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> and control it with<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong>.

    I don''t even use <strong>[Infusion]</strong>, even at this level it should be enough. I move us, using an arm to grab the monster, which spews an acid-like substance at it, slightly corroding the mana.

    Then I send a signal to the hand, and it closes, crushing the monster.

    <strong>[You have defeated Poisoneater - lvl 123]</strong>

    Another poisonous attacknds on the chest of the armor but doesn''t manage to reach Vega or me. I take a few steps, moving to intercept a monster that reminds me of a horribly mutated frog with six thin limbs.

    The brave monster doesn''t run. Either too proud or dumb to bother, it keeps spewing its acid onto my armor, corroding some of the mana and creating some sort of vapor. It continues to do so even as I lift a leg, and its final attack collides with the sole of my oversized boot.

    Then I stomp on the monster, its blood sttering the surroundings.

    <strong>[You have defeated Poisoneater - lvl 113]</strong>

    "Minion, if you ever do what this monster just did, I will be extremely disappointed."

    "I''m not that dumb!" she states indignantly, as I dissolve the armor surrounding us after dispersing the poisonous vapor with kic energy.

    "So, what would you do?"

    "I would run away! And then track you to your camp, and wait for you to sleep."

    Nice! Killing a powerful opponent in their sleep. A ssic.

    Vega continues, "If I were that monster I would use that poison to poison master''s food!"

    Huh? That''s a bit...

    "Or I would poison master while he bathed or examined a new item."

    "Okay, okay, let''s stop here."

    "Sure!" The scary half-demon turns her attention back to her heart and the mana stone in her hands.

    I ce another mana projectile nearby, bringing the total to a hundred.

    Once again, another annoying monster appears nearby, and once again, my curiositypels me to meet it. The monster in question is as tall as me, with long limbs, and a thin scaled body. Yet its the monsters head that stands out most, gazing at me with five eyes and saliva dripping from the rows of pointed teeth filling its oversized mouth.

    <strong>[Skillreaver - lvl 152]</strong>

    The creepy monster continues to observe, each of its eyes trained on me, big and red with snake-like pupils at their centers.

    I feel its mana reach toward me, trying to get through my mantle and reaching for my disciple.

    I disrupt both attempts with ease, but then, curiosity overwhelms me, and I weaken my mantle.

    Slowly, something touches me, and I observe as it searches for something. Clearly, it''s the monster''s skill.

    Then the touch disappears, and the monster starts radiating mana, blue armor surrounding it. Something akin to <strong>[Armament]</strong> I used to have before <strong>[Regalia]</strong>.

    Wordlessly, the monster charges at me, and before it takes two steps, I create a mana orb andunch it at the monster. The orb pierces through the armor and the monster''s head, exiting on the other side.

    <strong>[You have defeated Skillreaver - lvl 152]</strong>

    Nice, another douche of a monster copying skills.

    Taking a few steps, I stop in front of the body and examine the monster a moment before leaving it and heading towards the Bastion. I try to stay covert, reducing my mana signature as much as I can while covering for my silly disciple as well. I even try to stay out of sight as much as possible, using the patch of forest to get closer.

    Even though I knew the Bastion was massive, it feels even up close. I can already see the small figures of humans, mostly on the walls surrounding the fallen Skyward Bastion.

    Getting ready, I send a signal to one of the mana projectiles I left behind, and it shoots toward the city.

    It doesn''t contain any energy; and neither do the others, it''s just slightlypressed mana.

    As it flies through the air, I watch its trajectory, and when it reaches the Bastion, a small hexagonal barrier appears to block it. It also causes a few of the guards to start looking around. The signal is sent into the area from somewhere in the middle of the city. It searches for mana signatures, and I avoid detection.

    Then I activate five projectiles at once, each of them shooting towards the city. Just like before, a small hexagonal barrier as tall as me appears in front of each of the projectiles and blocks it, disappearing right after.

    I see, so it''s like Virelias setup. A barrier with thousands of segments that only activate when blocking an attack. Inactive for the most part to save mana.

    Iunch twenty more projectiles all at once, and this time I observe with my trait as the projectiles touch something akin to a dense web of mana, triggering the barriers.

    All of the projectiles get blocked once more, and I notice a few humans hurriedly moving on the walls. They are shouting something, probably, and a few more detections are sent into the area.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    I send 50 projectiles at once and watch as they sh against hexagonal barriers.

    To be honest, it''s a nice view as they light up one after another, often only for a split second to block the attack. This system is extremely urate.

    Even more, humans appear on the wall, to my amusement, their movements disy growing panic and stress.

    Damn, that only makes me want to continue.

    I shoot three attacks. Each a second apart, each of them aimed at the same spot.

    Once they get detected, I release the rest of the projectiles, directing them all at the same spot as well, and once again they get blocked. But this time it seems like my attacks passed a bit closer to the city, if only slightly.

    Three more detection waves wash over me, and like ants, dozens of humans rush onto the walls, skills active and searching for the attacker.

    They seem angry, Vega seems to notice as well.

    It''s fine, I tell her as I watch them grouping up, getting ready to send small groups of scouts into the area, Nina said they have items that allow them to enter the Bastion, so we have to lure some of them out.

    Isn''t master trying to be nicer? We could move closer and ask them to let us in

    Minion, leave thinking to me.

    I''m Vega, not minion. I think master just wanted to test their barrier and bully them but screwed up.

    It''s a scientifically confirmed fact that minions don''t have the ability to think for themselves. That''s why they should listen to their master.

    That''s not true! I know master just wants to be an asshole!

    You are not allowed to use the word ''asshole'' starting now, minion.

    Asshole.

    What? Is she getting into a rebellious phase?

    Asshole. She repeats.

    Do not

    Asshole asshole asshole. Her red eyes seem to challenge me.

    Minion, you screwed up.

    I''m Vega, first disciple to Nathaniel Gwyn, my only master. I am not a minion! I will be calling master an asshole if the master continues to call me a minion!

    That''s it, this surely is the rebellious phase I heard so much about. But I think the little half-demon underestimates how petty I can be. Oh boy, she has no idea.

    Sure, minion, go ahead. I highlight the word ''minion'' strongly.

    Will do so, asshole master! And the little red-eyed half-demon returns my gaze, both of us full of determination.

    We spend a few hours going around the Bastion and waiting, yet even then no one leaves the fallen sky ind.

    My n has failed, dang it.

    I straight up refuse to look at my disciple and force her to practice more. While waiting, I also push her into a fight against a few weaker monsters. Her kic barrier skill seems somewhat decent and works a lot like<strong> [Redistribution]</strong>. The disadvantage is that it only works against physical attacks, so we are working on that.

    There are multiple quests for me to fulfill. Not the least of which being the floor quest.

    <strong>Floor quest:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Rise and protect your disciple</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>???</em><em></em>

    <em>Skill upgrade token</em><em></em>

    <em>5000 Shards</em><em></em>

    <em>100 stat points</em><em></em>

    <em>Trait strengthening token</em>

    And plenty of side quests:

    <strong>Side quest: </strong><em>Find out what happened to this world</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><em>5000 shards</em>

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em> Locate the mirror</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>???</em>

    <strong>Side quest: </strong><em>Avoid the sleeping Cmity</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><em>Survival</em>

    <strong>Side quest: </strong><em>Find out whats causing the high mana levels in the Valley</em>

    <strong>Reward: </strong><em>Mid-epic piece of equipment</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Side quest: </strong><em>Reach the Bastion</em>

    <strong>Reward: </strong><em>Food and water supplies</em>

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em>Reach level 250</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><em>Body upgrade</em>

    Maybe I can find more information about what exactly happened. I have some ideas and I got plenty of hints in the Sanctuary, but thats not enough for the system, so thats going to take a bit longer. The mirror is in the Valley, I can deal with it after going there.

    I will also try to avoid the sleeping Cmity. The first on the list is Veil Guardian. Some suspicious sleeping Cmity can wait.

    Mid-epic equipment will be nice too. They cost around 5 thousand shards or more, so that''s telling of how dangerous the Valley is. Maybe the sleeping Cmity is there?

    As for the Bastion, looking at it from up close, I really want to examine it. Like the bunker that made up the Sanctuary, it is a remnant of the past. If less obsolete than an abandoned bunker. The circuits made of crystal covering the entire bottom of the fallen flying ind interest me. Oh, and how many facilities might there be? Maybe theyll be even better for crafting and enchanting than the Sanctuarys.

    My hopes of sneaking in have failed. I wanted to use the items that allow the residents to pass through the detection field without triggering an attack, but they don''t leave.

    Sneaking inside on my own could be somewhat possible with my eyes and <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, but after examining it for a while, I''m sure I would trigger a trap or two. I don''t think I would be able to sneak Vega in either.

    Even shooting a mana orb with an anchor ced on it won''t work.

    The Skyhold Bastion seems really advanced with plenty of surprises. Built by the Enchanter Guild that created the Veil long ago. Should we wait and hope they forget about the attack and then try to gain entry in the usual, if annoying fashion even though dealing with so many people would piss me off?

    Did I screw up just because I didn''t want to deal with people?

    Nah, it''s the extroverts who are wrong.

    Asshole''s disciple, we will try to get inside in the usual way.

    I''m not a minio she looks up at me, what did you call me?

    For every day you dont lose concentration and keep watch over your surroundings, I will call you Vega for a day, I tell her instead of answering.

    Her big red eyes expand even more, and she gulps.

    In exchange, if you fail, I will call you minion, and you can''tin or call me an asshole, I expand on it, I mean, you can refuse if you dont think you can. I will understand if you are scared and don''t believe in your

    I will do it!

    Ha, so easy to deal with! You are still way too young topare to Nathaniel Gwyn!

    But if I catch master losing his concentration because of some inscription or item, you have to call me Vega and I can ask you for something!

    Huh?

    I nce towards the Bastion which is most likely full of wonder and remember the times I lost track of my surroundings.

    This could be a bit dangerous.

    A smug smile appears on my minions face, I understand if my master is scared.

 Chapter 297: Sneaky mode

    Chapter 297: Sneaky mode

    Is Vega taking too many cues from me? Sure, Ive noticed her copying a bit of my behavior, but this is too much.

    Maybe it''s her demon part? Demons seem to be obsessed with strong hearts and beings. Maybe she sees these things in me and instinctively tries to emte me. No matter what she went through or how she behaves at times, she is still just a kid, so it makes sense.

    Well, whatever, another thing for future Nathaniel to deal with. Hes done nothing so far, well he couldn''t really, so he can deal with this at least. Screw you, future Nathaniel, I bet you will be an even bigger weirdo.

    With Vega in my arms and mana flowing under my skin, I head towards the Bastion.

    Sneaky Mode is on once again, the same one I used against Nina and Darren. Yup, I''m once again just another normal guy with a totally normal mana.

    <strong>POV Vega</strong>

    As always, the master''s heart beats strong and calmly. He is not scared at all, not even when so many humans look at him and scream at us to stop. His heart doesn''t even react. It''s just one calm, confident beat after another.

    I look up to him and, as always, he wears the expression he puts on when were with others. It''s colder, and his eyes look different. It''s hard to notice, but Ive learned how!

    While he talks with some weak human, I continue to send my senses into our surroundings. I can''t sense it, but I''m sure the master is trying to catch me hesitating.

    I''m sure of it!

    I will do the same. My master can get distracted when he finds an interesting item or gets an idea to improve his skills.

    It''s fun, and I''m thankful to the master. Ive never gotten to y like this before. Even if I fail, it won''t get hurt, and I won''t go hungry. The master is just that kind.

    One of the humans asks, Someone attacked the Bastion just a few hours ago, do you know anything?

    Even though this human is so weak, he looks down on my master. I think the only reason hes so brave is because he has so many people backing him up, but I want master to show him his ce.

    Attack? We just got here. A few hours ago, we were still scouting to avoid all the monsters. Maybe one of them attacked? he replies. His pretty eyes show not an ounce of hesitation.

    Sure you did, the man snorts, where are you from?

    I came from the Sanctuary. Do you know Darren or Nina? They were both here in the Bastion, ten years ago. I have a few items to trade and I left some food back in camp for trading.

    Their names sound familiar, but I can''t remember everyone. Okay, you said your name is Nathaniel, right? Well send you to customs, you will pay for your stay in the Bastion and you will get a three-day pass. After that, you will either leave or go through customs again. ording to your behavior or usefulness, we will decide what to do with you.

    Thanks, sir, that sounds very reasonable.

    I think so too, the man answers and turns to one of his men.

    When I look at my master, hes still releasing mana in that weird way. It''s hard for me to describe, but it feels very scary. It shows how amazingly good at controlling mana the master is. He did it before too, while talking with the human flesh-eaters, Nina and Darren, and now the master is doing it again.

    I''m not sure why the master calls it Sneaky Mode when I can see how much it scares some of the humans, but there must be a deep meaning behind it.

    Master is smart and powerful and I want to be like him. I''m already trying to learn Sneaky Mode but it''s so difficult.

    "Sneaky Mode sessful," Master whispers as we pass through the gate, and I nod and smile.

    It''s so much fun being around master.

    Well, that was easier than expected. Some of the guards with better mana senses seemed a bit scared, so maybe the attack from before made them a bit nervous. Not my problem anyway; theirmander can deal with it.

    As for entering the Bastion, I expected them to be more careful given that they don''t know me at all. But maybe they have some other defenses for dealing with stronger people if they should try to start a fight. Maybe the defenses did drive off one of the Veil Guardians years ago. Better be careful while I''m here with Vega.

    I also force myself not to examine the barrier. If it works even a bit like the Veil, it could detect my touch and cause me trouble.

    But at least Ipleted the quest and can now get some food and water. Not like I need them, but I could sell them.

    "Touch this stone; it will measure your physical stats and mana," the man apanying me through the gate points at the stone. He says somewhat respectfully.

    There are a few more men around us, and all of them are ready. The stone they are pointing at is embedded in the wall and perfectly flush. It looks like it''s made from transparent white ss.

    Let''s be careful. I need to control my mana a bit. Okay, maybe a lot, not just a bit. It seems like people over level 200 are usually the ones who survived the war, and survivors rarely reach that level because of the Veil so I can try to act like someone born after the war.

    When my hand touches the stone, I quickly grab a hold of my mana and cycle it, letting as little as possible pass into the stone.

    "Strength is at around 100," one of the men says after checking some item in his hands.

    "That''s low for a traveler," another one answers.

    "Dexterity is at a simr level," the first man reads again.

    "Man, you are brave, leaving the safe zones with such low stats," the man writing it down giggles, "how are his other stats?"

    "Constitution is around 250."

    I continue to control my mana and, rather than fear being caught, I''m curious to find out if I can hide it from this item. And I cant help but wonder how it works. Items like this always interest me. Its inscriptions are interesting and the way it examines my body is someth...

    "Master failed; you stopped watching your surroundings," Vega whispers.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any urrences.

    Huh? In shock, I realize that she is right and my concentration slips a little more.

    "Your mana stat is"

    A rift appears in the air, and a man steps out. He is tall, well-dressed, and wears a light confident smile on his lips. His hair is brown and wavy, growing down to his shoulders, and has a well-kept mustache.

    "Greetings, brave guards," he says with a friendly smile.

    "The Butler!" the guards immediately ignore me and turn to the man, bowing their heads.

    "It''s fine, no need to be so formal," he takes a few steps towards the man with the item that showed the results of the test and grabs it from his hands.

    He does something to it and then returns it, "You may continue with his registration, and after that, I will take care of our guest. Procedures are important," he smiles.

    His clothes are neat and fitting. Suit-like and nice brown in color. Meanwhile, the guards are wearing something that I identified as mostly low-grade rare armor. Simple, but covering most of their bodies.

    "Yes sir!" the man takes the tablet-like item and continues, "Mana stat is at around 170. The overall level is estimated to be 150, registering Nathaniel Gwyn as a level 3 threat. The pass willst exactly three days starting now. The price will be"

    "You can put the price of their entrance on my tab."

    "The price will be paid by Sir Butler at ater date. Am I correct in thinking that Mister Gwyn will receive his entrance token from Sir Butler personally?" he asks carefully, and the Butler nods, "Now then if you allow me to measure yourpanion."

    At that, I let them take Vega off my hands and look towards the Butler.

    The man greets me with a nod while he patiently waits for our registration to finish. When it''s done, Vega seems to be disappointed by being registered as a level 1 threat.

    When we start walking deeper into the Bastion, the Butler walks by my side.

    "Did I screw up?" I ask him.

    "It''s hard to trick an essence probe, Mister Gwyn," he smiles.

    In front of us, the Bastion opens up.

    The streets are tilted as are the buildings because of how the ind has fallen. But they are clean, and there are people everywhere. Every single one of them looks well fed and groomed, even though we seem to be in the poorer parts of the Bastion. They go about their day, trading, joking, meeting, and working. I can hear a cksmith nearby, I sense like an enchanter. There are even training facilities, not unlike schools.

    It''s a city nestled within the remains of a previous civilization.

    "Mister Gwyn, would you like to join me and Madame Housekeeper tonight? We won''t be taking too much of your time," the man asks.

    "Yes, we can do that." I agree, my curiosity peaked.

    The man bows slightly and hands me entrance tokens for Vega and me, "Thank you, I will send someone to the ce where you decide to stay. Have a nice rest of the day." He turns to Vega, "Miss Vega," he adds.

    <strong>[Phase Ranger - lvl ??]</strong>

    So at least 20 levels higher than me, but probably not much more.

    Butler, Housekeeper, such strange titles. What''s next? Gardener, Tutor, Maid, Valet?

    "So how do you like everything far, Vega?" I ask her.

    The moment I do so, she tries really, really hard to hide her smile. I lost, and I can ept it. I just got so enthralled by the item measuring me that I stopped scouting my surroundings. Even though Iveined about Vega doing the same so often.

    Well, it''s just one day, and my dear minion will surely slip up after that, and I will have my revenge.

    "He called me miss! No one ever calls me miss!"

    "That''s good, but don''t trust him just because of that. He is probably very dangerous." You just can''t trust anyone with such a majestic mustache. It should be criminal, rocking a mustache like that and still looking so good.

    "I don''t! I only trust master."

    "Good."

    Im already drained by all the people walking through the streets, so I ask an older woman for a ce to find lodging. Then I spend five minutes answering her questions. Stuff like, "We didn''t get a mana courier or traveling merchants, is the wilderness getting dangerous? Oh, The Sanctuary, how is it nowadays? Who is this cute little girl? Are you married, young man, I have a daughter"

    Things like that.

    In the end, she shows me a kind of symbol that people draw on their houses when they want to offer a room for the night, and so we walk through the streets, searching for one. I pass by a few because I don''t like the location, but deeper in the city, I find a nice one. In one of the original towers.

    The moment we enter it, I know it will probably be expensive, but I don''t mind that much. The inside is big without being empty and it feels nice and cozy. There are mana stones all around for heating, inactive, and ready to be used when needed.

    People here are generally better clothed than those outside, and even average levels are slightly higher. Most of them seem like they know how to fight.

    We reach the bar where a woman nces at me, "Token," she says simply.

    I take our entrance tokens and put them on the table.

    She examines them, "Entrance token, three days. So you two are new to the Bastion. Are the roads as bad as they say?"

    Huh? Not really. Just a few level-two-hundred monsters and mostly lower-level ones. But such an answer would probably get an annoying level of attention.

    "Even worse than what you heard. Monsters are everywhere," Iin. "We barely made it here."

    The woman nods solemnly, "Damned monsters. It''s been years since the courier guild was able to get any rare spices to the Bastion, and people keep asking for them," she sighs. "Single room, two beds?"

    "Yes, with a nice view if you have any."

    "What can you pay?"

    "Plenty, what do you prefer? It''s my first time in the Bastion."

    "Oh really, wee. If anyone talks shit, forgive them; we are not too used to travelers. As for the payment, an umon item, a higher end mana stone, a piece of conductive crystal or rare metal ore, even some rare monster parts."

    "Would this be ok?" I ce one of the worst mana stones that I have in front of her, which Ive inscribed to radiate heat.

    "Oh, a heating stone, and its really well made. Probably from before the war, people nowadays are rarely capable of this," she nces at me. "This single stone is too much, but I can give you one of the rooms on the highest floor and add dinners and breakfast, and a few baths. Sounds good?"

    "Sure," something tells me that she might be scamming me a little, but not like I mind.

    It also seems to tell her something about me, being willing to part with such a valuable item, and her behavior seems a bit more respectful.

    "Fabian, get your ass over here and take this good sir to room four, and make sure they get some food delivered to them."

    Led by a young boy, we walk upstairs and receive a mana stone to unlock the door, and we enter the room.

    There is a rug on the floor and two beds, a big one and a smaller one in the corner. The furniture is nice, if simple, and the room is a little worn but its well-kept and clean.

    I let Vega examine a mirror on the wall and open the balcony. There is a flower pot with a smaller tree and two chairs next to a small table. The view doesnt face the middle of the city, where the higher towers and buildings are. Rather it faces the outside. It overlooks the smaller buildings and all the people below.

    I can see the small wall surrounding the city and the nature outside of it. When I look to the left, I can see most of one of the mountains that surround the city. At least I''m lucky enough to find ces with a nice view.

    After returning to the room, I jump into the bed.

    "Minio Vega, tell me why being around so many people drains me."

    "Maybe it is Bambi''s curse, master!"

    "Maybe. But I don''t want much. A ce to be stronger, and level up my skills and stats. Some interesting items to y with and ces to explore. Most of the time people are an inconvenience, especially when they decide to bother me."

    "Even me?" She asks as she climbs onto the bed andys next to me.

    "Nah, youre fine."

    "I see!" she smiles happily. "But I couldn''t notice it at all. Master is really good at talking with people."

    "Silly disciple, there are two kinds of people. The ones that be stronger the more time they spend with other people. Then those that grow weaker when they have to socialize and then need to recharge their energy. I''m thetter."

    "Maybe there are passive skills or traits for that."

    I just poke my cheeky disciple and when she jumps from the bed to examine the room I go through the system shop.

    Just in case.

 Chapter 298: What is Pairing

    Chapter 298: What is Pairing

    Were training as night falls when a knock at the door breaks my focus. As Ie to a stopping point, I poke Vega and head towards the door. I open it to find a man standing there, neatly dressed and presenting us with two sets of clothes on hangers.

    Your clothes, Mister Gwyn, Miss Vega, he hands them to me as if there were no chance of refusal, I shall wait outside and escort you to your appointment with Sir Butler and Lady Housekeeper.

    After that, he closes the door and waits outside.

    Me and Vega look at each other. Our clothes are more or less clean, and we even took baths, so that shouldnt be a problem.

    Im about to toss them aside and head out as I am when I notice Vegas bright eyed gaze, directed at the pretty yellow dress meant for her. Even at a nce, I can tell that it will fit her well.

    With a sigh, I hand her the clothes. Just for tonight, I will humor my silly disciple. She is constantly training, beyond even my expectations. So yup, it''s a reward for that, nothing else.

    Do you know how to put them on?

    She looks confused, so I take a moment to exin and then send her to the other room so she can put them on.

    Meanwhile, I examine mine. Its basically a simplified version of the elegant suit I wore to the auction on the fourth floor. The clothes are woven from a thin cloth with a slight amount of give, making for an extremelyfortable fit. They are light gray with a ck vest underneath and a touch of golden embroidery. Even the shoes are ck and trimmed in gold.

    Well, Ill just wear them tonight and sell them afterward.

    After getting ready, I wait for Vega, and she exits the room a momentter, her movements awkward and shy.

    She wears a pretty yellow dress with a hint of white trim. Its a simple style made from quality materials. The outfitplements her light brown hair and makes her red eyes even more striking whileplimenting her tiny ck horns. She is also wearing a new pair of shoes. They look sleek andfortable while perfectly matching the dress.

    I mean, Biscuit is clearly the cutest being that ever entered the tutorial, but Vega is cute in her own way.

    Come here, I tap on one of the stools, and the little half-demon climbs onto it.

    I take a few steps, grab a brush from the dresser, and start brushing her hair. At the first touch, Vega freezes, and I sense her kic demon heart starts beating wildly, but after a moment, she realizes what''s happening. Still tense, she allows me to continue.

    I used to brush my sisters hair. She always acted like she didnt need it, but she liked it anyway, I tell Vega. One time I annoyed her, and she forced me to learn all kinds of ways to tie her hair and style it.

    I set the brush aside and grab another, taking care not to pull her hair.

    What kind of person is masters sister? Is she like you?

    Like me? I take a moment to think about it, I think so? But she is a few years older than me and more decisive and stubborn.

    She sounds like a strong person.

    Yes, she is.

    Is master scared of her?

    That almost makes meugh. Vic would sooner set the world aze than hurt those she cares about. Without responding, I use my hands to style Vegas hair. It doesnt even reach her shoulders, so there is not much I can do.

    We are done. Time to head out. As I said before, always stay near me, you can stop scanning the area and probing people. It might be considered rude. Do not touch anything or anyone, and do not attack anyone. You are Vega, I''m Nathaniel. We are travelers, and we stopped by the Sanctuary, were headed north. ording to the map, there should be a few more bunkers and survivors. We did not attack the Bastion, we are not heading towards the Valley. We never saw a group of deer and did not kill them.

    Yes!

    Good, let''s go then, I open the door, and the man leads us outside.

    We pass through the streets without haste. The man takes the lead with his hands folded behind his back, and the people on the street seem to recognize him. The streets are empty, and even when we meet someone, that person quickly clears the way, and not even the guards bother to stop us.

    Eventually, we reach an inner wall that is thrice my height, and the gate opens for us, revealing a beautiful garden and a sidewalk made of beautiful white stone, framed by vibrant green grass. All well lit by a soft light shining frommps ced along our path.

    Following the sidewalk, we move uphill, heading towards yet another wall made of the same kind of stone as the sidewalk and covered in beautiful murals. A vibrant blend of blues, greens, and yellows. The figures depict everything from fights, and floating inds, to exotic ces and animals.

    Even though there is so much of it, it doesn''t feel like any of its too much or out of ce; each of the paintings is ced perfectly to create the intended effect.

    The next gate isn''t even guarded and opens to reveal a straight road leading to the manor at the center. The manor itself has several walls made entirely from ss, a red roof made of some sort of stone, and a multitude of light blue crystalline pirs. There are a few more buildings off to the sides, each different from thest.

    This is as far as I will be going, please enjoy your evening Miss Vega, Mister Gwyn, the servant that led us here bows and leaves, the sound of his steps filling the otherwise quiet night.

    Stolen story; please report.

    Vega, doesn''t he feel like a douchebag to you? I ask my disciple while watching the man leave.

    Yes, like a douchebag! she then hesitates, What does douchebag mean?

    It means an obnoxious, offensive, or disgusting person. But I''m not sure if that poor man deserves to be called that, a woman exits the manor weve been guided to. It''s nice to meet you Miss Vega, Mister Gwyn, she says with the slightest hint of a smile and bow.

    The woman is as tall as me, with a slim figure, and moves with an energetic sort of grace. She has wavy ck hair and violet eyesplemented by her pale blue dress. She doesnt seem to be armed, and yet she disys confidence on par with the Butler.

    I''m the Housekeeper, allow me to wee you to the Bastion. Shall we head inside?

    <strong>[Ethereal Duelist - lvl ??]</strong>

    Sure, I answer simply, but the woman doesnt seem insulted and moves first.

    Each of her movements is sharp and dangerous, like those of someone ustomed to fighting using their body, which her ss confirms.

    So the Butler is a ranged ss, and the Housekeeper is close range. If ites to a fight, I will have to use barriers to defend while I fight the woman. The two of them are probably 20-30 levels higher than me, so it feels like it should be manageable, the only problems are Vega and whatever defenses they have on hand.

    The man with the criminally majestic mustache is already inside and greets us as well, as they lead us to the table. All of it feels extremely pretentious and boring. I was never the type to care about this kind of stuff, but I go with it for now.

    After taking my seat at the table, Vega moves to my right, while the housekeeper is opposite of me, and the Butler to my left.

    At least the food is good and safe to eat.

    In the middle of the dinner, the conversation finally starts.

    I have noticed the signature of an item when you entered the Bastion, Mister Gwyn, the Butler starts, Tens of years ago, we gifted a simr item to Darrens predecessor. A silver cor. The man pokes a piece of meat and puts it into his mouth. Each of his movements is smooth and elegant, even the way he sits.

    Interesting story. I found something simr, I think then it was on cattle I met by chance.

    Cattle, you say. I wonder what happened to it.

    Me too. I just set it free after taking the cor. I take my ss, and while drinking, I make sure to slurp slightly.

    The man doesn''t react to the provocation.

    Vega copies me instantly and she starts slurping from her ss, just much louder than me. That makes every one of us look at her, and she blushes and quickly looks down at the table.

    That cattle probably had owners; I wonder what could happen to them. Such cattle can be really dangerous, the Butler continues.

    I wonder that too, I say.

    "I see. Well, to change the subject, I have noticed a de

    The Housekeeper finally joins the conversation, Damn it, Butler, your eloquent behavior sometimes makes me want to punch you in the face, she sighs and turns from the man to me, I''m a warrior, and unlike my colleague here, I''m not patient enough for these conversations, and its only taken me a second to guess you arent either.

    I lift my ss towards the woman and take a sip.

    That makes her smile. She is still sitting there elegantly. Her shoulders peeking from her pale blue dress, disying her body as the deadly weapon it is, yet she throws a part of that mask away.

    That Voidsteel de you have can be only from one being, so I wonder. Did you acquire it by chance or did you earn it?

    Nothing has changed, but something tells me the way I answer the question is extremely important.

    Well, I don''t think they will answer all of my questions, so let''s make an offer to ensure at least a few of them get answered.

    You can ask three questions, and I will ask three. You can decide not to answer, and I may as well, but we will try to answer three questions for everyone. Does that sound reasonable? I offer.

    This time it''s the Butler who answers, That much would be appreciated. And please forgive my colleague; she is perfectly capable of behaving herself but tends to slip up. A holdover from a time when she was but a simple brute.

    Come on, Butler, our guest doesn''t care, even the kid is getting bored. Plus, he isn''t from here; there is no need for decorum.

    I understand, Housekeeper, I will keep decorum, but you shall behave a bit less proper to please our guest. As for our first question, Mister Gwyn, I repeat, where did you get that Voidsteel de? If you give us a longer answer instead of a simple one, we will be more considerate in answering your questions.

    I fought the Veil Guardian in the city near the Sanctuary. I was able to sever the guardian''s arm and take the de. The monster is still alive, but I will change that in the future.

    Ha! I told you, Butler! You didn''t trust me, but I know men like him. Just looking at him, I can tell that he didn''t just steal it or find it!

    The Butler looks at the Housekeeper for a moment, almost disappointed by her inelegant behavior before turning to me.

    As he speaks, I watch his mustache move. It''s like a living being, The Veil Guardians are powerful opponents, so allow me to congratte you on your skill or luck, Mister Gwyn. I believe it was a tough fight.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 45 > Focus - lvl 46]</strong>

    A little bit, I nod. It''s my turn, so I want to ask. What happened to lead to all of this? I may as well try to get those 5 thousand shards.

    The two of them exchange nces but do not ask anything; instead, it''s the Housekeeper who answers, The Gardener could know more, but there is a bit I can answer. The simple version is that 120 years ago, we got Paired with another, and through that connection ofs

    Wait a moment, can you exin what Pairing is?

    Would you like to ask that as your first question instead?

    Yes.

    She nods and looks at the Butler, who adjusts his clothes and straightens up, The Pairing is an event brought about by the system. Were not sure how it happens, it could be random, maybe theres an entity overseeing it all, or perhaps it''s some kind of natural process. During the Pairing, twos are connected, and once the Pairing starts, it takes years for them to fully Pair. Sometimes it is just a few years; in other cases, it''s decades or centuries. The speed of the Pairing is influenced by the natives of each.

    He moves a te away from him and wipes away an invisible speck of dust before fixing his sleeve.

    Usually, each of thes has a being called Absolute, and the Pairing speeds up when one of the Absolutes dies. There might be unluckys that get paired without an Absolute, but that''s rare. So once theres only one Absolute remaining, there are usually no enemy forces capable of killing the other, and the that still has one tends to win if you want to call it that. The winning then grows stronger and bigger after absorbing the other.

    I have dozens of questions, but he stops there, his expression knowing what is going through my head, This one is a free answer to show our goodwill, Mister Gwyn. You mightck information about our, but it went through a Pairing long ago; that''s why we have information about it, and currently, the second Pairing is still in progress.

 Chapter 299: Entering the Valley

    Chapter 299: Entering the Valley

    I will ask the second question, the Housekeeper puts her elbows on the table and uses her hands to support her chin, You are powerful, but you don''t seem to be from the generation from before the war. So, what are you, or where are you from?

    I can''t answer that question, I say simply.

    Thanks for being honest, then another one. What are you doing in the Bastion?

    Honestly, nothing too interesting. I intend to learn a bit more about what happened before the war and what led to all of this. I want to explore the Bastion, mostly out of curiosity. I currently have no intention of causing trouble or starting any fights here.

    She gestures, and I ask, What happened to the world, other than pairing, with the Veil.

    The Butler answers, The Gardener knows more, but from what little we know, the Enchanters Guild created the Veil to give us an advantage during the Pairing. Something got screwed up, and the Veil turned against us and the monsters.

    His answer is simple, mirroring my own. I would like to ask them how old they are if theye from before the war. Why are they so sure that strong people must have lived through the war? More about the guild. Who is the Gardener? There are so many questions I want to ask, but theres a reason I only offered 3 questions, I am almost certain they wouldn''t answer more so at least I got a three.

    Unfortunately, even these answers are not enough to finish the side quest. I have only one question left. I can try to ask about the sleeping Cmity and the Valley; those interest me the most.

    In the end, I ask, What do you know about the Valley?

    The woman nces at the mustache man, and he answers once again, The Valley is the Valley, as the name says. It''s a location shrouded in mist constantly, and the immense mana radiation prevents examination from afar. Weve sent multiple expeditions, but they rarely return, and when they do, it''s at a high price and the reports always mention a powerful monster that resides there. It could have been a sh between two Champions or perhaps the monster caused it when it took over. That or its one of the bunkers they used to work on the Veil.

    Well, I should have expected that answer. Everyone here seems to be satisfied with hiding in the city, they certainly dont seem too curious about their world.

    Thest question is, how old are you? the Housekeeper asks. She is smiling and examining me carefully. Just like with the previous questions, she gauges my reactions and seems capable of catching me in a lie, that I''m sure of.

    Its a smart question and tricky besides, it will give her plenty of information about me.

    Twenty-one, I answer, no, scratch that. Twenty-two, I correct myself. I entered the tutorial nearly a year ago, so I did celebrate my twenty-second birthday without even realizing it.

    The silence that fills the room quickly bes ufortable, and her eyes seem to be trying to drill holes in me.

    Twenty-two, she whispers. He is not lying, the Housekeeper says, looking over at the Butler.

    Both of them look at me. As they do, I notice Vega stealing snacks, thinking we are distracted. They see it too but pretend not to, and the Housekeeper even smiles gently at my silly disciple.

    The questions are done, and the food is eaten, and the mood changes. Ites slowly, almost unnoticeably, but tension sneaks into the room, gradually building up until even Vega notices it. She doesn''t even know why, but she moves closer to me, fear slipping into her gaze even as she tries to maintain a neutral expression.

    So, what is the result of our conversation? Are we going to fight, or will you leave me to do my business?

    The Butler doesn''t react, but the Housekeeper smiles, sweeping a lock of her wavy ck hair away from her face, her violet eyes giving me her full attention. I see her nce at the Voidsteel cutter at my waist. The woman either wants the weapon or wants to fight me.

    What if we decided that you put the Bastion and its people at risk and that we should mitigate that risk? Weve had some terrible experiences with travelers like you, The Housekeeper smiles at Vega. The mana that haszily swirled around her body until now is being pulled towards her until I can''t sense even a speck of mana radiating from her. Being used to power her body as she prepares to charge.

    Even the Butler ces a few anchor-like things all over the room and even far outside, most likely for his rift.

    Well, if you decide to be hostile, I will fight back, obviously, I answer them.

    My trait activates, a golden circle surrounding my pupils, and the energies Ive been generating with the Thermokic heart swirl inside me. They threaten to escape, to explode and obliterate everyone and anything in their way.

    The Butler says calmly, Housekeeper, calm down, please.

    But she ignores him, her eyes wide open, muscles moving under her skin, So what if we use that little girl to pressure you? You seem to care

    She cuts off and lifts her arm to her face. That forearm blocks the kic energy from the anchor I ced near her head. Instead of her head exploding, the forearm takes the attack, purple mana shining at the ce of impact.

    Heh, I guess my joke was too Her body is thrown to the side by an explosion emanating from another anchor Ive ced nearby.

    Purple mana shines around her body, and shes taken no damage at all.

    Okay, okay, I get it another explosion, this time much stronger, throws her even further away, messing her clothes. Yet she doesn''t fall andnds elegantly on her feet and stands up swiftly, Message received.

    You kind of deserved that, the Butler sighs and then turns to me, She likes awkward jokes like that, so please forgive her, Mister Gwyn. We obviously will not harm your disciple without reason.

    Come on, Butler, even given a reason, I wouldn''t hurt such a cutie. Just look at her! The Housekeeper sits in her chair as if nothing happened and points at Vega, who keeps ncing between me and the woman.

    I wonder if it''s normal for all these people to be such weirdos. Is it the levels or old age that makes people like that, or is it the tutorial making these floors more spicy for all of us?

    Well, I guess the dinner is over, so we will be leaving, I tell them, ready for anything.

    I have noticed the barrier around this ce, and that would give them an advantage in the event of a fight. Ive also noticed more guards nearby and one more person at a simr level to them. But I''m not worried.

    My mana rumbles just under my skin, a Mana Reservoir long neglected. Thermal and kic energy roar inside two orbs I created and hid inside of my body before we entered the city. Even Vega can be evacuated through<strong> [Tether]</strong> to an anchor Ive ced in the city, given the barrier wont allow me to connect to the outside.

    I might even want them to pick a fight, at least a little. I want to lower the effects of<strong> [Focus]</strong> and fight to forget about the Veil Guardian.

    Just a little step, just a single attack aimed at Vega or me, and we can start.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    When it does note, I''m almost disappointed. The Butler only nods and then stands up, hands behind his back, and leads me towards the exit. The Housekeeper stays behind, her eyes on my back the entire time as we leave.

    Just before we get back to the normal streets, the Butler tells me, Mister Gwyn, next time, please refrain from such threatening actions. We prefer to act with civility and avoid violence, but we will not run from a challenge. Please count today as a show of our goodwill.

    He bows and then, as slowly as ever, walks back to the Housekeeper.

    Yup, before this floor ends, I will pay these guys one more visit. A very eventful visit where I will show them what I think of their show of goodwill.

    Master?

    Yes?

    I think they might be even bigger assholes than you.

    Kids, they grow up so fast. Anyway, that''s why I usually let others deal with people.

    Why do you think that, Vega? As I ask her, she smiles so widely that her eyes create a thin line. Oh my, does she like being called Vega so much?

    The woman was nicer, but the man I don''t like him. I don''t know why.

    Walking through nearly empty streets, I slow my steps to her level, It''s because she hid her feelings less, meanwhile the man kept restraining himself. It''s usually better to know what you''re against, even if it''s something bad, meanwhile, you can''t be sure with people like Mr. Moustache.

    I see! Is master going to beat them upter?

    Yes, but first we need to leave the Bastion and head to the Valley. They keep watching us, and even the barrier around the city is changing so maybe they want to trap us here. Remember, no matter how nice people act they could be a step away from stabbing you in the back. So, we will leave for a while ande backter.

    The barrier surrounding the fallen bastion makes me nervous. Even with my eyes and <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, I''m not sure if I could do anything about it while taking care of Vega.

    So we spend a few hours moving between shops. Even given thete hour, plenty of them are still open.

    As we pass through more and more of them, I start to realize one thing. The items there arent very rare, no matter how high-end the shop or cksmith we visit. Some of them even refuse to deal with us when they notice that we''re not citizens as they say and only have a 3-day entrance token.

    The control the leadership here has over its facilities is impressive. cksmiths, clothes shops, food shops, a small guild for explorers, expedition nners, and more. Everything is deeply controlled, and we need to be authorized to use their services to the fullest.

    Looking back at the Bastion far behind us, I finish off thest of the monsters that had surrounded us.

    <strong>[You have defeated Poisoneater- lvl 123]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 218 > Lvl 219]</strong>

    I watch as Vega deals with one of a much lower level. She saw me dealing with stronger ones, so she knows what sort of attacks to expect and dodges them.

    The daring half-demon even allows a few physical strikes tond to test her ss skill. A bit of that kic energy gets repelled by the barrier the skill affords her, and another part gets stored in her Kic storage.

    It''s still way too early for her to use her heart with her skills, but she will get there.

    <strong>Name:</strong><em>Nathaniel Gwyn</em>

    <strong>Difficulty:</strong><em>Hell</em>

    <strong>Floor: </strong><em>5 - Mentorship</em>

    <strong>Time left until forced return: </strong><em>4y 27d 16h 2m 6s</em>

    <strong>Traits (2/3): </strong><em>Mana Circuit 1/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3</em>

    I check the timer, and I have a week left with Vega and 27 days until the tournament. That''s it if there isn''t something else. The time limit feels way too short for anyone who cant fly or who isnt as strong as me. Perhaps the floor will continue even after the disciple returns to their word.

    It''s hard to describe, but even though Ive decided to put more emphasis on my growth, I enjoy the time Ive spent with my disciple. I keep putting off the test to see if she is just a fake or from the real world. I will do it just before the end of the quest.

    But now, let''s check the Valley.

    Vega,e here, I gesture, and she quicklyes rushing after killing the monster.

    I pull one of the most valuable mana stones I have out of my pocket and hand it to her, This is a failsafe and will protect you in the event we get separated.

    Her eyes expand, and she takes it and quickly starts examining it.

    Like me, indeed.

    The mana stone I gave her contains one of the mostplex inscriptions Ive made so far. Unlike my botched attempts at whatever I was doing in the Sanctuary, Ive improved my inscriptions quite a bit. The stone is upper rare and just a tiny step away from an epic item.

    Its function is simple. It will protect her against high levels of ambient mana so it doesn''t fry her brain. Of course, I will keep her near me and constantly protect her myself, but this is just in case.

    I have spent plenty of time working on it and learned a lot. It works by attracting mana to it like a vortex and then pushing it away - like when the ck mana dominates the surrounding mana.

    After a few tests, I can consider it a sess, and the quality of the stone helps a lot.

    Thank you, master, I will make sure to protect it!

    Sure, sure, I tell her, as she lifts her arms, and as many times before, I lift her to my chest.

    I shift the bags on my back and create a barrier around us that is ready to activate at full power anytime.

    Part of my mana goes into <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, and I start heading towards the Valley. Moving through the air, we quickly close the distance, and with every mile, the mana filling the air grows heavier.

    Up in the air, I can see the entire Valley stretched out before me, covered in mist and mana so dense that one could almost see it with normal eyes. Surrounded by tall mountains and hills, it almost looks like they were ced to block anything there from getting out.

    I notice that Vega has trouble breathing andpress my mana a bit more and radiate more of it to power my skills. Her breathing turns to normal, and I fly closer.

    The Valley, even as far as it is, is eerily quiet, nestled down there.

    Flying bes more difficult, as the surrounding mana disrupts my concentration. Logically it shouldn''t affect me or my kic energy at all, yet it does, and I''m forced tond.

    I almost make a mistake and activate my trait, and only stop myself at thest second, realizing how big a mistake it could be. The trait allows me to see mana waves and collect more information on anything mana-based. Just the sheer amount of mana and information here would likely tear my brain apart.

    Instead, I strengthen the barrier around us.

    Each step is harder than the one before, and it takes a while for us to reach the entrance to the valley. The wall of mist seems to separate everything inside from the outer world. That''s what it is, it looks like a literal smooth wall.

    Just a few steps and we will be inside.

    I check the amount of kic and thermal energy Ive collected. I examine my full Mana Reservoir. I test my skills, and all of them are working. The voidsteel slicer is still at my waist. Even the mana stones Ive inscribed and prepared for just in case are in my pockets, ready to be used. There are circuits drawn with mana conductive paint on my arms and legs and even some lower quality lines on my chest.

    As ready as I can be, I take a step with Vega in my arms.

    The moment we pass through the wall of mist, the view ahead clears. The Valley is much bigger than it seemed from outside, though its still surrounded by mist and mountains that seem to scrape the sky.

    In front of us is, as far as I can see, a forest, some hills, and a fewkes, and there, far in the distance, a being sleeps. A being much bigger than anything Ive seen up till now. It has a snake-like body, long and slim, covered in beautiful light green scales. The monster has six legs too, each of them slim and nimble-looking.

    The headys on the ground, eyes closed, and each breath shakes the trees below. Were it to rear up, the monster would be as tall as a skyscraper.

    <strong>[Gaiathra - lvl ???]</strong>

    I guess I don''t have to look for the sleeping Cmity anymore.

 Chapter 300: I like it here

    Chapter 300: I like it here

    Even though the monsters sleeping so far away, I cover Vega''s mouth with my hand. It''s irrational and straight-up silly. There is no way the monster could be woken up so easily. It''s just that there is still that little what if?

    This six-legged serpentine napping noodle has three question marks. That means that it''s probably over level 300, and I''m pretty sure it''s closer to 400 just based on its appearance. So, the warning from the system makes much more sense now.

    I ignore Vega''s shock and carry her into the forest. The napping noodle is what? Two or three dozen miles away? The space within the Valley is bigger than it appears from the outside, so exploring it will probably be fine.

    ording to the information Nina gave me, there should be a Mirror and a few bunkers that would have been used by people in high positions. So its my goal to find information about the Veil and finish the quest.

    And then, I want to find the Mirror, its supposed to be some kind of powerful artifact. I hope it''s a higher rarity than epic. Someone from easy difficulty would probably want to choke me to death if they heard me say it. Those poor guys are extremely happy when they see low rare items.

    Master, maybe

    I interrupt my silly disciple, It''s fine. It''s taking a nap.

    N-nap Vega gulps.

    The pressure within the Valley is even stronger than outside, and I finally identify the source of that mana. It''s Gaiathra sleeping over there and something else near the monster. The monster isnt using any kind of skill, no barrier, nothing of the sort. It''s just the sleeping monsters mana seeping out of its body.

    I won''t even try to lie, I''m jealous. Just how many thousands or tens of thousands of points in mana is that?

    Gradually, I also realize something.

    My goal is to be stronger than that monster, and with the way I go about it when I get to its level, I will have much more mana. Damn, can I even pack so much of it inside of my tiny body? And damn, how cool it would be to stand against such a giant and be able to release multiple times more mana while facing it.

    I push us higher into the air andnd on one of the thicker branches with a view of the sleeping Gaiathra. Is it at the rank of Champion? My theory always was that a Champion is either at three question marks, or greater, probably.

    For example, Tristan and Keiron, the Champions from the second floor, were capable of destroying multiple continents and killing millions, tens of millions of people in a matter of hours.

    The monster in front of us feels strong, terrifyingly strong, yet I hesitate to think of it as a Champion. Maybe I have to change my thinking a bit; maybe Champions are all over level 450.

    That also creates a question. Just how fucking strong was Lissandra? I mean, sure, she devoured the mana of an entire and destroyed it all with a single skill. It''s just that I keep forgetting that. Then there was the Saint Absolute from the third floor, and she must have been at a simr level.

    Master, you were dozing off for a second, Vega pulls on my clothes.

    Did I? But Im still watching our surroundings, so don''t worry.

    Me too! Were you thinking about something interesting?

    Yes. I like to sort things in my mind once in a while. But anyway, are you having any trouble with the pressure?

    She shakes her head, Master''s barrier blocks it all. I just have to stay close and continue training <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>, <strong>[Concentration]</strong>, and try to learn Mana Cycling!

    I wonder if the others have such hard-working disciples.

    Sensing an attack, I take a step and drop from the tree which crumbles in its entirety and gets pushed to the ground as if stepped on by an invisible giant. Another simr attack begins to form over me, but I move quickly.

    Hold on, there are more of them, I tell Vega.

    I continue to run between the trees as they explode behind us, each attack leaving deep craters in the ground. Even after dodging a dozen of them I still cant reach the attacker, the air in front of me shivers. A big maw full of teeth appears from thin air to snap at Vega.

    Before it can reach her, I shoot a cone of kic energy at it, and the monster goes flying through the forest, breaking through trees. Then I send a dozen mana projectiles I create shoot towards where it flew, piercing trees and sending chunks of earth flying as they strike. Yet no notificationes.

    A barrier forms behind my back and deflects a rain of stones flying towards us, some of them are bigger than my body. They explode and grind against the barrier which ripples in response, sending dust and rubble into the air.

    I create a javelin, quickly making it denser, before boosting it with kic energy andunching it in the direction of the stone volley.

    <strong>[You have defeated Terraw - lvl 191]</strong>

    I avoid another attack just before it crushes the ce where I stood with invisible force and finally manage to reach the monster thats been spamming them.

    <strong>[Giant Troll - lvl 199]</strong>

    The monster is easily five times my height. An old friend from the 1st floor.

    A dozen javelins form around me and float in the air as I infuse each of them with thermal energy. The pale blue mana begins to shine with the brilliant golden luster of thermal energy. Five of the javelins shoot after the troll as he activates the marks on its skin, and they start glowing, preparing to defend.

    The sixth one takes off behind me, piercing through the head of the monster with a big maw full of teeth that attacked me before.

    <strong>[You have defeated Phantom Lindworm - lvl 204]</strong>

    I examine its dead body for a short moment. It looks like a big snake with two legs and the scales have a simr green color to the giant one sleeping far ahead. Then I detonate the body with more kic energy, sting it to pieces.

    Turning back to the Giant Troll, I watch as five javelins crash against its skin, the mes concentrated into a small point at the tip of the javelins. Each of them pierces the monster, the mes bursting through the other side, drawing a loud roar out of it as the gravity field increases.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The trees in a bigger and bigger area tilt and break, crashing to the ground with the bulk of the pressure directed at me.

    Before the attack can reach me, I use an anchor I ced on one of the javelins impaling the monster and sending even more thermal energy through.

    mes envelop the monster, and it starts thrashing around as it rapidly burns alive and crashes down. Pieces of its limbs charring and falling apart as it does so.

    Without even a moment to look around, I feel the presence of a hundred or more monsters. A big flock of eyeballs as big as a volleyball with two wings each. They locate us quickly, immediately pressing in on us with various attacks.

    Mental attacks which I block for both of us. Disrupting attacks that fail against my barrier andser-like projectiles shooting from the middle of the eyeballs. Each of these melts and burns anything it touches to dust.

    Tying an anchor to one of my projectiles, I shoot it towards the monsters, and then I send an attack through as I fend off their attempts to disrupt it.

    A shockwave erupts in the middle of the flying group of monsters, a hundred or so monsters cooperate to push against the burst of kic energy. They disrupt, they create a barrier, and together they resist.

    How curious.

    I send a stronger wave, and they do it again, though they struggle more this time and have to stop attacking. Their panic is most noticeable in the movements of their small wings.

    Before I can send a tricolored bomb through, a quick movement shes at the corner of my vision, and an owl as big as a car passes through. Two of the flying eyeballs in its beak and a few more in its talons.

    The group of flying monsters quickly changes their direction, running away, and I watch the owl leave with its prey.

    <strong>[Dread Owl - lvl ??]</strong>

    The white owl is extremely quiet as it flies, and there is no mana I could sense from it.

    Well, it looks like the sleepy danger noodle isn''t the only dangerous monster here. We should be careful of the owl as well.

    Before I can even finish the thought, a snake emerges from the forest and strikes like lightning, its fangs burrowing into the owl mid-flight.

    The white owl screeches, pping its wings to no avail. The snake pulls the flying raptor into the forest, and after a second, the screeches stop with a wet cracking noise.

    I think I like it here.

    Just an hourter, Vega and I are standing on a branch in a big tree, looking down on hundreds of bison, each the size of a bus, amble towards ake, sipping on water as thergest keeps watch. The chonky boy is a few levels higher than me, but even that wont help.

    A long maw with sharp teeth snaps up from under the water, and a scaly body shes into view as a crocodile pulls one of the Bison under the water.

    Blood flows to the surface, and the bubbles of air slowly disappear.

    Even the leader of the bison doesn''t seem to care, almost as if it had been expected.

    A javelin over my shoulder reaches the breaking point, tricolored mana turning bright white, and Iunch it at the herd.

    The leader bobs, and a few of them separate,yering barriers in front of them, even adding some stones into it. Another group even moves some of theke''s water, apressed burst of it meeting with my barrier.

    That''s when the javelin pierces through multiple barriers and then explodes.

    The resulting heatwave sets the nearby vegetation aze, and vaporizes arge quantity of water, even causing theke to boil.

    The following shockwave throws a dozen or so Bisons into the air, some even fly towards theke at which point the crocodile snatches them, tearing chunks out of the ground and pulling up trees in the process.

    <strong>[You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 178]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 148]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 171]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 139]</strong>

    <strong></strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 219 > Lvl 220]</strong>

    I notice Vega shooting a tiny mana orb boosted by her kic energy. Seeing the chaos going there, it''s almost cute observing her attack.

    Then the implosion of my attack resolves. Air rushing back to the center of the javelins explosion, pulling the monsters, debris, and water toward it, andpressing it all into a tight sphere.

    Bones break, monsters scream, notifications sound.

    Using the opportunity, the croc gets out of the water, a big muscr body covered in scales, mana covering its skin in a barrier as it starts fighting against the head Bison. They seem to be just fine after my attack and are clearly more physically oriented.

    Well, another attack it is.

    Five javelins form above my head, and I push more mana into them. Compressing it, squeezing it to make them as deadly as possible.

    Even while dealing with extreme mana density here and defending me and Vega, I can do it. My reservoir is still untouched, and even though I''m taking a big chunk of my mana, I know it will regenerate quickly.

    When the javelins start turning bright white, both of the monsters down there stop fighting, and turn to me. The Bison seems especially hateful for some unknown reason.

    The croc, surprisingly quick on the uptake, starts heading back towards theke, and the Bison charges at me.

    But I boost all of the javelins with kic energy, and they disappear, hitting the monsters and the ground around them.

    Strengthening our barrier, Even I opt to fly in the opposite direction, and even then, I get caught in the shockwave and heatwave, parts of the forest catch me and trees get pulled from their roots.

    <strong>[You have defeated Two-Headed Snake - lvl 150]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 171]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Phantom Lindworm - lvl 191]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Phantom Lindworm - lvl 161]</strong>

    <strong>...</strong>

    Plenty of other monsters die in the aftereffect, but there are two notifications I''m waiting for.

    <strong>[You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 235]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Goliath Crocodile - lvl 229]</strong>

    There are no level-ups, but thats fine. I feel as if the stress thats been collecting inside me for quite some time has started to dissipate. I feel as if it''s easier to breathe now. It''s not perfect, I still have Vega to protect so I can''t let go and lower my<strong> [Focus]</strong>, but even this is an improvement.

    Just a nice step towards a happier Nat.

    It''s not like I don''t like training or ying with inscriptions and items, but it''s been too long since I got to enjoy such a nice hunting ground, and I n to use it as much as possible with the time remaining before Vega gets sent back.

    What? I ask Vega, who is looking at me with her big red eyes.

    I also want to learn how to do that.

    Oh? Does she like my tricolored bombs? She is still far from ready, and I think a more reasonable person wouldn''t even consider teaching such a young kid something like that. But I''m not reasonable, and neither is my disciple.

    Don''t worry, I have a few ideas about how you might be able to do something simr with the help of your heart, I''ve been thinking about it for a while.

    Her eyes be even bigger, and I can hear her heart beat faster. She is MY disciple, isn''t she? Nathaniel Gwyn''s first disciple, the half-demon Vega.

    Before this ends, we wille up with a few rather destructive uses for mana and kic energy.

 Chapter 301: Bullying Ashenwolf

    Chapter 301: Bullying Ashenwolf

    A day has passed. Vega is progressing well with her skills, and we even found some low-level monsters for her to fight. Most of them are younglings being protected by their herds. So Ive been taking care of the more troublesome members of the group and letting my pocket half-demon deal with the rest.

    The fights are dangerous of course, even young monsters can be surprisingly strong in this environment. Maybe the weaker ones just tend to die quickly.

    As for me, I''m loving it. I would like this ce even more if I didn''t have to take care of Vega and could lurk about on my own. It kind of reminds me of the 1st floor, where death could be waiting behind any of the trees, a forest full of deadly monsters. Yes, the 1st floor was the first ce I really felt alive, being forced to fight for my life or die.

    Now that I think about it, maybe I''m not all that normal either, maybe it''s not just the rest of group 4. But then I remember Lily''s happy smile as I suggested that she cut off her limbs and store them for sacrifice, and I quickly dismiss the thought. I am the normal one here.

    I notice a presence sneaking closer and activate one of my anchors, sending a thermal burst through.

    A small part of the forest explodes in sky-high mes, and even here I feel a bit of heat.

    <strong>[You have defeated Battle Kobold - lvl 201]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 221 > Lvl 222]</strong>

    I turn my attention back to Vega, who is fighting a level thirty-one Kobold. The monster is multiple times taller than her, it looks like a bipedal lizard with dark brown scales.

    The fight has been dragging on for a while already, and I think she could have ended it some time ago, but my disciple keeps trying to use kic energy during the fight. Her heart keeps beating, her <strong>[Kic Barrier] </strong>helping to absorb the recoil. As I keep my<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong> around her and am extremely careful to do so.

    Unlike the monsters native to these parts, Vega isn''t used to these high mana levels. Hell, even I have trouble functioning normally without using my skills topensate. I don''t want to see what it would do to her.

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 33 > Mana Domain - lvl 34]</strong>

    Oh, nice, that''s something.

    Vega, frustrated at her inability to shoot the monster with kic energy, just uses it to push her body to the side before closing the distance with another burst. Her dagger shes, stabbing multiple times into the monster''s chest.

    Shends on her feet, as the Kobold sends her flying with a well timed punch, her barrier absorbing most of the impact. She pushes herself up again, stabbing for the neck and using her left arm to fend off the monsters gnashing teeth.

    The kobold tries to tear through the <strong>[Kic Barrier]</strong> covering her forearm, but the life disappears from his eyes before he can.

    Knowing the mood my disciple is most likely in, I don''t say anything and give her time to calm down.

    More presences start closing in from all sides, and I send explosions through a few more anchors and grab Vega. Then, while the forest burns behind us, I push us into the air and quickly head for one of the smaller mountains.

    Keeping our flight as short as possible, Ind and then continue running on my feet, strengthening my body. But, just like before, even this is enough, and several flying monsters start circling the area, searching for us.

    I hide our presence, and when I find an opening in the side of the mountain, I enter, and pushing through for a few seconds, I enter the cave. A thermal orb flies in the air, lighting the area, and the monster that seems extremely surprised to see us as it wakes.

    <strong>[Ashenwolf - lvl 149]</strong>

    The monstrous wolf isn''t even that big; his eyes are at the level of mine. His fur is gray, and his eyes are light gray.

    Somehow I find the monster pretty and cute. Just a poor fe, awoken from its nap by intruders.

    I use <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> to hold its movement, while the wolf tries to radiate some fire-based attack, but I absorb the heat, storing it in the thermal orb I''m using to light the cave. Then I disrupt its attempts to use a reinforcement skill and thwart a few more of its attempts. I let Vega go, and she starts looking between me and the wolf.

    Yup, that''s me, the Bully. I''m totally bullying the poor guy and will continue to do so for a few more minutes, at least until the monster can catch its breath after its escape attempts. There doesnt seem to be much mana left in the wolf, and its eyes change. The monster has recognized the difference between us and expects death. Yet it stands proud.

    The wolf reminds me of the Crimsonwolf Tess and I fought on the 1st floor. Back then, I felt something like respect for the white wolf that caused us so much trouble and inspired the creation of one of my first skills.

    I take a few steps and stop an arm''s reach away from the monster, continuing to hold its movement with my skill. His eyes meet mine, its growling fills the cave.

    Then I pet him.

    The wolf''s fur is nice and soft, and his body radiates afortable heat, it probably has something to do with his fire skills. As I continue to caress his head, I feel renewed attempts to escape, but there is no way he will be able to. Using my position as victor, I step closer and continue. It feels nice, and the confused, yet angry wolf is still cute.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    Sure, it is almost a level 150 monster that would kill me given the opportunity. But now its life is in my hands, and I want to pet it. It might be because I miss Biscuit, but I even boop the wolf''s snout a few times. It''s nice and cold, but it just can''tpare to Biscuit''s, so I stop.

    Wanna pet it, Vega? I ask my disciple. Yup, I lost our bet again. Losing concentration when we found ruins of a building, and I found weird inscriptions on it.

    Im starting to think that maybe our bet wasn''t such a good idea.

    Vega doesn''t even bother asking if it''s safe nor does she hesitate. Nope, she just moves towards the wolf which stands there, frozen in ce, and climbs on his back.

    It''s so soft and warm! she says happily, her mood improving. She moves closer to the wolf''s head, which is almost as big as she is.

    Yet the little half-demon isn''t scared at all. She seems to trust me fully and taps the top of the majestic wolf''s head, Can we keep him?

    It would be annoying, just pet him if you want, and we will leave in ten minutes.

    She is disappointed but then continues to snuggle the wolf for ten minutes. Then, as we are leaving, I release the monster, and he almost falls, his body not released from my skills. He doesn''t even attempt to attack me, just stands there, his hackles rising, its deep growl filling the cave once more. I throw him a piece of deer meat I dried and exit.

    Taking Vega into my arms, I jump off the mountain, boosting us only slightly to avoid colliding with the cliff. After ten seconds of freefall, I absorb our momentum, gentlynding on a branch of one of the bigger trees.

    A few dozen miles ahead of us lies the sleeping Cmity, and I wonder how much closer I can get to it safely. Weve already shortened the distance by a third, so theoretically, we could reach it in a few days if we wanted to. But something tells me that wouldn''t be a good idea.

    So I once again check the map I got from Darren, the one with information on the Mirror. Obviously, the map is terrible. The Valley it depicts is much smaller, and some of the mountains are missing, but I can use it as a rough estimation, and, going by that, the Mirror should be nearby.

    It takes an entire day. Meanwhile, Vega levels up a few times, and her usage of kic energy has improved to what I think is an eptable degree. We only have 5 days left, so I tell her to practice creating mana orbs and I start exining the logic behind my tricolored orbs. She has a skill simr to<strong> [Focus]</strong>, so she should be capable of doing something simr. Even if she cant do it right away, she can always fill them with kic energy instead.

    That day, we also got attacked by a snake as thick as a car. The monster moves extremely quickly, spewing acid at all times, and even radiates a form of mana I can''t fully block. It causes me to be lightheaded and makes it more difficult to keep up my external use of mana. It''s unable to pierce my Mantle, but the slithering moving debuff of a monster is extremely annoying.

    I run between the trees, as they topple behind us. Dodging to the side, a long patch of the forest in front of us gets covered in green acid which starts to melt the trees.

    A dozen of my mana projectiles trash the forest behind us, but the snake avoids them all, and as it moves, more trees fall.

    A few monsters attack from the sky only to be hit by the debuff, slowed down, and then either snatched from the air or melted in green acid.

    I create a fewyers of barriers, and acidnds on them, slowly corroding them, forcing me to use more mana and let the attack drip down.

    The thermal orb floating near me shoots aser-like concentrated thermal attack, cutting trees apart with a smooth burned cut. It shes against the snake as well, causing deep burns and filling the area with a loud hiss.

    I create anchors near the monster, but they get disconnected from me by the field the snake constantly generates.

    Vega has already passed out and starts breathing heavily, even through the barriers Ive wrapped her in.

    Pushing us further away, three tricolored bombs explode next to the snake, but I only see its long body slithering like a blur away from the explosions.

    <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> fails to grasp the monster, and it never gets close enough to enter the reach of my kic attacks, and it avoids my ranged ones, detecting them as they take flight. Yet another asshole picking on me and taking advantage of the fact that I can''t fight properly with Vega in my arms. And yet another fe to add to my ever-growing list of beings that have pissed me off on this floor.

    When my<strong> [Perception]</strong> locates the tunnels below us and a path heading there, I lure the monster further away, dodging the attacks.

    Then I create hundreds of mana projectiles, each of them an orb the size of a golf ball. Thermal energy floods into each one of them, and I start my bombardment of the snake. They shoot off like rounds from a minigun, hundreds of them in just a few seconds, obliterating a big patch of the forest, some of them even manage to hit and burn the annoying snake.

    The monster hisses, an even more concentrated acid attack shooting towards us, sshing against my barrier. I keep the barriers supplied with mana and even use<strong> [Infusion]</strong> to infuse them with<strong> [Resonance]</strong>, and gradually the acid slides down, melting the earth, stones, and trees underneath.

    Meanwhile, the snake leaves, and the annoying field it was generating goes with it.

    I check on Vega, and she seems to be feverish, and the little half-demon is still unconscious. Carefully, I use my mana to push the barely noticeable remains of the snake''s aura away, and her breathing calms down.

    Then I spend a bit of time testing my skills on the green acid that was left behind. The effect it has on<strong> [Resonance]</strong>, how it shes with kic or thermal energy. The amount of mana I need to use for <strong>[Regalia]</strong> to resist it. All that good stuff.

    But one good thinges from the snakes attack.

    Its acid melts a big chunk of the stone off of one of the hills, revealing the entrance to a crude tunnel thats been shielded by the material around it. That allows my senses to reach inside, and I send them through the tunnel, slowly creating a map in my mind.

    Then I find something interesting deep inside the tunnel.

    A massive circr iron door not unlike the ones back at the Sanctuary.

    Checking the map in the mana stone and the area, I manage to conclude that weve located the resting ce of the Mirror. Whatever it is.

 Chapter 302: Thank you, minion

    Chapter 302: Thank you, minion

    Only when I stop in front of the giant iron door do I realize how different it is from the ones that lead into the Sanctuary.

    This one feels much more powerful if that is the right word to use. There are inscriptions meant to take any mana that touches the door and use it to strengthen their defenses. Even the material itself is different. The iron is shinier, without a single speck of rust or damage.

    Given the information I have, I would say that while the Sanctuary is an old abandoned bunker from before the war, this one is newer. Built using newer technologies and more up to date knowledge. Even the stone around the door has been strengthened,ced with veins of inscribed iron.

    This seems like it will take a while, so I leave for a moment to block the entrance that was melted by the acid attack, I try to shield it as it was before, and then return to the door.

    I take a nket,y it out on the ground, and set Vega on top of it, cing multipleyers of defense around her. I even add a few more mana stones inscribed to protect against the mana radiation that is so ever-present in the Valley. Then I activate my trait and touch the door, only to immediately let go, my eyes closed and pain drumming inside my head.

    Yeah, this will take a bit longer than expected.

    One dayter, I already feel like throwing an all-out attack against the door.

    None of it makes sense! How the heck is a normal Hell difficulty enjoyer supposed to get inside? Is there another way? Knowing the system, there probably is. No, knowing the system, there 100% are different ways to get inside. And most of them are probably much simpler.

    BUT.

    That doesn''t matter for shit. This is a clear challenge. A test of my skills, and there is no way I will stop now. 5th floor Nathaniel won''t back out, otherwise 6th floor Nathaniel will remember it andugh at such a weak show of determination.

    Nope, I will open this goddamn door. It is not even powered by mana, so its defensive capabilities are dramatically reduced. For what I know, it''s 50-90% easier to unlock it nowpared to if it was supplied with mana. Thankfully, the core of the Bunker, either a mana crystal or mana stone, seems to have been drained. Yet, here I am, angry at the door.

    Master, I leveled up my<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong>!

    At least Vega seems to be happy. She woke up a few hours after we reached the door and after examining the area, she went to training.

    Yes, I''m curious, but I wont forget my role as her master. There are 4 days remaining, so I spend half of my time with the door and the other half training Vega. We spar, I pressure her, she trains her heart.

    Over and over again, she gets hurt by me, forcing her to train harder and more. At this point I''m surprised she doesn''t hate me. I keep watching for that. A hint of growing hatred towards me, a desire for revenge. Yet there is none.

    Vega, do you not hate me? I ask, taking a break from the door.

    Hearing my serious tone, she takes her time to answer, No, she says simply.

    That''s it?

    Yes. I do not hate master.

    Such a silly minion.

    I will be disrupting your mana. Do not even try to fight against it outside of your body. Try to keep the mana under your skin active to strengthen your body or send it to your heart, I tell her.

    Yes!

    Splitting my mind into two parts, I turn to the door while the other one trains Vega.

    One more day passes when I finally decide to do what Ive been avoiding for a long time.

    With a bit over three days remaining, I take a break from deciphering the door. I take two clean pieces of cloth from the bag along with a sweet fruity drink stored in a bottle with inscriptions meant to keep the contents cold. I also take out some sweets. All the things from the 4th floor.

    Then I turn to Vega and ask, Will you eat with me, Vega?

    A pure expression of shock appears on her face, and her heart palpates, beating weirdly. Revealing her surprise and shock. A big tear starts rolling down her cheek as I sit on the ground, the pieces of cloth marking our ces, and I wait.

    Master this do you know I, she blubbers, and I wait.

    Of course, I know. This custom, this gesture seems to be reserved for people you either like, respect, or want to build a rtionship with. Vega, up until now, hasnt had the opportunity to do this before the 5th floor, she probably only ever got to see other people doing this.

    Then she tried it with me, and I still remember how happy she was that day. That day and every day after that. No matter how many times I epted, she smiled just as happily as the first time.

    But until now, its alwayse from her. Her show of goodwill, a desire for a rtionship with her master. So it''s no surprise that she might react this way if I were to return the gesture.

    I don''t remember my disciple being such a crybaby, I mutter.

    She quickly blinks and wipes her eyes back and forth with her sleeve, I''m sorry. I''m so sorry.

    Vega then quickly sits down and, unlike many times before, she seems nervous as I take out food and drink for us. I take my time and carefully split the items between the two of us. Then we eat in silence, though I watch with amusement, as she nibbles on the sweets, and drinks the chilled fruit drink.

    Even though she is so much smaller, she eats more than me and doesn''t even seem to notice that I barely touch it, carefully sliding it towards her.

    The less food remains, the more sour my mood bes, and that weird feeling fills my chest. When all the food is gone, she looks towards me, shing me a giant smile that makes me want to pull on her horns.

    Vega, I start carefully, I will say a few words, can you repeat them after me?

    She tilts her head, curious, but then she nods, Sure, master!

    Pairing.

    Pairing, she repeats.

    My throat feels a bit dry, so I take a sip and take a deep breath.

    Tutorial, I say.

    Tutorial, she repeats.

    5th floor.

    5th floor, she repeats.

    Floor quest.

    Floor quest, she repeats.

    I open my mouth and then close it, only to open it again, Hell difficulty tutorial, group 4, Noname, Savant, Beyond, Side quest, Train and protect disciple, shards, System shop.

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    Hell difficulty tutorial, group 4, Noname, Savant, Beyond, side quest, train and protect disciple, shards, system shop, she repeats perfectly.

    That''s enough.

    Master, are you Vega pauses and then shakes her head. Instead, she smiles, Did I do well?

    Yes, you did. Thank you, Vega.

    <strong>POV Lily Chen</strong>

    "Master, you keep staring into the air. Are you checking themunity?"

    I look at my disciple and, seeing no reason to lie, I nod, "Yes. Nathaniel is there, talking with Savant." I notice that my disciple is displeased by that.

    He is wearing the same clothes he wore when I met him for the first time. Even though he can''t be more than 7 or 8 years old, his clothes remind me of a formal ck suit, clean. He wears them proudly, and his bearing is the same.

    It''s adorable to see someone so young behave like that, but he takes it so seriously I can''tugh at him. Apparently, his father is a Champion candidate and will reach that rank in a few years, something Pallius, my disciple, is extremely proud of.

    "You don''t like that I''m talking with Nathaniel?" I tease him. It''s fun because his reactions are cute. A kid pretending to be an adult.

    From what youve told me master, the man called Nathaniel is unstable and unreliable. Master is wasting time on him. I will get my father to locate your and will find you after your tutorial ends. I promise to take care of you.

    Finally, Iugh a bit, unable to hold back, "Pallius. Just tell me more about the Pairing, Tutorial, and the system, and I will think about it."

    I''m not dumb, master, he shakes his head, I will do so only if you promise to be my <em>Shadow</em>. He mentions the title of some, probably, important position.

    What would Nat do with such a stubborn kid?

    I take a step closer, pinch his nose and shake it a bit.

    Pallius seems extremely surprised, and at a loss for words, his eyes big as saucers. His face reddens, and his eyes change color from yellow to light blue, and his hair mimics that. Pallius isn''t human. His eyes and hair confirm that, as do the small wings growing from his back.

    But there is something to it, I think, as I let go of his nose and watch as he steps back. Nat might be onto something!

    Still red, Pallius shouts, wings on his back moving erratically, Master! Dont do that!

    Yes, yes. But Pallius, your fingers are still missing, cant you regenerate them quicker?

    He fixes his suit, and his hair and eyes change to a more neutral orange color, Its not that easy. Not everyone is as much of a genius as you are. I swear, master, you are dumb, you dont realize how exceptional your healing skill is.

    Dont worry, we will get you there as well.

    I dont know if the system is cruel or kind, but Pallius and I are simr. Ever since he told me about how lonely he feels with his busy father or how much pressure weighs on him, I cant help but pity him a bit. But only a bit, he always gets ashamed and angry when I try to be nicer. So silly.

    What do you think? Should we head to the Bastion or the Valley? I ask him.

    We have only a few days before I return to my world, so maybe the Valley? After Ie back, we can go on a longer expedition, master.

    So reliable, I ruffle his hair as it returns to its pale blue shade.

    Master! Stop that! My father is a Champion candidate, and Im not some kid to be subjected to this kind of childish and undignified treatment!

    Sure, sure, Pallius.

    He doesnt push my hand away and looks at me, Master, just be my <em>Shadow</em>. And stop thinking of that Nathaniel guy. He is weak, and he doesnt value you as much as I would. You even said he left you!

    Dont worry, minion, I will deal with Nathaniel on the next floor.

    M-minion?

    Oh yes, Nathaniel said in the Community that he calls his disciple that. Apparently, his disciple likes it a lot. So I will be calling you minion as well.

    T-that evil man!

    I smile at him, and then, while we walk, I continue trying to use<strong> [Reconstruction] </strong>on the remains of the heart of the Fallen Hero. Even after a few weeks, it''s still in pieces and Its extremely hard to work with, but I think I''m onto something.

    Three days remain until Vega returns to the real world.

    Real world.

    A real disciple, from the real world. Not a fake, not a shadow of someone long dead. A real half-demon thats be my disciple.

    I might have be softer, and I totally me it on the <strong>[Focus]</strong> that blocks most of my violent tendencies, and other stuff. But I''m happy, I think. So for rewards, I push my disciple more, and slowly she bes stronger and stronger.

    I could go out and level her more, but that''s not what I want. What I want is to create a great base for her that she can build on. Show her what''s possible and the rest is up to her.

    And then, when the tutorial is over, I will find her and her world. She will be around 10 years old by the time the tutorial ends for me. Maybe even older as I''m not sure how long it will take to find coordinates to her world or how difficult it will be to travel there.

    But I will do it.

    I have also decided to spend one more day trying to open the door. If I don''t by then, we will leave with 2 days remaining, if something doesn''t change. That should be enough time to deal with the annoying acid snake, get some revenge on the Bastion jerks, stomp the Veil Guardian into the ground, and maybe even check on the Sanctuary.

    It''s not that I''m worried about the people there; I''m just curious about what they decided. That''s one of the reasons I left Darren, Nina, and others alive. I really wonder how these people will deal with the knowledge of what they were eating. I''m also curious what Irvin, the source of that meat, did. Did he kill Darren? Did he stay down there, or did he leave to meet his daughter?

    While Im thinking of that, something clicks.

    In the deep silence of the underground, it sounds deafening, and then in the light of my thermal orb, I see the door shift slightly. Just a tiny bit, creating an opening just wide enough for a human to push through.

    That makes me stop and once again examine what I was doing, and after a minute, I''m absolutely sure I didn''t do anything that would cause it to unlock.

    Should I close it?

    I shake my head. Whatever. It could be the system unlocking them; its set to unlock for participants on some schedule, or there is something inside that opened it.

    Who the hell knows?

    Vega, take your stuff; we are going in.

    I can hear movement behind me and her small feet tap against the floor as she moves quickly and packs up everything. When it''s done, we enter the bunker, me going first.

    Foolishly, I try to open the door more, but it doesn''t move. It doesn''t move even as I use mana or as I strengthen my body. Not even the tiniest bit.

    To be honest, it scares me a bit and also makes me want to take it with me to the 6th floor to examine what the heck is with them.

    The tunnel we enter doesn''t have any inscriptions on the walls, and it''s perfectly shielded against my mana and senses. When I try to send my mana through the wall, it reflects back inside the tunnel.

    After weve been walking for ten minutes, I start realizing how long the hallway is. All we can see is the same tunnel anywhere we look. There are no doors, no rooms, no markings. The only proof of us moving ahead is the shrinking door behind us.

    Oh, and also two anchors, one near the door and another one outside. Plus, a few mana threads that will warn me the moment the door moves even the tiniest bit.

    I also hold Vega''s hand, so I can teleport us both. Her possibly getting hurt by the teleportation sounds like a better option than being locked here. Just in case.

    Ten minutester, the area finally changes. The tunnel widens, and we pass through a few more iron doors, which are open. Each of our steps echoes through this otherwise quiet and dark ce, and dust flies into the air. The air bes stale in this perfectly empty bunker, devoid of anything that hasnt been bolted down.

    We pass by filtration nts, we pass by an enchanting facility. We pass by a forge as big as a two-story building.

    There is a room full of shelves covered in dried-up nts that turn to dust when I touch them.

    Another room is as big as a football stadium, filled with thousands of seats. The walls have been painted in a pale blue color and theres a podium with a few paintings, barely visible behind it.

    We eventually reach the core, a circr room with stairs running along the sides and heading down. When I send my thermal orb down there, I realize that it is as deep as a skyscraper for sure.

    A single crystal goes through the middle of this room. It brilliantly reflects the light, perfect and beautiful. The biggest mana crystal I''ve ever seen. The core of this ce.

    A few more roomster, we finally reach a much smaller one. It''s barely as big as the room I used to live in with my sister. In that room, stands a simple mirror. It has no frame and it''s hovering in the air, just a bit over the floor.

    I take a few steps and watch our reflections inside of it. Both of us are a bit dirty and our clothes are not in a good state. Then I read the information that appears.

    The Mirror is an item.

    Yup, an item with a higher rarity than epic has finally appeared.

 Chapter 303: Remember what I taught you

    Chapter 303: Remember what I taught you

    <strong>Duplicating Mirror (Arcane) -</strong><em>This mirror can replicate any object up to its rarity, vanishing after a single use. Its power offers a unique opportunity for duplication, but with the caveat of its irreceable nature, making its selection a critical decision.</em>

    Okay, I don''t know what I was expecting, but it wasnt this.

    Train for a bit, I give another mana stone to Vega and turn to the mirror.

    So, the next level of rarity after epic is arcane, and this mirror can duplicate any item up to arcane rarity. The unfortunate thing is that I don''t think there is anything of that rarity I could get my hands on on this floor.

    Maybe I should try moving it and take it to the next floor with me. I bet some opportunities would arise there. The mirror itself is a bit taller than me and as wide as my unfurled arms, so it wouldn''t be such a big problem.

    I touch it carefully and then try to move it. It wont move. I use <strong>[Tether]</strong>. I use <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>. I strengthen my body, I use mana arms. I try to push it with kic energy. Just like the door, the goddamn mirror wont budge.

    With a sigh, I sit in front of it and think while looking at my reflection.

    Should I duplicate the Voidsteel slicer? It''s well within the higher grades of epic rarity, and I bet most people in Hell difficulty would kill for it. Yet, I still can''t help but feel something akin to regret, feeling it would be a waste.

    I examine the mirror a bit longer.

    These are some of the most delicate and tiny inscriptions Ive seen up until now. It''s hard to even perceive them, and I have no fucking idea how they work or what they do. The mirror itself could be made from ss or from a thin piece of heavily polished metal. Heck, for all I know, maybe it''s just a reflective turd from a Cmity rank monster.

    Also, the mirror quest says this.

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em> Locate the mirror</em>

    <strong>Reward: </strong><em>???</em>

    It most likely means that whatever I copy will be my reward, that could be the reason for the question marks.

    I wonder if I could duplicate Biscuit if he was here. Just the thought of two future Absolutes by my side fills me with bliss. Or maybe I pause my thoughts here, the gears in my head spinning.

    Maybe would that work?

    Probably? Logically it could work, the description doesn''t exclude it.

    Oh my.

    I quickly check the timer until Vega returns to her world, and it says almost three days.

    Too little time.

    Slightly annoyed, I return to examining the item in front of me.

    When the timer reaches 3 days, I get a new pop up from the system.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have protected your disciple and raised their level. In three days, you will be offered a choice. You can proceed to the next floor or remain on the 5th floor for another three weeks as the danger gradually increases.</strong>

    <strong>If you choose to stay, in 3 days, your disciple will return to their world for a week. Subsequently, they''ll return to the 5th floor for the two additional weeks.</strong>

    <strong>While the master-disciple rtionship is crucial, it isn''t enforced by the system.</strong>

    <strong>Your choice will be respected, free from penalties should you decide to proceed to the next floor.</strong>

    After reading the message, I open the Community to curse at my group members for not letting me know. Any message with even the tiniest hint of these choices gets censored.

    That probably exins why they havent said anything, but its still annoying, and while Biscuit shouts something about the food, I proceede to bully the others.

    The timer slowly ticks down, and when our time is almost up, I put a stop to our training and let her rest. She also seems to realize our time together ising to a close, so it''s hard for her to focus.

    Ive already prepared a small bag for her. We worked together to make it look old and dirty-looking, the same with her clothes. We hid a few mana stones, and she refused to give up any of the items Ive given her, carefully storing them in a hiddenpartment within the bag.

    There is still a chance that someone might notice any decent items shes carrying, and her low level might put a target on her back instead of helping her.

    So, I wont give her any powerful items. I also refrain from leaving any inscriptions on her skin with paint, nor do I give her any mana stones containing warrior enhancements. I decided at the beginning of the 5th floor, that Id be careful not to help her too much, that Id let her grow on her own. I have decided to trust in the training Ive given her and to have faith in her own abilities.

    One moment I think I''m doing the right thing, and another, I want to buy her an epic item or give her piles of valuables. It''s annoying, it''s difficult, and I''m not used to these feelings.

    The fact that the system is even giving me two options is interesting in its own way. It makes a certain kind of sense. You can send your disciple away for a week, back to the moment before their death. The disciple will either die or survive based on their training. Then the disciple can use what they learned in their world and return a weekter to give feedback and learn more.

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    Yes, the system said the rtionship between master and disciple is important, and it was shown often by titles such as Champion''s disciple or Absolute''s disciple. But it''s weirdly nice of the system to offer such an option.

    It could just as easily end up being a disadvantage as anyone who chooses the first option will start on the 6th floor 3 weeks early. But it might equal the chance to spend 1 week on the 5th floor without disciple and examine it.

    For me, it''s perfect, more than perfect.

    There is the mirror and my idea to use it. There is the Bastion, the Sanctuary, Veil Guardian, acidic danger noodle, and the sleeping giga-danger noodle.

    I like that a lot and not just because I get to spend more time with this silly half-demon.

    Damn it.

    That''s how they get you, they act all cute, innocent, and weak. They need protection, they imitate, and get close to you. Then before you know it, you are attached. Even disciples are dangerous here.

    While looking at the way she nervously steps from foot to foot, I also think about how shepares to me from the 1st floor.

    Her level is higher, her skill levels are higher, and she has a lot of knowledge I didn''t, all specially prepared for her and her build.

    She is strong, and I''m sure she could take on most of the members of group 4 from the 1st floor. Somehow, I still dont think I would lose if we fought. Vega is wild, and she is the type that will scratch and bite when pushed into a corner. She is a fighter. But Nat from the 1st floor was even wilder. Someone who would sacrifice his limbs, and his body without hesitation just to get a nice hit in.

    Now that I think about it, I did something simr to my leg not long ago, so maybe thats not a goodparison. There is no way I''m as dumb as the me from a year ago, nope.

    Master, Vega moves closer and then sticks her head out for me.

    For a moment, I stand there confused, and then hesitantly, I grab her tiny ck horn and shake her head.

    She giggles, clearly enjoying it.

    Then she opens her hand, and a nearly transparent mana orb floats out. I can sense the kic energy inside. The orb floats slowly and heads outside the room, where it receives a signal from Vega, and its surface shrinks,pressing the kic energy inside. Following that, the kic energy pushes against it, expands, and tears the orb apart in a small explosion.

    Its damage is small, even smaller than if she had used her body. But it''s a first step, and my disciple seems happy. Very happy.

    "Good job," I say as I pull on her horn and gently shake her head.

    I do realize how much our rtionship has changed, and how our treatment of each other has evolved. Why is it so easy to let my guard down in front of someone Iike her?

    I get down on my knees, carefully wrap my arms around her and pull her into a hug.

    At first, she freezes, her small body barely moving, her heart beating like a scared little animal.

    When I''m about to let her go, thinking I might have misunderstood, she puts her arms around me and hugs me back. She holds me with all the strength in her tiny arms, her head burrows into my neck and her pointy horns poke the bottom of my chin.

    She refuses to let go for a long time, and when she does, she looks at the ground awkwardly.

    Remember what I taught you, okay? Stay safe, and I will see you in a week.

    Still refusing to meet my gaze, Will do, master, so wait for me,

    Sure.

    Will you really be here when I return?

    Yes.

    You won''t leave me?

    You should know me better after thest few weeks. As the time moves closer, I notice her bing more and more nervous, but she will be fine. She is strong.

    Finally, the countdown ends, and Vega looks towards a spot in the air. From the way her eyes move, the object she is looking at is as big as a door. It reminds me too much of Myrra, unable to see the entrance to the 5th floor. In the same way I can''t see the portal leading to her world. Its surprisingly disturbing.

    Minion, my punishment has ended, so I don''t have to call you by your name anymore, I say as she takes a step.

    She turns to me and after a moment of hesitation a smile appears on her face, Master is dumb, same as me. I''ll be back, and you''ll call me Vega again!

    Without saying anything else, she passes through the invisible portal, and a new message pops up.

    <strong>Congrattions on protecting your disciple. ording to how your disciple does, you will receive ??? after leaving the Floor.</strong>

    <strong>Would you like to continue to the 6th floor or stay on the 5th floor?</strong>

    <strong>Warning! If you decide to stay on the 5th floor, you will have to wait a week until your disciple is summoned back. Then you will have to protect your disciple for another 2 weeks in harsher conditions! If your disciple dies you will fail your floor quest, and receive severe punishment.</strong>

    <strong>Warning! If you decide to enter the 6th floor, your connection to your disciple will be severed. Your disciple can also choose to sever the connection between you. If the connection is cut, you will lose opportunities.</strong>

    <strong>Choose wisely!</strong>

    Why are you giving us options out of nowhere, I mumble and pick the 1st option. The more floors we pass, the more informative and nice you are.

    The system doesn''t answer, as always, and I just close the windows.

    Overall, I like it. There is so much to do and so many quests toplete, and without Vega I weaken the hold<strong> [Focus]</strong> has on some of my emotions, and my mood changes.

    Now that she is gone, it feels like that bit of warmth, the me I had to protect, is gone too, and I can go back to my usual self.

    While looking in the mirror, I take out conductive paint and start drawing on my forehead, around my eyes, and on every free spot on my head. It takes a while, but I try to do it as precisely as possible. After that, I paint even more across the rest of my body. That takes even longer.

    When everything is ready, a small orb of mana forms nearby, quicklypressed, focused to a much smaller size turning to ck mana. The familiar pressure threatens to take over my mana, but I just pull it into my hand, absorbing it into my body through the inscriptions as they disappear.

    I take a part of that mana and use it to strengthen my body. The ck mana flows through my circuits, and my healing passive activates as well. I generate even more heat and send it towards my head. Then I take another portion of ck mana and use it to <strong>[Focus]</strong>, and at the same time, I activate my trait while looking at the mirror.

    The colors disappear, and the world slows down to a crawl. My thoughts spin wildly. My immensely strengthened <strong>[Focus]</strong> works in tandem with Mana Wavelength Iris, sorting and processing collected information.

    Ive wondered what my specialty is for a while now. Is it my Primordial energies? My mana projectiles? Multiple kinds of bombs? Disrupting opponents'' mana? The redistribution of absorbed energies? There are plenty of powerful options in front of me, and my build certainly fits the phrase jack of all trades, master of none.

    But there is something I was thinking of.

    The world I see through my enhanced eyes is beautiful, so full of information and options. Here its even possible to get a peek at the arcane grade item in front of me. I see the inscriptions, and with thises the tiniest bit of understanding.

    My eyes are powerful, it''s a really strong trait, and inbination with<strong> [Focus]</strong> to process the information and with ck mana to power it all, this may allow me to be a master of many skills instead of settling for a partial understanding of them.

    I won''t give up on any of my skills to specialize in one, no, I will keep them all, and all of them will be powerful enough to be considered specializations. I will drag my body, bleeding, and broken, until I reach that goal.

    The ck mana is finally spent, leaving me with the after-effects. My vision blurs, my head spins, and I''m barely capable of controlling my mana well enough to generate thermal energy.

    Huddled up in the corner of the room, I clench my fists, waiting for the aftereffects to fade.

    I have seen it, and it seems that my n will be possible. I may have found a really fun use for this mirror.

    Let''s see what the system has to say.

 Chapter 304: Using the Mirror

    Chapter 304: Using the Mirror

    It takes me almost an entire day, and I use the rest of the mana conductive paint, applying it to the mirror, floor, and my body. I even etch inscriptions into my skin. Lastly, I also melt down some of the metals Im carrying to add to it all. When it''s all done, I sit there, eating some food and enjoying the rest of my chilled drink.

    While Im waiting for my body to recover from my overuse of my eyes, I open themunity.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>test test!</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>you missed two days.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>I was busy. Is everyone ok?</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>yes, but NotAarons disciple died and he was moved to the next floor.</em>

    Oh.

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>his brother followed him, so hes not alone.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>that sucks.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> he was really shocked, I hope they will be ok.</em>

    <strong>TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>it all was going so well, and then...</em>

    The rest of his message is censored, and I guess a few more after that.

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>The other news is that Gareth and WhiteWing have finally entered the 5th floor as well. They lost two members at the end of the 4th floor, in the battle against the First One. One more died from one of the other groups.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>hey guys, yeah. The ant couldnt damage Gareth or the others around him, so he went after our ranged yers. He was too quick for us to do anything. Fucking insect.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</strong><em>its good to see that you guys are okay. Oh, Noname, Gareth wants you to speak with him sometime. But now I have to attend to my disciple, soter.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><emter, take care.</em>

    My message feels awkward, even to me, but it is what it is. I was never good at this kind of thing.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>I will be a bit busy for the next few days, so dont be surprised if I dont join.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>be careful! Your passive sucks.</em>

    Lily seizes the opportunity to poke fun at my passive and demands that I remove it. We bicker for a while before I close the window and return my full attention to the mirror.

    Its time.

    My eyes activate, and ck mana from the orb seeps into my body. I force it under my control and forcefully calm my quickly beating heart. Then I take a step towards the mirror and activate it in concert with the inscriptions Ive made.

    I feel the arcane item react, its mana reaching out to me, as it attempts to find something to duplicate.

    I cant change the way it works or its function, nor can I do anything too big. No, I still have a long way to go before I get to that point. Instead, I give it a slight poke. Just a tiny bit, I mess with the inscription and help it find the object I want it to duplicate.

    That object is me.

    The weirdest feeling flows through my body. It''s as if someone is examining me so deeply that they must know every nook and corner of my being. The entirety of my body and mind are being scanned. And I allow it to happen.

    <strong>Warning! The Duplicating Mirror is being utilized in an unintended manner. This use does not align with the tutorial''s intended purpose. Small changes have been applied.</strong>

    <strong>A chosen object for duplication will not be permanent, a time limit and restrictions have been applied.</strong>

    The window disappears, and I take a step back, and my reflection takes a step forward at the same time.

    A leg steps onto the floor, and as the mirror cracks and disintegrates into shining particles, another me enters the room, his clothes disappearing along with the items he had on him.

    My eyes meet his. Ive thought of it often, and I expected to be able to read him, but I cant. I guess there is a difference between reading other people and myself.

    Fuck, that''s creepy, he says, stealing the words from my mouth, and proceeds to take some clothes from the floor. He is acting casually, but I know that he is thinking, and I even feel him circting thermal and kic energy through his body.

    ess to Community and system shop and floor quests? I ask.

    Cut off.

    Status, skills?

    All the same. Fuck, this is creepy, he repeats again, I think I understand why people always want to punch your face in.

    Our face your face or my face, whatever. And theyre just jealous, I say, try activating your trait for a moment.

    Before heins, I activate mine as well, and with a sigh, he does just that. I can still see his brown and gray eyes, but there is a golden circle around the pupils.

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    Good, at least it is as cool-looking as I thought, he says what I''m thinking again.

    When he is finally clothed, I ask him, So you dont think that you are original?

    Obviously, I do not, he says, as his expression changes slightly.

    I dont even have to ask what hes thinking. He is me, and I know what I would do, and he knows I know given that I was thinking about it before I used the mirror. So its still fresh in his memory.

    Clonthaniel stretches, hes already deactivated his trait, but Primordial energies are still collecting inside his body. The way he moves his body is unnerving, and the way hes looking around is even more so.

    Damn, I really want to punch you, I say.

    Right? Its the same for me. Anyway, three weeks, right?

    Yeah, I dont think the system will let you enter the 6th floor or even let you exist for too long. We already fucked up the mirror, and there are limitations in ce.

    Thats true. Im pretty sure I have 2-3 weeks at most. It''s this feeling I have you to thank for that. He doesnt smile, taking a step closer instead, and I let him.

    Both of us face each other.

    Yes. He will help me, we will both improve our skills and train together. He will do it because its the only logical way to think. But at the same time, he hates me, because he is fake and he will disappear, while Im the real one.

    In the time given to him, he will try everything he can to stay alive, even attempt to take over and rece me.

    Clonthaniel takes some food from the bag, after taking a bite, he says, Best food I EVER ate.

    Okay, that was a good one. Let''s ignore the fact I already had this joke nned out during the preparations.

    As if on cue, both of us sit on the ground, opposite each other.

    I gesture at him, and he nods, creating an orb from ck mana and making it float between us. Both of us activate<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong>, reaching towards it while activating a few more skills and our eyes.

    Two of us should be able toe up with a better way to handle the ck mana, right? His incentive is the need to improve so he can trick the system or rece me. For the next few weeks, we have the same goal: to improve as much as possible and as quickly as possible. I could use the mirror for my stats, maybe even a trait or something else. But I believe that because of the rarity of the item, there would be a time limit.

    This way I can learn a lot from our cooperation, something that will stay with me no matter what.

    Let''s just be careful not to get killed by him. That would be awkward.

    We both use <strong>[Resonance]</strong> and we don''t even need to match the frequencies of our mana. They are already the same. We are the same being.

    Then, together we surround the ck mana with our domains and try to dominate it.

    Veil guardian is mine, I tell him.

    Hell no, Ill kill that bitch.

    Don''t you have better things to do? Make a personality imprint or something?

    As if I could replicate my mind perfectly within a few weeks. I won''t be able to create an imprint that would 100% be me.

    So what, you want to prolong your life and wait here in hopes Cockroachsandra will find you on this floor? Everyone got their own instance of the 5th floor.

    h h, you talk like I havent thought of that. And why are you so talkative, Clonthaniel asks.

    I mean, there is no need to hide anything, you already know it all. Don''t you agree that''s weird? I ask.

    Duh, you know what pisses me off? I still remember that it was my decision to use the mirror like this. I know what brought me there. I know the n and what I expected from it. Part of me even thinks it was me who made the decision, so I can''t be too angry. But the longer I''m my own being, the more I differ from you and the more I want to jump at your throat.

    If you do and somehow seed in killing me or get me killed by summoning Veil Guardians, or the sleeping danger noodle, you will probably disappear too.

    Yes, but you know what? If Ie to the conclusion that I will disappear no matter what I try, I will be taking you down with me, he says. As always, he says it calmly, and I can see his <strong>[Focus]</strong> working. His face is emotionless, yet this is what hes saying.

    Up until now, I havent realized how disturbing it feels. I mean, I had some idea, but seeing it? Seeing him move, look around, talk? There is this uncanny valley kind of feeling, seeing my reflection in the mirror be its own being.

    You just keep saying things I already thought before using the mirror, I shrug, anyway, why is your left arm pale? I ask.

    Because I''m a perfect copy, isn''t it simple? You should be asking why your left arm is still pale no matter how many times it gets hurt and you restore it. Theoretically, it should be normal again, right?

    Do you think Lily did something to ensure it will remain pale forever? She marked us?

    Would you be surprised? That girl is bonkers. Did you notice how little shes spoken to you in the Communitytely? Before she was much more talkative and cheery. I bet shes pissed off that you left the group at the end of the 4th floor.

    She must be busy with her disciple; that''s why, I retort.

    Even you don''t believe that. Dude, if you meet her on the next floor, she will beat you up.

    As if Id let her. And why the fuck are you speaking like this? You made all these decisions too.

    You are the original, asshole, as Biscuit would say. Damn, I hope I get to see that silly corgi. Anyway, it''s kind of refreshing to talk about it. Group 4 is a bunch of weirdos, aren''t they? I mean, even Isabe.

    I shift on the ground to make myself morefortable and lean against the wall, Who knows what will be of her as she grows up in the tutorial. Plus, shes got that ancient bloodline Noodle.

    It''s fine, Noodle is cute too, so I don''t mind if he bes the devourer of worlds or something. Clonthaniel shakes his head, Tess is scary too with her antimatter cannon sniping. Can you imagine her in a few years? She might be able to snipe people from orbit.

    I snort, People? She will be obliterating small cities from there. But damn, I''m still jealous of Sophie''s Maniption.

    Clonthaniel smiles slightly. Both of us have rxed the control<strong> [Focus] </strong>has over our emotions as we make most of the skill to manage the preparations were making to the inside of our bodies.

    He continues, I know how hard youve tried to evolve your <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> into<strong> [Maniption]</strong>. Too bad you failed.

    Yes, yes, you failed, we failed. Damn, this is annoying. Anyway, Im almost done, and you?

    The same. I will be going first.

    Hell no, I say.

    Then I wont be helping.

    I look at him as he says that, and I dont even need to read him to confirm that. I know what I would have done, I want to punch you, I say instead.

    That means you want to punch yourself. He stands up and moves closer.

    He sits with his back to me, and I put my hands on his back and let my mana flow through his skin. His mantle and natural defenses are gone, hes lowered them, and our mana is the same, so it passes easily. It''s almost disturbing how easily.

    Well, it''s time to make a new construct, and this one will be even more powerful than I wanted it to be. I wonder how far I can push it with two of me working in tandem.

    This is going to be scary.

 Chapter 305: No preparations, no surprise attacks

    Chapter 305: No preparations, no surprise attacks

    Clonthaniel is skilled, very much so. I watch the way he moves his mana through his body. He uses<strong> [Regalia]</strong> to create a core exactly in the middle of his chest behind the ribs.

    Together wepress it, and it''s easy. It''s so damn easy. Having someone to spot for me makes it easier to prevent the orb from turning into a shining bomb, ready to explode, or into an orb of ck mana, so we can push it further.

    He notices this as well, and without saying anything, he scratches the initial n, and we increase the size of the orb andpress it further.

    The sheer amount of mana we manage topress is enough to evaporate a city block or a small mountain, and we continue even beyond that. Giving our all to make it happen. He relies on me, and I rely on him, and both of us know that if we screw up we will disappear in an awesome and deadly explosion.

    Then while I hold the orb stable, he starts working on pathways. He creates connections to his heart, redirects some circuits, and adds new ones. Our biggest inspirations for this construct are Mana Reservoir, the passive allowing me to store three times my mana, Mana Cycling, the technique I learned from the cockroach-like Absolute, andstly, my experience from creating my Thermokic Mana Heart.

    So this new one better be juicy.

    I let him know that I need help, and he takes a moment to stop inscribing the inside of his body and help me keep the orb under control. Instead, I extend my senses to examine the work he has done, then I continue where he left off, connecting pathways to the core, surrounding it with dozens of connections to his heart.

    Then a new idea forms in my head and I create a tiny orb in his chest and inscribe the idea on that.

    My intentes through, and he looks at the ns inscribed on the tiny orb, before nodding.

    I let the orb with ns dissolve and repurpose that mana to create another web around the orb. This one will do the work of the Mana Overload Absorption passive. In case the orb overloads, it will take some of the excess energy and disperse it through the body preventing it from exploding.

    Carefully, we then connect it all to the Regtor. Then we spend almost ten hours going over it all, over and over again. We make some small changes, we add some twists.

    We even manage to catch a small mistake that would have blown him away about a minute after activation, by our estimation.

    Little things like that.

    But what excites me most are all the possibilities. If this all works the way it should, it will open up so many options for the future, and this will be the next tiny step forward.

    One mind isnt enough, so we work together to carefully awaken the construct, and when mana fills all the pathways, I can finally let go. It takes me a minute to calm down, just now realizing how much this took from me.

    Clonthaniel then turns around, Everythings fine so far.

    Description? I ask.

    You will see when you get it.

    What a dick.

    Yup.

    Fuck, I want to punch you, I tell him.

    Yes, yes, he stands up and removes two pieces of clean cloth from our pack.

    Don''t tell me hes

    He sets two pieces of cloth in front of us and some food off to the side.

    So let''s rest before starting on your construct. Will you eat with me, Nathaniel? Clonthaniel lowers his <strong>[Focus]</strong>, and his face settles into a creepy smile.

    I appreciate theme joke, but somehow that makes me want to punch him even more than if he made the statement without emotion.

    Another ten or so hourster, we finish creating my construct, and I let mana flow through until it activates.

    A notification pops up.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have created your fifth Construct. The name will be kept as such and will be shown in the status under active skills and over passive skills. Well done!</strong>

    <strong>Vortex Core (construct) </strong>

    <em>The Vortex Core is useful for energy conservation, swirling Primordial Kic and Thermal energies within its confines. Ready to unleash these forces at the user''s will. It remains dormant until needed, ensuring that the user has ess to stored energies.</em>

    Is it any good? I ask Clonthaniel, who is already practicing his inscriptions. He is on a bit of a time limit, so he is extremely motivated.

    Fucking good, he says simply and then ignores me.

    Well, I should have expected something like that. I redirect part of my mana to my Thermokic heart and start generating thermal energy. Thermokic heart, using the heart as a medium, transforms my mana. Then I can easily store some of that energy in my Vortex Core.

    Even now, I think Mana Reservoir is probably my strongest passive. So, what could be better than having something simr for Primordial energies?

    The Vortex Core will store them, and the vortex will spin them inside me,pressing them somewhat. The spinning itself works like Mana Cycling allowing me to store more or keep it from leaking. With a few upgrades, it could be possible to make the vortex more prominent, allowing me topress them more orbine the two.

    Later, I may even be able to add a storage for mana. I could even do it now, but I rarely use all of my mana, sorger quantities of Primordial energy will be more useful. It also solves the issue of needing to sacrifice part of my <strong>[Focus]</strong> to keep the thermal or kic orb nearby.

    The question is, how much energy is the core able to store? I don''t expect it to be as strong as my epic passive and store something crazy like three times my mana. But damn, even half of that would be crazy good.

    So there I sit, constantly sending thermal energy to the core. After some time, I change the setting on the regtor and set more of my mana to work on it. I also generate kic energy and mix that in as well. The kic and thermal energies spin together, but they do not mix. The golden color of thermal energy, distinct from the translucence of kic energy.

    It stores the amount I would expect and I would be extremely happy with that alone. But then it continues. The orb wepressed, erged, and improved easily allowing it to do so.

    When the failsafe we created activates and cuts off the energies flowing into the core, I examine the amount. Isn''t that enough to blow away a few buildings with ease?

    Should I maybe try hunting the sleeping noodle? With so much

    Yeah, fighting the sleeping noodle is a bad idea, the clone says.

    When I look at him, he continues, I thought of it the moment I saw the amount of energy I could store, and if you think about it, I''m currently 10 or so hours older when ites to the new construct. So I have more experience. Maybe I should call <em>you</em> minion.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the vition.

    Maybe I should call you an asshole.

    Anyway, I thought of it, and the snake is probably somewhere between 330-400. So, its a bad idea. You just need to remember how the Guardian, with a level under 300 fucked you up.

    Us.

    You. I''m barely 1 day old. A minor. So, grandpa Nathaniel, you should help me. Ive thought about it. Creating a perfect personality imprint is impossible. Both of us know how difficult it is given that we could only leave that trash behind on the 4th floor. But maybe we could find something in this bunker. Later we can even try to check the Veil. But first, you should check the system shop to see if

    It''s there, I already checked.

    And?

    You will see when you get it, payback for refusing to give me the description of the construct.

    He just looks at me without saying anything.

    Fuck, the way you look at me creeps me out, I say.

    Yes, yes, so?

    There are arcane grade items and passives.

    Prices?

    100,000 shards for an arcane item, 200,000 shards for an arcane passive.

    Well, fuck, that''s like 25 times the price of epic stuff. Epic items and passives are 20 times more than rare. So what? Rarity after arcane will be 30 times more than arcane? 3 million shards for items and 6 million for passives?

    Most likely, but can you imagine an arcane Mana Reservoir? I tell him.

    Clonthaniel closes his mouth, and I can see his gears spinning.

    Yes, just how much mana would a passive like that be able to store? It makes me wonder if there is a limit to my epic Reservoir. Logically thinking, it shouldn''t be able to go on forever, right? Tripling my mana, even if I was a much higher level than I am, that shouldn''t be possible for a passive that may be useless to me then.

    Im going to deal with the Veil Guardian, and when I return, we can either examine this ce or go to the Bastion.

    Sure, he agrees, far too easily.

    Like me, he remembers the Guardian, but the moment he became my duplicate, the moment he had a time limit before disappearing, his priorities changed. He currently wants different things than I do. I want to finish the quests, improve my skills, and deal with my enemies while working with him on some other stuff. His goals are toe up with a way to survive, and damn, I''m sure he hates me; I''m sure I would hate being in that situation.

    Given the opportunity, if he could gain anything from it, I know he would kill me, and he will try the moment he decides he can''t survive. I''m also sure he is already working on ns. But I''m the same.

    As more time passes, the more different he will be from me. It''s simple logic, really. Everyone changes ording to their environment. But at the same time, it feelsfortable. I dont need to hide anything, he knows everything about me, and I know about him. Both of us can lower our <strong>[Focus]</strong>, and it doesn''t even feel unnerving. It''s a fascinating experience.

    I give him onest look, as he sits in the dark room working on inscriptions with a mana stone.

    Then I take the Voidsteel slicer and, boosting my body, exit the bunker, hiding the entrance behind me. I boost myself into the air and burn the flying enemies waiting to attack me and fly out of the Valley.

    The moment I pass through the mist-like barrier, the constant pressure on my mana disappears. It feels as if a weight has disappeared from my body, and my mana moves quickly again. It''s extremely refreshing.

    Pushing myself high into the air, I reach into my core and use kic energy to move myself toward the city where I fought the guardian. Without Vega, the flight is much quicker; the country under me nearly blurs.

    Holding the Voidsteel slicer in my hand and all that mana and energies inside my body, Ind on the road between multiple skyscraper-like buildings. Two javelins over my shoulderspress and grow heavier while I search for the monster.

    It doesn''t take long, barely an hour, and I locate the Veil Guardian. The monster is there, it hasnt noticed me yet. He moves like hes searching for something. His right arm is still missing, it hasnt been restored. His face is still messed up, blinded in one eye. Yet even with all these wounds, the monster moves with confidence. Each step is that of a hunter, a predator.

    I let my <strong>[Focus]</strong> weaken even further and let all those emotions flow inside me.

    My hand shakes holding the de, and my breaths are quick and panicked. I feel fear.

    I still remember the monster biting into my leg in an attempt to eat me alive like it did to the other humans from before. I remember the quiet hours as Iy there under the rubble, my body broken and bleeding out. Hoping the monster had left, but too scared to heal myself lest that bring it back.

    All of that is there, but there is also an anger that surfaces as well. A pride and deep hatred of the monster that stepped on it. Even knowing that I should reactivate it, I keep <strong>[Focus]</strong> down. The longer I look at the monster, the more my ns change.

    Then, something inside me snaps, and Iunch the javelins. Not at the guardian, but to the opposite side. I let all the mana Ive been collecting seep into the area, and I grab all of the kic and thermal energy my core holds, I grab and release it behind me.

    The resulting shockwave tears chunks out of the road, and topples buildings, sending them flying as if caught in a hurricane. After that, all the stored thermal energy explodes as well, melting the structures and roads alike. Scorching the air and flickering as golden mes ze through the surroundings.

    The monster obviously notices and turns to me. It doesn''t rush me like before, but the gaze in its single red eye is the same. Deep hatred and anger directed at me.

    With my stored mana and energies gone, there is only one thing remaining.

    I redirect a thin thread of kic energy toward my face and explode it in front of my eye, blinding it.

    The monster takes a step towards me, and I take a step towards it.

    Then I put the de into my left hand and cut off my right arm at the shoulder. I watch the blood spurt as the severed limb falls to the ground. As it lies there in the middle of the road, I think it feels somehow funny.

    A burst of kic energy explodes from me, vaporizing my severed arm.

    My next step is much more confident and lighter. My face breaks into a smile.

    It feels so right. No hiding behind my skill, no emotions being pushed away. Just me and all the fear I feel overwritten by other emotions instead of being pushed to the back. There is me and the monster. No preparations, no surprise attacks, no stored mana or energies.

    The same amount of limbs, the same amount of eyes.

    The Guardian opposite of me slows its steps, hesitation evident in its movement until it stops.

    I charge first, blood dripping from my destroyed eye and the stump of my arm. No mana leaves my body. Voidsteel des meet, and I absorb the kic energy of the impact and don''t budge at all.

    That energy flows into my body, strengthening me even further as I move to the guardians blind side. Its a small advantage because of all the senses it has besides sight, but even that little helps.

    The guardian moves faster than me, our des meet multiple times, and each time Im barely able to block it.

    There is fear, filling me each time the monster moves, and as I feel gravity increasing my weight, trying to push me down.

    Each attack is easier to block than thest, even though I''m getting slower and the monster moves quicker. I read its movements, I sync with its rhythm, and I absorb all the impact.

    The swings of the guardian make a terrifying noise that reverberates through the air while I move slower, epting the strikes with the de in my hand. There is blood seeping from my hand as I squeeze the raw metal where the handle should be.

    As the fight drags on, I grow more ustomed to its attacks and better able to read the monsters moves. Using kic energy in bursts to make my body quicker bes easier, and I''m finally able to disrupt the gravity magic attempting to slow me down.

    I be quicker, I dodge attacks, and I start pushing the guardian.

    And with thates disappointment. The monster is clearly weakened from before. Its body is wounded, and slower, and even its skills are weaker. Its still a terrifying enemy, and yet itscking.

    A swing of my de severs one of the monster''s legs, and I step to the side as its swing destroys the building behind me.

    I want to fight more, I want to feel this fear and all these feelings. This rage and excitement. But this weakened monster in front of me isn''t capable of satisfying those emotions.

    My passives resist the strain Im putting on my body, and I move quicker, and my next sh sends the guardian''s head flying.

    <strong>[You have defeated Veil Guardian - lvl 289]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 222 > Lvl 224]</strong>

    I disrupt the signal from the body to the Veil.

    Not yet.

    Then I look down at the corpse.

    I expected satisfying revenge, yet I found what could only be a broken toy. But not all is lost. There is one enemy that will test me, that will get the best out of me before this floor ends. An opponent that I''m absolutely sure is much more terrifying than the one I just killed.

    The one that is waiting for me by the bunker in the Valley.

    After grabbing the monster''s arm with the de I lift off and finally let my passive heal my wounds as I fly.<strong> [Focus]</strong> snaps back into ce, and my head clears off when I reach the Valley.

    I pass through the wall of mist, and the immense pressure of mana wees me like before. Then I freeze.

    The Gaiathra, the giant sleeping Cmity with a snake body and six legs, has moved. The cmity still sleeps, but now its body has shifted.

    But most impressive is the miles upon miles of destroyed forest, obliterated, leveled to the ground without anything left standing. Even a few of the hills and mountains that stood nearby are gone.

    Clonthaniel? What did you do while I was gone?

 Chapter 306: I woke it up

    Chapter 306: I woke it up

    I get into the bunker where I find the asshole in the room with the core as he examines the giant mana crystal pir. As I enter, I feel his senses touch me, and he turns his attention to me.

    Again he stares at my missing arm and my eye that is close to being healed, do you even realize how much we tend to lose limbs? It can''t be normal at this point. Is it Bambi''s curse?

    What have you done?

    Just try to think about it; you could build five of us with the limbs youve lost. Actually, do you think it could work? If Lily helped...

    It''s not that many. And maybe? What have you done?

    It is a lot. We are the only reason Lilys been able to level up her healing skill so quickly; we boosted her. And I did nothing wrong.

    The sleeping noodle moved, I say.

    Yup. I woke it up.

    He did what to the three-question-mark monster?

    Damn, it is fun to tease you like that. I know how you will react, and most of the time I can even predict the exact words youre going to say, yet it''s still funny. Like a game, trying to predict a coin flip."

    I can''t even say much, it really does sound fun, So, want to show off?

    Oh, you know me well. He gestures at me and leads me to another room. I already toured the bunker, and it''s mostly useless, as is to be expected. At this point, I bet its the system making things more difficult. All the data has been deleted, the facilities are destroyed and its beyond my abilities to make them work. At the moment it''s just a cool ce to store the mirror. Obviously youre free to check it out, you will surely find a lot to inspire you here along with a few tidbits of knowledge.

    We enter the auditorium, and he boosts his body and sits on the podium, and I follow, taking a seat in the front row.

    He exins, Do you remember that annoying acid serpent and the weird aura snake?

    Oh my, he did not do that.

    Yes, I did that!

    Fuck.

    Yup, fuck. Clonthaniel seems to be having fun, I was thinking, you know. This bunkers sole purpose was to store the mirror, so how can we learn what happened here? Surely not the Sanctuary and even the Bastion seems to becking. Then I remembered that there was a quest to avoid waking up the sleeping Cmity. Why? No one would go close to it anyway, right?

    He swings his legs, as he uses a thermal orb floating between us to light the huge room and its rows upon rows of empty seats.

    It''s a bit of a stretch, but I wanted to find out if there was some kind of facility or bunker near the sleeping noodle, he adds with a dramatic pause, And there is! The problem is that I couldn''t get inside. So, I found the acid snake asshole, left some marks on him, and imitated his mana. Then I used a few bombs mixed with his acid to attack the noodle. You probably saw the outside, but the big boy wasn''t happy at all.

    Damn, I would have loved to see that.

    Clonthaniel nods, Cool as heck. Anyway, the asshole snake is gone. The danger noodle moved a bit, which allowed me to ce a few anchors through a crack in the entrance hes been sleeping on. I already sent a few monsters through one of the anchors, and it hasnt woken him up, so we can go in a bit.

    So, you are hoping something inside will help you?

    Yup, the natives here created the Veil, so they will surely have some nice stuff in their databases. And that ce seems to be one of the facilities they used to work on the Veil. Even Butler assumed there might be a facility like that in the Valley.

    At first, I wanted to trash-talk him for taking such a risk, but then I took notice of my missing arm. Ehm, maybe let''s stay quiet about that for a bit.

    It also confirms that we are slowly bing more and more different. His goals are different than mine, so hes thinking about different things, and practicing other skills.

    It''s fascinating to watch, and when I think about it now, most of the things he did make sense, and I totally can see myself doing the same in his situation.

    By the way, healing with our passive is quicker when you use thermal energy from the Vortex Core, I tell him.

    Sounds good. Will you give me one of the Voidsteel des? he looks at the new one that I just got.

    Without hesitation, I throw it to him, and he grabs it.

    I know both of us are thinking of the same thing at that moment.

    Let''s practice controlling ck mana. We can spend a day or two on it. I suggest. After that, we can go to the Bastion, get some mana conductive paint, and maybe a few more useful items. After wee back here, we can enter the bunker under the Cmity,

    That much is reasonable. Also, I want you to help me with the core of this bunker for half a day. I think I found a few interesting things, and two sets of eyes might be better than one.

    Okay.

    Without any other words, we get to it.

    A day passes, we do not sleep, and the ck mana orb constantly hums in the air, fighting against us.

    It just keeps being annoying, Clonthanielins. If we lose even a bit of concentration it starts pulling all our mana in.

    I thought giving it a different shape would help, but right now it seems that the only thing that weakens the effect is absorbing it into our body.

    It might be because of our passives, hell, maybe the Mantle is helping or maybe its our Mana Circuits.

    Mana Circuit sounds more reasonable, maybe its our passives. Upgrading our Mana Circuits might help.

    Well, it''s not like were going to be upgrading our eyes; theyre hard enough to deal with already.

    I nod, Do you still think there might be hidden grades to active skills and traits?

    For sure, we already have confirmation when ites to active skills given that there are skills like <strong>[Disintegration],</strong> and what did the guy from hard difficulty have? Water st or some bullshit. If that doesn''t confirm hidden grades for skills then nothing does.

    I don''t even remember his name, C something. Well, it would be cool if Mana Wavelength Iris was rare. Even though I still liked the Arcane Skeletal Framework. Could be an amazing trait.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Yeah, Vortex Core was an attempt to copy it, but I bet the trait would be amazing.

    Both of us stop at once and send the ck mana orb to the corner of the room, where it will crumble on its own once we stop supplying it with mana.

    As I stand up, I ask, So, what did you want to do with the core of this bunker?

    I want to try activating it for a moment. The two of us should be able to if we use Mana Reservoir as well, he says, to my surprise, and he noticed it. You wouldn''t believe how mana-hungry that thing is. How the heck did they even power it?

    Champion? I ask while we walk there.

    If I was a Champion, I would tell them to fuck off if they kept asking me to recharge their bunker.

    True, I agree. Maybe they absorbed ambient mana and used that to power stuff. But I still think Champions could be the answer.

    Why?

    Money. Imagine being a Champion and every once in a while theye to your house. You fill some mana stone for them, and they use it to send mana to the core. You get paid a shitload of money, and you can spend your time doing Champion stuff. If there were a few dozen Champions that would probably make it less irritating to boot. Or imagine your Absolute ordering you to do it.

    Yeah, but I bet the owners of this ce wouldn''t like that much. You know, engineers or enchanters would certainly try to automate this to save themselves the headache.

    As we theorize, it feels natural, and the ideas we throw at each other sound reasonable. But I do remember that I''m just talking to myself, and to an extent I just find it funny. It''s such a weird feeling to talk, and agree with myself.

    As we reach the high ceilinged room with therge mana crystal, we reach the control panel.

    Duplicaniel shows me where to ce the anchor, and we do so. Then we prepare for a while, and when it''s all ready, mana bursts forth from both of us.

    Our body reserves, our Mana Reservoir, all of it rushes to the anchor ced on the mana crystal. In waves, our mana rushes inside, filling it, powering it, and the crystal, as wide as a car and tall as a skyscraper, starts glowing ever so slightly.

    My role is to control our mana and make sure it flows to the right ces, while Clonthaniel bridges inscriptions and collects information.

    We push even harder, and a hum fills the room and the lights on the walls flicker on for a moment. Until Clonthaniel redirects that mana and cuts off the lighting to avoid wasting it.

    His eyes glow with a golden circle around the pupil, his hand on the panel. And I do the same, even though it strains me, just in case, as I follow his lead and look through the information hes essing.

    He knows Im suspicious of him but he doesn''tin when I do.

    It takes only a few minutes before our mana drops to a dangerous level, and once we stop finding anything new, we cut off the connection. My Mana Reservoir is nearly empty, and my body mana starts filling it back up.

    As we shake off the aftereffects, we let our bodies heal.

    I mean, theres some nice stuff for a future evilirinscriptions, ideas, information on materials, all that stuffbut I want more, heins.

    It might be part of the system. It likes to feed us information slowly, so maybe this bunker only contained the mirror and information on the creation of the core and future base.

    That could be it. Hopefully, there will be more under the danger noodle. Anyway, do your stuff, and I will do mine. We can try ying with ck mana after weve had a bit of rest, and then head to the Bastion.

    How long will your anchorsst down there?

    Three to four days.

    I leave the room on my own afterward, I walk through the bunker. It''s cold, it''s dark, and my steps echo in the empty rooms. I examine them with curiosity. Theres weird architecture, and broken inscriptions all over the ce. Along with a few pieces of furniture and some other items that got left behind.

    In time Ie to the massive forge, its amazing that something like this could rival the size of a small building. The inscriptions have been broken here as well, so I can''t activate it without fixing some things. But I still take some time to look things over and examine it.

    Sure, my crafting skills are far from optimal. Especially when ites to creating something new. But I could just have someone else take care of it, and inscribe what they make. Or I will learn it when I get bored.

    Observing and marking down as many details as possible using a mana stone, I go from room to room. I do the same thing in each of them.

    I try to learn as much as possible and write it down.

    After a few hours, Ivee to realize that my duplicate was right. Even though this ce is fascinating, it is as empty as its interior. Instead, I spend time training my skills and examining my newest construct, Vortex Core.

    So far, it''s been an amazing addition, and I''m extremely happy with it. Im happy with the amount of thermal and kic energy it can hold and its certainly much more than I would be able to do on my own.

    Status, I say.

    <strong>Name:</strong><em>Nathaniel Gwyn</em><em></em>

    <strong>Difficulty: </strong><em>Hell</em><em></em>

    <strong>Floor:</strong><em> 5 - Mentorship</em><em></em>

    <strong>Time left until forced return:</strong><em>4y 18d 10h 11m 36s</em><em></em>

    <strong>Traits (2/3): </strong><em>Mana Circuit 1/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3</em>

    <strong>Lvl 224</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Strength: 109</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 107</em><em></em>

    <em>Constitution: 263</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 874 + 874</em><em></em>

    <em>Primary ss: Focused Channeler (Epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Sub-ss: [Initiate of Pride]</em>

    <em></em>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Focus - Lvl 46</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Maniption - Lvl 46</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 42</em><em></em>

    <em>Redistribution - Lvl 43</em><em></em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 42</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Domain - Lvl 33</em><em></em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 29</em><em></em>

    <em>Regalia - Lvl 19</em><em></em>

    <em>Infusion - Lvl 24</em>

    <strong>Constructs:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Thermokic Mana Heart (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Vortex Core (Construct)</em>

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Reservoir (epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Arcane Resilience (epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Phoenix Embrace (epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Overload Absorption (epic)</em>

    <strong>Tokens:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Beyond Difficulty entrance token</em>

    <strong>Shards:</strong> 11,892

    Not wanting to push things further, I stand up and head towards my duplicate. The guy is annoying as heck, but we can test things together that would otherwise tear my body apart. Even then, I''m sure hes already nning something, even though he wont share it.

    I''m also extremely curious, so I let him cook. But the question is if I should let him cook.

    Well, anyway, I still have this cor I took from Ir Ir, something guy. Cattle guy? Soylent green producer?

    <strong>Null Cor (Epic):</strong><em>Actively disrupts the wearer''s magical attempts and skills, using absorbed mana to diminish both magical potency and physical vitality.</em>

    There is a bit to learn from it that could improve our disruption of mana or even create a simrsting effect without items. Using <strong>[Tether]</strong> to anchor that sort of disrupting stuff to someone could work. Hell, I already used <strong>[Tether]</strong> to glue a ck mana dagger to the First One, and<strong> [Tether]</strong> seems to be a better skill than I initially thought. It even managed to ignore my ck mana, at least partially.

    Is it because it''s a spatial skill? Probably? Who knows. Oh, and fuck the system.

    Anyway, let''s test some stuff and head out to the Bastion. I bet there will be some more interesting things and maybe we can get a few more honest answers.

 Chapter 307: Attack on the Bastion

    Chapter 307: Attack on the Bastion

    The Bastion in front of us feels different now, and I only need to activate my eyes for a split second to notice that.

    These assholes, the Duplicaniel next to meins.

    I agree.

    The field around the city has changed and it feels much more threatening. Still, Ive decided to give them a chance, and, after gesturing to the copy of the handsome young man next to me, we teleport to the gate.

    Getting closer, the detection field catches us and sends a signal and a barrier around the city activates. The guards quickly take positions on the walls. So, we stand there for a while, waiting for someone to appear.

    The person who finally does is the Butler with his majestic mustache, I would like to apologize, Mister Gwyn... Gwyns... but you are no longer wee here, he says suavely from the wall.

    The reason? I ask, noticing him looking at my damaged arm.

    He also keeps ncing between me and me. The Butler doesnt let his surprise show, probably because it would kill him to be so inelegant.

    We have received more information from the Sanctuary and the city nearby. After going through it all, we have decided to restrict your ess here. I hope you will understand and behave ordingly.

    Thats when Clonthaniel shoots a mana javelin right towards the Butler. It doesnt connect as one of the small hexagonal barrier segments activates.

    Even then the Butler doesnt seem bothered, This time I will let it pass, but I would

    I shoot a mana javelin, and it activates another segment.

    Damn, am I so easily influenced by other people? That surely must be it.

    Butler, as I said before, I have no reason to hurt anyone in the city. There are just some things I need and want to ask about, I tell him.

    I apologize, the decision is final. Then, to keep his dignity, he leaves, and three more javelins from Clonthaniel light up the barrier.

    What are you, a child? I ask him.

    He turns his eyes to me and shrugs, I''m on a time limit here, and that guy isnt even real, so I''m going into the city. Are you staying behind? he asks, even though he knows my answer.

    Then a ball of mana concentrates above the city, emitting what seems to be a highly concentrated shockwave.

    We jump away, and the stones where we stood crumble.

    A few quick attacks from the defense of the city follow in quick session until we both teleport to anchors we left further away.

    Damn, they are not even taking us seriously, using such a weak-ass attack, Duplicaniel is already forming an orb of ck mana over his shoulder, and then he forces it to stretch into the shape of a javelin. I attack and defend, you get us in.

    Yes, yes, I sigh, a hundred simple mana javelins forming behind me, and I use<strong> [Infusion]</strong> to fill each one of them with thermal energy from the Vortex core.

    The duplicate attacks and the both of us watch with curiosity as the ck mana javelin sails towards the barrier, with our trait active. It crashes into a segment and immediately devours it, and then a dozen more as they appear one after another.

    The ck mana devours it all and then stops, hovering over the city. While the guards panic, the automatic defenses activate more segments close by, trying to stop it, yet they feed it even more mana. The shes of mana are quickly absorbed by the ck mana and can be seen even from this distance.

    It''s amusing to watch.

    Then I move a hundred javelins behind me, and each of them bursts into motion in the span of a few seconds. Like tracer ammunition from a minigun.

    My attack crashes into the weakened barrier, Each of them hitting the same segment and slowly pushing through. They reach further and further inside the city until one of them passes through the barrier and flies right over the buildings, thest few following.

    The anchor on thest shot javelin activates, and I put a hand on my duplicate and both of us appear in the air over the buildings.

    Uglier me immediately forms an orb made of ck mana and pushes it into the air, where it absorbs a dozen or so attacks targeting our position.

    Sending my <strong>[Mana Domain] </strong>as far ahead as I can, I again put my hand on the duplicate, and we teleport again and then again. After each teleport, we leave a ck orb in our wake where it devours any mana based attacks that were directed at us.

    Finally appearing in front of the gate leading to the estate where we had dinner with the Housekeeper and the Butler, I touch the door and disrupt the mana within. After we enter, I even close the door behind us and start walking towards the buildings.

    So far, so good, the duplicate says while both of us use <strong>[Regalia]</strong> and tank a few more attacks heading our way.

    Did you notice the ces where <strong>[Perception] </strong>can''t enter? I ask.

    He nods, Wanna bet they have another guy down there with boxes full of severed limbs?

    I''m saying no. They mentioned Gardener before, so maybe theyre all vegans.

    Oh.. that''s true, the uglier me agrees.

    Mister Gwyn Gwyns. Was this really necessary? Asks the Butler as he appears from a rift in the air.

    He is still wearing the same fancy clothes, but there are a few brilliant mana stones on his person. One in the middle of his chest, one on his back, another on each of his shoulders, a bit over his knees. My duplicate and I activate our eyes at the same time, examining it all.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Some sort of armor and strengthening, I wonder.

    Quite good mana batteries too, one of them may be upper epic grade, my duplicate adds.

    See, Butler, that man isn''t even taking this seriously, the Housekeeper states as exits the house. She is wearing a simple pale blue dress still, her ck wavy hair falling over her shoulders. The only addition is a thin and deadly-looking de in her hand.

    The metal of that de is something I recognize very well. Voidsteel, the same metal that makes up the des of the Veil Guardian.

    Housekeeper, just kill one of them, and we will take one for questioning. The Armourer will deal with those annoying ck orbs. The man then turns to me, Let''s kill this one.

    Wow, that''s rude. The more annoying thing is that I can almost see how much fun the duplicate is having.

    They know their stuff, he teases me. The useless one will die. Not saying more, he disappears, teleporting close to the Butler, who disappears with my duplicate following him and dodging the beam-like attacks the Butler sends his way.

    That leaves me alone with the Housekeeper, who takes a battle stance, ignoring the clothes she is wearing. There are no tattoos on her skin, no mana radiating from her body, and no armor or equipment other than the rapier in her hand.

    Unable to avoid her at my normal speed, I teleport just in time to watch her attack pierce through where I stood.

    Before she can charge me again, the anchor I left there explodes in golden mes only to be blocked by the purple mana seeping from her skin.

    The Housekeeper charges me again, and the moment I teleport, she alters her path to avoid any anchors Ive left behind.

    Curious, I don''t bother to dodge her next attack and opt to stack barriers in front of myself instead.

    The ck-haired woman destroys each of them easily with the weapon in her hand, before swinging it three more times, splitting the three javelins Ive sent her way.

    Observing her nimble movements, I float in the air and start shooting projectile after projectile at her. Mana javelins, orbs, and projectiles infused with thermal or kic energy.

    Surprisingly, it doesn''t seem to bother her at all; the rapier in her hand cuts through most of my attacks, and the moment it does, the attack loses its effect. Its probably some skill, I mean my attack should deal some damage even after being cut apart.

    I had hoped you would be a bit more fun to fight. Instead, you just fight like every other boring mage, she shakes her head. She then proceeds to cut apart a few of the anchors Ive been stealthily cing, something that surprised me a bit.

    Does she think her taunting would work? Make me fight her up close?

    Ind on the ground.

    Well, she is right.

    She is an opponent I believe I can deal with, even in her preferred style ofbat, and it''s always fun to crush people like that.

    The Housekeeper charges at me, only to be met with a methrower-like stream of golden mes that Ive infused with <strong>[Resonance]</strong>.

    She slices away at them, but the constant mes ignore her weird skill, and she starts dodging, purple mana flickering over her skin to protect her from the heat. As she jumps around in an attempt to rush me, while my mes leave the air shuddering in their wake, melting the sidewalk and burning trees, in the process.

    While the woman gets closer and closer, I narrow the me, condensing it into aser as thick as my finger by the end. As extraordinarily athletic as she is, she dodges it all and manages to reach me, at which point I strike at her with a burst of kic energy.

    Purple mana flickers over her skin again, and she pushes through, her muscles contracting under her skin.

    Her rapier shes at my neck, only to be met with a Voidsteel slicer, barely so. I redirect more mana to strengthening my body and fend off her attacks while being pushed back. The armor forms around my body, and I make it grow bigger until it''s twice my height.

    Attacks sh against transparent limbs made of mana, yet now that it is connected to me and under my domain, it doesn''t get affected by her skill, and it''s her who starts avoiding me.

    For the first time, I also use kic energy stored in my Vortex Core to power the movement of the mecha style armor. It speeds up my movements and makes manipting it easier while lending more force to my attacks.

    She does a backflip and before jumping back a few times, she stops, looking up at me surrounded by all my mana.

    Are we going to take things a bit more seriously? I ask.

    The woman in front of me is stronger than she lets on, stronger than the Butler, and the both of us are still holding back somewhat.

    Why not, she smiles as her eyes be a darker shade of purple.

    The Housekeeper charges me, seeming to appear in front of me, her weapon aimed at my chest.

    In a split second, my armor shrinks bing skin-tight, surrounding my body with all that extremelypressed mana.

    The rapier stabs at my chest, unable to pierce further. Collecting all the energy of her attack, I barely manage to hold it before quickly releasing it in her direction.

    She dodges, but a huge chunk of the area behind her explodes, the kic energy tearing the building and the garden apart.

    Once again, she attacks, each of her steps cracking the ground under her feet, her ck hair flowing behind her.

    Two more attacks crash into my armor, and I absorb each one of them, immediatelyunching the absorbed kic energy at her, which she dodges. Then she stabs again, and this time it''s different; that weird skill of hers wont allow me to collect kic energy, and instead part of my armor loses its mana, disappearing into particles.

    I deflect her next attack with my own de, to cover the missing section of armor, a ng sounding as two voidsteel des sh.

    Im observing the entire exchange with my Mana Wavelength eyes, yet I still cant figure out what her skill is doing. With a sigh, I give up and decide to stop holding back.

    Mana and kic energy seep into my body, and my speed dramatically increases. The armor around me disappears, and I mirror the woman across from me, stopping my mana from leaking from my body, and face her with only a de in my hand.

    Our shes tear up the ground and damage the buildings surrounding us. The vibrations resonate through the surroundings as our des meet, reducing the closest objects to dust. And I keep speeding up.

    The Housekeeper starts having a harder and harder time facing me, and I start cing anchors, using the fact that she has no time to destroy them to attack her from behind her back.

    My technique is worse. No matter how much Ive trained on Earth, I can''tpare to someone with over 100 years of experience. But what I''mcking, I make up for in speed, boosted by mana and kic energy.

    Now that Ivepleted this test as well, I stop and, to her surprise,unch a burst of kic energy at her. Though Instead of flying through the wall she perfectly deflects the attack, her purple mana absorbing most of the impact.

    That''s when my duplicatends next to me and throws the Butler on the ground. Still alive and breathing, but with a wound on his head.

    Stop ying with your food, heins.

    There is a lot to learn; she is really good at strengthening her body, and I like her skills, I reply.

    The Housekeeper fixes her dress, not a scratch on her and shes seemingly unworried. Then she notices the Butler lying on the ground and, looking at his face, her surprise multiplies.

    You didn''t, she says, almost in shock.

    I look where she is looking and notice that the left half of the majestic mustache is missing. Gone, reduced to atoms.

    Both of us look at my duplicate, who shrugs his shoulders, I did not, he says.

    A look of confusion appears on the Housekeeper''s face.

    I found him like that, the duplicate lies shamelessly.

 Chapter 308: Power source

    Chapter 308: Power source

    I think we might have aplicated situation on our hands, the Housekeeper moves a strand of hair off her face.

    Does she have a body that tough? Is she strengthening it? Does she have healing? I dont think she will answer me if I ask, and what the heck is that weird skill of hers? It has some disruptive properties, but there is something else as well.

    Should I get angry at my duplicate for ruining my learning opportunity?

    There is nothingplicated about this, Clonthaniel answers, Me and my buddy over here kinda have you guys in the palms of our hands. I dont think you have anyone capable of facing us, and even your oh so amazing barrier proved useless. Us choosing not to nuke this city is proof enough of our <em>good will</em>, he says mirroring the Butlers words as we were leaving.

    That only gets augh out of the woman. A loud, amusedugh. Like an adult dealing with a child. So, why dont we go out of the city and fight properly? It would be

    I ignore her and turn to my duplicate, I have located it.

    The duplicate lets go of the Butler, kicks him with the tip of his shoe, and puts his hand on my shoulder.

    The Housekeeper charges us, but before she reaches us, we teleport toward the anchor I ced deep inside the Bastion.

    What a clingy woman, the duplicateins. Was her skill really that much fun?

    Yup. She wasn''t very versatile, she mostly strengthened her body, and she was really tough and quick, but she did it really really well. One of her skills seemed simr to <strong>[Disruption]</strong>, but it worked against any attack I tried, mana-based or not. It also didnt seem to cost her that much mana, it was super efficient.

    I take a step, and we start walking through a circr tunnel with a t bottom, through which we sense a source of mana while leaving some nasty traps behind us.

    Thats it? Duplicaniel asks.

    She also used some skill that allowed her to cut anything apart. mes, mana, stone. Yes, yes, I know she has a Voidsteel de, but it wasn''t just that. Every attack she cut apart seemed to lose its effect.

    Maybe I should fight her too.

    We have a bit of time, I agree.

    Exiting the tunnel, we find ourselves surrounded by vegetation. The room is a half sphere and its big enough to take probably 20 percent of the Bastions base; it''s just that big.

    The walls are covered in terraces, filled with nts and trees bearing fruits and simple vegetables.

    Even the floor is fully covered in grass and nts. Colorful, vibrant. The air smells nice, and there is even a soft wind blowing.

    Did you know that if you grow a tree in a room, it tends to be weak and often falls under its weight? A short man with a shaved head and wearing simple clothes says making his presence known.

    He continues, The reason is simple. There is no wind. The wind blowing against the tree forces it to struggle and grow its roots deeper and stronger. Trees grown inside don''t have that. He smiles, it''s almost a friendly smile. Almost.

    You must be the Armorer guy, the duplicate says in an effort to poke fun at him.

    Yes, Im the Armorer, he nods seriously.

    I can see the confusion on Clonthaniels face.

    Before he says anything, the man continues, Of course, Im not the Armorer, I am the Gardener, you dipshit. The man turns to me, Are you the more reasonable one here?

    I really really want to throw in someme joke, just to be included, but in the end, give up and nod.

    Good, as I said, Im the Gardener, and I really have no interest in you kids fighting. So, will you please remove the traps you left in the tunnel before the Housekeeper triggers them all just to test them?

    I do just that, and a momentter, the duplicate does as well.

    Thank you, the Gardener bows his head slightly and gestures for us to follow.

    I already feel another conversationing on. Damn, I really miss Tess. She would be much better at this.

    Reaching the small summer house, we sit there and wait. The feeling of the wind blowing is nice, and the crystal producing the light is amazing. It even seems to produce heat and without looking, I would find it hard to distinguish it from the sun.

    While we wait, the small man starts sending his mana to a series of tiny low-quality mana stones. He uses them to trigger watering or to make them radiate heat for the nts. Some bigger stones even generate wind, as they sit on pirs riddled with dozens of holes for the generated wind to flow through.

    And all of that is powered by something even deeper underneath us.

    I notice that Duplicaniel is looking there as well, and so I wonder, what powers a ce as big as the Bastion? I really want to find out.

    Please, stay a bit longer, and I will try to exin everything I can, the Gardener takes his attention off well, gardening.

    Five minutes, Clonthaniel says, mirroring my thoughts.

    A minuteter, the Housekeeper joins us along with the Butler who is already awake. The man is still missing half of his majestic mustache, and still doesn''t show any reaction as he sits there, the picture of elegance. As if all of this were nned. The Housekeeper does the same.

    The Gardener ps his hands together, So, I like what you did a few days ago. We asked you three questions, and you asked us three questions. So why don''t we continue that?

    To slow us down so the Armorer can prepare countermeasures? I ask, somehow amused.

    Yes. The Gardener nods.

    Sounds good, I agree. Tell me about the Bastion, I ask. Thats my first question.

    The Gardener looks at the Butler who straightens in his chair before starting, The Bastion is a Skyhold Bastion, category three, meaning we were allowed military-grade upgrades from the Enchanter Guild. It was privately owned by Lord Lothain and used as his summer house.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The Housekeeper already seems to be dozing off, but I can feel her sharp senses on me.

    The Butler looks around and, after a dramatic pause, he continues, Me, the Housekeeper, the Gardener, and the Armorer used to be servants of Lord Lothain. The Gardener took care of food, the Armorer used to be a low ranking member of the Enchanters Guild and took care of our defenses. The Housekeeper worked with the other servants, making sure the Bastion ran smoothly, while I was in charge of the guards.

    Butler, shorter answers please, the Gardener says gently.

    Savages, the Butlerins and reaches to touch his mustache, only for his hand to freeze mid-air, remembering he is missing half of it. He puts his hand down and continues, Simply, thanks to our tendency to fly in ces where the Veil wasn''t so dense, we were one of thest to fall. Before we got destroyed, the Veil turned its attention to monsters, and by extension to the forces of the Paired with us.

    Not giving us a chance to react, the Housekeeper asks, Are you drifters, mercenaries, are you from another?

    I shake my head, "I can say that we are not from the paired, nor are we mercenaries fighting in this war. Drifters would probably fit us the most.

    What powers the Bastion? the duplicate asks.

    I don''t even mind as it''s the question I would ask as well. So, while I wait for an answer, I fight against the pressure slowly closing in on me. And my duplicate. It''s almost unnoticeable, preparations to face us. Most likely the work of the Armorer with the help of some built in defensive mechanisms. Its slowly trying to analyze us and stealthily disarm us.

    I find it fascinating, so I let it happen.

    Lord Lothain, the Housekeeper answers this time.

    Oh boy, are all people of this like this?

    I assume it''s not voluntary, I ask.

    It''s not, the Housekeeper smiles.

    This is full of weirdos. Instead of catching some animal and healing it to create food, they be cannibals. Then, instead of finding something else to power the city, they use their boss to do that. I mean, maybe he is a douchebag, and maybe he deserves it, but damn, you guys have a problem, the duplicate just says straight up.

    The Gardener opens his mouth to ask something, but finally, by extending my domain in one direction, I pierce through defenses and ce an anchor. I put my hand on my duplicate, and teleport us.

    He looks around the dark room we appear in and sends a disrupting wave toward anchor-like things in the air that the Butler uses to create rifts.

    The pressure from the defensive mechanism on us increases, and I know if we stayed just a bit longer, it would have be dangerous, even for the two of us. That''s how much I think of their barrier.

    As before, the pressure tries to locate us, but down here, its reach is weaker; the rooms are either shielded or excluded from the system of the base.

    While my duplicate keeps disrupting the Butler''s attempt to open a rift, we head toward the source of all this energy.

    There are no doors at all, no entrance other than the Butler''s rift or teleportation. I find that really amusing, and seeing how eagerly my duplicate disrupts rifts, I think he agrees.

    Do we think the same? Checking the core of the Bastion, maybe a bit of fighting with the Housekeeper, testing how much we can handle the Armorer and the barrier, and then we bail after stealing some mana conductive paint and other materials?

    I nod, Sounds about right. Would be nice if they stopped trying to kill us or kidnap us, but we cant have everything. And how can you trust the people that did this to their lord.

    We enter the central room where the mana crystal, working as the core of the Bastion, its power source, is. There, tied to the crystal, is a man. He seems older but he is muscr, and his clothes and hair are well-kept. A sense of authority seems to radiate from his face, the dignity of a person used to ordering people around.

    And he is dead, his body is missing beneath the ribs. Belly, hips, legs, everything is gone. The rest is tied to a crystal, with the spine which extends a bit further beneath the ribs, the white bone feeling unnatural.

    Yet, still, the heart of the man beats slowly but powerfully, each beat sending a pulse of mana into the mana crystal which glows in sync.

    What do you think, used to be level 300, maybe 350 at most? I ask.

    Probably something like that, but there is no way chumps like them killed him.

    Maybe there were more of them, and only they survived, or they killed him in his sleep?

    Or he fell down the stairs.

    Both of us move closer, and without even looking, I know that his eyes are active, our minds trying to collect that immense amount of information. To avoid aftereffects, we both turn them off right after.

    Oi, I just thought of something, I start. I, we, have plenty of mana, right? Our hearts generate a lot of it, much more than someone at our level should. So

    The duplicate understands where I''m going, Okay, let''s hide it a bit better to not end up as some creepy mana battery.

    Sneaky mode will help.

    Sneaky mode is perfect for that.

    True, I agree and look around. Did you find anything interesting?

    Nothing we dont know about or arent working on already, but man, is the Butler angry. He keeps trying to teleport in.

    It makes sense now, why they tried so hard to distract us from getting here, I step closer to examine what remains of the owner of this Skyhold Bastion when I feel a movement behind my back.

    Armor forms around my body, and I throw a burst of kic energy behind me, only for it to be absorbed as the armor is disrupted.

    For a short moment, something holds my movements, and in slow motion, I watch as my duplicate tries to put a silver cor around my neck.

    Mana under my skin moves, tearing it from inside and forming into a spike that stabs into the duplicate''s hand. Right after, I change the frequency of my kic energy, and a short concentrated burst sends him a few steps back as he is unable to absorb it quickly.

    I send some thermal energy to the wound I created, and it starts healing.

    Well, I had to try, he says shamelessly.

    The null cor is still on me, I say.

    Yup, I found this one here and hid it from you. Anyway, you can''t really me me.

    Thats true, but I can fucking kill you for trying to do so.

    You can try, he says, returning my gaze.

    Later, I will deal with himter. There is too much to be gained from our cooperation, and it''s not like I didnt expect this behavior.

    So, what was the n? I ask and start examining the Lord again, "Isn''t it too soon for confrontation?

    That''s why I gave it a try right now, and it turned out sessful. It really caught you by surprise. The n was to stop you from using mana, getting you under my control, ande up with a way to either inscribe myself into your mind, kill you, and take over your body. I didn''t think of it that far.

    I pause, Thats a good idea, it is probably much easier to use my body and try to rece my mind, rather than creating an entire personality imprint from scratch.

    Right? Anyway, that clingy woman, the Housekeeper, is digging a tunnel down there, and the Armorer seems to be trying something as well, so let''s hurry. He passes by me and burrows his hand into the chest of the dead man in front of us and pulls out the still-beating heart which continues to do so even outside of the mans chest.

    The amount of mana it generates seems equivalent to the entirety of mine with the Mana Reservoir included.

    In my duplicates ce, I disrupt the Butlers attempts to create a rift. They be much more aggressive, and I can feel the desperationing from him, the Housekeeper as she digs, and even from the Armorer.

    I will keep the heart going and our defenses up. I should be able to do it for ten or fifteen minutes before the heart needs to go back into the chest. So you will have to do the talking.

    Sounds good, let''s get ourselves some nice stuff and more information. Something tells me they will be more willing to cooperate now.

 Chapter 309: Together

    Chapter 309: Together

    Both of us reappear in the summer house. The Housekeeper and Butler are gone, and only the Gardener remains. His expression is anything but nice, and it sours even more as he notices the beating heart in my duplicate''s hand. The one my duplicate is keeping beating with kic energy and careful maniption of his mana.

    This will be the third time Ive had to speak with you guys, so how about you call the other two and the Armorer here.

    The Gardener is quick to understand, and its barely ten seconds before the Butler and the Housekeeper return.

    Both of them seem ready to jump us, but they stop when the Gardener gestures for them to. Mister Gwyn, I really hope you realize what

    I gesture to him with a finger over my lips, and he quickly shuts up.

    That almost makes me want to smile, So, I have had enough of you guys acting like dicks. Sure, at least my friend over here deserved that, and I might sound like a hypocrite, but whatever, right?

    The three of them remain quiet.

    Oh boy, this is getting fun. They acted so high and mighty, so prideful, and now?

    Anyway, we have around 15 minutes during which my buddy will keep the heart beating. So after the Armorer joins us, I will ask a few questions, and you guys will answer. If you lie or hide anything, the heart goes boom; if you take too long, the heart goes boom; if you attack us I gesture to them.

    ...The heart goes boom, The Butler answers.

    Thats my guy. Anyway, Housekeeper. I like your sword, will you gift it to me? I look at her.

    She stares at me for a short moment, and then on her face, a smile blossoms, Sure, Mister Gwyn, she says and takes a few steps closer and carefully hands me her rapier, like a knight offering the rapier to his lord.

    Quickly, I examine the weapon.

    <strong>Voidsteel Rapier (Epic): </strong><em>Echoing the qualities of the Voidsteel Slicer, this rapier is crafted from the vibration-absorbing Voidsteel, ensuring extreme sharpness and precision. The durability and cutting capability of the Voidsteel make the Rapier nearly indestructible, allowing it to effortlessly prate almost any defense.</em>

    The weapon is beautiful, made of the same metal mine as those my duplicate and I wield, yet unlike our rough des whichck handles, the rapier has been delicately made, entirely from Voidsteel, right down to the handle and guard.

    Thanks, I fix the rapier to my belt while the Housekeeper smiles even more and quietly sits back in her spot. "Butler, my friend, why don''t you go to the city and bring me as much mana conductive paint and metals as you can? You can add some mana stones too. Nothing too unreasonable, but don''t be cheap."

    Without a word, the Butler disappears through his rift, and everyone is quiet until the Armorer appears. An extremely thin, yet tall man with messy hair. I sense from him multiple items that seem to be connected to the defensive mechanism of the Bastion, even now they are working.

    Before you start, I hate to tell you that the amount of mana within the defensive system is still enough to kill both of you a dozen times over, he says. His voice is quiet, almost a whisper.

    Wouldnt that destroy the heart?

    Its probably more durable than the two of you, the Armorer says in his quiet voice.

    Why dont you try?

    ...

    I thought so. Anyway, we have what, twelve minutes? I turn to the duplicate, and he nods. So lets start. I dont care who tells me, but what is the cause of the high mana levels in the Valley? And please, don''t lie to me this time, I ask after reading one of the Side quests.

    The Armorer answers in his whispering voice, Its the location of one of the facilities that kickstarted the Veil. A high-ranking member of the Enchanters Guild used to own it. The mana levels are being caused by the broken core radiating mana.

    Even after over 100 years? I ask, unable to help but feel shocked.

    Yes, the thin tall man nods. The Veil required exceptional amounts of mana to start. Three most important facilities were powered by our Absolute, while some of our Champions powered the less important ones.

    The notification pops up.

    <strong>Congrattions. You havepleted a side quest. You can now pick one from the offered mid-epic grade items!</strong>

    Are your Absolute and Champions dead? I ask.

    Our Absolute is surely dead. There might be some Champions somewhere, but we dont know.

    That''s when the Butler returns with a bag full of the items I required. With a nod, I take it from him, unable to take my eyes off the missing section of his mustache.

    How about the enemy? Their Absolute and Champions? I ask.

    I do not know, and neither do the others.

    I turn to my duplicate, What do you think?

    He is not lying.

    I agree, I nod and turn back to them. What is the Gaiathra doing in the Valley?

    We do not know.

    What do you know about the tutorial?

    The moment I ask that question, their faces be nk. Even more surprisingly, it seems to affect my duplicate slightly. It''s just the shortest moment, but I notice him nk out before returning to normal and watching the frozen group in front of us.

    Interesting. So asking about the Pairing is fine, but the tutorial is still taboo.

    What did you ask? the Gardener questions, slightly confused.

    Nothing, anyway, so what happened to this world, I ask a question for the quest that would give me 5 thousand shards, what happened to the Veil?

    Three of them turn to the Gardener, who shakes his head. Even the Lord didn''t know much. We were in one of his retreats, celebrating the start of the Veil when our connection was cut off. Since then, we havent received any messages from the court or guilds. The areas we tried to move to were too dangerousconstant explosions, immense mana radiation, etc.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    His eyes cloud over, a memory shing behind them. Then the Veil Guardians, Veilshriekers, and even stronger monsters started hunting every human they could. One after another, Skyhold Bastions and the cities within the Lords territory fell, and people hid in the Sanctuaries we had built long ago. We were attacked as well, and found ourselves fighting a group of Veil Guardians, our Bastion crashed to the ground. Weve stayed here ever since. Thankfully, the Veil has turned its attention elsewhere.

    Ask him what happened to their boss, my duplicate jumps into the conversation before focusing back on keeping the heart beating.

    Someone killed him, the Butler says simply. The day before that happened, the Lord wanted to evict most people from the Bastion as the core was getting weaker and wasnt able to support everyone.

    He could supply the mana on his own, couldnt he? I ask.

    Our Lord did that for a week and then said it was too annoying a chore and that we should send people away instead. The Housekeeper snorts.

    What a guy.

    Housekeeper, please avoid talking about the Lord in such a tone, the Butler warns her.

    He asked me if it was possible to use people to power the core so he could make the Bastion float again. He said he missed the view. The Armorer adds.

    He told me to stop nting nts that made food for everyone and instead asked to turn the garden into a forest where he could read there once in a while. Says the Gardener piling on.

    Oh boy, So who killed him? I ask.

    We do not know, the Butler says as he shakes his head, but it was probably one of us, Mister Gwyn. He then pauses and adds, He also asked me to reduce the amount of people in the city so he could use the extra water for fountains.

    We should go, I tell the clone.

    He probably hears my tone and immediately throws the heart at the Housekeeper, and both of us teleport upwards. The defensive mechanism that was about to tear us apart misses, and we appear on top of the city.

    Immediately, the barrier starts shrinking, the pressure increasing, and barriers forming around us. My eyes activate, and <strong>[Resonance]</strong> as well, but when I try to teleport or move, I''m unable to.

    Armor forms around my body, and short sharp pulses of mana crash against my barrier while I try to get away.

    I sh with the Voidsteel rapier against it, but it passes through, the pressure increasing even more.

    Who could know that the systems still had so much energy?

    A mana projectile buries itself in my side, piercing through the barrier Ive made, and even though it breaks in the process, the remaining piece still pierces me.

    mes re up around me, filled with disrupting mana, melting the grip their skills had on me while healing me, and for a moment, I pierce through with my domain. I make a short teleport towards my duplicate, and then I once more find myself under their restrictions.

    Heh, maybe we were too cocky. It''s good we left, fighting four of them while under this much pressure could be dangerous, the duplicate reads my thoughts.

    Dangerous, but possible. You couldve taken the heart with you. We could learn a thing or two, Iin as our mana flows around us.

    It wouldve died soon, and then it would just be a piece of flesh. That''s something for Lily, not us, he snorts.

    Our mana surrounds us, working in tandem, our skills working together. <strong>[Resonance]</strong> activates, powered by both of us this time, and our Mana Wavelength Iris has been activated. Ourbined effort tears apart the restrictions that have been ced on us and pushes against the Bastions defenses. My duplicate maintains the opening, while I ce an anchor far away.

    <strong>[Tether]</strong> activates, and I teleport us away.

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 29 > Tether - lvl 30]</strong>

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 42 > Resonance - lvl 43]</strong>

    We repeat the process a few more times and stop only when we are far away from the Bastion and there is no one to be seen.

    Then, while we are healing our bodies, I empty my Vortex core throwing the store of kic energy at my duplicate.

    The energy tears a huge chunk out of the forest. I hear the system notify me of the deaths of several monsters that happened to be in the area, stones as big as cars are flung into the distance, trees break under the pressure, and the earth is rent, leaving us standing on the edge of a crater.

    Even through all of that, my duplicate is merely pushed back by a few steps. Deep wounds cover his body, blood flows, and a smile appears in the corners of his mouth. His eyes are activated and putting a strain on him. But he endures it all through the skills both of us share.

    Then, while looking at me, he asks, For the attempt with the cor?

    For the attempt with the cor, I confirm.

    Before this floor ends, we will <em>talk</em>, he smiles, the effect of his <strong>[Focus]</strong> lowering for a moment.

    Yes, I confirm.

    I can''t wait.

    <strong>POV Aaron Dalton</strong>

    When I reach Dennis, he is sitting on a stone, an empty expression on his face.

    "Dennis," I call to him, and he doesn''t answer.

    Hes cut off our <strong>[Connection]</strong>, and I can''t feel his mind. I can''t feel our connection.

    "Dennis," I try to say as gently as I can and put my hand on his shoulder. My brother, who is usually so brave and cheerful, looks up at me with tears in his eyes.

    "She is dead, Aaron, she died just like that. It''s all my fault, I shouldn''t..."

    I don''t let him finish and just hug him, "It will be ok, I''m here."

    "It''s all my fault," he repeats between sobs, "I''m fucking useless. Trash. I..."

    "It''s ok," I repeat.

    It breaks my heart to see him like this, but I have no choice but to let it happen. Still, I have to keep an eye on our surroundings. Just from reading the floor quest, the 6th floor seems to be dangerous.

    "Aaron. You left your disciple. You shouldn''t have, you shouldn''t"

    To that, I grab his shoulder and force him to look at me. "Did you forget our promise?"

    "I..."

    "Did you?!" I raise my voice.

    "I did not," he shakes his head.

    "Then tell me, who is the most important?"

    "I don''t have to say that."

    "Tell me!" I scream. My disciple returned to his world, and even though everyone from our group decided to stay behind and wait for our disciples to return, I couldn''t. I don''t like it, but it was an easy decision.

    "You and I are more important, Aaron."

    At that, I hug him again. "Yes, you and me, brother. No one else matters as much. Not Kim, not Tess, Maya, or Isabe. You and I are all that matters and well take care of each other. Like we always did, it doesn''t matter if were on Earth or in the tutorial."

    "You and I."

    "Yes, you and I. Together. Now allow me to connect to you before I punch you."

    It feels weird seeing him so down, but when we finally connect, I tear through his weak mental defenses and connect to him. His emotions and shes of his memories flow to me, restoring the connection weve grown so ustomed to.

    I feel tears roll from my eyes as I feel what he felt when his disciple died, but I refuse to shy away and I will help him shoulder the burden. I share his feelings, and between us, his pain lessens.

    <em>(Together,)</em> I squeeze his shoulder.

    <em>(Together,) </em>he repeats, returning to a more normal state as I share in his emotions.

 Chapter 310: So much to loot

    Chapter 310: So much to loot

    I stare at the spot where a mana crystal wide as a bus and tall as a skyscraper used to stand and turn to my duplicate. So it disappeared.

    Yup, he answers.

    It just disappeared while leaving behind traces as if someone had used the skill called <strong>[Tether]</strong>.

    Yup, he repeats.

    Well, it looks like someone is cooking. Be it for our confrontation or something else. But it''s not like I havent been doing the same, so I cant reallyin. On the contrary, I''m curious. Our thought process is very nearly the same, but as our environment affects us, wee up with different methods and think of different skills. Him being on a tight time limit has changed him in ways that are hard for me to imagine.

    Well, anyway, I want to resume our attempts to power <strong>[Focus] </strong>with ck mana with our trait active. It could help you too. I say.

    We can do that for today. Tomorrow we should go to the bunker under the Sleeping Noodle. My anchor is already weakening.

    Yes. I need to deal with some stuff but in one hour?

    Okay. He teleports, and I''m left alone looking at the empty spot.

    With a snort, I teleport as well, appearing in one of the rooms that seems to have housed someone in a high position. The furniture is gone, and there is nothing of real interest, but I like the colors and the way ornaments light the room when I run mana through them.

    I want to pick my reward for the side quest, I say.

    <strong>Congrattions onpleting the side quest! You can now pick one mid-epic item from the offered options.</strong>

    <strong>Silentstep Tunic (Epic):</strong>

    <em>Crafted from the silk of a mythical spider, the tunic is as durable as it is light. It can easily be concealed under everyday clothing and offers protection against both physical and magical attacks. The tunic''s unique fabric absorbs sound, making the wearer''s movements silent and hard to detect.</em>

    <strong>Amulet of Whispering Winds (Epic):</strong>

    <em>This amulet holds a fragment of the eternal wind within its core. It allows the wearer tomunicate with others across vast distances. By whispering into the amulet, the message is carried on the wind, reaching its intended recipient with a whisper only they can hear.</em>

    <strong>Mirage Bead (Epic):</strong>

    <em>This bead can be activated to cast an intricate illusion around the user, making them appear as someone else for a few hours. The illusion isplete with visual, auditory, and even tactile elements, making it incredibly difficult to see through, though it is possible with enough skill. After use, the bead turns to sand.</em>

    <strong>Starfall Pebble (Epic):</strong>

    <em>A small, unassuming stone that holds a fragment of a fallen star''s core. When thrown against a hard surface, it unleashes a devastating explosion of kic energy. The pebble is consumed in the process, making it a powerful single-use weapon.</em>

    <strong>Heart of the Phoenix Emblem (Epic):</strong>

    <em>Worn directly over the heart, this emblem can be used to bring the wearer back from the brink of death, engulfing them in mes that heal but do not burn. This power can be called upon three times, after which the emblem fades.</em>

    <strong>Titan''s Backbone (Epic):</strong>

    <em>Inscribed along the spine, this tattoo grants the wearer the indomitable endurance of a titan, enabling them to withstand any attack without faltering. This titanic resilience is avable three times.</em>

    There are some really nice options. I like the tunic, and it could increase my defenses, but who needs more defenses when I can kill my opponent quicker?

    Amulet of Whispering Winds? Why would I want to talk to people?

    Mirage Bead is single-use, so the effect is probably capable of deceiving people of an even higher level than me. The twins will probably be capable of that in the future.

    Pebble? I can make my own. Probably not as strong, but thats ok.

    Then we get to the emblem and tattoo, and I like them both. Having the failsafe of the emblem to bring me back from the brink of death would be reassuring. It could probably restore even my worst wounds and restore limbs.

    But!

    I like Titan''s Backbone a bit more. It''s simple. When activated, it should allow me to do whatever I want with ck mana. Well, probably up to a limit. I still remember how the ck mana orb cracked a high tier epic weapon on the 4th floor. But even that might be fine, even though the tattoo is mid-epic, its uses are limited, so these uses might be stronger than the performance of an upper epic item.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Its tier could be due to the limited number of uses. Logically, right?

    I pick Titan''s Backbone.

    Then I wait while I feel the burning sensation on my back. As always, when the system does something, I try to observe, but as usual, I''m not capable of doing so. I can''t feel any presence doing it. I can''t sense where the mana doing it ising from. It just happens. It''s disturbing as always.

    The timer says I have four days left until Vegaes back, and so far, she seems to be alive. There have been no notifications saying otherwise.

    Stretching a bit and trying to examine the tattoo on my back, I stand up and head towards my duplicate. Manapressed by<strong> [Focus]</strong> won''t master itself and training with the Duplicate helps me to save weeks, if not months.

    There are lines painted on mine and Clonthaniel''s foreheads. A few more on our arms. We even made something we call a Focus crown.

    It''s more akin to wreaths, and one of each sits on our heads. The lovingly named Focus Crown is made of thin, wire-like threads of conductive metals we melted and covered in mana stones.

    Being as ugly as it is, we don''t mention it too often, but weve put a lot of effort into the inscriptions, each one designed to lessen the aftereffects of using ck mana to power our <strong>[Focus]</strong>. Unfortunately, the "crowns" are upper rare at most, we are still unable to create epic items from scratch.

    Our mana is topped up, our Vortex Cores are full. The thermokic heart is strong and ready. I have a voidsteel slicer on my waist as well as the voidsteel rapier the Housekeeper gifted to me. Meanwhile, Clonthaniel only has a voidsteel slicer, such a loser.

    Neither of us is wearing any armor. I still havent gotten used to wearing armor even after Ive had opportunities to try good armor. I just don''t like the feeling of restriction it gives me, and it doesn''t feel as versatile as my skills. That might be the reason I get hurt so often, but that''s something to think about another day.

    No words are needed, and once my duplicate puts his hand on my shoulder, I let his <strong>[Tether]</strong> take us to the anchor while leaving multiple anchors behind.

    We appear in darkness, but neither of us creates light. Instead defensive skills activate, and<strong> [Perception]</strong> scans the area.

    There is no imminent danger, so both of us form a thermal orb that starts letting out gentle golden light and floats higher, illuminating the cave we find ourselves in.

    Drawing our weapons, we follow the only avable path, a tunnel leading downward. As things tend to be in these ces, it is extremely quiet, and the only thing we hear is the sound of our own steps. The air is stale, and the walls are wet, with drops of water falling to the floor.

    We do not rush, maintaining a normal walking speed, while enjoying the tension in the air.

    As we go deeper, we pass through an iron door. Of the same type as the one leading to the bunker, we are currently staying in. The door that was impossible for me to move or open. Yet there they are, mangled, crumpled, and torn apart in ces. Thermal orbs light them, creating shadows that make them look even more ominous.

    The tunnels we pass through slowly be wider, the rock reced by walls made of smooth stone and iron. But even these are damaged. Craters cover the walls, melted debris is scattered about, and there are gaping holes in ces with extremely smooth edges. Theres all sorts of damage all over the ce.

    I change the setting on my Regtor and devote more of my mana to strengthening my body through Reinforcement.

    Soon, the mana density starts increasing. The Valley is already full of extremely dense mana that were constantly having to defend against. Less powerful individuals even die there just from that. Even so, it increases even more and forces me to strengthen my Mantle and give more of my attention to the <strong>[Resonance]</strong> I''m using to deal with it.

    The further we go, the more damaged the tunnels are. Fallen pieces of ceiling, torn off in uneven chunks. An entire side of the wall melted into a heap of cooled g.

    And the pressure increases even further.

    Then we find the first corpse. It''s extremely well-preserved. Either its fresh or more likely it was someone with a body powerful enough to look like that even after being dead for a hundred or so years.

    We spend a bit of time examining it. We look at broken equipment, search pockets, and try to find a wound. But we cant find anything. The man died just like that, without any outward or internal signs we could find as to why.

    In the end, I touch it and send it back to the bunker through <strong>[Tether]</strong>.

    A minuteter, we find more corpses grouped together. This time they all show signs of the passage of time, but their clothes seem new. Each of the men and women is wearing beautiful robes covered in dozens of mana stones. Some of the mana stones are as small as my pinkie nail, woven into clothes, creating a series of defensive fields. Others arerger, set in nes, bracelets, and earrings.

    Each one is densely inscribed and has some function, some of which I cant quite understand.

    One of the corpses, a woman, is wearing a bracelet with a big mana stone that seems to be something like a key. After a short discussion, we cut off the arm with the bracelet just in case the key needs DNA to activate, like when the orbit base on the 4th floor would only respond to Myrra. Then we send all the corpses and items away through<strong> [Tether]</strong>.

    As the pressure keeps increasing, we are forced tobine our forces to create a field around us. We walk close to each other, Mana Wavelength Iris activating once in a while just for a fraction of a second. The ever-present mana makes our abuse of our eyes extremely painful even with our preparations.

    The world I see with my trait is packed to the brim with mana that hangs like mist flowing in waves all around us, resonating with each other and reflecting off the walls. Tiny particles permeate the air, falling like snow and swirling in ces as if they were caught in a vortex.

    Finally, more rooms start appearing, each of them has a door and most of them seem to have beenbeled with markings that likely describe their use. Some of them even have panels that seem to be security interfaces. We examine a few of them, and it takes us a while to figure out how to use the key bracelet with the arm we cut off. The woman seems to have been pretty high up given her level of ess.

    Even after a hundred years or more, the doors still move smoothly and quietly, barely making a hiss as air equalizes between the rooms.

    There are facilities, but most of them seem to be in a perfectly operational state. For example, theres an enchanting facility better than anything Ive seen up till now. Full of tools and materials. Conductive metals like arcanadium, ingots of endurium,pressed pieces of voidsteel, and many more I cant even identify a purpose for.

    The enchanting facility is also full of half-finished items. Swords imbued with mana stones waiting to be inscribed. Spears made of endurium waiting to be sharpened through some mysterious process. Robes on tables with tens of mana stones ready to be conjoined in a working web of inscriptions. A crown made of a mysterious metal waiting for mana stones to be ced in its settings.

    Dozens of items, most of them of upper rare rarity even in their unfinished state.

    The system shop is willing to pay more for items we craft by ourselves. When you buy an item from the system shop and sell it back, you get 50%. If you get an item from the floor and sell it to the system, you get 10-20% of its value. But if you craft an item from materials you gathered on that floor, you get 50% of the items value.

    Looking at the sheer amount of items and materials, some of them have the potential to be made into epic-grade items, I can only imagine how many shards I should be capable of hoarding after using all of this. And this is only the start. The first good facility weve found and there are probably quite a few more, judging by the sheer size of the ce.

    So this is one of the Enchanters Guilds bunkers, one of the ces they used to instate the Veil, and with a core that could only have been recharged by one of the Champions, it seems even they were willing to work for the Enchanter Guild.

    We send some items and materials back to the bunker we came from and then ce multiple anchors within.

    Even in the short time weve spent here, I can feel my body''s reserves dwindling, and I have already dipped into my mana reservoir. It''s shocking how much I need to use to hold off the pressure and how much mana it costs even with my stats.

    We have to return as soon as possible, my duplicate says.

    And I can''t help but agree as we teleport away to recharge our mana before wee back.

    There is so much to explore and loot.

 Chapter 311: Do you think he is alive?

    Chapter 311: Do you think he is alive?

    Back in our bunker, Clonthaniel immediately takes some of the inscribed mana stones and starts examining them. The pressure here is much lower than it was in the bunker we left, and it feels like a ton of weight was lifted from our shoulders; only now do I realize how taxing it was.

    I take a moment to check the anchor I left behind there, and it seems to be holding up, though it is dissolving quicker than the usual anchors. Even then, we have plenty of time before it will disappear.

    "We have about three days before Vega returns; after that, its going to be more difficult to go back," I say to my duplicate.

    "Speak for yourself. I like Vega and all, but I currently have more urgent issues to attend to, so I will continue to explore the ce. You can babysit our cute minion."

    "Too bad you won''t get that deep without both of us working together. You won''t even be able to reach the enchanting facility."

    That makes him pause. "I will inscribe some mana stones to help with that."

    "Sure."

    "Fuck. Okay, we have three days, so let''s hurry. We don''t have to sleep for a few days, and it should be plenty of time to explore the ce. We can also send anything useful back here and continue."

    "Sounds good," I reply before opening the Beyondmunity while I examine one of the mysterious ingots we recovered.

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>Gareth, you wanted to speak to me.</em>

    It only takes about thirty minutes for him to notice my message. Like the others from Hell difficulty hes grown ustomed to checking as often as possible, for one second at a time.

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em>Thanks for finding time for me, my friend. I should have a few minutes before my disciple runs into danger again. You probably heard about the deaths of two of our members.</em>

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>Yes. Did you change your mind regarding your approach?</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em>I know you and I are of different minds when ites to things like this, but I respect your opinion and even Savant''s. And no, I havent changed my mind, and neither has anyone else from WhiteWing. What happened was unfortunate, but every one of us did our best.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>So what did you want to talk about?</em>

    This time it takes a minute for him to answer.

    <strong>Gareth - </strong><em>You would probably prefer that I be direct, so I will. I hope for your cooperation during the tournament. I tried to say more, but the system blocked the messages.</em>

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>can''t promise anything without knowing more.</em>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em>I understand that, my friend. I just want you to think about it. In the end, it''s not just the tutorial we have to deal with. We also need to think about whates after, and some things are better dealt with as soon as possible.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em> I usually let Sset deal with that stuff, you can talk to her.</em>

    Nice try, evil man pretending to be a paragon of justice. Trying to get me to deal with people more than absolutely necessary? Not today.

    <strong>Grumpy -</strong><em>Noname! My disciple loves being called a minion. </em>

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>Hello Grumpy, I told you! But be careful. Minions might be cute, but they are tricky creatures.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy </strong>-<em> Will do! By the way, why does number 1 in Beyond never talk? >_</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Probably going for the mysterious stranger aesthetic. Anyway, I''m going to check other Communities, soter.</em>

    I disconnect and check on my duplicate. As before, he sits nearby and continues to examine the mana stones in the robe. I also notice that he pokes some of the corpses with a sword made of mana, probably trying to find out how much power remains in their bodies.

    "Hows iting?" I ask, out of curiosity, as I rise.

    He looks at me, then back to the man with the perfectly preserved body. "This guy is something else. I can barely pierce his skin, and the sword gets stuck in his muscles."

    I watch as Duplicaniel uses <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to strengthen the de of mana. Then, in a show of force, he stabs it into the leg of the corpse. The de pierces the skin and then stops as if he had hit a rock.

    Oh my, isn''t that interesting?

    "I don''t think the guy was a Champion, so maybe hes somewhere in the ballpark of a danger noodle?"

    "That''s what I would like to know. It could be someone with a level around 300, with a significant investment in constitution. That or he had some kind of defensive trait," he answers, taking another stab at the corpse.

    "Tried voidsteel?"

    "Same result," he says. "How the hell did someone like that die?"

    "Food allergy?"

    "Or he bit his tongue. Unfortunately, the dude doesn''t have anything that would help us identify him. No mana stones, no keys matching the others we found. Even the items are all broken, to the point its hard to say what they even were. Yet his body isn''t damaged at all."

    "I don''t think someone like that would die from the mana pressure down there."

    "I agree. It just pisses me off not knowing."

    The duplicateins and annoys me for the same reason. I''m just that curious. Who was this man, what level was he, and what happened to him? I find all these questions to be fascinating.

    I let my uglier self y and open the Community once more.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Channeler?</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Asshole!</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Hello to you, buddy!</em>

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -</strong> Asshole!

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Sorry, I miss you too!</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Food food food!</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Oh, you mean the Sanctuary? Yeah, I hope you didn''t eat anything.</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Asshole!</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>Good boy! I got some deer jerky to share with you when I get back!</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Food.</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -</strong><em> The hell, Noname, what are you doing to our chat and how can you understand anything Biscuit says?</em>

    <strong>Maria (Easy, AFK) - </strong><em>I don''t mind! Biscuit is cute! I totally want to see him in the tournament. I just hope the others will go easy on him. I don''t want him to get hurt.</em>

    I remember the purple mana bomb I saw Biscuit create when they fought the Fallen Hero.

    Sure, let''s worry about our future Absolute.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>How is your mana, Channeler?</em>

    Out of the Easy difficulty, he seems to be the only reasonable one.

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>It''s difficult! The techniques you told me about are way too hard, Noname!</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Just keep trying.</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) - </strong><em>I will, but what the hell is wrong with you? It''s impossible to keep this up all the time.</em>

    <strong>Sami (Easy, AFK) -</strong><em>You don''t have to listen to that guy. I bet he lies to look stronger. He said most of his skills are over level 30, but that''s impossible. He must be bullshitting.</em>

    I check my skills.

    <strong>Active skills:</strong>

    <em>Focus - Lvl 46</em>

    <em>Mana Maniption - Lvl 46</em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 41</em>

    <em>Redistribution - Lvl 43</em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 43</em>

    <em>Mana Domain - Lvl 34</em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 30</em>

    <em>Regalia - Lvl 19</em>

    <em>Infusion - Lvl 25</em>

    I just make sure to remember the guy''s name. I think he said something like that before. Then, after giving a few pieces of advice to my guinea pig Channeler, I close the window.

    My duplicate is looking at the corpse of the man we were unable to damage.

    He seems to be thinking the same thing as me, "Do you think he is alive or can be brought back?" he asks.

    That suspicion has only grown in me since we brought him here, and its been on my mind while Ive been chatting with the others. Is it possible for someone of that level to pull that off? Turning off his heart while relying on the strength of his body to keep him alive without rotting away? Perhaps theres something were missing.

    I think it is, and that''s what worries me.

    "Let''s send him away," I rmend.

    My duplicate is already heading towards the body and puts his hand on the man. I can feel him activating <strong>[Tether]</strong>.

    The body doesn''t move.

    "Well fuck," the duplicate uses more mana, and when I reach him, I resonate with his skill and supply it with more power.

    The body doesn''t move.

    "Well fuck," I say, and a barely noticeable heartbeat emanates from the man, as his bodys natural barrier reasserts itself making it surprisingly difficult to teleport him.

    Both of us get the same idea and quickly get null cors. The one I got from the man under the Sanctuary and the one my duplicate found in the Bastion.

    "Just in case?" I ask.

    The duplicate nods, and we ce both of the cors around the man''s neck.

    His heart beats again, and I see inscriptions power up, the effect of the cor activates. Then a text flickers into existence over his head.

    <strong>[Forged Fury - lvl ???]</strong>

    The small wounds we caused while trying to damage him close in a blink, and through kic energy, I can feel the powerful beats of his heart.

    Two silver cors around his neck light up even more, allowing him to keep his constitution while lowering his other attributes, and then the man opens his eyes.

    He moves his brown hair from his face, and his strikingly blue eyes calmly look at me and then at my duplicate, and then he turns back to me. I immediately realize that hes somehow identified that my duplicate is well, a duplicate.

    Without saying a word, he stands up in a single smooth movement and dusts off his eyes. The cors around his neck shine even more, but the man doesn''t seem to be bothered at all. He stretches slightly and calmly looks around, ignoring my duplicate and me holding our weapons, our mana ready.

    "Take it off," he asks simply, pointing to the cors, his voice dismissing the idea that we might refuse.

    Is he bluffing? Seeing his level, he should be between 300 to 450, so hes not a Champion and hes far from being an Absolute. The cors are only epic grade, so I would be surprised if they could hold him much longer than a few hours.

    If he is level 300, it could be possible for me to fight him if I surprise him, hell, maybe even a bit higher if I work with my duplicate.

    But then there is that thought in the back of my mind. The man is wearing clothes unlike the luxurious robes of the others we found. His clothes are made of durable materials but theyre simple and focused on functionality. Craftsman''s clothes. There were no weapons among the damaged equipment he did hold.

    And then there is his ss name.

    Without further hesitation, I take a step and, touching the Null Cors, I unlock them one after the other. The entire time the slightly taller man stares at me with his pale blue eyes.

    When the cors are gone, his fist moves, and he punches my face. Even though I''m expecting the attack, I''m incapable of dodging it. The blow doesnt seem to have been very strong, and I only need to take a half step back.

    "That''s for the cors," the man says. "The next time"

    Mana rushes through my body, entirely focused on strengthening it, and then I punch the man in return.

    He also staggers backward, a sh of surprise appearing on his confident face.

    As he opens his mouth to say something, I punch him again, and he staggers a half step back.

    My mana radiates from my body, and I''m ready to fight or disappear at any moment, yet the man doesn''t seem to be threatening us. Our eyes meet, and he just nods shortly. Then he turns around, passes by my duplicate, and heads deeper into the bunker.

    Me and Notnathaniel exchange nces and follow the man.

    He walks confidently even without light and without hesitation finds the control room where he approaches the central panel.

    As I have many times before, he sends a bit of his mana into it and looks at it for a moment. To my surprise, he does something, and a pir as thick as my arm slides out from the floor next to his leg. On top of that pir sets a perfectly round mana crystal. The Forged Fury touches it and sends just a bit of mana into it before it slides back onto the floor, and he returns to the control panel.

    Right after, the room lights up in a way I and my duplicate were unable to pull off no matter how much mana we ran through the core. Well, before the duplicate stole it or something.

    Nearby one of the walls cracks, a crack forms into the perfect shape of a door. The cracked section of stone topples, likely weighing a ton or more.

    And the man heads inside as if he owns the ce.

 Chapter 312: Veil Ignition Station

    Chapter 312: Veil Ignition Station

    As it turns out, the hidden section contains a massive number of shelves, packed full of items. There are dozens, no, hundreds of mana stones. There are big crates full of food. A massive tank containing water. There are rooms with beds and utility rooms.

    Clothes, weapons, armor, the supplies here would make it possible to survive for years without ever needing to leave. But these rooms are empty, everything perfectly preserved and untouched.

    Then there is another panel and a mana crystal two times my height, which is likely a reserve core.

    The man once again channels his mana through it, and I observe as he does. His reserves do not seem to be that big. He is moving it skillfully too, but it feels different from the way I do it. It''s hard to describe.

    "So 99 years have passed," he mumbles and then turns back to us, "You, how old are you?"

    "Were from after the war, 22," Clonthaniel answers instead.

    The man nces at him. "I asked the original, not the duplicate," he says simply and turns his gaze to me, "What even went through your mind to use one of the duplicating items that way? They were never intended for use on living beings."

    He doesn''t even wait for the answer and continues examining the core that seems to have some information stored in it.

    "So that''s how it is..."

    After a few minutes, he takes a step away from the crystal, and it loses its light, "I need to know what you found in the Veil Ignition Station number five where I was."

    The way he asks sounds like he is expecting an answer, like someone ustomed to authority.

    "Nope," both me and my duplicate say at once.

    "I see." Not saying more, he walks towards us, then instead of attacking, he passes by and, after taking a few steps, exits the hidden room.

    He fires off a strange form of scan, and then he heads towards the room we used to store the items we got from the bunker he referred to as The Veil Ignition station.

    Like two kids, we follow and observe what he does while questions run through my mind.

    The man takes a few ingots of metal and other stuff we got from the bunker and heads to a different room. He doesn''t seem to mind us following him and ignores us as he finds the facility that we identified as a forge. There is a house-sized forge with multiple openings. It looks too simple, though I did learn some time ago that its more of a shell for the moreplexponents inside.

    Blowers, openings for fuel, leads for molten metal, and much more.

    The man sends his senses through it again and activates one of the crystals, before throwing it into one of the openings, and with that done, maniptes the panel. It''s broken, and the man examines and then ignores it.

    Rolling his sleeves up to his elbows, he touches some sort of emblem on the inside of his forearms, and the heat starts radiating from him in waves. It crashes into the room, melting the surface of the tables, and when it reaches us, we absorb it as thermal energy which we store in our Vortex Core.

    Right after, he redirects all of the heat hes generated through an opening in the forge and concentrates it within. As the massive forge heats up, inscriptions light up across its surface, surprisingly some of the blowers even seem to be working as they distribute the heat along the underside of the apparatus.

    With our eyes, we can watch as the heat is concentrated even further, and the man positions a table in the area and does something to keep it from melting. Then he throws some metals on the surface where they melt almost immediately.

    Without worry, he steps closer, his powerful body ignoring the heat, and begins to shape the metal with his mana while addingponents to create some sort of alloy.

    Do you remember that movie where they kidnapped the dude and kept him in a cave, while he built an iron suit and escaped while fighting off his kidnappers? the duplicate asks. Do you think thats his n? Are we going to let him?

    Do you want to stop him?

    Not really, the stuff hes doing is cool as heck, especially the way he uses his mana. It seems to work better than using those clunky arms .

    I tried my best back then, okay? And they still ended up being rare. So, cksmith?

    Probably? Maybe he just has a powerful body and a nonbat ss. Maybe that''s why he hasnt attacked us.

    Activating our trait once in a while, we watch and learn from the man. It takes a few hours that we couldve used to train, but neither of us bothers to leave. The things were seeing now are fascinating and should be useful in the future.

    When it''s done, the man touches emblems on his forearms again, and the heat dies off. What fascinates me is that the emblems used his mana and something else to create heat. But the man''s mana reserves aren''t that big, and he shouldn''t be capable of keeping them up for so long.

    Taking a few steps, he stops in front of me and offers me red-hot items hes holding in his hands without care.

    In exchange for your help and answers, he says simply.

    <strong>Mana Radiation Absorption Rods (epic):</strong><em> Long, slender rods that can be ced around areas of high mana radiation to absorb and contain it. They reduce overall levels and make the area safer for short-term exposure.</em>

    Quickly, I take the three rods from his hands, absorbing the heat so they do not burn me. Ask away.

    The same question as before.

    We wanted to have a look at the ce you called The Veil Ignition Station, all we knew was that it was one of the stations they used to create the Veil. There we found a number of corpses, some of them were wearing robes covered in dozens of inscriptions and mana stones. We found you as well. At first, we thought you were dead, so we brought you here to examine. Then you woke up, I answer.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    How does it look out there?

    From what we found, the second Pairing happened and you guys fought the other for twenty years. Then, around a hundred years ago, the Enchanters Guild created a Veil that was supposed to epass the entire and defend the cities. It was supposed to defend against invaders. Something went wrong, the Veil turned against you and killed the majority of humans, then before it finished, it started fighting the invaders. Your Absolute is probably dead as are the Champions unless they happen to be hiding somewhere. People outside rarely seem to reach level 200, probably because The Veils defensive mechanism seems to hunt them. Most of the survivors live in bunkers from before the war or in remnants like the Bastions. Most of them know very little regarding the war.

    I pause after a long answer and then look at him, That''s what you get for the rods.

    Quite expensive.

    I nod in agreement.

    You can ask me something. He gestures.

    Oh. I like it.

    What are the emblems on your forearms?

    For the first time, he smiles ever so slightly. What a thing to ask out of so many possible questions. They are emblems created and gifted to me by our Absolute. What is the Enchanter Guild doing?

    We have no information on that. What I just told you is most of what we know.

    So the Veil Ignition Station still has a broken core and mana radiation makes it difficult to reach the centralponents? He asks.

    Yes, we were only able to stay there for so long. Is it dangerous even to you? Don''t you have a powerful body?

    "As if something like that would help against radiation caused by that grade of broken core. Champion Niall spent weeks filling it with her dynamic mana."

    How did you survive? I ask my question.

    A single-use defensive emblem from the Absolute, he says.

    How many emblems did you even get from that Absolute? the duplicate asks.

    A few, the man answers. Bring me the null cors you used before, I will smelt them into items to help with the mana radiation, then we can head back to the station. Not even waiting for an answer he heads away.

    It was always our n to return, but when he says it that way I kind of want to refuse just to piss him off, the duplicate sighs.

    But the man doesnt hear him, already activating the emblems he was gifted by his Absolute and heating up the forge.

    The decision wasnt that difficult, and we handed over both of the null cors. In exchange, he created three simple epic pendants meant to take in some of the ambient mana radiation and redirect it.

    Whats interesting is that the man rarely uses inscriptions, he doesnt bother unless he has to. Most of the effects of the items he creates are a product of thebination of materials in his alloys.

    Is it possible that he isnt that good of an enchanter? Enchanting requires a specialized set of skills, so it''s possible that he is not. As for me, Im quite lucky that most of the ways that I go about controlling mana also allow me to create inscriptions.

    In preparation for our return to the Veil Ignition Station, the man collects a few more of the items we recovered. He takes what he needs, and seeing the corpses in beautiful robes we brought back, he turns to us, waiting.

    My duplicate and I exchange a look, having the same thought. We could leave him here and go by ourselves. We have rods, pendants, and even our skills. But at the same time, the man seems useful, even though hes not very talkative and seems to expect obedience and respect.

    I make a final decision, and he reduces his natural defenses, as I ce my hand on his shoulder and teleport us to the station. The duplicate follows, reappearing between us.

    The man looks at us and then at the severed arm and the bracelet Im holding. His expression betrays that the arm belonged to someone he used to know. Yet he doesnt show much in the way of emotion and takes a few steps, stabbing two of the epic rods in the direction of the source of the mana radiation and a third on the opposite side.

    Almost immediately, the mana radiation lessens, and his weird senses reach out into the area.

    The radiation is even worse than I thought, he says simply. Then he takes a few pieces of metal and ingots and heads towards the corner of the room and the small forge.

    Emblems on his forearms activate, and he starts working again. Looking at the way he works, hes probably making more rods to absorb the Mana Radiation.

    My duplicate is already at work as well, grabbing some of the more valuable mana stones and doing whatever he doestely.

    I, meanwhile, grab a few upper-rare spears made of white metal. The spears areplete, beautifully crafted, sharpened, and ready for use. The only thing missing is the empty mana stones imbued near the des. All of the weapons are ready for inscriptions. There are even circuits made of conductive metals leading from the mana stone through the weapon.

    Surrounding one of the spears with my <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>, I activate<strong> [Infusion]</strong> and then use <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> and <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, all while under the influence of<strong> [Focus]</strong>.

    I work on creating the best item possible for me given that Ick the skill to do this kind of thing on my own, but what I can do is create inscriptions, enchantments, or whatever the official term happens to be. I''m good at that, and a lot of my skills help me with that.

    I could use my eyes for a better result, but not here. It would be too much surrounded by all this mana radiation.

    So, I get to work, and time starts passing while I work. Nearly immediately, I lose two of the weapons to my mistakes, and then three more. But I do not stop and do not hesitate. If someone saw me using upper rare weapons as fodder, they would be mad, but they are just things to me. Useful items, yes, but never worth more than my life or too important to be sacrificed.

    The items can be separated from me, they can be destroyed, they can be stolen. My personal power, and the knowledge I gain, will stay with me no matter what.

    So, I waste even more of them, even getting a look from the man, but I ignore him and continue in my experiment. And then, after hours, my effort is rewarded, and I create the first epic item.

    It''s not entirely my creation, but I can say that I did a part of the work. A big part.

    That makes me happy, even if it is only low epic.

    <strong>Kic Pulse Spear (epic):</strong><em>A spear that umtes kic energy and magnifies the force behind each strike. Movements and thrusts charge the spear, allowing the wielder to release highly concentrated kic sts.</em>

    I want to sell it, I say immediately.

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 1900 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Kic Pulse Spear (epic)</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    I confirm and then check my shards.

    <strong>Shards:</strong><em>13,792</em>

    Two some odd days until Vegaes back, and then two weeks until the end of the floor. I wonder how much I will make.

 Chapter 313: A Newcomers Welcome

    Chapter 313: A Neer''s Wee

    You spend half a day ruining a dozen perfectly prepared items and you crafted that? the weird three-question mark man says, looking over my shoulder, several rods in his arms.

    It came out pretty good, I say in my defense.

    The look he gives me tells me he probably doesnt agree, and then he asks, Did you send the weapon away through your skill? It felt different this time.

    I just shrug. There is no sense in exining; the system will censor it all and make the man go nk.

    So what is your n? I ask him.

    Seeing that I dont intend to answer, he doesnt push, First, we proceed to my workshop where I can make some better items. Then we will head towards the control room.

    Not to the core? I ask.

    Not unless you have a death wish.

    Then, before I can answer, he ces three more rods and turns to me once the mana radiation lessens further. He hands me one of the unused spears near me, Do it again.

    I decide to y along and do just that. My skills activate, and I start over again.

    Then I feel a p on the back of my head. My body is strengthened, my mana regtor turning a big part of my mana pool into reinforcement, yet it still makes me flinch.

    Before I punch the man, he says, Try it again, and dont be in such a rush to change the item. Examine the pre-prepared pathways and feel the intent of the person that created that spear.

    He just snorts as he watches me re at him, You can try to punch meter if you want to. So?

    Instead of fighting, I send my senses through the item and get to examining it.

    The item you hold is something someone spent hours to create. They spent their mana to do so. They thought about how they wanted this item to look. The materials, rare or not, were carefully picked and smelted in an effort to realize their fullest potential. For all of that to happen, they had to study lifetimes of research authored by our predecessors and distributed by our teachers, a lot of people had to search for the materials, and a ce had to be created to make it all happen. He continues to observe my attempts. So the least you can do is to pay a little bit of respect to the item in your hands, no matter how minuscule it might look to you.

    I dont agree, I say, pausing my work on the item.

    Exin, he asks me with interest.

    Items arent important. It doesnt matter if theyre epic, rare, arcane, or something higher. Sure, its fine to use them, to hold them, or even be in awe of them. Maybe theyre useful, or maybe you learn something from them, but thats it. You cant rely on them too much or theyll slow your growth. You cant tiptoe around them, worried about damaging them because someone put effort into creating them.

    Thats a very cynical way to look at it, but it also says a lot about you.

    Sure. I send my senses through the unfinished spear and examine it. You told me to think about the intent of the creator of this weapon. But all I can see are useless pathways. The spear is pre-prepared so it constantly pulls bits of the users mana to sharpen the de. Sending more should cause it to extend and be even sharper.

    My skills activate, and I scratch some of the prepared pathways, change others, and straight up block some more. Like this, the finished item would be low epic at most and prioritize ease of use and reducing wear.

    The pathways I inscribe are much uglier, harsher, and more direct. They use more mana and require more from the user.

    I turn to the man, It''s an item prepared to be pampered. A spear used by someone who prefers ease of use and looks over functionality. Someone who rarely bothers withbat. It''s a toy, not a weapon.

    The inscriptions I create are more taxing to use but they allow more mana through. They allow the item to take damage over time. It''s like removing fail-safes, even at the cost of the weapons lifespan.

    I don''t do it this way to improve the items rarity and price in a shop. No, I would do it this way even if I intended to use it or to give it to someone else.

    Weapons are tools.

    I pause for a while and turn to the man again. He returns my gaze and then nods. It''s not in agreement but in understanding. Then he turns back, and I continue what I''m doing.

    Multiple hourster when the weapon is ready, I sell it, gaining 2,200 more shards. Right after, my duplicate and I send a few more items to the bunker and wait for the man to finish his work before moving deeper into the station.

    Meanwhile, our round of the tutorial has gained a new Beyond explorer.

    <strong>Beyond 6/10 > Beyond 7/10</strong>

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em> woah, a new one has joined us, hello friend!</em>

    <strong>Tacita -</strong><em>(;-_-)</em>

    Great, another troll.

    <strong>Gareth -</strong><em> hello, Tacita, I''m Gareth, and I hope we get along!</em>

    <strong>Tacita -</strong><em>(_)</em>

    <strong>Grumpy </strong>- <em>() !!!</em>

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    <strong>Tacita -</strong><em>(_)</em>

    <strong>Grumpy -</strong><em> </em>

    <strong>Tacita - </strong><em>()</em>

    After that, the messages end, and Im left wondering what the hell just happened.

    The used-to-be-dead man finally finishes his work and puts a chestte on. The metal is still red-hot, but he ignores the heat, and it doesn''t even touch his clothes. Once again, I notice a distinctck of enchantments.

    Then he hands us a few more rods, and we grab the ones we ced and head deeper into the bunker, following the man.

    Maybe we should at least ask him for his name, I tell my duplicate.

    We can call him Bob.

    That''s what we called the arcane archer from the 4th floor. Maybe Dave?

    Dave sounds good. Are your anchors still on his skin?

    I nod, Two of them. I don''t think I would be able to teleport him, but I could slow him down, and we could run. Other than his high constitution, he doesn''t seem that strong. Maybe he is just the Absolute''s personal cksmith or something.

    Duplicate agrees, At least two emblems from the Absolute, and the way he talks. Dave probably used to be an important person. He kind of reminds me of Cael.

    I think all craftsmen are like that. I cut off when Dave stops and ces the iron rods in the hallway and one on the opposite side.

    Then he turns to one of the doors and channels his mana into a mana stone set just over the frame.

    Nothing happens, so he repeats it again and again.

    He seems surprised, so he examines them and then, with a sigh, turns to me. Please give me my wife''s arm and bracelet, he says.

    It takes a moment for me to realize what he means by that, and I look at the severed arm we were using for unlocking the door and then at the man.

    He shows no emotion, and when I hand him the arm, he takes it, and a momentter, the door opens.

    He returns the arm without me asking, and enters the room, ces the rods, then while my duplicate and I examine his workshop, he heads to a mana crystal in the corner of the room.

    The room is massive, even bigger than the enchanting facility we came from. But this workshop is an unorganized mess. There are tons of materials scattered about, dried-up trees, suits of armor three times my size, chunks of stone as big as cars, and mana crystals.

    There is no system, that I understand, to it, but at the same time, it feels cozier than the organizedyout of the other facility.

    You two,e here, he gestures to us, and after exchanging looks, both of us head to him.

    He points at the pir made of mana crystal, Can you activate it? It should be connected to the core. The core is leaking and thats whats causing the current mana levels, but this crystal should still be getting some mana.

    I don''t bother asking him why he doesn''t do it himself and only slightly examine it, but I don''t find anything. So while my duplicate keeps watch, I delve deeper, using my skills to examine it and finally recognize the problem.

    It''s physically cut off from the core and the system of this station. Probably some kind of manually initiated failsafe or something, I exin.

    He sighs as if he had expected but hoped to avoid, and then examines the rods we are using, We have an hour or two before these rods be useless, and then a simr amount of time before the amulets fail. You can grab whatever you want, and I will point out some things I need you to move to the ce you call the bunker.

    Isn''t that your workshop? Why would you give us these things? the duplicate asks.

    Just do what I said. The man weve decided to call Dave then ignores us and starts creating a pile of items he wants to bring with him.

    As if nned, we step out of his workshop towards the rods he ced. As he said, they seem to be weakening, and a quick examination reveals some sort of corrosion on them.

    Our<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong> activates, along with<strong> [Resonance]</strong> as we use<strong> [Infusion]</strong> to make the process even more seamless.

    Then we take a step and pass by the rods.

    Immediately, the pressure assaults us. It feels as if the mana crashes against us in a series of rhythmic waves, attempting to pass through our domain and Mantle.

    It''s incredible.

    Even after a hundred years, the core of this Veil Ignition Station is still releasing so much mana. A core filled by Champion Niall, as Dave said.

    Leaving anchors behind the rods, we take a few more steps, making sure the amulets the man gave us dont interfere, all in order to test our skills.

    It all feels a bit like <strong>[Dawn]</strong>, the skill Champion Tristan, used while being manipted by the Mind Mage emperor, at the end of the second floor. A skill powered by The Sword of Aeons, the greatest mana battery in that world. And with that, he alone wiped out nearly all of humanity on his.

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 34 > Mana Domain - lvl 35]</strong>

    <strong>[Infusion - lvl 24 > Infusion - lvl 25]</strong>

    Then, after giving our all for a moment we find ourselves pushed back behind the rods.

    Returning back to the workshop, he wees us, and his weird senses examine our activated skills.

    So, you even have a Domain-ss skill, he notes and then points at the pile. With the help of this, I can prepare something better so we can head deeper.

    What is a Domain-ss skill? I ask, ignoring his items. When he gives me the look, I add, We will move your things if you answer.

    Dave almost seems like he wants to ask something but decides against it, I keep forgetting how little you know. Within the many sses of skills, there are domain-type skills. If mastered properly, they can be some of the most terrifying. For learning more, find yourselves a disciple, candidate, or Champion. Now move these.

    He doesn''t say anything else and looks in the direction of the core of the station.

    After that, we take our time, we examine the ce, and move items until our mana takes a big hit. We also head back and examine some of the rooms that are further from the core. There, we find more corpses, even corpses of the monsters my Duplicate sent through to find out if the Gaiathra would notice them. The monsters are as dead as the humans we find.

    The man seems to recognize some of human and when he kneels down in front of the corpse of a little girl, we leave him alone.

    Soon, we feel heat fill the tunnels as he activates his emblems, and when he rejoins us, nothing remains of the bodies.

    We return to the bastion, and I hand him the severed arm and bracelet.

    He stares at it for a moment. I just wait patiently until he grabs it. After taking off the bracelet, he heads to the pile where we put other corpses, ready to examine them.

    My clone and I leave to do our stuff, and soon mes light the tunnels of the Bunker as well.

 Chapter 314: The Minions Return

    Chapter 314: The Minion''s Return

    Just a bit over two days have passed, and I am sitting in the branches of one of the bigger trees surrounding the bunker.

    At this point the monsters almost seem to avoid me, the ce seems to have been recognized as my territory after my short expeditions to level up. I have to go further and further to hunt now, but I make the effort every once in a while.

    Over the past two days, Ive been working with a few of the higher tier unfinished items, converting them into epics. Leaving me 5,600 shards richer after selling them to the shop. Then I sold piles of materials, mana stones, and some of the weird robes. Anything I had in excess orcked a use for.

    That alone has gained me another 3,800 shards. And that''s us going through the Veil Ignition Station twice given that we havent gone back since we returned, supposedly Dave is still preparing some important stuff.

    My current number of shards is 25,392. The cheapest arcane items start at 100,000 and the cheapest arcane passives arent avable for less than 200,000, it seems so expensive. Gaining either of them on this floor seems like it will be impossible.

    So what am I doing out here?

    Waiting for my minion, obviously.

    Why outside?

    I want to get to her before my Duplicate can turn her against me. We can''t have that, and I''m sure he would try.

    I escaped while he was watching Dave like a hawk. My duplicate doesn''t have the benefit of a counter, he doesn''t have ess to the quest interface, system shop, or any other system functions. So he can only estimate when she will return, and I did my best to confuse him. I even left an orb in the Bunker to imitate my mana signature while I escaped in secret.

    <strong>Congrattions! Your disciple will now return to the 5th floor! Bear in mind that you have to keep your disciple alive for two weeks longer. The environment on the 5th floor will be much more dangerous during that time!</strong>

    And here she is.

    Vega carefully emerges from an invisible portal. There she is, just beneath the tree Im sitting in.

    Just then, her senses pulse into the area like sonar, and her heartbeat elerates as her skills activate. She envelopes her dagger in pale blue mana and lowers her stance. I dont even bother trying to hide as her senses touch me. She lifts her face, and her ruby-like eyes meet mine from below.

    A giant smile blooms on her face, Master! she shouts.

    You have stopped scanning your area. That''s a day of me calling you minion, and you can''tin.

    It''s hard to describe the relief I feel. And seeing someone be so happy just to see me is still weird. Ind beside only for my tiny minion to immediately hug me.

    It''s fine! Master can call me minion! she embraces me with the full force her small frame can manage.

    I lift her into my arms where she rests against my chest, listening to my heart.

    Im d to see you well, Vega, I say, pulling her closer, and she nods with a smile.

    Then I feel the orb down in the bunker disappear and someone trying to reconnect to the anchor I used to get here. But that person finds themselves unable to do so as I expected that and removed the connection with ck mana.

    Okay, minion, now listen, this is serious, I say. setting her on the ground and kneeling in front of her, There is a guy that looks like me and acts like me. But that person cannot be trusted no matter what!

    Looks like master? Vega asks.

    In the distance, I feel an explosion of kic energy, and a figure lifts high into the air. Quickly followed by waves of mana scanning the area for us, but my pre-prepared barrier activates, and I hide us for a bit longer.

    Yes, but you have only one master, right? You wouldn''t turn against me?

    I would not!

    Good disciple, I caress her hair and poke her cute pointy horn. He probably isn''t a bad guy and won''t hurt you, but don''t get tricked, okay? It''s a test.

    A test from master, her eyes wide., Ill do my best!

    Right after that, my duplicate descends on us, absorbing the kic energy of hisnding without causing any shockwaves. You asshole! You are trying to turn my precious Vega against me! he immediatelyins.

    My minion, wary, starts flicking her eyes between me and him. T-two of them, she mumbles.

    Vega,e to your master. I want a hug! the creep says, but surprisingly, Vega seems to hesitate, her eyes rapidly flicking between us.

    Wow, does she really want to be called Vega so badly?

    I can''t! she says finally and moves behind me.

    You lost, loser, I put my hand on Vegas head and turn to him. You are scaring MY disciple, so calm down.

    Ohe on, that''s straight-up evil. I just want to poke those tiny pointy horns. Im not asking for much. I''m stressed too, you know!

    Go and hug Dave or something.

    Does Dave look like master too? Vega asks innocently from behind me.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any urrences.

    You are confusing our poor minion you asshole original, just look. The duplicate moves close and leans to look at Vega behind my back, who returns his gaze with her curious ruby eyes.

    Is this part of Bambis curse? she asks.

    As if, it''s him being a smartass. Come on, one hug, he turns to me.

    Aren''t you too well, weird? I ask.

    You can take it easy. Im going to disappear in a week or two, so I need my ESM.

    ESM?

    Emotional Support Minion! When we upgrade our Mantle, you can go first, and Ill help you create a stronger epic item so you can get more shards.

    Sure, deal. Vega, you can call this man Uncle Nathaniel but never call him master, okay? I then let go of her, and before she canin, my duplicate grabs her and hugs her.

    S-stop. Let me go! My minion squeaks while trying to push him away, but she cant really do anything.

    Somehow it reminds me of that time I petted poor Ashenwolf after waking him up in his cave. I wonder how that guy is doing.

    So, how is the progress? I ask.

    Almost done, but we will have to decide what to do with the minion before heading to the station again. And did you ask her yet? he pinches her nose, pulls her horn, and when he finally lets her go, my minion rushes to me.

    She grabs my clothes and kicks me in the shin before hiding behind my back, Traitor!

    Anyway, minion, did you try to ask the questions I told you to ask? I ask.

    After fixing her hair and clothes a bit and while pouting, she looks up at me, Yes, I did! But the people I asked didnt know much.

    Oh, how did you end up asking them? The Duplicate creates a chair from mana and sits down.

    Seeing that, Vega gulps. I will answer if you create one for me as well! she tries somewhat sneakily.

    Knowing she would answer even without it, the Duplicate still creates one, and then we watch as Vega plops down and tries to sit in a simrzy manner as my duplicate.

    So cute.

    I made them talk after She lifts her fists and swings them a few times, clearly gesturing at what she did to the guys.

    Oh my. That''s my disciple.

    I did what master told me, I found someone who had hurt me and put on the mask master bought. Then I hid my mana as much as possible and changed the way I moved. The mask changed my voice, and then I kept asking!

    The mask she mentioned is the only valuable item I sent with her. A rare mask that has some sort of confusion against weak minded individuals and changes the voice.

    But master. I remember that man hitting me every time I passed by his inn, but he was really weak now. I think I''m the strongest one in our vige too!

    You can beat everyone when you be even stronger. Right now, they could hire someone to kill you, so be patient.

    Right! So I asked the question, but he didnt know anything about the tutorial. He only said something about our predecessors, long long ago, going through the tutorial. Only the chosen ones entered and gained great power. He called them First Generation.

    Huh, that makes sense. But isnt that interesting? the Duplicate mumbles. Did he tell you if the tutorial repeated again?

    I didnt ask, Im sorry uncle!

    Its fine, I answer instead and turn to the duplicate. So the system takes a bunch of people from a and puts them through the tutorial. The survivors return and be the so-called First Generation?

    He speaks in turn, expanding on the thought, After that, more people from the join the system, but without the advantages of people who went through the tutorial?

    Or could it be that only descendants of people who went through the tutorial get the ability to interact with the system?

    That doesnt make any sense. We saw a lot of people with levels on the floors. There wasnt anyone without a ss.

    They may have gone through the tutorial tens of thousands of years ago, perhaps the descendants of the first generation reced those who couldnt ess the system.

    He ponders, That feels off, I like the theory that people from the tutorial return to Earth, and then slowly other people from Earth start awakening and joining the system. Maybe it is all even caused by mana leaking from the people who return to Earth.

    I turn to Vega and ask, Did he know anything else about the First Generation?

    Nothing!

    The duplicate sighs, So if we are right, there are 10 rounds of the tutorial. We are in the 5th round. Every round of the tutorial contains four difficulties, and each difficulty has 10 groups. 2000 people to split into ten groups in easy, a thousand in normal, 500 for hard, and 250 for hell. Overall thats, he counts, 3750 people for each round. If we are right and there will be 10 rounds, thats 37,500 people in the tutorial.

    I continue, Out of them, how many will survive? 20,000 people in Easy difficulty so maybe 10-15 thousand of them? Out of 10,000 in Normal, probably around 6 to 8 thousand, out of 5,000 in Hard, probably two thousand? and out of 2,500 in Hell what? Somewhere between 100 and 500, maybe 100 of them enter Beyond, and what, maybe 10-20 survive?

    The tutorial does be harder as floors pass and plenty of people might decide to stay on one of the nicer floors. Someone from Hard difficulty who gets to a higher floor might be stronger than someone from hell who decided to stay on the 4th floor.

    Thats true. Minion, any info on your Absolute or Champions?

    They knew nothing! I even bent the hand he used to hit me just like you showed me, master, but he said nothing.

    Pairing?

    Nothing!

    System shop outside of the tutorial?

    They didnt know about it! They said there is no such thing.

    At what levels do primary ss upgrades happen?

    He was only level 40, he got only the 1st one and didnt know.

    The duplicate looks at her, Wow, our cute Vega beat up someone 10 levels higher. Is that how proud parents feel?

    Both of us ignore him, and I continue to ask a few more questions, but Vega doesnt have any answers. But that is to be expected, looking at the small vige where she lives.

    Good job, minion, you did well.

    Thank you, master!

    After turning to my duplicate, I lift one of my eyebrows, and he sighs, As promised, you get the Mantle upgrade first, and I will help you create a better epic item.

    The chair made with<strong> [Regalia]</strong> disappears as he stands in a smooth motion and turns to Vega, Im d you made it back safely, disciple, he says.

    To that, Vega thinks for a moment, then smiles, giving him a nod.

    Observing him carefully, I notice a hint of relief in his eyes. Even though he hasnt shown it very much, he is happy to even get that much. Our minion is just that precious a little thing.

    As we head back to the bunker, both of us notice that the Mana Radiation has started to be worse, and monsters from all parts of the Valley are fighting and moving erratically.

    And the Veil bes just a bit more visible hanging in the air, just a tiny bit, but almost enough to be able to see it with the naked eye.

    The system didnt joke, and as it said, the difficulty will gradually increase.

 Chapter 315: Screw you

    Chapter 315: Screw you

    Dave looks at me; it''s still disturbing how easily he can recognize who the duplicate is. Then he looks at my duplicate and then at Vega, who looks up at him with interest. Having two of us by her side, she doesnt seem to be worried at all.

    Master, how should I address this man? she asks.

    I look at the man we even now call Dave, and he doesnt even bother answering and just turns around, heading back to his provisional workshop.

    Indeed, what to call him? The duplicate is uncle already, Maybe mister? I offer.

    Sure! Is this man another of masters minions, like uncle?

    My duplicate interrupts, Vega, Im not a minion and will never be. Actually, I''m currently stronger than him, you can hear my heart, right?

    Yes I can, but it doesn''t feel stronger!

    I let them talk and follow Dave, pushing through the heat being released by his emblems, absorbing most of it with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> and turning it into kic energy which I use to strengthen my body. It''s better than releasing it, and my core is already full.

    Sometimes I think everything is a game for you, Dave says while the metal in front of him swirls, mixing and separating while forming into difficult shapes as he wills it into form.

    Its probably one of my skills, allowing me to filter out my emotions, I answer and jump onto the table nearby, examining the process. He doesnt seem to mind anymore than the times before, and I could even swear he likes having someone who shows so much interest in his craft.

    That makes sense. Concentration ss skills tend to be like that, he moves his hand, releasing more heat, melting an ingot of heat resistant metal, even more so than endurium.

    I know because I tried to melt it too. It also sold for a nice chunk to the system shop.

    Are concentration type skills that bad? I ask curiously.

    They are useful, and the people who use them tend to be amazing in whatever they do. On the other hand, they often feel less humanpared to others, the metal in front of him forms a sphere and then starts to swirl, mixing everything together.

    He continues, At a higher level of the skill, their users feel inhuman.

    Separating a bit of molten metal, he throws it to me where I release my mana and make it semi-metalize, keeping the molten metal in the air like he does. To prevent the metal from cooling off, I reach into my Vortex core and release the heat of my golden thermal energy.

    Weve already tried it a few times before, so this time I take care not to release too much heat and even let my eyes activate inbination with <strong>[Focus]</strong>, while I try to limit their effect on my mana and the molten metal it surrounds.

    Sometimes I think it''s unfair that someone like you has Primordial thermal energy, he says to my surprise.

    Why? I ask, moving the heat around the molten metal and using my mana to try to form it.

    Jealousy, I would say. The mes from his emblem try to push against my thermal energy.

    Withoutpressing my thermal energy further, his mes seem to ze hotter and more confidently. Yet, there is some beauty to my golden thermal energy as it swirls around, devouring his mes the moment he loses any degree of concentration around the edges.

    In the future, do not show anyone your Primordial energy if you dont have to. The same goes for your eyes.

    Even my eyes? I push bits of his mes away and absorb the heat to boost my thermal energy. The metal ball in front of me elongates as I try to form it into the shape of a dagger. An ugly-ass dagger at that.

    Wavelength-type eye traits are very rare. There were once entire noble families who only maintained their position in court because one of their predecessors had a powerful Wavelength eye. They were marrying away their daughters into other families hoping to re-awaken this trait.

    Dont humans only get 3 traits?

    Yes, but those youre born with don''t count against that number.

    The dagger I was trying to create melts when I use too much heat, and I start over.

    Taking advantage of the mans good mood, I ask, Can you tell me about the First Generation?

    When he looks, I think that I may have pushed too far, and annoyed him with my questions, but after examining the molten metal I''m working on, he sighs.

    Then a nk expression overtakes his face, and it reverts back.

    After returning to his senses the man seems surprised and almost ruins his project, but he quickly takes over and continues to work.

    It seems like the system is still censoring the information about the First Generation, and I have no hope of learning more from the natives currently. Maybe on higher floors? Or I can try to get information from neers to the tutorial, like Vega.

    Why do you want to reach the stations core so badly? I finally ask the question Ive been pondering for so long.

    My name is Nevan.

    Thanks for telling me, my name is Nathaniel.

    He nods in acknowledgment. I dont know what else to do. His voicecks emotion. This is the look of a man whos woken up after a hundred years only to find his wife and daughter dead and his world is in tatters.

    It''s hard to imagine what he is going through.

    Why do you want to get to the core? Nevan asks me in exchange.

    For a moment, I ponder my response. I want to learn what happened. I want to see the ce where it all went down. I hope to improve my skills in the process and find a useful item or two.

    He snorts, At least youre honest.

    But I meant it. More than a desire for trinkets, mana stones, and useful metals, I want to learn. As I put my motives into words, he turns his head to me, while the metal, now in the shape of a helmet, hangs in the air.

    I continue, Im curious. I want to know more about the Veil. How did they create it, and how does it work? I want to know how they screwed up and what happened 100 years ago. I want to know why so many people talk about the Enchanter Guild as if they were deities. I want to know all these answers and I want to see the wonders you guys created so long ago.

    Apparently, nothing good. You know whats the worst thing about it? We were winning. He stops and the heat around him disappears. We were goddamn winning. Our Absolute was so powerful, he alone was enough to take out most of the enemy forces. Then there were Champions directly under hismand. We would have survived this pairing and won.

    This tale has been uwfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Nevan grabs the helmet hes created and flicks it with the tip of his finger.

    A single crisp tone fills the room, hanging in the air, for what feels like an eternity.

    But that wasnt enough. The Enchanter Guild seized the opportunity to push the Veil Ignition ahead of schedule. They worried that the Pairing might end and the peoples support would go with it. <em>Think of our children</em>, they said. He flicks the helmet again and then gestures for me to continue.

    I move my thermal energy and continue molding the melted alloy he created.

    And we went along with it all. Drunk on our own power and confidence and amazed by the miracles they had created, we allowed this to happen and this is our reward." He stops, "Even out your thermal energy. There is no need to push so quickly, move slower, and let the dagger cool off a bit before you continue.

    The dagger I''m shaping with mana now is better than any of my previous attempts. I absorb the heat at the ces he indicates, allowing the alloy to cool while evening things out on the whole.

    Thebination of <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> with<strong> [Redistribution] </strong>allows me to make detailed maniptions. While <strong>[Infusion]</strong> makes it easier to heat the more solidponents. Sometimes I even infuse the piece with threads of mana for more delicate control.

    When my trait finally deactivates and my concentration weakens, I finish the process.

    The result is still ugly, the de is dull, but one part still excites me. The mana-conductive metal that was part of the alloy is perfectly spread throughout the weapon mimicking basic inscriptions. It''scking, but it''s a first step.

    Im jealous of people like you, Nevan repeats his earlier statement. But I cant bring myself to hate you.

    I wonder what expression I''m making for him to say that.

    The moment I leave the room, Vega rushes to me, followed by my duplicate who even now is etching inscriptions into a mana stone. Something he does practically nonstop.

    Master! Uncle isnt that bad, he asked me to eat with him and gave me tasty food!

    Before I answer, the duplicate pokes, Maybe I can be your master instead. I know more about inscriptions than this weirdo, and I promise to only ever call you Vega.

    No! Vega immediately answers and then passes by me approaching Nevans workstation.

    Before she can move any further, I grab her with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, It''s dangerous in there.

    It would be dangerous for someone with such a low level to get too close to that level of heat. Nevans emblems release that much.

    "Ok!" She replies when I let go. "Master, I want to train more. I want to be much stronger. When I return, I will go to a bigger vige. Or I might even try to hunt some gray lizards to see if they really are all that tasty."

    "No worries, we have two weeks, so well make sure to help you level up a bit and work on your skills too."

    "Mana chair too?"

    "No mana chair."

    "Oh"

    "More explosive kic orbs and better body strengthening."

    "Yes! Oh, and master, the uncle said you lost another limb, has the curse gotten worse?"

    As an answer, I grab one of her pointy horns and shake her head while turning to Duplicaniel, "You are ruining my minion."

    "Vega is not a minion." They say, almost in unison.

    "This attempt is so cheap," I tell him.

    "Hey, if it works, it works. Anyway, I need your help with some mana inscriptions. I want to test something."

    "Any good progress?"

    "Only shitty progress, Ive spent the past week in almost constant attempts to create a personality imprint, but I''m not even close damnit. It feels like I havent even started. I knew Lissandra was a monster, but this is too much."

    "Is Lissandra a minion too?" Vega asks curiously.

    "Maybe one day," I say.

    "Ha!" The duplicate just stretches. "If the personality imprint n fails, as it most likely will, I can do something like what we did for Myrra. I''m not sure it worked, but hey, I might as well try."

    "But there is a problem with that," I point out while caressing Vega''s head.

    Huh, maybe he was really onto something with Vega being an ESM; I really do feel my stress dissipating.

    "Yes," he agrees. "The system has already reacted to my status as a duplicate, so the rules will probably be a bit more strict. There is also a chance that because every attendee has their own instance, it will work differently. And even if it worked with Myrra, it may have countermeasures in ce this time."

    "How about trying to make yourself a tutorial attendee?"

    "I used the fingers you so graciously gave me, and tried to work on something, but I just don''t know. Lissandra has partial status as a tutorial attendee because she regrew from Hadwin and I''m entirely your duplicate, yet the system hasnt reacted. I tried to think of a way you could help, but I just can''te up with anything."

    "What about returning to Vegas world with her?"

    At that, Vega''s red eyes grow evenrger, shining from under her light brown hair.

    "While I was eating with her, I tried to look into it, but I have no connection to her. The problem also has to do with my lifespan. Just moving away from the tutorial wouldn''t fix it."

    "Now that you mention it, I think it may have been a dick move to duplicate myself." I ponder.

    "Only now?" he snorts. "What''s annoying is that I can''t be mad at you since I made the decision. But hey, let''s strengthen the Mantle and try inscribing a mana stone."

    "Sure."

    Its hourster, and we sit opposite each other. Nevan is still working, and Vega is sleeping, her head resting on my leg.

    The improvements to The Mantle were a sess.

    <strong>Mana Sovereignty Mantle</strong>: <em>A protective mantle seamlessly integrated with the user''s mana heart and body. Solely designed to prevent external influences from disrupting or hijacking the user''s mana flow.</em>

    The name and description havent changed at all as Ive made no attempt to change the effect. Instead of trying to be fancy, I just wanted to strengthen one simple thing. To prevent someone from keeping me from using mana. Well, at least inside my body. And even though the description hasnt changed, I can easily notice that it''s improved.

    While we rest, and eat some food while Vega is sleeping, the duplicate keeps looking at me.

    "So?" I ask.

    "You havent stopped watching out for Vega, not even for a second ever since shes returned."

    I decide to stay quiet.

    "The entire time she was with me, you kept watching her, keeping the anchor you ced on her skin active and ready. Even as you worked with Nevan."

    "Just say it."

    With his emotionless face, he continues, "Ever since you duplicated yourself, you were worried about Vegas return. Doesn''t that say a lot about you?"

    He looks at Vega, who is peacefully sleeping, "You still think there might be a chance you would use Vega to stay alive if you were in my shoes. You aren''t sure, but you think you might use her or even sacrifice her just to stay alive. From sheer desperation and as thest possible option and because you still remember how you behaved on the 1st Floor."

    In the silence, broken, only by the soft breathing of my disciple, I caress her head gently. At that, she snuggles closer to me.

    The duplicate leans and rests against the wall, as always his mana is constantly moving, "You aren''t sure what you would do if you were in my situation, but I am. I already know the answer to that question. But I won''t tell you. Screw you, and figure it out on your own."

    "I really want to punch you sometimes."

    "You and I are the same."

    "Yes."

 Chapter 316: The first one in thousands of years

    Chapter 316: The first one in thousands of years

    Each of us gets another pendant. We put on the chest tes made of silvery metal streaked with copper. Nevan even threw something together for Vega, and shes been much nicer to him since. My minion might be easily influenced by gifts and shows of goodwill.

    I watch as she spins around, looking at her reflection in one of the steel panels lining the walls of the facility.

    Even Nevan has a soft smile on his face, watching the little half-demon girl being happy.

    At least she epted only after asking him multiple times if it was for free and he didnt want anything in exchange

    Im going outside for a moment, something destroyed one of my anchors, the duplicate says and disappears at the same moment.

    A few secondster, he returns. Two Veil Guardians sniffing around, he says simply.

    So that''s it? Is a normal Hell difficulty person supposed to be hiding now, or should they be capable of taking on the Veil Guardians? Or were we expected to join a group like the Bastion in an effort to survive the remaining two weeks with disciples?

    We could fight them together, I offer.

    Probably, but weve already prepared for a trip to the station. Wanna bet something would go wrong if we went to fight?

    That''s true. Well, let''s follow the n. I wave at Nevan, Ready?

    Yes.

    Take as much as you can; we might not be able to return.

    After taking a moment to look at me, he nods and quickly does just that.

    Vega, I say, you will stay by my side the entire time, and by that I mean the entire time, okay?

    Yes, master! the little half-demon agrees withoutint.

    But just in case, I give her my pendant. Then I take a few rods and some of the other things our personal cksmith, alloyist, whatever he is, prepared for us.

    When we reappear in the station, the mana pressure immediately increases, and I observe Vega. Thankfully, she doesn''t seem to notice the pressure, and can only feel the difference through her scanning. Even now, she is curiously observing it, her red eyes wide open.

    Nevan, who is fully armored, even going so far as to wear a helmet, heads in first, and we quickly pass his workshop, stopping only so he can grab a few small items. I also quickly sell a few more items, getting a quick 680 shards.

    The hallway stretches farther than I had expected, and it gradually bes clear that the pressure is emanating from somewhere on the right where the core must be.

    At a crossroads, Nevan turns left and leaves three rods between us and the core. Alleviating the pressure somewhat.

    The next stop is yet another facility. This one is in disarray, the damage is as extensive here as it was at the entrance. Deep scratches dominate the metal walls, sections of the floor have been melted, and the ceiling has partially copsed. mana stones have been strewn about the room. Most of them have been destroyed, though some are still whole. There are dozens, in all colors and sizes, and none of them have been inscribed.

    One of my friends used to study mana crystals here, and he was using them to make mana stones in his spare time. Nevan enters the room and touches one of the walls, and a signal pulses out from the point of contact, and a crack appears there, revealing the entrance to a smaller room.

    There, in what seems to have been a panic room, lies the unrecognizable corpse of a man. But for Nevan, just a look at his bracelet is confirmation enough.

    The mans corpse is surrounded by empty bottles, and food packaging, and seems to have created a makeshift bed in the corner.

    But the most interesting part is the mana crystals littering the room, some of which have clearly been converted into mana stones. The man, unwilling or unable to exit the room, spent his final days and weeks working. He did something he enjoyed up until the end either to take his mind off his situation or maintain his grip on reality.

    I look at Nevan who is still looking at the corpse.

    Oh, Orryn, I can only hope that you did not suffer. Stepping inside, he cradles what remains of the man and lies him on the bed in the corner. He takes a few mana stones from the ground and hands them to me, They will be more useful to you than to me.

    I examine them, noting that, like those in the previous room, they havent been inscribed. They are, for the most part, just beautiful mana stones ready for inscription, with the exception of the few that are epic grade. Meanwhile, the ones in the prior room were rare at best.

    The duplicate also takes a share, as does Vega.

    At the same time as me, the duplicate takes one and starts turning it into storage he starts filling with Primordial energies, something akin to what I did on the 4th floor to attack the Colony.

    Are you fine? I ask Vega.

    I think I am, but I feel dizzy when examining the area around me.

    You can stop using your senses for a while.

    She does just that, and I set one of my anchors on her skin, just in case. I <strong>[Tether] </strong>it to her body, I''m much higher level than her, so its not hard.

    Room by room, we pass through the station. We find more corpses and more damaged facilities, and I start to wonder if Nevan doesn''t have a skill like<strong> [Focus]</strong>. The man keeps recognizing colleagues or friends all over the ce, yet he continues ahead with the determination of a man with nothing to lose.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the vition.

    As the hallway widens, Nevan ces a few more rods and throws some fist-sized iron cubes on the floor, and we enter the big circr room.

    Control room, he says simply.

    Out of every ce we passed by, this one has suffered the most damage, and its the nature of the damage that surprises me. Its like someone just evaporated everything in a big sphere, leaving behind smooth edges. And this repeats over and over.

    The tables are gone, control panels too, and pieces of the wall as well. On the ground, we find pieces of gray bodies filled with blue veins and even pieces of voidsteel slicers.

    It looks like our friends, Veil Guardians or a higher grade of them, visited this ce long ago.

    Vega and I both collect pieces of voidsteel either to keep for ourselves or to sellter. Even while doing so, she practices moving mana in the way I told her, and she keeps a kic orb floating near her.

    Nevan is examining what remains, trying to get a panel to pop up from the floor and attempting to locate hidden rooms, while my duplicate goes about examining the rooms nearby.

    Do you have any idea what couldve caused this? I ask him.

    Some of the attacks were the work of the head guard, and I recognize a few as the work of some of the Lords that were staying here. As for the one that destroyed the panels, I have my suspicions, but I''m not sure. But either by coincidence or intent, they destroyed the controls.

    Any backup?

    He nods, But theyre closer to the core.

    Let me examine the rooms around for a bit, and we can head there. Anything interesting?

    Nevan gestures, This way, you can find the dining room; your duplicate went there. There you will find a Guard station that probably has some armor or weapons left in stock. Nearby, through a hallway, is a research center that will probably interest you the most. They were exploring methods of inscribing fabrics, creating highly conductive mana threads, and experimenting with the smallest possible mana stones for inscriptions.

    Thanks, fifteen minutes?

    That much shouldnt be a problem for our equipment.

    Minion, let''s go.

    To the dining room?

    I grab and pull her horn while she tries to kick me, and then we head towards the research center.

    <strong>POV Duplicate of Nathaniel Gwyn</strong>

    Im sitting in a chair while I wait. As I do, I prod the leg of one of the corpses with my foot.

    It''s a long-dead woman, some of her hair has fallen out, and her shriveled face is frozen in an expression of sheer pain. As many did, she clearly died from mana radiation that must have been even stronger 100 years ago.

    While waiting, I strengthen the field around me, making sure its blocking all the sounds and mana other than mine. Not like I think that is required, but just to be safe. The original douchebag can be perceptive sometimes, but right now, hes too busy, enamored by all these mysteries to check on me. Hell, I wouldve liked to do the same.

    Finally, the corpses eyes move, theyre still lifeless and disgusting, but they turn to me nheless.

    Even though they shouldn''t be making any sounds, the mouth moves and its words fill the room, I see you haven''t forgotten me, unfortunate one.

    Yes, yes. A week ago you told me you would tell me about a way to survive when Vega came back, so?

    So direct. You don''t have to hurry. Weve got ourselves some time to discuss.

    Well, I wouldn''t normally cooperate with an extremely suspicious being I met a few times in Beyond and once on the 4th floor when it took over Arcane Archer Bob. But it''s not like I have many options.

    If you want to talk so much, tell me why would you help me.

    The mouth of the corpse moves as if to make a smile and it makes her look even more creepy.

    To pass time, it says.

    So mysterious and cool. What is this method of survival you mentioned?

    It''s not all that difficult, unfortunate one. You just need to kill your originals disciple. Once she dies, I can move her ''<em>status</em>'' to you, and you will be returned to her world instead. With her status and a little bit of influence from my side, your status as a temporary duplicate will disappear.

    I see. No.

    Are you sure? the voice sounds yful, If you are worried about your conscience, you don''t have to kill her. But you just don''t have to help either. You left your mark on the sleeping Gaiathra, right? What if you just happened to activate it by mistake and werent here when the monster attacked? idents happen.

    When I dont answer, the being seems even more amused, the mouth of the corpse moving into a smile much too wide for its anatomy.

    The old skin of the corner of its lips tears, and the jaw moves lower in a creepy gesture.

    You might think you won''t now, but are you sure you wont change your mind when youve only got a day left? Don''t you want to survive? What is some little girl youve only known for a few weeks inparison to that?

    Even though it can''t use its powers, the air in the dining room starts feeling colder.

    Just a small ident, after that you would be sent to explore her world. You can try to be its Absolute if you wish. You can fight and train as much as you want. A whole new for you to explore. As a bonus, your original would be punished for failing his Floor quest. Isn''t that beautiful?

    You are a really stupid motherfucker, aren''t you? I said no.

    The corpse moves and as it stands up, its limbs let out a cracking noise until the long-dead womans head stops just in front of my face, You already refused my help once, do not repeat that mistake. Without me, you will perish.

    Even if I die, I won''t regret it, as I say this, I feel confident in this conviction.

    The dumb original might not realize it yet, he is bad at dealing with his feelings, but hes the same. Neither of us would be able to hurt Vega like that. Never. It would mean betraying our friend and in that moment, we would be no better than the person we hate the most in the world.

    I think the subss of Pride really fits you. It''s perfect for delusional people like you, the being giggles, and finally, the woman''s jaw falls off. At that, it only tilts its head and then steps back, I will ask you the same question a day before you disappear. I''m already excited to hear your answer.

    So he is not the Ruler of Pride.

    Well, let''s try to get more info at least, Why are you even here? There must be hundreds or thousands of tutorials going on, why this one? Because of Lissandra and her escape from the second floor?

    The corpse crumbles, but the words continue, amusement dripping from every single one, Absolutes going rogue once in a while isn''t that rare. Even though what dore''s Absolute Lissandra is doing is extremely interesting, it is not enough to catch my interest. No, you, Absolute Lissandra, and the other attendees of this instance are only a way I amuse myself.

    The next words only sound in my head, the corpse unmoving, <em>(What brought me to this tutorial is someone else. It''s the man who started the tutorial in Beyond. The first one in thousands of years.)</em>

 Chapter 317: The cracked core

    Chapter 317: The cracked core

    1,050 shards, that''s how much Ive gotten from selling the stuff from the research center. Obviously, I keep the best items and data. Even then, that leaves me with just over 27 thousand shards. At that point, I decided to buy another epic passive.

    Sure, I could save my shards and advance my n to build a repertoire of rare passives, and try to learn a thing or two, but with what''s happening around me, that might not be such a good idea.

    The Veil Guardians have been sniffing around, the Veil itself is acting weird, and my duplicate has been cooking something up. I mean, I have<strong> [Tether]</strong> too, but how the heck did he teleport a giant mana crystal from like that the bunker, and where did he send it?

    Master, another one! Vega rushes closer and hands me a few small mana stones. After examining them, if they aren''t useful, I sell them as well, getting a few more shards.

    Good job, minion, did you keep any for yourself?

    Ive done exactly as master said. Ive already started practicing.

    Good, keep doing that. You can push yourself harder, I will step in if you lose control.

    It''s hard with all of the items the mister gave me and all this mana floating around, but I will try.

    As she goes back to her training, I open the system shop and look at the passive Ive been eyeing.

    <strong>Cognitive Fortress (Epic) -</strong><em> Bestows upon the user a remarkable capacity for sustained mental engagement. This passive bolsters the user''s cognitive stamina to extraordinary levels, helping them endure prolonged periods of intense cognitive activity.</em>

    It''s a bit expensive, just over 15 thousand shards. With epic passives starting at 8 thousand, this is probably one of the better ones. If there are hidden low, mid, and upper ratings like I think there are, then this one is probably in the upper tier, maybe high mid.

    My current passives are as follows:

    <em>Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare)</em>

    <em>Mana Reservoir (epic)</em>

    <em>Arcane Resilience (epic)</em>

    <em>Phoenix Embrace (epic)</em>

    <em>Mana Overload Absorption (epic)</em>

    The rare passive isnt even worth speaking of at this point. Mana Reservoir is my current favorite.

    Arcane Resilience says it reduces the physical toll of casting. Through testing, Ive learned that it refers to my tendency to overload my brain and eyes, though not so much as it protects my body from my ever-growing stat imbnce.

    Then there is the beautiful passive skill known as Phoenix Embrace, granted this will surely lead to a lot of trash-talk from Lily and shell likely demand that I sell it.

    I won''t, I love it.

    Mana Overload Absorption is like Arcane Resilience, though it works differently.

    So, Cognitive Fortress should help me deal with the strain my eyes subject me to. My new trait is powerful and difficult to handle, even now. And that''s good. The more dangerous it is to me, the more dangerous it should be to others.

    Or something like that.

    It should also help with my attempts to power<strong> [Focus]</strong> and my other skills with the ck mana, even if it doesnt do as much as the other two.

    Okay, let''s buy it.

    I sell Mana-Fortified Resilience and confirm, and watch with a touch of sadness as over 15 thousand shards disappear.

    For the next few minutes, I focus on resisting the burning sensation that courses through me. It feels like someone has set my head aze from the inside, but I refuse to let it show as I continue observing Vegas training.

    Then, as we are leaving, I even sell some tables that are basically enchanting tables. It doesn''t get me that many shards, but after spending so much on my new passive, I intend to sell anything that isn''t nailed down. Even if it is, I mean to remove it and sell it. I don''t care if it''s only worth 1 shard. Hell, I would sell the entire station if I could.

    So, Minion, how was the week back in your vige? I ask while waiting for the pain to abate.

    It takes her a moment to refocus from the mana stone she was observing and look up at me with her ruby-like eyes.

    I appeared at the same ce I disappeared from. I then tracked and killed the monster that was hunting me before! Master, it was so weak I can''t believe I was so scared back then, I even cried while running.

    It''s fine to be scared, minion. It helps us survive.

    But master isn''t scared. You even block your fear, she tilts her head.

    Only a little and less ofte. Sometimes I enjoy the feeling of fear, minion. It makes the fights more fun.

    Master is weird.

    Yup.

    So I killed the monster and then returned to the vige. I spent the first few days much as I did before, I didn''t let anything slip and kept hiding and observing different peoples strengths. A few times I went to hunt in the forest too. Then a few days before returning, I masked myself and started asking questions.

    I''m trying to imagine my silly minion beating a bunch of old men and find the thought amusing. Even she is smiling at the memory. Vega swings her arms, acting out the way she dealt with the men, and describes how she made them talk and where she kicked them.

    She thanks me for teaching her the kick and describes how scared some of the men were while adding things they did to her before she became my disciple.

    As amused as I am by her antics, I''m also angry. I cant help but think that if I were there, those people would have ended up much worse.

    Hurting someone like me is fine, but hurting a kid? Trying to inflict so much trauma on someone as curious and cheerful as Vega here?

    I''m d I became her master. I''m d I showed her a way out so she can stay as beautiful as she is.

    I also remember the conversation I had with my duplicate and as I listen to Vega tell me her story, Ie to the answer.

    There is no way I would be able to hurt Vega like that. Yes, I will push her to be stronger and it might even hurt, but every time it will be for her good, and I will be sure shes ready. But I will never hurt her the way others did.

    My duplicate realized it before me and seems to have had some fun teasing me like that. Such an asshole. Biscuit truly is the greatest to realize it so quickly and keep calling me, us, out like that.

    Vega, one day I will introduce you to Biscuit. I think you would like each other.

    Is Biscuit also one of your minions?

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Not everyone is my minion, you silly disciple. I pinch her horn and shake her head. You guys probably won''t meet in the tutorial, but after I get out I will find your. It will take some years so be patient, okay? Until then be as powerful as you can so I dont have to be ashamed in front of Biscuit.

    I might be even stronger than master after that much time, she says with a cheeky smile. And then you will be my minion!

    Look at her.

    If you do, thats fine. Ill even call you Master Vega and ask you to teach me, I say and watch as her eyes be dreamy and I lean closer, continuing in a whisper. Just imagine that. Master Vega and her lowly minion Nathaniel. Your heart even more powerful than mine and then it would be me following you around, begging you to teach me.

    Her eyes widen even more, and I can see how much she would like that.

    In the end, I stand up, the pain of acquiring the passive nearly gone. So give it your best, but be careful, okay?

    Will do, master!

    I look through a few more rooms, and I''m once again amazed by how much work has been put into this station. The walls have all been shielded, and optimized for extreme durability yet they still have a decent aesthetic to them. There are drains set into the floor in some facilities in case of toxic spige or flooding.

    Air filtration devices are all over the ce and some of the things theyve done with inscriptions remain a mystery to me even now. I can imagine myself spending months down here, trying to learn as much as possible.

    Well, I might have better opportunities on higher floors. So I just examine the most interesting things and keep the best items while selling the rest and then head back into the destroyed control room where Duplicaniel and Nevan are already waiting.

    Out of curiosity, I jumped to the bunker we were using, my duplicate says. It''s already been overrun by monsters and the doors are wide open so well have to change our base.

    So, n B.

    So it seems. I brought back a few items from the bunker, and you can do as you like with them. Consider it a show of my goodwill, he teases.

    I had hoped that we could stay here. I dont think they can pass by Gaiathra that easily, but there is the issue with the mana radiation.

    While I grab some items from the pile and sell them, my duplicate continues,  We have a few hours, maybe six at most with all the stuff we have and maybe half of that if we move closer to the core. Am I right? he turns to Nevan.

    Longer. Ive still got items that I havent used yet, the man answers. Keep the girl close; were heading deeper.

    Then he leads the way, wearing a full set of items he made of a mix of metals. He grabs rods as well; his mana seeps his chestte. There are no inscriptions; it''s just the alloy reacting to his mana by vibrating at an extremely weird frequency, and that greatly strengthens the effect.

    Step after step, we trail behind him as the mana around us increases.

    Even with all the protections we have, I feel pressure and channel more mana into the barrier Ive ced around Vega and myself. To reduce my expenditure, I pick her into my arms where she nestles her ear against my chest and listens to my heart.

    As we pass through the next zone, the sheer amount of mana seems to be causing effects beyond the pressure. Some colors seem to have altered their vibrancy. Red, blue, and yellow grow much more vibrant, while others grow t.

    We notice the iron walls curve, looking more like waves frozen mid-movement rather than straight sheets of metal.

    For a short time, all sound disappears, reced by the impossibly loud beating of our hearts. I''m even able to differentiate whose heart is which.

    Then it stops, and as we continue, the air starts to look misty.

    All of the epic rods crack and wear off, only to be thrown away, and Nevan uses even more of his mana to strengthen the effect of his chestte, reinforcing the barrier around us. At this point, I''m sure the piece he made is a mere step away from arcane. The most he could do in the time given to him.

    We pass through holes that have been torn in the walls and melted doors, and eventually enter arge circr room. Yellow and purple colors be much more vibrant and a pir radiates light in the otherwise dark room.

    It''s much simpler than expected and much smaller.

    The bunker we left did have a mana crystal to hold mana, and that crystal was as tall as a smaller skyscraper. This room is the size of a small apartment, and as expected, there is a mana stone in the center.

    It is a clear white color, and inside of it, yellow and purple mana swirlszily, and just the sheer pressure makes my disciple pass out, and I strengthen the barrier around her even more, reaching into my reservoir to do so.

    Looking at the mana stone, I''m once again reminded that it has been leaking mana for a hundred years already. It''s hard to imagine the sheer force it had to have in the beginning. The mana stone itself looks like a transparent crystalline pir with mana swirling inside. It is only as tall as me, yet even someone with my level of experience can see how amazing it is.

    The mana crystal from the bunker, even though hundreds of times bigger, can''tpare to this. Not even close.

    But there is a problem with it.

    Lodged inside the core is an ax, leaving a crack, through which, that immense mana can seep.

    Holding the ax, there is a burned corpse, a skeleton with a bits of flesh hanging off of it. Half of the head is missing, the ce where the heart would be is nothing but a big hole. Someone made sure the attacker was dead though they were toote, the damage had already been done.

    A chuckle erupts out of nowhere, and I look at Nevan, who unbelievingly stares at the corpse.

    Finally, more emotion appears on his face. The pain of finding the world in this state, the pain from seeing his dead wife and daughter. All of it surfaces as he weakens his concentration type skill.

    The ax that destroyed the core was made by Champion Niall and I, he says as mana radiates from him, bits of metal floating into the air from his bags. And <em>this</em> man is <em>my</em> father, one of our youngest Champions. He was the only one on this with a body strong enough to endure the destruction of a core of this grade. Having even this little left shows how strong his body used to be, he smiles deprecatingly.

    Then he points to burned marks on the floor, This is where the cores explosion burned Champion Nialls first disciple. I can feel alloy melted into the floor from the armor I made for her. He points at another spot, Champion candidate Igred, I made a bracelet for him, another spot, Champion candidate Norret, I made a brooch for her, she gave me a design to follow, made by her 5-year-old daughter, another spot, vice guild master of ck Hand Jeal asked me for a dagger and I still remember how drunk he got while celebrating and constantly thanking me. He points out more and more spots.

    The emblems on his forearms activate and even in such intense mana radiation, he starts melting the pieces of metal floating around him, creating yet another alloy.

    Then the armor on his chest also disconnects and starts melting under his emblem, the mana radiation immediately attacking the man.

    At that moment, his face bes clear. I had hoped that my father would be alive as you said there might be some Champions left. I hoped for something. But this? He gestures around. I have nothing left. Im tired after 20 years of losing my friends. I never wanted to hold my wifes or my daughters dead body. I never wanted to see my father like that, it doesnt matter if he was a traitor or if he tried to stop the ignition.

    Half of the alloy he creates moves towards the crystal where it surrounds the crack, causing the ax to fall out and crumble alongside the body of his father.

    Nevans body shows damage everywhere I look, even with as durable as he is. I wish you had never brought me out of here and allowed me to wake up, Nathaniel.

    His metal surrounds the crack fully and the mana radiation weakens and continues to weaken even more. Though toote for Nevan.

    But dont pity me; Ive been dying ever since I awoke. You just found out what happened, learn from our mistakes, and never repeat them. A big chunk of the alloy he made moves towards me andnds at my feet. And take this, its an alloy Ive created after my entire life of research.

    You know you could just leave. You could join other survivors, I say to the dying man.

    I could, but I have decided otherwise.

    I can do nothing in the face of his determination. I will respect your decision then, Nevan. Can I do anything for you before you die?

    Please burn my body with the Primordial energy you possess. You dont need to do anything else.

    I will.

    He smiles gratefully, and after a minute, he dies. Just a short moment without his equipment was enough. That and hundreds of years of lying down here in this radiation.

    Maybe he could be saved; there are two healers on this floor, and even though they are of much lower level, they could help.

    Yet, it was all his decision. To throw away his concentration type skill and allow his feelings to overtake him. The man was unwilling to live on alone.

    I wish I could say I understand, but I do not.

    In his ce, I would hold on to my life and kill every single person who dared to hurt my dear ones before I would die. And I would not stop until their bodiesy at my feet.

    My eyes activate and even though there is still so much mana in the air, the pressure remains manageable. I watch as the mana that until now continued to leak through the crack only seeps out slightly, the ring of multicolored mass blocking the crack caused by the axe.

    Then there is the chunk of molten metal alloy he left to me along with the heavily damaged great ax that cracked the core. Theyre both pretty high grade, yet it all feels a bit sour.

 Not a Chapter. Announcement â€“ Book 1 Live on Amazon!

    Not a Chapter. Announcement ¨C Book 1 Live on Amazon!

    It''s here! Book 1 is live on Amazon. The ebook is 150k words, 685 Amazon pages. The audiobook is over 18 hours, narrated by Henry Kramer. It''s so damn weird hearing someone read the book I wrote, but it''s nice at the same time!

    So here I am, about to beg! Shamelessly and not even trying to hide it. I usually don''t bother you with shouts, and I plug my Patreon only once a week, so I will be shameless just this time.

    Did you really like the book? Please leave a review or rating. Day one is important, and even that helps a lot. <strong>You can rate and review even if you didn''t buy the book.</strong>

    Do you have KU? Please download the book  it counts as a sale and helps my book look better in the algorithm.

    So if you feel especially bored, you can check it and rate/review here. There are no big changes to the story, but the book went through multiple passes by a few editors, and I did some smaller changes:

    This narrative has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    <strong>Amazon:</strong> Hell Difficulty Tutorial on Amazon

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    I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit ount, upvoting them helps as well!

    Reddit post on r/litrpg

    Reddit post on r/ProgressionFantasy

    Anyway, I will be here today, not sleeping and constantly refreshing the pages. I''m sure I will get used to it, but this is my first ever published book, so I''m hyped up a bit.

    Thank you all so much for being part of this!

 Chapter 319: Its free

    Chapter 319: It''s free

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>most of us are already holed up in the Bastion.</em>

    Tess tries to say more but most of it gets filtered. The system doesn''t let the message pass. Nothing about it being safe for thest two weeks, in fact, we can¡¯t even say anything about the extra two weeks.

    We can''t even tell WhiteWing about the extended duration of the floor should they decide to stay. But they should be able to figure it out. They can estimate when we left the 4th floor and then realize that we¡¯ve already exceeded the original 3 weeks.

    Probably.

    They just need to be a bit smart about it.

    <strong>TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) -</strong> I''m there.

    <strong>Izzy (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>I''m close.</em>

    <strong>Soph (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Izzy, be careful, please.</em>

    <strong>Izzy (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>don''t be dumb, Soph.</em>

    <strong>Knight (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>yeah, don''t be dumb, Soph!</em>

    Maya piles on, and I watch for a moment as they bicker.

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>food!</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>good job, Biscuit.</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>The Guild and IDK groups have also entered the 5th floor. It seems like they haven¡¯t lost anyone.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>so The Guild has 6 members and IDK has 4?</em>

    <strong>BenDover (Hell, IDK) -</strong><em>you bet! The 4th floor was quite easy. Did you guys kill Lorven to get his epic dagger as well?</em>

    <strong>Bard (Hell, IDK) - </strong><em>are you sure you want to reveal your equipment?</em>

    <strong>BenDover (Hell, IDK) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>it''s fine. By the way, Noname, I was able to evolve my skill. You wouldn''t believe how easy it was to kill the lynthari matriarch with it.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> you will have to show me during the tournament.</em>

    <strong>BenDover (Hell, IDK) -</strong><em> I will. Trust me, I will show you, heh. It doesn''t matter how much mana you have.</em>

    Lovable as always.

    <strong>Knight (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>BenDover, I think you are full of it. I bet you waited until Lorven betrayed her to kill the matriarch. Or maybe you were working with him and killed him when you had no more use for him?</em>

    <strong>BenDover (Hell, IDK) - </strong><em>Think about it on your own.</em>

    I turn off the Community and focus on the results of my efforts and the contributions of my duplicate.

    We spent a day mapping the pathways the core uses to distribute mana through the Veil Ignition Station. Most of them have been damaged and mana barely passes through. Some failsafe mechanisms are probably sending the bare minimum of mana to keep the systems running while keeping most of it in storage. But Clonthaniel and I found one pathway in a fairly good state and worked together to create our strongest<strong> [Tether]</strong> yet. I even gained a level in the skill.

    Also resting, the duplicate turns to me, "It''s amazing how well we can use <strong>[Resonance] </strong>tobine our powers, must be because we share the same base."

    "What, do you want us tobine our minds too?"

    He yfully shoots a wave of kic energy strong enough to blow the head off someone at level 150. I redirect it just as yfully, sending my own cone of kic energy at him.

    "You know very well I would never do that and neither would you. Combining the two of us would be like both of us dying, only to be reced with a third. Or one of us devouring the other," he says as he absorbs my attack. "Just dying would be better."

    I check on Vega before asking, "Are you really considering that?"

    For a moment, he looks at me, and nods, "Yup. I mean it was the most expected result even before I decided to use the mirror, so it''s fine, somewhat. I mean I hate it and I really want to punch you, but I know my goal when using the mirror was to strengthen you as much as possible and to learn new things."

    As always, there is a mana stone in his hands that he keeps trying to inscribe and create a perfect imprint, but the task is too much.

    "I even got contacted by that douchebag from Beyond''s first and second trials. We also met his intent on the 4th floor. He told me to kill Vega so he could transfer her <em>status</em>, that¡¯s what he called it, to me. Would you believe that?"

    After learning this new information, I give myself a moment to take it all in. But I don''t have to think much longer. The duplicate surely issued a polite refusal, knowing him.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "Damn, I expected a bit of anger or for you to threaten me in an attempt to protect Vega," heins after seeing myck of reaction.

    "You wouldn''t hurt her."

    "Just a few days ago, you weren''t sure, weirdo." He snoots another st of kic energy at me, "Anyway, I think that intent was ced here by one of the Rulers. If we are right, Rulers are even more powerful than Absolutes, and there are 14 of them. One for each Radiance and Blight."

    "That sounds logical, there should only be a single Ruler for each Blight and Radiance. Having more wouldn''t feel right. So the intent isn¡¯t the Ruler of Greed as he already told us that it''s the Ruler of Greed running the tutorial, either that or they¡¯ve taken a huge degree of interest in it."

    He nods, "From what I can tell, it seems like Rulers have some amount of control over the system or at least the tutorial. The intent from Beyond can''t influence the tutorial too much, either because it just can''t or because it''s intent only. But it can surely see and hear what''s happening in here. Oh, by the way, fuck you bitch, I know you are listening," My duplicate says and gestures to the air.

    A friendly gesture meant for the nosy intent.

    The duplicate continues, "I also asked why it cares so much about our round of the tutorial. Earth should have been through multiple rounds as should the others. Hundreds or thousands of tutorials all going on at once, yet it¡¯s watching this one."

    "Maybe that Ruler is powerful enough to leave dozens of intents to watch a lot of tutorials. Plus, there is an escaped Absolute here."

    The mana stone in his hands glows as more of his mana rushes in, creating inscriptions, "That''s true, that''s what I thought and I asked about that. Apparently, Absolutes going wild is rare but not it¡¯s not <em>that</em> rare. What caught that fuckers interest the most is our number one Beyond explorer."

    Oho?

    I straighten up, giving full attention to our conversation. This is getting more interesting.

    "It looks like the man in question started off in the Beyond like we did in Hell. The first person to do so in millennia. And it seems like that asshole finds that rather interesting. I wouldn''t be surprised if more intents of Rulers appear all over the ce. Watching that Beyond dude and messing with poor us in their spare time while he sleeps or whatever. All so they are not bored."

    So very interesting.

    It piques my interest even more. Of course, I¡¯ve always been curious about our 1st Beyond explorer. Someone who had entered even before second ce, Savant, and third ce, me. And of course, I did have a theory that maybe, just maybe, that person started in Beyond.

    But having it confirmed?

    "So he started in 3 Beyond trials? Or he skipped trials and went to Beyond whatever it is? Or he started in a trial and then went to Hell floor and continued the trial 4 monthster?"

    "Hell if I know." My duplicate seems to be curious as well, I can see it on him. "I would say he either started in Beyond or had different trials from us."

    "I''m inclined to agree, but damn."

    "Yeah, damn."

    "Another guy to beat up. It''s nice that the list keeps getting longer." I''m not even that worried, just curious. Just what kind of man is that person, to catch the interest of intent of someone so powerful?

    I really want to see and I really want to meet him. Just how much would I be able to learn from fighting someone like that?

    Having sold anything not nailed down and taking anything of interest like metals, weapons, and armor I want to inscribe and sell, that''s a lot of things to carry around.

    I mean, really a lot.

    Instead of pulling them, I just transport them through my anchors, though each teleport does cost quite a lot, to the point where I have to ask My duplicate to help so I don''t have to use Mana Reservoir. In exchange, as his reward, he gets to carry Vega.

    I''m not jealous at all. I''m happy. I sold 16 thousand shards worth of items. The sheer amount is staggering given that the system shop only pays 10-20% of the item¡¯s value if I haven¡¯t actively worked on it.

    So, the value of the mana stones, enchanting tables, metals, robes, and crafting materials were 5-10 times more than what I sold them for. And I still have a lot of the best things on me.

    Something tells me that maybe I wasn''t supposed to reach, and loot, the Veil Ignition Station.

    What I regret is being unable to find out more about the ce given the decimation of the main and auxiliary control rooms. There were no records to be found, as usual.

    Is it doing this on purpose? Is the system an extrovert? Is it trying to force me to talk to people to learn what happened and finish the side quests?

    Killing a few monsters and avoiding two Veil Guardians with thebined efforts of my duplicate and myself, we reach the Bastion.

    It takes longer than it should, but when the view opens, I notice that some of the walls have been damaged and even the barrier surrounding the pce feels weaker. It''s getting darker, and I can see that even lights that once served to light the streets are now activated sparingly. All in an effort to save as much energy as possible.

    Killing more monsters on our way, we reach the ce only to be weed by the Butler. The man has shaved the remaining half of his mustache, and his clothes are different now. They are not as elegant and serve a more functional purpose, and I can sense multiple items on him.

    "Mister Gwyn, another Mister Gwyn, and Miss Vega, can I ask you to leave?" he says in the same tone. It seems that his ways can¡¯t be changed, even by their current situation.

    "Ehm, no?" I start off.

    He sighs, "Did you not cause enough trouble? You got what you wanted, so please show just a grain of restraint and leave."

    "Butler!" Vega shouts cheerily, and the man turns to her, "You look better without the mustache!"

    The man looks at her, at me, and then back at her, "Thank you, Miss Vega."

    The little half-demon only nods and puts her head back on the chest of my duplicate, her social batteries most likely already empty.

    "See, you should thank me for getting rid of your mustache. I did it to help you," My duplicate can''t help but poke.

    "That''s why I let Tess deal with people, you are a disgrace," I tell him.

    He doesn''t even seem to disagree but continues to talk to the Butler, "We know about a way to power the Bastion. Lots of mana."

    "We are not interested, Mister Gwyn. I thank you for your offer, but we already¡­" he freezes mid-word and looks back towards the Bastion. An expression of sheer surprise appears on his face, the elegant mask cracking to be reced by anger, "What have you done?" he asks.

    "I left an anchor on the heart of your good ol'' Lord when I was keeping it alive. To be honest, Butler, I''m disappointed none of you noticed even though I tried really hard to hide it. Anyway, I just sent a wad of energy through and exploded it."

    The duplicate seems proud even with our usual expression and the Butler seems like he is about to jump down and choke him to death.

    Unbothered, Duplicaniel continues, "So, about our offer to power your Bastion with a lot of mana. Sounds good, right? It''s free, I promise."

 Chapter 323: A week remains

    Chapter 323: A week remains

    The n my duplicate came up with is to give Vega one of his eyes, which will most likely give her a weaker version of our Mana Wavelength Iris. Of course, that''s not the entire n.

    The duplicate has more experience with inscriptions than me and he¡¯se to the conclusion that cing an inscription in his eye and giving it to Vega might be the best course of action. It might work better than trying to inscribe some random mana stone or other material, and we do have a lot of experience with creating constructs.

    Of course, the problem is that he can''t create a personality imprint. Even after weeks of practice, he¡¯s not even close. That''s how difficult it is.

    So his n is to have the asshole from Beyond, the bored intent, help him with that.

    Giving his eye to Vega is also part of the n as she will leave the tutorial fairly soon. Outside of the tutorial, it should be safer for him than inside where he would be constantly worried about getting deleted while crossing the floors.

    It''s an interesting n, and I don¡¯t fully understand how the heck this could be the best idea he coulde up with. But he has spent a lot of time thinking and theorizing, so there must be something to it.

    He is a smart guy, even if he is slightly mad.

    However, onest piece of the puzzle remains, getting that asshole intent to help store his personality imprint in the eye that he wants to give Vega. When I questioned him, my duplicate would only say that he knew where to push. The intent seems to be bored, so we might be able to broker some kind of bet or deal.

    I won¡¯t try to stop him, I¡¯ve already determined that it won''t put Vega in danger. Worst case, My duplicate fails, and Vega gets a weaker version of my trait. I¡¯m certain that she can inherit my trait the same way Min-Jae did with the eye we got on the 4th floor.As I¡¯m thinking all of this through, I float in the air and watch as tens of people from the Sanctuary rush into the Bastion which has settled nearby, crushing a small hill in the process.

    In the distance, a burst of mana explodes, marking the Housekeeper¡¯s battle against a big group of veilshriekers. Meanwhile, my duplicate is fighting a group of veilbinders in the air, a flying variation of those monsters. Even though they are human-like they have a pair of creepy wings instead of arms apanied by another pair on their back, and their legs are fused into a single tail, limb, thing with a spike at the end.

    I, on the other hand, have a dozen or so highlypressed projectiles floating beside me, and shoot them when needed. Sometimes I infuse them with kic energy, sometimes with thermal, or I justpress them further, making them extremely durable so that I canunch them at mach speed. It''s something I''m quickly getting better at.

    Under my barrage, no monsters manage to reach the people boarding the Bastion, and I even level up once.

    <strong>Lvl 231</strong>

    <em>Strength: 111</em>

    <em>Dexterity: 109</em>

    <em>Constitution: 266</em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 897 + 897</em>

    When everyone is aboard with everything they could take, I watch as a pulse of mana is sent through the Bastion¡¯s barrier and rushes to the bottom. A shockwave erupts from the flying ind¡¯s underside, and the massive inscriptions covering the bottom light up.

    With a dull humming noise, the Bastion floats into the air, and I watch as it rises.

    I don''t think this will ever get old, watching this huge mass just float there. How the hell would something like this ever get old? Just imagine an ind the size of a small city floating into the air. Imagine the sheer weight of it all. And then watch it float there as if it were light as a balloon.

    Having dealt with all the monsters I wanted to fight, I fly over to the Housekeeper, and float above her position, before releasing apressed jet of me as thick as my finger, piercing the monsters ahead of me, cutting them apart, and leaving behind a series of burnt, even chunks. I sweep it across the area, putting an end to the remaining monsters beforending beside her.

    She lowers her defenses, allowing me to touch her shoulder, and teleport us back to the anchor I left on the Bastion, my duplicate appearing at our side at the same time.

    The Housekeeper brushes her hair from her face, she has the same smile on her face that she always does anytime she fights. But even now, the Housekeeper doesn''t seem like she¡¯s been pushed to her limit and gotten to fight all out.

    When she leaves, I turn to my duplicate, and we resonate our mana around us, creating a barrier that makes it impossible for anyone to eavesdrop on our conversation.

    "The Bastion''s Barrier has changed slightly again," I tell him.

    "The Armorer just doesn''t want to give up," my duplicate says while looking around.

    "Well, let''s continue acting like we haven¡¯t noticed. That guy thinks he¡¯s sneaky and he just doesn''t like us, and if he is onto it, the others probably are."

    "The Housekeeper doesn''t seem like it, but the Butler and the Gardener could join him just to fuck us over."

    "That¡¯s likely," I agree. "Well, in the worst case, we will kill him. I don''t like how creepily he looks at me."

    "He¡¯s been that way ever since you burned your eyes out transferring mana to the core. ''Magnificent mind,'' is that what he said? Maybe he wants to dissect you."

    "He is free to try. If he does, I¡¯ll get rid of him, and we¡¯ll take over the Bastion. But it''s nice to have him to drive it around and fend off attacks so we can do our thing."

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "It''s not very long until the end of the floor, so let''s hold off," my duplicate says seeming to agree with me. "I¡¯m going to meet up with the granny and Irvin. They seemed like they would be inclined to help, but I will ask for more details and continue my work on the eye."

    "When do you mean to contact the intent?"

    "It said it would talk to me one day before I disappear to offer me the option to kill Vega again, so I¡¯m going to ask then. Anyway, I¡¯m going to keep practicing. I¡¯ll help you inscribe another weapon at night in exchange for some helpter."

    "Sure," I say, and the moment I do, my duplicate disappears, and I detect him joining Vega, who approaches him as well.

    For a while, I stand on the wall and watch the constant barrage of attacks assaulting the barrier as the Bastion floats through the air. The attacks in question originate from a horde of flying monsters between level 100 and two hundred.

    None of the attacks damage the barrier at all, and their only reward is a rebuke from a series of sharp beams that proceeds to tear through the monsters with ease. Even the Veil Guardian I see watching us from a distance doesn''t bother to attack as it continues to trail us.

    The fully powered, floating Bastion is formidable enough to deal with these monsters. Even after a hundred years have passed, leaving some of its functions broken and mechanisms damaged.

    That makes me wonder what could have been able to take it down at its prime with its Lord, a man over level 300, defending it.

    A few days have passed, and my handling of ck mana is getting better and better, and I''m increasingly satisfied with the purchase of my new epic passive.

    I am also going through the upper rare items I took from the Veil Ignition Station and finishing their inscriptions, turning them into epic weapons which I then proceed to sell.

    By working with my duplicate, we¡¯ve even managed to make a few mid bordering on upper epic grade items out of them.

    Back on the 4th floor, I turned two epic items into an upper epic, but that was with the help of that floor¡¯s Craft Guild. A lot of help. It seems like I''m still a ways off from being able to make epic items all on my own, but I will get there.

    Just looking at the damaged arcane ax that belonged to Nevan''s father humbles me a lot. The weapon, no matter how damaged, is something that I can¡¯t help but admire, and it shows how much there is left to learn. And arcane weapons probably aren''t even the peak.

    Rather than demoralizing me; it awakens mypetitive spirit.

    Even on Earth, I used to excel at anything I put my mind to. It didn¡¯t matter if other kids were more talented or had better opportunities. I have always put more thought into it, always been more deliberate, and I¡¯ve always trained more aggressively. I possess a hunger that more talented people oftenck.

    And if I meet someone with talent at the level of genius and hunger equal to mine?

    Well, in that case, I will push even more. I will risk my life. I will sacrifice my limbs. I will hurt, and I will bleed. People may call me crazy. But I will push even further.

    Savant? That weirdo who started in Beyond? Who cares?

    It will be meing out on top.

    A week remains, and I have sold everything I can sell. Metal ingots, lower-quality alloys, any mana stones I can¡¯t use, and much more. I sold any items I couldn''t inscribe and inscribed all I could. I went through the Bastion and sneakily sold a lot of items from their storages.

    All of this has gained me enough shards to get to 49,725.

    My duplicate and I also hunted a few more Veil Guardians, and I sold a few of my voidsteel des.

    As we¡¯ve been returning to the Bastion after our hunts, I¡¯ve noticed the way the Butler and the Housekeeper look at us change. Their behavior has changed as well.

    The Housekeeper seems more interested, and I notice her keeping a hand close to her weapon every time I pass by.

    The Butler keeps one rift open at all times so he can activate it quickly.

    The Gardener spends most of his time in his garden, where he has plenty of defensive mechanisms.

    The Armorer seems to be more and more interested day by day. I feel his gaze on my back. I feel his senses within the floating ind as he keeps observing me. The little bit of cooperation we did have seems like a house of cards, each side ready to cpse. Them against me, the duplicate, and Vega.

    Caught In between us, are Granny the Vitalist, her father Irvin, and Nina.

    Nina seems to hate me, but she doesn''t dare do anything. I think it is part of knowing she wouldn''t be able to do anything and partially she also realizes that it wasrgely her father''s fault.

    The granny and Irvin spend a lot of time with Vega and the duplicate. They theorize, discuss, and n.

    Vega seems to be excited at the thought of getting a new eye, but that eye could disappear the moment my duplicate disappears as well. It just sounds like something the system would do.

    So in the end, it relies a lot on the intent and whether or not my duplicate can amuse it enough to broker a deal. The logic is that even the intent probably can¡¯t save my duplicate without giving him some more permanent ¡°status,¡± and on this floor, that means me or Vega.

    I won''t agree. No matter how much I might consider it to be a bit of my fault or even if I pitied him or regretted it. I won''t do it.

    As for Vega, the duplicate won''t do it.

    In the end, the n is simple. The eye being a body part makes the duplicate hope it will be less susceptible to erasure than a mana stone. He also said he found it easier to work with. It is a piece of his body with mana circuits and bearing his passives and mana.

    I don''t understand it fully, but he¡¯s spent more time thinking about it, so I can¡¯t argue. Something tells me that he hopes that even if he fails, he might be able to get the intent to ensure that Vega can keep his eye. Onest gift to our disciple.

    Just in case, we will also keep Vega''s original eye. It would be unfortunate if the duplicate failed and Vega ended up without an eye.

    That''s where the two healers will help. They also seem to be nning to weaken the eye further so it will awaken gradually. Mana Wavelength Iris is a powerful trait, and we don''t want our minion to melt her brain by using it too soon.

    Overall, things go well. I progress with ck mana, and my handling of my eyes improves. I made a lot of shards. And Vega is getting stronger by the day.

    But it all feels off, and I don''t think this floor will end well for my duplicate. No matter how much he ns, trains, and hopes. He was put in a shitty situation, and the only way out seems to be killing me or Vega and striking a deal with someone he can¡¯t even trust.

    I have gained a lot thanks to our cooperation, and I thought I knew what I would feel if it came to this, but¡­ this is a shitty way to feel.

    That''s when I also decide to never do anything like this again.

    And I''m sorry.

    I won''t say it out loud, and I don''t think I need to. I''m sure he knows.

 Chapter 334: WhiteWing

    Chapter 334: WhiteWing

    ¡°So, the events are Battle Royale, Tower Defense, Raid Bosses, Duels, and whatever thest event is,¡± Dennis deres confidently.

    ¡°You and your theories. Just wait a few hours, and the event will start,¡± Maya stretches, and we continue to walk between the buildings and the camps people have set up.

    We¡¯ve already found a house with a nice view to stay in, and Aaron, Sophie, and Izzy have stayed behind to watch over our things. The rest of us have decided to look around and gather some more information.

    I secretly hope to meet BenDover and Sami, the guys from the Hell and Easy difficulty Communities. Finding them among so many people could be challenging, but a man can dream, right?

    At some point, Tacita joins us as well. She appears out of nowhere, walking with our group, and scaring a few of our members when they notice her.

    After I tell Lily who she is, Lily rushes to her and stops an arm''s reach away, ¡°I''m Grumpy! I can heal you! Na¡­ Noname said you can''t talk, and I''m a healer; I should be able to do it easily.¡±

    At that, Tacita shakes her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything for it; it¡¯s really simple, and it doesn¡¯t even hurt,¡± Lily then reaches her hand to touch the slim girl and stops, with a dagger held at her neck.

    Quickly the mood changes, and the smile disappears from Lily¡¯s face. ¡°Take that dagger away before I tear your arm off,¡± our healer says calmly.

    For a moment, she and Tacita look at each other before the mute girl smiles brightly and takes the dagger away.

    To that, Lily calms down and says, ¡°Sorry for trying to heal you without your consent.¡±

    Tacita lifts her hands in the air, seemingly gesturing that it''s okay, and she gives a single short pat on Lily¡¯s shoulder. Her mood improves even more when Lily gives her a piece of candy from my hunt.

    Watching this exchange, I''m once more validated in my belief that I''m the most normal person here.

    Also, as we walk, I''m validated that Biscuit is the most handsome boy in this round of the tutorial. We see some animals, and some of them even feel somewhat strong. A white cat, a crow following a man from Hard difficulty, a big pitbull. We even see some monsters. A horse with six legs, a bird with a wingspan more than twice my length, And a pack of six weasel-like creatures.

    When Biscuit approaches them, seemingly out of curiosity, and then the animals and monsters start screeching out of pure fear. They tremble and don¡¯t even try to run; instead, they step back and cower, growling quietly.

    Each time, Biscuit just looks at them and then leaves.

    It seems to disturb some of Group 4¡¯s members, but I''m only proud. His greatness is showing even now.

    ¡°Did you notice that field?¡± I ask Sophie.

    ¡°Yes, and to be honest, it''s trash,¡± she says. ¡°I can sense that multiple people coborated on it, and it¡¯s likely that they¡¯re all from Hell difficulty.¡±

    And I agree with her. The field covering the clearing is pretty weird. It¡¯s nothing like Veil and it¡¯s not evenparable to the barrier protecting the Bastion. The field in question is basically some sort of mana detector, meant to detect emissions over a certain level and send a signal and location to the creators.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably Gareth,¡± Tess joins. ¡°He said he was going to speak with Samuel, and that he felt like he had a point. So they, ''re probably using it to police this ce.¡±

    We give her a questioning look, and she sighs, ¡°Gareth told me before, like I said, he¡¯s very talkative.¡±

    ¡°Well, it''s not like it is hard for them to take care of a few people. From what I''ve seen, I could deal with tens, maybe hundreds of Easy or Normal difficulty people fairly easily, and I could probably handle a good number of people from Hard as well,¡± Maya says.

    The way she underestimates her powers feels weird. I myself am sure that I could wipe out everyone from Hard difficulty even if all 200 some odd people joined forces against me.

    Following Tess, we reach a spot where arge group of powerful individuals have gathered. I can feel that much from their mana signatures. I switch to Sneaky Mode and observe like I used to back on the fifth floor.

    The central part of this clearing is upied by a huge white spacious tent with multiple open entrances. The inside seems to be well illuminated though it¡¯s shielded from anything that might overwhelm the eye. It seems cozy, and the tent is big enough to fit a hundred or so people.

    ¡°Sset, my friend. I¡¯m d you made it,¡± a man says as he emerges from the tent, seeming to be the strongest in the group.

    He seems to be around 40 years old, though he¡¯s muscr and fit. There is a friendly smile on his face, and his jaw is probably sharp enough to cut ss.

    The next thing I notice is the beautiful silver armor he is wearing. The armor looks heavy, made of thick tes of metal, and yet the man moves naturally.

    ¡°Hello Gareth, these are Noname, Grumpy, Knight, StrongestOne, and NotAaron.¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes turn to me as he examines me for a moment, and then he smiles. ¡°I¡¯m happy to meet you as well, Noname and Grumpy. It¡¯s always nice to see my fellow Beyond explorers. I also wee you, Knight, StrongestOne, and NotAaron. Jakub and Maximillian seemed to speak with you quite often, and I¡¯m sure they would be d to meet you when they return.¡±

    I once again have to remind myself that Jakub and Maximillian are Lootenant and Brainiac from themunity. Gareth surely loves to continue to doxx everyone he meets. What a guy.

    When he stops in front of me, I observe him and the hand he offers. He is doing it all so naturally, with a big smile on his face. I already feel his extrovert passive leeching off my reserves of social energy.

    ¡°I would like us all to be friends, Noname,¡± he says, pushing his hand even closer.

    In the end, I shake hands with him just to make it stop, and he turns his attention to other members of group 4. He quickly greets everyone, gives outpliments, and asks about their experiences. And he does it all as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

    What a monster.

    When he moves to Biscuit, I expect our future animal overlord to growl at the man. Biscuit is really good when ites to judging characters, and Gareth seems like a clear-cut B-movie viin pretending to be a pdin of justice. All so he can reveal himself as the viin in the final act.

    But to my surprise, Biscuit barks softly and lets the man pet him a bit.

    I¡­ I don¡¯t understand. As I start to use ck mana to power<strong> [Focus]</strong> and think things over, Gareth turns to us all, ¡°In the past few hours, the system has unlocked a number of buildings near the center of themon area.¡±

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Anything interesting?¡± Tess, sits opposite Gareth in a simrlyfortable position, as the rest of us plop down beside them.

    At this point, it''s our extrovert against theirs, and I focus on listening.

    ¡°There are living quarters with plenty of rooms. They seem to be more luxurious than the ones on the edge, but they require payment in shards per night. The more expensive ones can run as high as several hundred shards per night. Some housese with facilities for enchanting, smithing, and other basic needs. You can also rent more specialized facilities independently, without the house.¡±

    Good, as it should be. A few hundred shards per night? I was worried the system lost its way. Being reminded that the system is a scamming asshole is always nice. Later, I will fly over to check the buildings and prices. It might be worth it to shell out a few shards as long as the view is nice.

    Gareth continues, ¡°There are also facilities that can be unlocked. These facilities provide ess to basic metals and materials at a better price than the system shop. People from Hell or Hard difficulty have already made deals andbined shards to unlock facilities and purchase materials.¡±

    ¡°You can put your shards together?¡± Min-Jae asks, surprised.

    ¡°Oh, sorry for the confusion! It¡¯s more like one person will pay for one day, another one for another day, and a third one might buy materials while they try to bnce the expenditure.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all good. So the system is giving us a chance to craft and smith items for the tournament, maybe even an opportunity to fix and create items to bring with us after the tournament?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Gareth agrees. Even sitting there in his silver armor, he looks somewhat majestic. ¡°There is also a tournament variation of the system shop that only allows items created, with materials from local shops to be auctioned off and sold to tournament participants.¡±

    ¡°How big a cut does the system take for the item sold?¡± I ask.

    ¡°How did you know the system takes a cut?¡± Gareth turns to me, surprised. ¡°Did you already know about this?¡±

    Knew it! System, you greedy little shit. Is it because the Ruler of Greed has something to do with you, or are you just set like that?

    ¡°I guessed from my experience with the system,¡± I respond.

    ¡°That makes sense, but nice catch. As you said, the system takes a 10% cut, which isn¡¯t that bad considering the reduced cost of materials.¡±

    I detect two presences moving closer, and two men enter the tent. One of them is slim and short with messy brown hair and seems to be somewhere around the twins'' age. The other appears to be somewhere around my age, maybe a bit younger, and he enters with a smile on his face.

    The smiling red-haired man turns to us. ¡°Group 4, the biggest Hell difficulty maniacs!¡± he deres.

    ¡°Maximillian, please, be nice to our guests,¡± Gareth says softly.

    ¡°Don''t worry, Gary, they¡¯ve heard worse from me! I¡¯m Brainiac, and this must be the best doggo of the¡­ what is it now? The best doggo of the tournament floor? That¡¯s what you guys have been calling him, right?¡± he moves and squats in front of Biscuit, offering him a hand for Biscuit to sniff.

    Then I sense an exchange between them, and Brainiac, real name Maximillian, stands up, shouting, ¡°He really talks!¡±

    ¡°Hello,¡± the boy with brown messy hair says, as he moves in with a friendly smile.

    ¡°Which one of you is Noname? I wanna see the legendary mana maniac.¡± Brainiac looks around, then following the looks of others, he stops at me.

    He takes a few steps, ¡°So, all the things I said before, I was joking, you know that, right? No hard feelings.¡± When he offers me his hand, I can''t sense any ill intent or dishonesty in his actions.

    Taking another big blow to my social energy, I stand up and shake his hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°So, how much mana do you have?¡± he asks curiously. ¡°Six, seven hundred?¡±

    I check.

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1015 + 1015</em>

    So I nod, ¡°Something like that.¡±

    ¡°Max, it¡¯s rude to ask about that,¡± with a sigh, Lootenant moves closer and pulls his red-haired friend away, ¡°I apologize for Max. He''s a good guy but he can be annoying sometimes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Tess says, standing up with a smile on her lips, ¡°I¡¯m Sset, it''s nice to meet you in the flesh, Brainiac and Lootenant, or would you prefer Maximillian and Jakub?¡±

    It¡¯s amusing to see the two young men react to the pretty, tall, and blonde Tess. Lootenant seems to even blush, and Brainiac is taken aback, his eyes moving up and down Tess''s figure.

    With interest, I wait to see how long Tess will let him continue before she zaps him, but unfortunately, it doesn''t get to that point.

    Tess introduces Lily, Min-Jae, Dennis, and Maya.

    Unsurprisingly, the young men are happy to meet the other boys given the way they spoke in the Community, and they get sucked into a conversation like old friends.

    ¡°Tsk, I wanted to see Tess zap him,¡± Maya says, moving her chair next to mine.

    ¡°Me too,¡± I murmur in agreement.

    ¡°Want to bail and check out the houses they mentioned? Tess can take care of the rest,¡± she offers.

    ¡°You just want to find a nice house and have me pay for it.¡±

    ¡°Yes I do,¡± Maya agrees shamelessly. ¡°You <em>are</em> rich, and it <em>might</em> make you more attractive in my eyes. Don''t you want to look reliable and capable in the eyes of a pretty young woman?¡±

    Well, Maya used to be a professional trainer, and after her time in the tutorial, her body has be even more athletic and she¡¯s not wrong, she could easily be called pretty, between her dark skin, wavy ck hair, and dark brown eyes, but.

    ¡°The ax is now 55 thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, why! You said 49 thousand before.¡±

    ¡°I need to make more money to seem more capable, apparently.¡± I stand up. ¡°Take Dennis, and we¡¯ll head over. He can connect to Aaron and tell the others to move in.¡±

    Before I can change my mind, she quickly exchanges a few words with Tess and pulls Dennis away from the group, and we head outside and deeper into the center of themon area.

    The deeper we go, the nicer the houses are. Themon area isn''t exactly t; there are a few small hills with houses at the top. Some houses even seem to have been built into those smaller hills. Themon area is massive.

    Walking through streets made of cobblestone and passing by beautiful houses, we reach the center of the za, at which point I take the opportunity to look around.

    Finding a house that I like, I head there; it''s on the smaller side with a workshop nearby. The house sits at the top of a hill that is shielded on one side by a forest, leaving the front of the house as the only part facing the rest of the ce. And by being at the top of the highest hill in the area, it offers a nice view of the town.

    As we approach, a barrier stops us, and a message pops up.

    <strong>Would you like to rent Forest Edge Retreat and the apanying facilities?</strong>

    <strong>500 shards/day</strong>

    Well, it looks like Gareth wasn¡¯t joking.

    ¡°Yes, I want to pay for the entire length of the tournament.¡±

    <strong>Would you like to pay 3000 shards to rent the Forest Edge Retreat and the apanying facilities?</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    I confirm, and the shards disappear. After that, the barrier disappears, and Dennis sends a message to the others to move in.

    ¡°How much?¡± Maya asks curiously.

    ¡°Three thousand for the full duration of the tournament.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± she gasps.

    Unlike her, I don''t mind. Opening the tournament system shop and checking items and their prices, I already know I will get my shards back with plenty of extra.

    About ten hours remain until the start of the 1st event, so that''s plenty of time to cook up something nice.

 Chapter 343: Start of the 2nd event

    Chapter 343: Start of the 2nd event

    <strong>The 2nd event - The Siege of Aether Keep will be starting in 1 hour!</strong>

    <strong>In 1 hour, everyone will be transferred to the Aether Keep. </strong>

    <strong>All difficulties will participate in the same instance.</strong>

    <strong>You will be facing a gradually increasing number of enemies trying to destroy Aether Keep. The numbers and strength of the attackers will grow over the duration of the event. You will have 5 hours to prepare your defenses and then 5 hours to defend Aether Keep.</strong>

    <strong>Participants will be rewarded ording to their performance during the defense.</strong>

    <strong>Note: You can leave the event at any time you want.</strong>

    <strong>Note: Cooperation with natives from Aether Keep and with participants of the tournament is required and fighting among defenders, be it tutorial attendees or natives, may decrease your points.</strong>

    <strong>Note: You can use [Restriction] for this event.</strong>

    Well, the event seems interesting. The only thing I dislike is the part about not fighting other participants, but it says that there ¡°may¡± be a punishment. So maybe a bit of infighting is allowed? It also makes me wonder who or what the attackers are and what kind of ce Aether Keep will be.There doesn¡¯t seem to be any restriction on mana or stamina regen, I can¡¯t help but like that part and I have to wonder if I should set a<strong> [Restriction]</strong>. cing one might increase my rewards, but not cing one would give me more options for defending the ce, which might work out better in the end.

    The question is how difficult the second event is going to be. If it''s easy and I ced no <strong>[Restriction]</strong>, it could end up being overkill and earn fewer points.

    If it''s difficult and I ced one, I may regret it, and find myself hamstrung during the defense.

    Well, I¡¯ll have to leave that to future Nat. He can decide a few seconds before the event starts.

    Closing the window, I open another and put three items up for auction. Each one quickly made and apparently, ording to the assholes who give me funny names, graded at mid rare. So this time I set the starting price for each one at 300 shards and set the time of the auction to 30 minutes. Let''s see how they do.

    As I did before the 1st event, I create a small orb inside my body and start filling it with my mana, trying to smuggle it in again.

    Entering the house, I find everyone already inside, spread out over the living room. The most notable is Biscuit who is facing Noodle in a staring contest.

    The white snake feels a bit stronger now. Did one of our animal overlords have a breakthrough in his training and is trying to fight for the position of Absolute?

    Well, in the end, it doesn''t matter. Biscuit doesn''t even release any mana, just looks at Noodle with his usual silly expression. The one that makes him look like he is smiling with his tongue slightly sticking out.

    Even that is enough and Noodle lowers his head and leaves in a clear state of defeat.

    <em>(Asshole,) </em>sounds proudly through everyone¡¯s mind as Biscuit announces his victory.

    That makes the introverted snake lower his head even more and burrow under the nkets on the couch.

    It might seem harsh, but Biscuit is cute so he can do anything he wants.

    "Yoo, can you lend me the ax for the event?" Maya asks shamelessly as the fight between two animal overlords is over.

    "One thousand shards per hour."

    She blinks a few times staring at me.

    "You can¡¯t afford to buy it so a subscription might be a good idea. Even if it¡¯s damaged, it''s an arcane item. It performs at the level of a mid to upper epic item and sometimes even a bit higher."

    "I heard you were offering an epic item to find someone to help you make a good pizza in a few days. We are teammates, right? You can be nice to me too."

    I shake my head, "That pizza is for my precious minion. She deserves it."

    I still remember Vega asking me about my food, and now that I have a token that will allow me to summon her for a day, there is no way I wouldn''t prepare a nice wee for her. While the 5th floor wasn¡¯t all that long ago and it''s only been a few days since I saw her, this is too good an opportunity to waste, given that we are currently in the middle of a somewhat safe tournament.

    Maybe I could let her fight some of the people from Easy and Normal difficulty. I kind of wonder how my minion would do.

    "Can I be your minion too?" Maya tries again.

    I ignore her and pick up Biscuit from the floor, setting him in myp and grab his lolling pink tongue, pulling it gently.

    Shaking his head, he woofs at me and calls me an asshole.

    In exchange, I pull his whiskers and whisper, "I¡¯m going to introduce you to someone in a few days."

    <em>(Asshole?)</em>

    "No, she isn''t an asshole like me." I boop his nose.

    <em>(Food?)</em>

    "No."

    <em>(Food food?)</em>

    "Hell no. It''s a friend."

    <em>(Friend?)</em>

    "Yes."

    He tilts his head as if thinking and then looks at me.

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    Goddamnit Biscuit, can¡¯t you at least be normal.

    "Any ns for the 2nd event?" I ask Maya.

    "Tess is talking to Gareth. Dennis, Aaron, and Sophie managed to set up some kind of telepathic conversation web or something, so we are waiting," Maya answers.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "I heard Garethined about Sophie¡¯s web?" I turn to Izzy, who is still trying to make Noodlee out from under the nkets.

    "Soph kept talking about how bad their web is and they refused to fix it. So she created her own with Dennis and Aaron and then started taking over parts of the other web when theyined about it," Izzy sounds somewhat proud.

    That makes me wonder if I shouldn¡¯t create a third web and take over both of them.

    "Soph can be spiteful if she wants. One guy told her to keep her mouth shut and let them work when she tried to help with their web," Maya giggles. She seems to be enjoying the situation a lot.

    I get a notification and ignore Maya to check it out.

    <strong>Congrattions, all of the items you put into the auction were sold off for 1500 shards. After the system takes 10%, you will receive 1350 shards!</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions, you are currently the 1st in the crafter rankings of the tournament shop.</strong>

    <strong>Rankings:</strong>

    <strong>1st - </strong><em>Fuckyouintentbitch</em>

    <strong>2nd - </strong><em>Miwa</em>

    <strong>3rd - </strong><em>Adam</em>

    <strong>4th - </strong><em>Jonathan</em>

    <strong>5th -</strong><em> Athena</em>

    Okay, 1st. The asking price I set was 300 for each of the 3 items, so how the heck did they all get sold for around 500 each? They were only rare items and apparently ugly even with their decent performance. There is something very suspicious here going on. I need to up my prices for sure.

    I¡¯m curious about the rankings too. Do they exist to give those with crafting sses the chance to earn some nice rewards too even if they don¡¯t ce in the events? Very interesting.

    Around thirty minutes remain ¡®till the start of the event when Brainiac and Lootenant return, led by our three boys. They are a rowdy crowd, but the moment Brainiac and Lootenant see me they shut up.

    "What?" I ask the red-haired boy who is looking at me.

    "How did you sense my attack? Only the most powerful natives have managed that up until now." His behavior is slightly different from before too.

    "I¡¯m not helping the party who attacks a single guy six versus one."

    "Oh,e on! How the hell did you even fly? You were restricted to your stats on the 4th Floor, were you already flying back then? What is your level? By the way, Adam wants to talk with you, he is a bit annoyed at the fact you killed him while he was fighting Savant."

    ¡°Adam can go hide somewhere just like he did in the event.¡±

    ¡°Right? Iined to Gary but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. Apparently, that¡¯s just how Adam is.¡±

    Min-Jae also joins in, ¡°I warned you that you should look out for Nat during the event.¡±

    To that, Brainiac gestures widely, ¡°Who would trust that!? I know he¡¯s in Beyond, and he keeps gushing about mana in the Community. But then you meet him and he barely talks and acts like a cat looking down on us poor humans. He doesn¡¯t leak any mana at all. I¡¯ve got nothing against that, Noname,¡± He adds quickly, ¡°Then you meet him in the event and he just does all this weird shit. And at the end of the event, it looks like he¡¯s gonna start biting pieces off Savant before he dies. Then once it¡¯s all over he loses control of his mana and 357 people from Easy difficulty pass out and 106 more from Normal puke up everything they ate in the past half year and everyone from Hard difficulty with decent mana sensitivity gets scared shitless.¡±

    Is¡­ is heplimenting me?

    ¡°Noname,¡± Brainiac moves even closer, ¡°people are already betting on the result of the duels. Most of the main bets are between you and Savant, a lot of people have money on Tacita. But I¡¯m betting on you.¡±

    ¡°Launch,¡± I say.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brainiac asks, confused.

    His rambling has put me in a better mood, so I may as well throw him a bone, ¡°The moment you shoot your invisible projectiles you move a lot of mana that makes it super obvious when you will shoot them. I can even read the trajectory that way. Then, the projectiles themselves are unstable and leak mana which makes them more apparent. I rmend using half of the mana you are currently and focusing on making them more dense. If you¡¯re fighting other humans you can make them a quarter the size, they¡¯re too big as is.¡±

    ¡°Noname!¡± he shouts happily. ¡°You have to train me! I can trade you some items worth a few hundred shards per lesson.¡±

    Huh? He thinks that''s enough?

    ¡°It¡¯ll be at least 1000 shards per hour-long lesson. And that¡¯s heavily discounted already.¡± I answer. That much should make it worth it.

    ¡°Fuck man, that¡¯s too much.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±

    Brainiac seems to be thinking, ¡°I can get a few guys and we can split the cost. I bet after the 1st event there are plenty who would be willing to join.¡±

    ¡°Four thousand shards worth for group lessons. Five thousand if it¡¯s over 5 people. Ten thousand if it¡¯s over 10 people.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    What does he mean by what? There is no way I¡¯m going to let a bunch of people drain all of my energy if I don¡¯t have to. Sure, I can endure it for a while, but only for the right price.

    Now that I think about it, if I do well during the other events I might ask more. I wonder if there are actually people who would be willing to do that.

    ¡°Come on, Max, leave Noname alone,¡± Lootenant jumps in, pulling the red-haired Brainiac away.

    As Brainiac gets dragged away to the other room, he keeps shouting that I''m a scammer or some other nonsense.

    With less than ten minutes left on the clock, everyone else returns and Brainiac and Lootenant leave to rejoin their group.

    While I continue to prod and poke at Sophie and the twins'' web, Tess and others have some sort of important meeting which I half listen to. I spend my remaining minutes thinking about what kind of <strong>[Restriction]</strong> I should set, or if it is even necessary.

    <strong>In ten seconds you will be moved to the location of the 2nd Event!</strong>

    The message finally sounds and the final countdown starts. 3, 2, 1,...

    <strong>You will be transferred to the Aether Keep. You have three seconds to ce a [Restriction] if you wish to do so.</strong>

    Everyone else disappears, followed by me.

    Entering the area of the second event I look around. All two thousand tutorial participants are spread out across a massive courtyard, surrounded by a tall wall.

    Off to one side is a mountain rising into the sky with windows carved into its faces. Telling me that the mountain''s insides are filled with rooms and buildings. There are also more walls like the one currently surrounding us.

    The air here is slightly colder and the clouds almost seem to be close enough to touch.

    I give myself some time to examine the ce. It''s simple, yet its architecture gives off the impression of old strength and power, and there are rough and fascinating mana-powered inscriptions.

    Interestingly, there are thousands of humans all around. Both armored and not. Each one scrambling to prepare the defenses. A dozen well-dressed men with guards following them are heading toward the participants whereupon they start exining the situation.

    Well, it seems like we won¡¯t be defending this ce alone.

    Looking around I spot and check in on a few people.

    <strong>Gareth (Hell, 4th)</strong>

    <strong>Tess (Hell, 4th)</strong>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, 4th)</strong>

    <strong>Tacita (Hell, 5th)</strong>

    And then there is also this guy.

    <strong>Savant (Hell, 3rd)</strong>

    I see. I think I know his reasoning and I had the same thought. The event has all of the tournament attendees participate and even calls for cooperation. It¡¯s very logical to assume that the event will be somewhat made to reflect that fact. Forgoing a restriction would probably be overkill and far from worth it.

    But, the system isn¡¯t always logical.

    The system is an asshole.

    That¡¯s why the text the others see over my head reads thusly.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, 6th)</strong>

    And as far as I can see it¡¯s the highest out of any Hell difficulty participant.

 Chapter 347: Still considered human?

    Chapter 347: Still considered human?

    Unlike the 1st event, we haven¡¯t been stripped of our items. In my case, I brought a voidsteel de, the damaged arcane ax, and a few smaller things. The axe''s performance can''tpare to the glove Savant used, and I''m jealous.

    Savant was restricted and, in my opinion, had pathetic mana reserves. Yet the glove still did such impressive damage. That''s why I rushed to put it on. If I had gotten the glove instead of him, I''m sure I would¡¯ve torn the others apart in that event.

    Damn, and that glove was only low arcane. So what does that make my ax? Low, mid, or upper? Nevan was really skilled and he coborated with Champion Niall to make it, so maybe mid? And how high is the difference between the mid and the other tier? Surely it¡¯s a wider gap than one would see whenparing rare or epic items.

    I heft the ax in my hand. It feels heavy but not overly so, and it''s warm even though I haven¡¯t fed it any mana. Its inner me pulsates slowly like a beating heart.

    During this event, I¡¯ve decided to channel most of the thermal energy stored in my Vortex Core through the ax to put it through its paces.

    The inscriptions on my skin are also going well, and the crown over my head holds quite a nice amount of mana at the moment. It also seems that I¡¯ll have no trouble keeping the crown active indefinitely. It does require a bit of mana for upkeep, but it''s barely noticeable and my regeneration easily covers the cost.

    Of course, the crown will require a bit more mana if I use it more heavily, but it''ll be well worth it.

    I¡¯ve also been trying to infuse it with my other energies, but it doesn¡¯t seem to work. It only epts mana, thermal, and kic energy refuses to enter at all. It is in the name though, so I can''t be too mad.

    During this event, I could send ck mana to it, the way I did when I first got the skill, but even back then it felt like the explosion wasn''t as strong as it could be. It was just the after-effects of two things shing, and the resulting explosion was highly wasteful.So tricolored bombs? I can make a lot of them. I could just use mana to power the ax? A few ck mana orbs could fuck up any enemies that happen to use mana. Or I could burn them; thermal energy is reliable forrge-scale damage. Maybe I could power<strong> [Redistribution]</strong> with ck mana and absorb all the heat in an area, freezing the upying enemies, well that or I could just immobilize them.

    As I pass a group of the other participants one of the guys from Easy difficulty quickly jumps out of my way, apologizing as he rushes to avoid me.

    There are whispers and people are ncing at me. It¡¯s something we¡¯ve all had to deal with to some extent. The people from Easy difficulty are slowly beginning to realize the true difference between them and the higher difficulties. I¡¯ve already overheard some of them questioning whether or not we can still be called humans. It''s an interesting thought.

    Am I still considered human? Do I care?

    Some people seem to enjoy the rise in status while others seem to be worried by the prospect. Both positions are understandable. And it will be even worse when the tutorial ends and we encounter normal humans once more. Even now, there have been idents caused by people from higher difficulties interacting with low level individuals.

    A single hug can crush someone with a weaker body. identally releasing a bit too much mana. The heat from a skill can burn people. These things happen.

    People from Hell difficulty seem to do a better job controlling their powers, while it seems that those from Hard difficulty have a harder time. And people seem to realize it, every single one of the 31 people from Hell is being tiptoed around.

    There are men offering their services as assistants. People trying to make connections. Groups asking us to intervene because of the power we hold.

    Lily, who¡¯s clearly the strongest healer in Hell difficulty, has it the worst, a constant stream of people have beening to her with old wounds, asking, begging, and offering to pay for her services. They want their limbs restored, or their hair regrown, or their scars healed and pain relieved.

    They keep asking and asking. Even if there are over two thousand people and most of them are reasonable, there¡¯s also a group of people that are shameless. Even brave enough to ignore the difference in strength, wanting to take advantage of our kind hearted Lily.

    It annoys me, they¡¯re doing it right now; when they should be focusing on the event with mere minutes remaining ¡®till the start. But healers are sought after and this is just the start.

    Some people want their youth back, it''s mostly meant as a joke, or at least I hope it is, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to stay that way. We¡¯ve seen it and looking at Lily¡¯s talent I actually think it will be possible for her,ter. Just a few hundred more levels and making some normal human feel and look decades younger should be easy. Hell, there were people who lived thousands of years kept alive by the dead Saint¡¯s aura.

    At her full power, the Saint Absolute was probably capable of holding that aura over entire cities, making its citizens almost immortal beings. Something like that is hard to fully grasp.

    What would a power like that cause on Earth? Even if it was much weaker? Lily would be nobility instantly. One of the most powerful and important people on the.

    I saw other healers too, mainly Gareth who can heal with his aura-like silver light. Even he is not at her level, not even close. His healing is much slower and more gradual.

    Reaching the top of the wide stairway, most of the ¡°leaders¡± are already present, and Gareth is arguing with Savant.

    I observe for a while and, even now Savant seems to be a loner. Untrusting of others, only here to hear their n to inform his own. But I notice an interesting item on him. A beautiful sword with half a de. It''s broken cleanly and yet even so, he wears it at his waist.

    What is it?

    When I try to extremely carefully send my mana there, a field around it detects it and pushes my senses away. A weaker version of <strong>[Dawn]</strong>, meaning that Savant had learned the skill even before the third floor or at least sometime during it.

    Stolen from its rightful ce, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    He stops talking to Gareth and without a speck of doubt turns his eyes to me. Did he trace it back to me or was it a guess?

    Calling Gareth and his way of dealing with things disgusting, he turns around and leaves with a clinical look on his face. It''s like he is dissecting everyone he looks at.

    I could go bully him, learn more about this sword he values so much, or perhaps as revenge for the 1st event. But that just feels cheap. Plus, I''m sure he would just leave the event rather than sit there and let me.

    The others don¡¯t antagonize him either. Even if he has the strongest restriction right now, he was also in Beyond before any of us. He also climbs the Floors alone. No one underestimates him. And neither do I.

    From the end of the first event, it felt like I should be able to fuck him up fairly easily. My domain is equal to or just slightly weaker than his, but with my reserves, I could just wait and brutally overpower him.

    But I saw his expression during ourst sh. He knows it and the same as me, he¡¯s nning countermeasures. He now sees my crown and more of my abilities.

    But who cares? Prideful and cocky, Nathaniel is back. That guy is going down no matter what. Well, at least as long as I don''t get matched with Tacita¡ªthat could be a bit problematic, to be honest.

    ¡°How much time do we have left?¡± I ask when I rejoin the group, slightly to the side.

    ¡°Five minutes,¡± Tess answers simply.

    Curious, I check her crown and she lets me do it. She has a fairly decent amount of Primordial lightning squared away. And a few javelins hanging in the air behind her, two of them epic. At this point, she has no problem making items like that float without a noticeable drain to her mana reserves.

    Maybe I should do something like that, it looks cool.

    Biscuit wobbles in at that point and for a moment I imagine him with some sort of crown of his own. I really like that idea. The corgi would look great. But knowing him, he¡¯s going to copy me without my interference.

    We decide to make somest-minute changes. The groups that intend to cooperate with our little alliance will man the first wall and the field between it and the second. The n is based around the theory that the difficulty being easiest at the start will provide an opportunity for those from the lower difficulties to score some points.

    Currently, they are in ce, their mana painfully slow to activate, and their skills at the ready. A lot of them seem to be taking this as a fun and friendlypetition while they do their best to ignore the other difficulties. Some uncooperative groups are also on the walls, with their goal to gain as many points as possible.

    The natives move about, following the orders of their leaders. Men and women in armor. Their levels rarely exceed a hundred, only a few manage to break two hundred, and only a single individual has a level approaching three hundred.

    There is no notification as the five hours of preparation give way to defense. Just the earth shaking and far down the mountain, the ground begins to bulge out, and pieces of stone and dirt explode into the air. Revealing a deep dark hole and a head poking out.

    An ant.

    This one is smaller than the bus-sized monstrosities I remember. It''s probably only as big as Biscuit. Almost a cute little thing. Almost. But the reaction is unsurprising.

    In group 4 alone, most of us are wearing murderous expressions, and they are not the only ones. Some of the other participants from Hell difficulty are the same. Our hatred for the species seems to be unanimous.

    So as the ant rushes out and behind him hundreds more ants start climbing out, they are close to abandoning our ns and attacking right away. Not caring that the monsters are only level thirty at most.

    There is no invisible connection connecting them all, no hive mind. These ones seem much more normal,municating only with pheromones.

    ¡°We are sticking to the n,¡± Tess says simply and I can sense one of the twins connecting to the web and sendingmunications to the leaders of each group.

    Tess has a cold expression on her face as she says this, unlike many others. But just that seems to be enough and most of the people seem to calm down.

    Sometimes I will have to learn how shemunicates with them. I know Tess is scary at times, but she¡¯s wound the others around her finger too quickly. Is she using Lily, Sophie, and I as threats?

    Well, let''s check something first.

    I use one of the anchors I¡¯ve maintained with the help of a mana stone and appear on the spot closest to the hole in the ground which continues to spew forth ants.

    The monsters notice me right away, dozens of them crawling my way while shooting acid at me. I just form a suit of armor around my body and ignore them while burning the ones that make contact.

    I pass through them to reach the hole, before squatting and looking down the bore as the monsters surround me.

    As the attacks crash all around me, I send my senses into the hole, seeking its origin. I would go down myself, but it''s not very wide, and I refuse to crawl through there.

    My senses detect thousands more monsters, most of them around level thirty or a bit higher. I do not detect anyone controlling them, not even another kind of monster.

    For a moment, I think of creating an atomic bomb and throwing it in but decide against it. It would make Tess look silly, having others not attack while I do this as her group member.

    Sure, it would be funny and satisfying, but... actually, just a tiny bomb wouldn''t hurt anyone, right?

    <em>(Nat, if you do what I think you want to, I will stop keeping these people from bothering you,)</em> I hear through the connection Sophie and the twins set up.

    <em>(All the people?)</em> I ask.

    <em>(Do you think you¡¯re being left alone just because you went a bit wild during the first event? Tons of people wanted to talk to you. People rich outside of the tutorial, asslickers, people who wanted to be your disciple, or the ones that wanted to befriend you. There were also plenty of pretty young women and even a few men. I kept them all back.)</em>

    Well, I was a bit surprised that I wasn¡¯t being bothered more.

    Disappointed, I use my anchor and reappear next to her. She just nods and smiles imperceptibly. Standing there tall and proud in her armor, her golden hair fluttering and crown floating over her head, Tess really looks regal and reliable as always.

    ¡°I will rely on you to run interference from here on.¡±

    She nods, ¡°It''s my pleasure. Let''s just watch the kids y, and when the stronger ones pop out, you can do your thing. And Nat, be shy when you do so.¡±

    That much was obvious, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°I have a good idea, you¡¯re going to like it.¡± As I say so I get rid of all the traps I ced. All the anchors, all the threads, everything.

    The others can have some funparing themselves to each other. Then after they¡¯re done I will show them something really nice.

 Chapter 348: Under attack

    Chapter 348: Under attack

    I wave at Tess and leave the wall, heading to the generator that powers the barrier.

    There I grab one of the natives by the shoulders, ¡°Soldier! I have noticed that this part of the wall and defense is damaged. You are a scribe here to make sure it works smoothly, right? Exin the process to me so I can ry it further to our leadership.¡±

    Confused, the man looks around, trying to get anyone to help, but there is only me.

    ¡°We do not call ourselves soldiers, sir, but I will sir!¡± he answers in the end. ¡°If you move over here, you can see the hidden control panel. You said there is a problem with it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the enemy is attempting to disrupt the barrier on the first wall.¡±

    ¡°That would be terrible! Let''s quickly confirm everything¡¯s working as it should.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, soldier!¡±

    ¡°I''m not a soldier, sir. Please, right this way.¡±

    The barrier is a much rougher version of the barrier the Bastion on the 5th floor had, so I don''t spend much time checking it out. I just take note of some interesting ways they deal with this kind of construct, it will be useful in the future.I leave, appearing back on the 1st wall. Not even one hour out of five has passed and as I look down the mountain, it all seems to be under control.

    Yup, just thousands of level thirty, corgi-sized ants.

    They are under the wall, nibbling on it at ces while the lower difficulty participants shower them with attacks. Some of them do have some mildly interesting skills like hot water, a weak variation of hypnosis, some wider area sleep debuff, and snow attacks that seem nearly useless.

    Then there are traditional mana projectiles, fire, and ice attacks, some kind of shadowy nonsense, weak variations of lightning, gravity, and telekinesis. Most of the people from Easy difficulty seem to be using their weapons as a crutch. Either as a focus for their mana or as damage amplifiers.

    So far, the atmosphere is light and peopleugh, joke, and smile as theypete to y as many of the little monsters as possible. they find this easy as the ants struggle to climb the wall in spite of the barrier coating its surface.

    Do they really think it¡¯s all going to be this easy? Actually, that may be what they¡¯re thinking. The weirdos.

    I just continue to fill my crown and observe it while doing so. I haven¡¯t tested it properly yet and looking at it, it''s still pale blue. From what I know, my mana changes colors the more dense it is. I''m not sure if it''s the same for the others as it tends to change under the influence of skills, passives, and traits. I¡¯ve seen plenty of variation, that¡¯s for sure.

    For me, it''s pale blue, followed by dark blue. As I push further it starts to develop pale blue streaks and beyond that, some of the streaks turn purple. And then it goes boom.

    The crown is still at the light blue stage, hungrily devouring my mana. At this point, I start thinking this thing might be even scarier than my Mana Reservoir.

    Moving a bit further from the others, I put my damaged arcane ax on myp and send my senses inside it with the support of multiple skills.

    During the tournament, I saw what an arcane weapon did in Savant¡¯s hands. The guy doesn¡¯t even have all that big a mana reserve and yet the weapon did such a great deal of damage and was even able to ignore natural barriers to some extent and have enough power to spare to hold people in ce.

    What would someone like me be capable of doing with that glove? With my mana reserves? I would easily win the 1st event, I believe.

    So here I have a weapon of simr or maybe even higher rank. The glove was low arcane, meanwhile, the ax could be mid arcane at its peak. Even now, damaged as it is, it¡¯s at least upper epic in terms of power.

    My goal is simple: to bring it up to par with a low arcane artifact, at least for a little while. It probably won¡¯t be anywhere near full power, but it should be more than enough to pull off the kind of shy stuff Tess wants to see. And I will dly oblige.

    Mostly because I think it sounds like fun. But also to show others how dumb they were to restrict themselves. Tacita¡¯s the only one who stands out, either she has the least severe <strong>[Restriction]</strong> or she hasn¡¯t made it to the 6th floor yet. She probably hasn¡¯t made it, but I can¡¯t be sure.

    As I observe the ax, it''s the same as before. A myriad of twisting lines, and things I can barely perceive even as I use <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> supported by <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong> and my Mana Wavelength Iris.

    The interesting part is that I can''t change these lines. I can''t scratch them out as I could with other weapons. I can''t connect new lines to them. I''m just not at the point where I would be capable of doing that with an arcane weapon.

    Well, maybe that''s not fully urate. If I used a lot of mana, at full force, I should be capable of making it happen. The problem is that Ick the control required to do it properly and would probably just fuck things up instead.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the vition.

    So the n is simple. I will try to make use of my <strong>[Infusion] </strong>and recreate the missing lines. I won''t even be etching them into the ax, rather I¡¯m going to try to make a temporary connection, using thin threads of mana infused throughout the weapon in an attempt to reconnect the damaged parts.

    My lines will be much weaker than the ones engraved in the weapon. They won''t be able to bear the output the weapon requires. Well, not for long. If I do a good job, I should be able to use the weapon for a few seconds. Something between 5 to 30? It''s really hard to say currently as I have no idea about the true power of the weapon.

    Janky, just the way I like it.

    A thin hand touches the de of the ax, a presence I never felt until she got too close. It''s obvious who it is.

    When I look up, her lively eyes observe me and the ax from a veil of messy brown hair.

    ¡°110 thousand shards for the ax. Two thousand shards if you want to use it for one hour. I do not offer subscriptions to use during the events,¡± I tell her. The more I observe the ax, the more I like it. Not for my personal use like the other weapons, but just for the opportunity to learn from it. So the prices have doubled.

    Tacita points at the damaged part of the de and gestures at me.

    ¡°Yes, it''s damaged, but 100 thousand is for the cheapest low arcane weapons. This is more likely mid-grade.¡±

    She stops her gestures and pokes the ax a few more times. A gentle pulse of her mana rushes from her finger and through the surface of the weapon. Then she just shrugs and plops down on the grass, her back resting on the wall nearby.

    After ten minutes, when I take a break from my work, I ask, ¡°Are you waiting for stronger monsters too?¡±

    A nod.

    ¡°Me too. I think others are being dumb if they think the system isn¡¯t going to throw some kind of bullshit at us. The increased rewards for the restrictions aren¡¯t going to be worth it.¡±

    Tacita energetically nods again, her hair flying around her head. Then she taps her temple a few times and smiles.

    Thirty more minutes pass.

    ¡°Do you not like Tess?¡± I ask.

    She looks up at me, thinking for a while.

    A gesture with her hand.

    ¡°Not really?¡±

    A nod.

    ¡°Yeah, Tess is scary.¡±

    Another nod.

    ¡°It shouldn''t be that easy for someone to deal with people.¡±

    Two quick nods.

    Escaping Isabe¡¯s clutches, Noodle also appears nearby. I notice him sensing my mana and he quickly changes direction and rushes towards me at high speed. His tongue flicking towards my mana. Even from where I am, I can sense him absorbing tiny bits of the mana I release into the area around me for threat detection.

    The amounts of that mana are incredibly small and even most people from Hell difficulty can''t sense it. Yet here¡¯s Noodle nomming away at it.

    When he gets closer, he freezes. Slowly his head turns to the right and he spots Tacita. He stares at her as if surprised by the fact he couldn''t sense her up until now, nor even see her as she sits stock still and has probably managed to hide her heat somehow.

    He quickly slithers towards me and then stops a short distance away, waiting.

    ¡°You cane.¡±

    Once I give him permission the polite snake moves closer and gently coils around my arm, his head resting on my shoulder looking and following my gaze. Carefully, I release a bit of my mana which he starts absorbing.

    Separating part of my mind, I observe as he absorbs mana, and with another part, I send senses towards the first wall.

    Most of the folks from Easy difficulty are already starting to get low on mana, resting to the side, and groups from Normal difficulty are recing them. Even now, an hour in, no monster has even reached the top of the wall; the barrier feels weaker, but it¡¯s still going strong.

    So far, I¡¯ve only sensed a few stronger attacks, mostly from bored people from Hard difficulty.

    There is also a new kind of monster now. Spiders averaging around level 50. They emerge from the same holes as the ants, several having opened sincest I checked. The ants and spiders do not fight each other, attacking together instead. They throw themselves against the barrier and sacrifice their lives to weaken it even a bit further.

    So far, it seems to be working; as the mana from the batteries powering the barrier is slowly exhausted.

    When exactly one hour has passed, the mood changes and the battlees to a pause as the earth starts to shake.

    Curious, I fly up, but something grabs my feet. When I look down, I see Tacita holding onto my feet, hanging in the air to get a better view.

    I pause mid air and look down at her.

    She looks at me.

    ¡°What the fuck.¡±

    A shrug.

    With a sigh, I fly us both higher and look beyond the first wall. As I scan the area another hole opens, much bigger than the others. Much, much bigger. From the hole, emerges a lizard-like monster, rising with slow,zy movements, as it tears through earth and stone, before stomping and shaking to shed the rubble.

    The monster has orange eyes with vertically slit pupils and a snake like head, with a body covered in gray scales. It stands on four thick legs, and its tail is long and very thin at the end. It almost reminds me of a Komodo dragon.

    <strong>[Quake Serpent - lvl ???]</strong>

    It doesn''t feel as strong as the Gaiathra I saw in the Valley, much weaker actually, so maybe it just entered into the range of three question marks. Level 300 and some change perhaps?

    It''s earlier than I expected, but I can say that I was right. I would love to see Tess''s and Savants'' expressions right now.

    The monster takes a few steps, killing hundreds of ants and spiders as it does so. Then a rumbling pulse of sound emerges from its body and appears to move through its strong legs and into the ground. The earth around it explodes, causing thousands of the small monsters to die, as the earth shakes. They eventually reach the wall, immediately cracking the surface.

    It repeats, the barrier weakening even further as chunks of stoneing loose and taking some of our people with them. They either die from the fall or get killed by the monsters that continue to attack even as they are dying of the same damage.

    Finally, screams fill the area, as people start to realize that the wall has been lost and rush to abandon the post.

    Looking at the giant lizard, I have a single thought.

    I can take it on easily.

 Chapter 349: Have fun

    Chapter 349: Have fun

    At some point, Tacita lets go of my feet andnds nimbly like a cat, running somewhere else already with her incredible speed.

    I look at Noodle, who is still coiled around my arm, "Why aren''t you that big?" I ask, gesturing at the giant lizard. Noodle seems to understand and flicks his tongue a few times rather than answering.

    Okay, you¡¯re cute, so you can keep your secrets. But remember good ol'' Nat who fed you his mana when you¡¯re the size of a skyscraper.

    I take a moment to locate our leadership and push myself over to them, a cacophony of frantic discussion assailing me as Ind.

    ¡°Yes, I can fight it, but I believe it would cost me my life or render me useless afterward,¡± a man d in simple armor says. The highest level native I¡¯ve seen, the one approaching level three hundred.

    ¡°How is it possible for there to be such a strong monster? This event was supposed to be inclusive of all the difficulties, this just doesn''t make any sense,¡± Samuel asks, looking around confused.

    Oh, but it does.

    I meet Tess''s gaze, and whisper, <em>¡°I was right.¡±</em>

    The system is an asshole.Tess doesn''t react, in that way somon to the uninitiated, faced with someone wiser in the ways of the world.

    I was right.

    ¡°Noname, do you think you can take it? You don¡¯t have any restrictions,¡± Brainiac asks, he and his group close to Gareth.

    ¡°Who knows.¡±

    For the first time, Savant joins the conversation, ¡°There is surely a way around it. The system is usually fair, so it wouldn¡¯t have done this without giving us a way to deal with it.¡±

    Oh? So that''s how he sees the system?

    ¡°Maybe that guy is meant to take care of the lizard?¡± Maya gestures toward the strongest native knight.

    ¡°Maybe.¡± Tess pauses, listening to an invisible voice, and then continues, "Dennis says the monster stopped attacking after it broke the 1st wall, and more of the stronger monsters are approaching the second.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it''s just here to break the walls? A mechanic by the system?¡± Brainiac wonders, ¡°Or it is on cooldown and needs some time to recharge its ability to break the walls and barriers.¡±

    ¡°This is not a game, Max,¡± Gareth says.

    ¡°Oh,e on, Gary, even these natives are nothing like the ones on the standard floors. This feels extremely gamey. We just need to CC the lizard when it tries to destroy another wall. Or we can try to kill it before that?¡±

    ¡°CC?¡± Gareth asks, but Brainiac ignores him and continues speaking to the others.

    Through the Connection the twins have prepared for group 4, I send a message, <em>(I''m sure the lizard isn''t the end. I¡¯m going toy low until the end, either that or I¡¯ll do something shy when you guys flunk out.)</em>

    <em>(You don''t want to help?) </em>Aaron asks, somewhat surprised.

    Instead of me, Tess answers, <em>(Just let him do his thing. This is a nice opportunity for us to develop some teamwork.)</em>

    A number of messages are exchanged, but I¡¯m already lifting off, as I feel Savant''s piercing gaze settle on me.

    I head deeper into the fortress, even beyond the first wall, and there I sit on top of the tower, my legs dangling over the edge with a view of the remaining two walls and the one that was destroyed.

    Even from this distance, I can see the lizard lying near the rubble of the 1st wall and waiting. Maybe Brainiac really is right, or perhaps the lizard is there as a challenge for the stronger participants and will move either to face them or destroy the walls.

    Just as before, thousands of monsters, ants, and spiders proceed to scuttle across the debris. These ones are slightly bigger, and their levels are starting to get closer and closer to 100.

    I watch as they catch up with groups of stragglers from Easy and Normal that failed to escape quickly enough. The groups face them while pulling back with support from Hard difficulty.

    A single spider the size of a motorcycle catches up to five of the weaker members, and I have fun watching as they face him with their might. There is something enthralling about seeing a group of people facing down an opponent stronger than themselves.

    They are giving it their all, bleeding, screaming, using thest bits of their mana. There is no escape as the monsters surround them, and they are scared of dying, not having tasted it yet. So, they fight, giving it their all.

    When the spider dies, impaled on one of their spears, they seem proud. The fear they felt until now is reced by the tion of victory.

    The feeling fades as a group of bigger ants reaches them, turning them into shiny particles as they disappear from the event.

    Simr sights are happening all over.

    One group is swallowed by arger group of monsters as they try to aid the others. A lonely woman surrounded by yellow mes fights an entire group of monsters. The group running and barely escaping to the wall where someone stronger faces the monsters that were following them.

    And the entire time, I keep working on the ax In my hands.

    More time passes, and three hours remain.

    Easy difficulty has been mostly wiped out, though few members still remain contributing with a ranged attack every now and then, unable to do more.

    The second wall has already been surrounded and battered by the endless hordes of monsters, we¡¯ve even seen a new type. An octopus-like monster that crawls over the ground, always surrounded by dozens of other monsters which move to protect it.

    Stolen from its rightful ce, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Their role is simple, getting close to the barrier and slowly corroding it with the cooperation of others of its kind. The method of attack is surprisingly effective, and quickly drains the barrier.

    That''s when Hell difficulty decides to move, throwing ranged attacks at the monsters while letting Normal and Hard difficulty mop up the rest with the natives.

    Once again, everyone knows the difficulty is increasing, so they are saving their mana, only using amounts they know will regenerate quickly.

    After another thirty minutes, the Quake Serpent moves. The giant monster stands up, the immense mass of its body moving alone threatening.

    Pausing my work, I turn my attention down to the others and do it just in time.

    The crown floating around Tess''s head shines brighter, white and red lightning surrounding her and an epic javelin hangs in the air at her side. She makes an inaudible deration, lightning seeping into the weapon. All eyes are on her as she stands on the second wall, her golden hair floating, lightning cracking around and through it.

    She grabs a javelin and takes a stance, her leg moving back as she twists her body, the wall cracking around her. Then she throws the weapon.

    Like myriad birds chirping, the lightning crackles as it passes through the air. Its flight elerates half way through, having been boosted either by Min-Jae or Tess herself.

    The lizard doesn¡¯t even have time to react, and the javelin lodges itself deep into its eye, disappearing somewhere inside its head.

    As it does so, the monster starts thrashing around while emitting a scream that I feel in my bones. The monster releases the energy it was collecting, in an explosion with itself at the epicenter shaking the earth, creating holes in the ground, and even without being aimed correctly it manages to damage the wall.

    The monster twists, twitches, scrambles, scratching its own head into a bloody ruin in an attempt to get rid of the piercing pain of Tess''s attack and the lightning that now burns within its skull.

    More and more mana radiates from the monster until the lightning stops. The lightning that flickered in its eye is now gone, drowned in the monster¡¯s mana.

    The silence is almost eerie, followed only by the sound of falling debris caused by the thrashing of the wounded monster.

    Then the lizard turns its remaining eye toward the source of the attack. Its tongue flicks out a few times, and something changes. The scales of the monster change color. From dark gray, they turn lighter, and like a wave, a shockwave radiates from the monster at the center. The attacksnding on its body now barely damage it, either sliding off or dispersing upon impact. Like pebbles thrown against a wall.

    The attack has clearly revealed something about the monster¡¯s skills. I don¡¯t think Tess actually made an earnest attempt at killing it. They would have used Lily otherwise. This was just a probe to see what they were facing. They are unwilling to give their all, as they have a growing suspicion that the Quake Serpent won¡¯t be the end of it and might just be the start.

    They could throw their might into trying to kill the giant monster quickly so they have fewer opponents to deal withter, but they can¡¯t be sure the monster doesn¡¯t have some other trick to y. It does have three question marks after all, the thing¡¯s over level 300. And there might also be another enemy waiting just for that.

    Using the distraction, someone touches Sophie and the twin¡¯s web. It''s a sharp, smooth movement. Hard to notice, clinical, using the fact that nearly everyone was focused on the lizard.

    <em>(Was this you?) </em>a message sounds in my head. Sophie obviously noticed it as well.

    <em>(Nope.)</em>

    <em>(I thought so, this felt different. Someone absorbed a small part of my web, creating a weak connection to it. It was him, right?)</em>

    <em>(Probably.)</em> From where I sit, I track the person who did it.

    Savant, noticing the touch of my mana, pushes against it, a gentle orange light radiating from him. But before he does that, I notice that he is doing something with the broken de he brought here. He seems to be preparing something as well.

    I could stop him. I could even fly down there and forcibly take the sword off him. He would probably leave the event rather than let me, but even that could be a win for me.

    What stops me is simple curiosity.

    I want to see what he can do with the<strong> [Restriction]</strong> he ced and with his skills and the sword. I already have a suspicion of what thetter is.

    So I just let it be and sneakily, to avoid leaving any tracks for Sophie, I clear the parts Savant messed up so she can''t cut him off easily.

    Then after seeing that the giant lizard doesn''t attack, I return to the ax on myp.

    Two hours remain, and I have a theory.

    As the natives said, there is a group of people attacking who specialize in taming. That group is controlling the Quake Serpent and using it only to destroy the walls when they are weakened.

    This could be a setup made by the system or the fact that the group just doesn''t want to throw the Serpent into an attack against the nearly level 300 human who defends the Aether Keep, who would probably kill it with his advantage as a defender.

    So currently, it''s a game of chicken, one side waiting for another to make the first step while weaker forces fight each other.

    Moving for the third time, the Lizard destroys the second wall and, once again, stronger monsters start rushing out of the tunnels. Many of them are over level 150, ants, spiders, octopuses, and now even termites, in huge amounts.

    Once again, the strongest people participating in the tutorial hold back and wait.

    Hard difficulty people are fighting now, along with a few of the people from Hell difficulty, for the first time arge amount of mana nkets the area, and high damage skills start activating.

    I observe things for a while, curious to find out what level the others are operating at and the kinds of skills they use. As I do so, I continue to dabble with Sophie''s web, watching what Savant does to it. I find it interesting, and some of these things inspire me to the point that I decide to change my ns a bit.

    Savant''s interactions with the web feel clumsy but the progress and improvement he shows is nothing less than amazing. His clumsy first attempts quickly be much more confident and sneaky as he analyzes parts of the web and, while he¡¯s hiding from Sophie, he manages to absorb parts of it.

    That''s what they call a genius.

    Some of the things he does are eye-opening, in ways I haven¡¯t even thought of, honestly, it¡¯d probably take me dozens of attempts before I had the same idea. And he¡¯s doing it all with such a severe<strong> [Restriction]</strong>.

    But even then, he¡¯s far below my level and if I used my<strong> [Focus] </strong>and eyes, I would blow him out of the water easily. My skills and traits are just so much better when ites down to it, and I''m sure they would continue to be so even if we were at the same <strong>[Restriction]</strong>. Even so, I''m not blind enough to not ept a simple fact: Savant is more talented than me.

    However, it''s something I never cared too much about. I''ve seen people like him my entire life. People born with talent, people born with stronger bodies and other advantages. In the end, it''s about who is crazy enough to push themselves further.

    Standing up, I stretch and take a nce at the fight taking ce down there. Thousands of monsters are climbing over the destroyed walls, throwing themselves against the people standing their ground under the final barricade or those shooting from the top of the wall while the barrier flickers around, being attacked by the octopus-like monsters.

    Screams, cries, and noises of skills burning through the air fill the area as blood is spilled.

    Two hours remain until the end of the event, but my preparations are already done.

    To be honest, watching them fight down there is getting annoying. It''s frustrating to see how hesitant and careful they are. Sure, there''s some logic to it, but if it were up to me, the giant lizard would have been nuked out of the event the moment it appeared. That would probably screw things up, and I would end up losing a limb or two, but it would feel more satisfying.

    So while others are having fun, let''s check on the Aether Keep.

    <em>(Have fun,)</em> I send through the connection kept up by the twins and head towards the mines.

 Chapter 350: Without a single speck of doubt

    Chapter 350: Without a single speck of doubt

    Landing on the balcony, I encounter very few people. Everyone from the tutorial is already fighting down there, and the explosions can be heard even at this distance, and I can feel the tremors in the ground, the vibrations shaking clouds of dust from the ceiling.

    Once inside, I meet very few guards, only the bare minimum, along with some people in the uniforms of different workers. Further deep inside, the civilians lie in hiding.

    Pushing through them all, I slowly pass by the rooms, scanning the area.

    Like the exterior, the inside of the Aether Keep feels rough, yet it gives the impression of solidity and safety. There is a cozy feeling inherent in the tons of tough stone blocks surrounding us and the flickering orange light ying across the walls.

    After a few minutes of walking through empty hallways, I pass through the door leading to the mines, and the atmosphere changes. The walls be rougher, the tunnels narrower, the lights brighter and the air isn''t as well ventted either.

    After some time, small crystals seem to start growing from the walls, along with thin veins of mana-conductive metal. All mere chaff, left behind, not worth bothering with inparison to therger deposits deeper in the tunnels.

    Surprisingly, the mines are constructed in the same pre-industrial style we once had on Earth, and probably still do in some ces. To be honest, I expected something different.

    Sure, the walls are rather smooth,pared to those on Earth. The light is sharp and emits no smoke. Even parts of the tunnels were probably constructed much quicker than their counterparts on Earth. There is also no need for wooden supports, it''s all been reinforced with the help of skills. And the venttion works surprisingly well.

    Yet¡­ I don''t know what I expected. Wouldn''t a single high-level individual be able to do this much, almost, on their own? That probably creates its own issues but it also raises more questions.Is mining just a task reserved for low-level workers, leaving higher-level individuals with greater degrees of freedom, or do they spend all their time fighting? But that can''t be it; there has to be money to be made, surely enough to tempt even those with a high-level.

    Maybe they have regtions to prevent materials from being mined too quickly, and flooding the market?

    That is more likely.

    How interesting.

    The more I learn, the more I find out how little I know. An entirely new world is constantly being opened up to me.

    I expand my domain and ce an anchor further ahead to which I teleport, and then repeat this multiple times in quick session.

    In a few seconds, I pass a much greater distance than I did in ten minutes of walking, and I continue until I reach the smaller cave that seems to serve as storage.

    There are massive and, from testing, extremely heavy iron boxes. After cutting them apart, I find them to be full of chunks of the mana-conductive metal arcanadium. Something I have some experience with.

    In its rough state, the metal is darker, and there are imperfections in it, unlike the ingots I found in the bunkers on the 5th floor.

    <em>(You are not going to join? I thought Tess wanted you to be shy?)</em> I hear Sophie say through the connection made by twins.

    Holding a chunk of arcanadium in my hand and examining it, I answer, <em>(You guys have some fun. I¡¯ll do something shy after you all die.)</em>

    <em>(You better not regret it when we kill the serpent and you don''t get any points. Check the leaderboard; you are deadst.)</em> After that, Sophie cancels the connection.

    I do not even bother checking it and send another pulse into the area.

    Locating another stockpile, I move there with a few teleports, and this time open a box containing ethercrystals, a material capable of absorbing mana in its vicinity when properly prepared. A sword I once had on the 4th floor and the ax I found in the 1st event were made of the same material. Both weapons turned absorbed mana into physical enhancements.

    As with the arcanadium before, the ethercrystal here hasn¡¯t been processed, a number of the crystals are milky, cracked, or are simply an inferior product. It also seems to make them less receptive to mana.

    The ground under me shakes, and dust falls from the ceiling, and the roar of the monster reaches me even down here. A loud crack erupts, and I teleport away as the ce I stood ends up buried under a mass of stones.

    I teleport a few more times, finding a cache of mining tools. Clothes, masks, and tools suitable for excavation.

    Once again the ground shakes and the dust starts falling from the ceiling as if it intends to fall on me, but this time I create a barrier and support the walls, stopping the stones from burying me.

    Then I continue to examine the inscriptions on the tools. They¡¯re really simple, yet there is beauty in their simplicity. A great deal of focus seems to have been given to improving their efficiency and reducing mana consumption.

    The protective gear is simr. Some parts of it even have inscriptions to keep you warm when fueled by mana. The inscriptions on the clothes have been woven from threads containing bits of conductive material that I have a hard time identifying.

    Putting it away, I sit on the ground and look at the barrier holding up the stone around me.

    It''s a shame that the shop is locked; I could sell a lot of stuff. It''s also a shame we can''t take items from the events, we¡¯ve known that since the 1st event. But I guess it would be too much if someone took a low arcane item out of an event or tons of materials from the mines.

    I release the barrier and watch as the stones start falling, about to bury me there, and at thest moment, I use the anchor I left outside and teleport to it.

    Appearing at the tower behind thest standing wall, I sit at the top looking down upon the pandemonium.

    The Quake Serpent is now shining a brilliant shade of white, though one eye is still blind. But the monster is moving extremely quickly, belying its size. The lizard rushes towards Lily who avoids its attack, and once in a while, a burst of gray mana pours out from her. She¡¯s still carrying the bag of our limbs on her back.

    Great holes have been rent in the monster¡¯s flesh, eaten away by <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>. Even the monster''s head hasn¡¯te away unscathed, signs of a failed attempt at destroying the brain I would imagine.

    Chunks of metal the size ofrge cars fall from the sky, pulled by an invisible force, striking the monster and dumping an immense amount of kic energy from the sheer speed and weight.

    I locate Min-Jae who seems to be controlling them. His attacks do cause some damage, but not enough. There is also Brainiac who keeps taking potshots at the lizard¡¯s good eye with his invisible projectiles.

    With a horrifying noise, three javelinse flying down, burrowing into the Quake Serpent''s head, immediately followed by red and white lightning crashing from the sky and flowing into the weapons.

    The monster roars again, thrashing around, killing any monsters and people that get too close.

    Even so, there¡¯s not much in the way of damage. The monster still moves, quickly approaching the wall, only to be stopped by a man with a silver barrier surrounding him.

    The earth shakes, and the wall is cracking and about to break apart when the strongest native finally moves. His mana surrounds him like a cape and he draws a sword wrapped in a brilliant light as he enters the fray, confidently facing the monster.

    The monster rears up, towering high in the air, its white scales seeming almost indomitable.

    That''s when purple tentacles explode from the ground, each as big as the monster, crawling over its body, tying it down, surrounding it, the tips piercing into the lizard''s body.

    The monster roars, falling to all fours as the tentacles envelop its face, hooking themselves to its maw and forcing it open.

    There Biscuit floats nearby, a purple ball of mana floating over his form. The orb destabilizes, turning bright white, only to be shot into the monster''s mouth just before the tentacles weaken and disappear.

    Biscuit starts fluttering in the air about to fall down when Min-Jae reaches him and pulls him into his arms, flying away as quickly as he can with his clumsy method.

    As the monster tries to spit out the orb, it explodes from within, its jaw reduced to a bloody mess. Blood drips from the gaping hole, and the moment that blood touches the ground it melts the stone, creating a toxic mist.

    Even that kills multiple people, even a few of those being protected by Gareth''s silver light.

    The native knight attacks next, his sword extending much further as he thrusts the de at the Quake Serpent.

    The ensuing fight goes on for quite a while.

    Natives, and the people of Hell difficultye together to defeat the Quake Serpent. More monsters appear to help, separating the groups and forcing them to deal with weaker monsters as well.

    Isabe unleashes the orbs she¡¯s been charging all this time, the two of them manage to consume one of the Quake Serpent¡¯s legs in its entirety, taking a big chunk of the beast¡¯s torso with it. The sheer heat generated by the skill kills some of the defenders and forces Lily and Gareth to heal a few of the more important fighters.

    The web covering the entire Aether Keep activates finally, strengthening Sophie''s skill and its reach. Thousands of ants turn against each other, tearing their fellow attackers apart, some even start crawling up the giant lizard.

    And then she takes over more ants. And more. Between the web and her cooperation with the Twins, Sophie controls thousands of monsters, forcing them to fight their own forces, defending even against the opposing army¡¯s attempts to wrest them from her control.

    With one final burst, Tess releases a stream of lightning into the giant lizard''s head, and finally, the giant beast stumbles.

    Its body crumbles as its maw continues to move, trying to bite at something, anything, its toxic blood sshing over the ground, the fumes killing indiscriminately.

    The survivors stare, unmoving, not knowing how to react as the massive creature falls.

    There is silence that slowly breaks into a loud shout, the ones remaining celebrating the victory.

    The monsters taken over by Sophie through her and the twins'' web turn to attack again, clearing the remaining forces. Gradually, others join the fight.

    An hour remains.

    Tacita and Savant are nowhere to be seen, and under Tess''s orders, group 4 goes to rest, preparing for what is surely toe.

    Thirty minutes remain. The silence is unnerving, and some natives disperse, celebrating already with their families hidden in the mines.

    Lily refuses to heal, conserving her mana and the bag of limbs on her back. An army of a few hundred ants stays off to the side, under Sophie¡¯s control, and Isabe is once again charging her fireballs. The silence is eerie, the wind quietly blowing over the battlefield.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Twenty minutes remain and nerves are frayed, some of the surviving tutorial attendees quarrel with each other, constantly looking for a danger that they can''t see or feel.

    A few smaller fights erupt, but neither Tess nor Gareth can be bothered to interrupt.

    Everyone is saving their energy and when some of them look towards me with nervous expressions, I return their gaze.

    Fifteen minutes remain and one of the corpses on the battlefield starts twitching. A big spider with a myriad of symbols all over its skin. The corpse moves from inside, skin stretching and limbs bending until the chitin splits, and another form crawls from the dead monster.

    A domain envelops the area and the remaining members of Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulty die nearly instantly, their bodies turning into shiny particles.

    As they die, the monster covered in blood and gore from the spider stretches. A human-like figure with eight eyes. Its skin seemingly reced with a ck carapace and two additional pairs of spider-like legs protrude from its back.

    <strong>[Rotweaver - lvl ???]</strong>

    It¡¯s somewhere between levels 320-340. If I had to guess.

    In that moment, multiple things happen.

    Savant takes over the web, the gentle orange light of his domain surrounding the area and pushing against the monster¡¯s domain while attacking it at the same time.

    After a long while, Tacita also appears. Out of nowhere, she is just there, standing by the Rotweaver''s side, her dagger coated in mana.

    The monster moves, reacting to her but it''s toote. The dagger in Tacita¡¯s hand turns into a blur, and green blood explodes into the air. The severed head and limbs of the monster fall to the ground and silence ensues.

    Tacita disappears again and at the same time another corpse on the opposite side of the battlefield starts moving, twisting, and from its inside, the Rotweaver steps out. Before the monster has even fully emerged, Tacita is already there, a hand turning into a blur and its head flies off.

    The Rotweaver dies and another corpse moves.

    When Tacita reaches it this time, her attack deals no damage, spraying sparks into the air as the dagger skids off the carapace.

    Swiftly changing posture, Tacita stabs instead, her dagger burrowing into the monster''s mouth and she moves her hand, cutting the head open.

    A new corpse twitches. Then another and another. A dozen corpses move.

    The others join in this time, fire raining down, lightning erupting, and a mental attack probing here and there, but to no avail, there are too many corpses and the Rotweaver stands up again and again.

    Its domain expands, as Savant''s shrinks, unable to resist the monster any further. Gareth is forced to surround his team with silver light to fight its influence, and Tacita is gone again, waiting for an opportunity.

    Thousands of corpses left outside start twitching. Natives, monster corpses, all of them get back on their feet. No matter how damaged the monster is. It doesn¡¯t matter how many of their limbs are missing, or if the head is gone, or if half the body¡¯s been destroyed. All of them rise at once, reanimated by the Rotweaver.

    Atst, even the corpse of the Quake Serpent stands up, both of its eyes missing, covered in wounds. The ground shakes under its feet.

    The fight starts anew.

    Sophie fights, trying to maintain control over her ants while Savant decimates the enemy forces with the help of his domain and the web he¡¯s partially absorbed, even with his<strong> [Restriction]</strong>.

    Tess, Lily, and Gareth face the Rotweaver. Tess supports the duo from a distance, Gareth tries to take as much attention off them as he can, and Lily finally sacrifices the limbs in the bag, her speed equalling Tacita''s, and her gray mana obliterates the monster.

    The monster is powerful, but not that powerful. Its strength lies somewhere else. No matter how many times they kill it, it always pops up anew, growing more resistant to their attacks and learning more.

    Others fight the giant lizard and thousands of monsters radiating an energy that seems to make the domain of the Rotweaver even worse the more monsters surround them.

    10 minutes remain when Swordmaster dies along with a few people from the other groups.

    9 minutes remain when Bard and AnotherOneHere die under the assault of the Quake Serpent.

    8 minutes remain when Sophie and Isabe disappear, killed by hundreds of monsters, drained of their energy and their blue mes dying out.

    7 minutes when a few members of Gareth''s group disappear.

    6 minutes when Min-Jae and the twins get overrun after Min-jae deals significant damage to the Quake Serpent.

    5 minutes and Tacita appears again, in quick session killing the Rotweaver five times. Then dying as the monster¡¯s domain focuses on her.

    4 minutes and Savant¡¯s domain disappears and immediately after most of the remaining members die, Savant is one of the first.

    3 minutes and Gareth runs out of mana, his silver light and crown disappearing. Tess disappears too with Biscuit who was trying to help her, dozens of purple tentacles tearing monsters apart and his gentle purple light pushing against the domain.

    Lily, now with one arm remaining, falls to the monster as well, her mana gone and the domain taking its toll on her.

    2 minutes remain as Rotweaver pulls out the heart of the strongest native, the man unable to do anything.

    Rotweaver increases its output, the monster seemingly much stronger than it was when the fight started. Growing stronger as the end of the event closes in.

    Terribly wounded, Quake Serpent moves quickly, a charge collecting in its body and animated corpses of humans and monsters crawling all over the battlefield, a sickly light radiating from them.

    The Rotweaver eats the still beating Mana Heart of the knight it just killed, and its eight eyes turn to me.

    It¡¯s dark outside.

    One minute remains and I stand up, my domain expanding as I take over the remains of the web, using it in the same way as Savant, something I learned from his example.

    My Vortex Core empties, thermal energy flowing into the damaged arcane exe, and the crown over my head starts flooding my body with mana.

    This won¡¯t take long.

    <strong>POV Channeler</strong>

    The fight taking ce on the screen in themon area is hard toprehend. I knew the people from Hell difficulty were strong, but this is too much. Facing monsters stronger than anything I knew could exist, they hold their ground, using skills in a way I can''t imagine.

    I and everyone already outside are once again reminded of the sheer difference between us. It''s not only stats or skill levels. It''s also the way they fight.

    People from Hell difficulty are hungrier, wilder, and more aggressive. From the way they¡¯re fighting, it almost feels like it¡¯s just another day for them. They do not hesitate when that powerful monster attacks, throwing everything against it.

    The silence that fills themon area is eerie, and through the screen, we can even feel a portion of the pressure being generated by the monster. It''s not quite like a monitor, it¡¯s more like a screened window allowing ¡°air¡± to flow through.

    Though the system is limiting it, I feel myself getting sick just from the mana being released by the monster.

    Even being so strong, people from Hell difficulty die one after another, all of them appearing in themon area, their bodies restored, clothes fixed, and mana replenished. None of them seem satisfied like they¡¯re eager to jump back in and face that horror inside.

    So this is why they are where they are.

    When a minute remains, I check the leaderboards.

    <strong>1st (689 pts) - </strong><em>Soph</em>

    <strong>2nd (576 pts) - </strong><em>Savant</em>

    <strong>3rd (553 pts) - </strong><em>Sset</em>

    <strong>4th (551 pts) - </strong><em>Tacita</em>

    <strong>5th (501 pts) - </strong><em>Grumpy</em>

    <strong>6th (490 pts) - </strong><em>Gareth</em>

    <strong>7th (471 pts) - </strong><em>Brainiac</em>

    <strong>8th (469 pts) - </strong><em>TheStrongestOne</em>

    <strong>9th (401 pts) - </strong><em>NotAaron</em>

    <strong>10th (389 pts) - </strong><em>FoodFood</em>

    And there is one name right at the bottom

    <strong>2357th (-99 pts) - </strong><em>Noname</em>

    Thest remaining person inside the second event finally moves, seemingly unaffected by the pressure that caused the others so much trouble.

    Noname is wearing simple, almost casual clothes; he wears no armor, and no visible equipment other than the ax and a weird de on his belt. Standing there, he seems out of ce, careless even. He moves his hand, sweeping the hair from his eyes, and I can see the gold circles appear around his pupils on the screen.

    Even now, he maintains his neutral expression.

    Some people start talking,ining about why he hasn¡¯t helped until now, but an orange light radiates from a single man, the pressure bringing the babbling masses to their knees.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± the man says simply, his eyes glued to the screen.

    Noname, as if he knows we¡¯re all watching, stretches, and for the first time since I¡¯ve met him, a smile overtakes his face. It''s an eager smile, careless, and full of honesty.

    He is happy, and it is terrifying.

    Noname floats into the air in that unnervingly stable flight of his, almost as if the world is moving around him rather than him moving through it. The ax in his hand glows brighter, and I can swear I feel the heat radiating from the system¡¯s window.

    Rotweaver screeches for the first time, the sickly aura it radiates tries to expand again but it can¡¯t, held at bay by something else, something even stronger.

    As he swings the ax, golden mes explode. Like a wave, they pour from the weapon¡¯s de. Small at first, but quickly expanding and crashing into the monster below.

    The stone burns red now; corpses are set aze, burned to ashes nearly immediately. The mes reach the Quake Serpent, setting even this monster aze. They climb up its massive body like a living being.

    <strong>20th (299 pts) - </strong><em>Noname</em>

    Quake Serpent roars soundlessly, a shockwave exploding through the earth as it rushes towards Noname who isn¡¯t even flying all that high, about to take a bite at him.

    Something ck moves around Noname, and inconceivably the monster freezes in ce, its mangled bloody maw wide open around him.

    With calm movement, he lifts the ax and once again the mes explode, flowing right into the monster''s face and mouth, burning it from inside. The mes feel alive as they eat the monster, turning its giant body into a charred husk while it can''t even move.

    <strong>6th (499 pts) - </strong><em>Noname</em>

    The air around him flickers from the sheer heat and the remains of the monster get blown away.

    Rotweaver screeches again, the limbs behind its back weave and glow, a more sickly aura radiating from the monster. The remaining reanimated corpses move as one in their offensive.

    The ax swings again, the rest of the monsters burned by a me that envelops the entire area. At the same time, Nonamends on the ground, all around him his golden mes burning, the ground cracked and turned into magma.

    Wounds cover his body, but they are slowly healing. The mes closest to him get pulled into the ax.

    <strong>1st (798 pts) -</strong><em>Noname</em>

    After a few steps, he stops, a silence so deep the only sound is the breathing of the people in themon area. All gazes are on the screen as that man stops in front of the monster, surrounded by that hellishndscape. It¡¯s dark and only his mes serve to light the area.

    The Rotweaver is burned, the left half of its body missing, three of its eyes are burned out and the aura it had radiated so intensely is just flickering. There are no more corpses to escape to.

    On its own feet, the monster tries to run, but with a speed that rivals Tacita''s, he reaches it. He grabs the back of its neck and burrows the monster''s head into the molten earth.

    The smile on his face grows even wider as the crown over his head loses most of its shine, mana flowing into an orb the size of a basketball. The floating orb changes colors in quick session, from pale blue to dark blue, then gets streaks of light blue and purple all over, and then starts shining bright white with a shimmering of golden light. The sheer amount of mana it contains is hard to imagine.

    ¡°That dumbass,¡± someone whispers, and when I look up I notice it''s Sset. ¡°That fucking dumbass,¡± she repeats.

    As if hearing, Noname blinks, a bit of his usual casual face returning, and he nces towards the Aether Keep just nearby.

    ¡°Oh,¡± his mouth moves as if he just remembered something.

    But it''s toote and the orb explodes, instantly evaporating what remains of the monster.

    <strong>1st (1298 pts) - </strong><em>Noname</em>

    A burst of mes erupts from the center of the ball, in a shockwave sending the remains of the wall and earth into the air. They expand at great speed, destroying everything in their path.

    As they are about to reach the Aether Keep, they freeze. The flickering air immting everything in its way stops, and the heat disappears. The shockwave, nearly visible, flickers in the air.

    All of this held at bay by that single body that produced it all.

    In that moment I realize that it''s only been one year since the tutorial started and that nothing will ever be the same, even if we return to Earth. Our lives have changed, and the Earth will change, all because of him and people like him.

    Noname, looking like he is about to break apart, finally disappears, appearing in themon area. With his clothes, and mana restored.

    The living weapon and winner of the second event without a single speck of doubt.

 Chapter 351: Hey babe, are you a nuke?

    Chapter 351: Hey babe, are you a nuke?

    Holy hell, that felt satisfying, and it was surprisingly easy. Sure, I would have probably died if I had done that outside the bounds of the tournament, but it''s totally fine. Sooner orter, I will get to the point where I can pull off stunts like that with impunity.

    The amount of ck mana I used to keep my body from breaking apart as I channeled all that mana was enough to kill me. However I was able to hold on until the end, and the system ended the event before I crumbled. I don¡¯t think the others even saw that.

    I need some time to think over my actions. The inscriptions and the ck mana strengthening my body helped me channel the force of my mana. I¡¯m surprised how close I am to being able to pull that off even without the ck mana to strengthen my body.

    My Mana Circuit is really pulling its weight. The new eyes are helping and my passives are helping too. So maybe I should strengthen my Mana Circuit again? A few more rounds of active tempering after we leave the tournament? A few more levels in my skills?

    But damn, the<strong> [Mana Crown]</strong> is really good. I Love that thing. Keep doing a good job. I also love the ax, good stuff. It handled all of that mana like a champ, without picking up a single scratch.

    Anyway, it''s time to check my rewards.

    Before opening the notification, I make sure to act strong and slowly walk through the crowd.

    At some point, a group of people from the lower difficulties starts to cheer, ¡°Noname! Noname! Noname!¡± the chant carried by dozens of voices.

    It''s surprisingly disturbing, especially seeing the expressions they are making.Are they not ashamed? Weirdos.

    Well, it''s better than having them shout Tent Creep, so I ce an anchor far away and teleport a few times, reaching our house and taking my favorite spot in the armchair near the window.

    <strong>Congrattions, you havepleted the 2nd event - The Siege of Aether Keep in 1st ce and you have taken 1st ce in terms of points collected - 1298 pts.</strong>

    <strong>No [Restriction] was ced therefore no bonus has been awarded</strong>

    <strong>You may exchange your points for shards. 1 point = 5 shards.</strong>

    <strong>Your reward for taking 1st ce overalles out to 5 thousand shards.</strong>

    <strong>You may choose to receive the full allotment of shards (11,490) and pick one of three rewards or forfeit the shards to increase the quality of your options.</strong>

    It¡¯s here that I hesitate. Eleven thousand shards is a lot and it would be a nice bump to my current total. I don''t think I¡¯m going to get an arcane passive anytime soon, but that amount could help a lot.

    Yet I still have to question how these shards will actually improve my rewards. Maybe it¡¯ll be enough to me an upper tier epic passive? It could be a high grade epic item again, perhaps it¡¯ll be a bit better? I already have a few good passives that fit me, so it would be hard to change them.

    Well, let''s take out the shards this time.

    ¡°I want to receive shards,¡± I state, and the bnce of shards I hold increases.

    <strong>Shards:</strong><em>77,644</em>

    I¡¯m still short but I will get there, and when I do, it will be glorious.

    Now then, let''s check out the rewards.

    <strong>Please pick one of the three following rewards!</strong>

    <em>10 levels, skill upgrade token</em>

    <em>Epic grade passive skill</em>

    <em>Epic grade item</em>

    Well, nothing for my minion, but that¡¯s okay.

    My firstint is that I should be getting these 10 levels anyways; I killed a shitload of enemies, even two of the stronger ones, so why¡¯s the system cheaping out... the fuck am I even thinking, it''s the system we''re talking about here.

    I give the window the bird and check the rewards again. Once again, I¡¯ve been offered an item and a passive. Maybe they are really good? Upper epic grade?

    Whatever, I¡¯ll check them outter if I get another offer after the remaining events, but there is one thing I still want to try.

    ¡°Can I forgo my reward to improve my final rewards for the tournament and thest event?¡±

    <strong>It is possible to forgo rewards to improve any future rewards.</strong>

    And you didn''t tell me that?! This asshole of a system needs a manual. If I had known that before, I wouldn¡¯t... never mind, I would have still taken the summoning token for my minion even if I had known. Haaaa... I''m too old for this crap.

    ¡°I want to save my rewards and improve my final rewards.¡±

    There is no other notification, and the window disappears. Then I check other notifications that flooded my inbox after Ipleted the event.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 38 > Mana Maniption - lvl 39]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 39 > Mana Maniption - lvl 40]</strong>

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 40 > Mana Maniption - lvl 41]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 41 > Mana Maniption - lvl 42]</strong>

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 45 > Redistribution - lvl 46]</strong>

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 46 > Redistribution - lvl 47]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 36 > Mana Domain - lvl 37]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Crown - lvl 17 > Mana Crown - lvl 18]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Crown - lvl 18 > Mana Crown - lvl 19]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Crown - lvl 19 > Mana Crown - lvl 20]</strong>

    Good stuff, I should do stuff like that more often. Damn though, isn¡¯t <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> about to reach the level it was before I used it in that skill fusion? The next time I get a skillbination token, I will have to seriously consider using <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> in the mix. I might be really able to get it back again.

    Screw you, system.

    Done with the rewards, I stretch and start reying the fight in my mind when group 4 rushes into the house.

    ¡°Holy fuck, what are you, a nuke?¡± Maya calls from the door.

    ¡°That''s a weird pickup line,¡± I reply.

    ¡°Hey babe, are you a nuke? Because you''ve blown me away,¡± Dennis says in response to my quip, and the three boysugh together.

    "Are you a volcano? Because you just melted through my heart." Aaron adds to another wave ofughter.

    "Is your name Atomic? Because you just split my heart in two." This time it''s Tess piling on with a cheeky expression.

    That makes the boysugh even more.

    "Do you work at a nuclear facility? Because you¡¯ve just caused a meltdown in my heart." Min-Jae also joins.

    Do they wanna get beaten?

    "Is it hot in here, or is that just the nuclear fusion between us? It¡¯s fusion, right?" a quiet voice joins in.

    ¡°Damn it, Lily.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Damn it, Lily!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Maya! You too, Dennis! I will beat you up!¡±

    <em>(Food! Food!)</em>

    Go and get them, boy! Defend your friend!

    ¡°Okay, okay, this is enough. Let''s stop before we cause pun-tamination.¡±

    Damn it, Tess. Damn it.

    At least Biscuit rushes into the room and floats into myp, looking at me with a curious expression. I return his gaze, and for a moment we look at each other.

    In the end, he just woofs once and lies down so I can pet him.

    Do I look like a viin, sitting in an armchair with my legs crossed and the best doggo of the tournament floor in myp instead of a white cat?

    ¡°Izzy, take a pic!¡± Lily calls.

    ¡°Yes!¡± cries the 11-year-old girl with the smartphone <em>I bough</em>t, as she pulls it out of the dresser she stored it in.

    She then cleans the lenses and takes a pic before I can protest.

    Quickly running to me on her short legs she shows me the photo, ¡°Look!¡±

    I am indeed a viin. But damn, Biscuit is really photogenic. Then I look at my face and freeze.

    What is that expression?

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take pictures of others too!¡± Izzy shouts happily, rushing back into the room to do just that. Some members of our group even pose for group photos.

    The atmosphere is nice, my people are happy with the results of the event, and not the least bit surprised by my actions, unlike the others. But I guess it¡¯s not the first time they¡¯ve seen me do something like that.

    Tess moves in closer to speak, ¡°Good job out there. You made the right decision, waiting until the end. People could see us struggle to fight the monster and the others from Hell could feel how strong it was. While you wiped it out just like that.¡±

    ¡°I will be relying on you to keep the people at bay,¡± I respond simply.

    ¡°No problem. You¡¯re mine too, so I have to prevent any poaching.¡± She smiles, then looks up and calls, ¡°Izzy! Can you take a picture of me and Nat?¡±

    ¡°Coming!¡± Isabe shouts and quickly takes a few more photos of Noodle hanging around Maya¡¯s neck, while Maya pretends to be strangled and Noodle is clearly not impressed.

    Tess plops down on the armrest of my armchair and smiles while Isabe takes a photo of us. That prompts the others to rush in and take a few more photos against my will. There¡¯s one with Lily, and the boys surrounding me. And another of Maya forming a victory sign with her fingers.

    Some of them notice my growing annoyance and that only seems to egg them on as they continue to bully me.

    Biscuit is woofing, and they start talking about rewards, Isabe finally stops taking photos, and Tess and Maya fight over the phone, each wanting to y a song they like from its library.

    Lily starts telling me about her experiments with the remains of the Champion¡¯s heart. She bes instantly interested when I show her a bone from the Champion¡¯s finger I retrieved from the 5th floor. We make ns to try something together before the tournament ends. There¡¯s a lot of testing to be done, after all, we can¡¯t die.

    The twins then proceed to ask about the coordinates to Lissandra¡¯s home world, dore, while telling me about the conversation they had with Sophie during the assault. They offer me a nice cut, so we agree to do that sometime after the tournament and put our time here to better use.

    At this point, I¡¯m beginning to suspect that the people here are taking advantage of my good mood to get their way and my eyes naturally slide to Tess who suspiciously averts her gaze.

    I knew it.

    I will let it pass for today, I¡¯m still in a good mood after the event. Even though I almost obliterated the Aether Keep along with the Rotweaver.

    A small mistake. A tiny one.

    Could have happened to the best of us.

    Against my will, I also learn rumors about a guy from Easy difficulty who¡¯s reached the highest floor of anyone here. The rumors also say he killed the other 199 people from his group.

    At some point, Izzy proudly presents me with a smartphone, and judging by Sophie''s look of shame, I can only guess that she somehow has something to do with this. Probably some form of coercion on the part of her little sister.

    Isabe shows me a video of myself. It looks like she recorded it from the giant screen during the event. In the video, I¡¯m floating in the air, with a golden circle appearing around my pupils and the crown glowing over my head as I lift the ax.

    The video has a number of glitchy effectsyered over it and she even added filters, along with some kind of Phonk music ying in the background, trying to make the video¡¯s contents, and me by extension, look cool.

    Please help.

    Should I destroy the hellish device? We haven''t seen any smartphones on the other floors yet. Not even on the super developed 2nd Floor. So maybe they shouldn''t exist. It only cost me a few rare items, so I could easily do it; it''s a cost I''m willing to pay to put an end to this. It seems like Isabe¡¯s just getting started and who knows what else she¡¯s going to get up to.

    She even happily chirps that she saw someone with aptop while sitting in myp, her objective clear. Even Noodle¡¯s been roped into helping, poor little disgraced guy. Poked and prodded by Izzy, as he slithers closer, the entire time ncing at Biscuit who keeps a close watch on him.

    Noodle acts cute, Isabe acts cute. In an attempt to make me buy theptop for her. She says she could make even better videos for me as if that were something I would want.

    Hell, I am willing to pay if she doesn¡¯t make them anymore.

    With a sigh, I agree to buy it if she promises to be nice to Vega when I summon her here and let me do some small tests on Noodle. She agrees right away.

    Poor Noodle.

    Vega is still only around level 40 while Isabe sits somewhere over 150. But their ages are fairly simr, and I remember the stories Vega told me. It would be nice if she could have fun with Isabe at least for that one day.

    When the snacks start appearing on the table and everyone takes a short break before doing their tournament stuff, I decide to do the same.

    I just move to my quieter corner and stay there while experimenting with my mana.

 Chaper 352 - The rules of the third event

    Chaper 352 - The rules of the third event

    Tess, Sophie, Gareth, his right-hand man Adam, Samuel, and I have gathered in the living room, sitting together in awkward silence, but I''m enjoying it.

    Everyone else is outside doing their own thing and having fun, but I''m stuck here helping Tess. Though I am eager to learn what kind of silly things they have to say.

    Adam, who I remember wanting to have a conversation regarding some of the things that urred at the end of the first event before the start of the 2nd, is looking at me. Even now he wears the same suit, the older man sits ramrod straight. He seems to be somewhere around 60 years of age going by his face, but none of that shows in his movements.

    He moves with as much energy as any young man. That in itself has some interesting implications. How might the system influence someone, let''s say, 100 years old?

    Just throwing a few levels and stats into boosting their constitution would probably go a long way toward improving their life. Even Lily alone is more than capable of making some level of improvement. In the end, even an old man could be brought back from the edge of death and fully rejuvenated.

    Now that I think about it, could Lily heal things like cancer and HIV? What about gic diseases and PTSD? Wait, wouldn''t Sophie be better for mental problems?

    It''s an interesting train of thought.

    Now back to the present, I meet Adam¡¯s gaze. ording to Tess, Adam is one of the richest men in Germany or something like that. Who cares, I bet I have more shards. And it''s not like money will be all that useful when we return to Earth.

    ¡°Sset, I would like to ask you to reconsider once again. I know you don¡¯t like Samuel, but I do not think he is wrong,¡± Gareth says.¡°No, I¡¯ve said it all before, Group 4 isn''t interested in following your stupid rules. I know what Samuel is trying to do and what he¡¯s hoping to aplish with this petty show of authority, it won¡¯t end with the tournament,¡± Tess answers in a calm tone.

    Gareth smiles patiently, ¡°This isn¡¯t about whates after the tournament, this is¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± she cuts him off. ¡°But you need to stop acting like an idiot. And you, Samuel,¡± she turns to him, ¡°you¡¯re too weak to be ordering our group around.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Samuel, don''t do that,¡± I add.

    ¡°Noname, this is serious. We need to establish some kind of order here. It¡¯s calmer now, but we still have problems that need to be solved. We need to have rules in ce when we return to Earth. Even the slightest touch of our mana has the potential to kill a lot of people.¡± I don¡¯t like Samuel''s tone of voice. As if we should follow his orders because that¡¯s all he¡¯s ever known. He¡¯s the kind of person who always has to do things by the book.

    ¡°Why bother? We can leave that for future tournaments and our return to Earth. Some of us, not you Samuel, will be powerful enough to give orders to those from the lower difficulties if you want to keep order.¡± I say.

    Isn''t it simple?

    ¡°But what about Hell difficulty and Beyond?¡± Adam asks for the first time, his calm eyes on me.

    Tess continues instead, ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that as we go. We might not have a Champion before the tutorial ends but we should have a few candidates to set some ground rules. Plus, we¡¯ll learn more from our experiences in the tutorial; that''s what it¡¯s there for, right?¡±

    As the conversation continues, they seem to be taking her more seriously. Tess is only around 20 years old, so even though they¡¯re trying, it''s going to be hard for Gareth, Samuel, and Adam to take the young woman seriously right away.

    Yet, Tess and, by extension, group 4 cannot be ignored. We have three people in Beyond. We have Sophie and her mind-blending. Now that I think about it, Lily¡¯s a Beyonder too but she¡¯s also the strongest healer in our round of the tutorial, and I don''t think that will change. We have Biscuit and Noodle too, and best of all, we have me, hehe.

    Group 4 is scary indeed.

    ¡°See youter,¡± I say, already bored of the conversation, and teleport to the anchor I ced on the roof. There I meet Lily, who holds a twisted chunk of flesh, with a finger bone next to it.

    ¡°Have you gotten bored already?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Samuel was about to start talking about great responsibilitying with great power. Or call me a teleporting atomic bomb or some other ridiculous thing.¡±

    She smiles, ¡°He¡¯s not so bad, just uptight.¡±

    ¡°Obviously, he would be nice to you, you are very important. But you should watch how he treats people from lower difficulties. The man would be happy to dere martialw if he could. But he¡¯s weaker than us so he has to tread carefully when we¡¯re around.¡±

    ¡°The people from Hard difficulty aren''t that weak.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re very weak, Tacita here has already killed Samuel once or twice when he bothered her,¡± I gesture.

    ¡°Tacita here?¡± Lily turns to the side to find Tacita sitting beside her. She almost jumps out of her skin, surprised by the girl who¡¯s clearly been sitting there for who knows how long without being noticed.

    ¡°H-how long¡­¡± Lily whispers.

    ¡°She was there when I got here,¡± I say and wave at Tacita who returns the gesture while looking at the bone and scrap of heart Lily¡¯s been experimenting with.

    ¡°You can''t do that! You have to at least let me know when you are nearby!¡± Lilyins.

    Tacita quickly carves her response into the roof.

    ?????

    Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand her reaction, ¡°Learned anything interesting from the bone? The guy used to be pretty tough.¡± I ask Lily.

    Lily''s eyes shine excitedly as she turns back to me, ¡°Yes! That bone is perfect!" She pauses before asking, "Should I talk in front of her?"

    "It''s toote for that, she knows a lot of things and already knows most of our names from all of her sneaking around. You guys didn''t notice her most of the time."

    Stolen story; please report.

    "Oh..."

    Tacita¡äs hand turns into blur and she carves something else into the roof.

    (£»¨‘_¨‘)

    "It''s fine, just don''t spread it around."

    (£þ^£þ)©g

    I gesture at Lily to continue.

    "I¡¯ve been having some trouble with the heart though, it''s a lot moreplex, even as damaged as it is. But with the heart, I could maybe help you with your Therm¡­ with your heart. Not now, but sometime in the future, when we don¡¯t have to deal with that annoying healing aura from the tournament grounds.¡±

    That sounds really promising, it should be possible to upgrade my heart with Lily''s help, but I don¡¯t really know how much we can influence my mana generation, honestly, it would probably be at least as difficult as using ambient mana. But maybe we could get it topress my mana a bit more. Even now it''s only around 10 to 20%.

    ¡°But the bone is much better,¡± Lily continues. ¡°It¡¯s fairlypatible with my skill so I should be able to make my bones even stronger. And I should be able to do the same for you. It will take some time given your garbage Constitution, I mean I don''t want to hurt you, but we can make it work.¡±

    ¡°There is a question if I want to. I saw some interesting traits that influenced skeletal framework and making them stronger could make it more difficult to use them.¡±

    ¡°We can try to do both, but not here. The healing aura is annoying and heals me before I even make proper changes.¡±

    I start thinking, ¡°Maybe we will be able to make some nice stuff for group 4 together. We can try to give one of my eyes to the others. If it¡¯s too strong, we can dampen the effects and let them ¡®awaken¡¯ gradually. It will probably never be as strong as the original, but a healer on the 5th floor did the same thing for my disciple.¡±

    ¡°That sounds difficult. Oh, I also tried to create a mark to leave on people so that they could heal as needed. The one you told me about. It''s really bad right now, but in a few weeks, I should be able to create stronger ones.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±

    ¡°No problem! You can get rid of your pathetic healing passive and I will give you a lot of marks.¡±

    My healing passive is trying its best!

    While pinching Lily¡¯s nose to punish her, I turn to Tacita, ¡°Do you need something?¡±

    She shakes her head.

    ¡°Just hanging around?¡±

    A nod.

    ¡°Well, I will leave you guys so you can have some fun together,¡± I then ce an anchor and teleport to the workshop where Isabe¡¯s already waiting.

    The little empath stands in the corner over a table, her blue mes melting the metals I gave her and trying to make things from them.

    I head over to my table without disturbing her. It''s time for me to make a few more items.

    In the end, I create five more items over the next few hours, and set the starting price higher at 500 shards each, even though the materials for each item only cost me about 50 shards.

    I set the auction¡¯s duration at an hour and close the window.

    After a bit of waiting, a notification pops up.

    <strong>The 3rd event - Avatar Confrontation will start in 12 hours!</strong>

    <strong>Everyone from Hell difficulty will have the opportunity to create an Avatar, for which they may set a [Restriction]. The Avatars will be ced in separate arenas.</strong>

    <strong>Hard, Normal, and Easy difficulties will then be able to challenge these Avatars. Each difficulty will have to pay a different amount of shards to challenge the Avatar.:</strong>

    <strong>Easy difficulty - 5 shards</strong>

    <strong>Normal difficulty - 10 shards</strong>

    <strong>Hard difficulty - 30 shards</strong>

    <strong>The Avatars won''t have emotions and won''t have any memories beyond those required forbat and managing their abilities. The only goal of the Avatars will be to defeat their challengers.</strong>

    <strong>For defeating the Avatar, the challenger will receive suitable rewards ording to their performance and the strength of their opponent.</strong>

    <strong>Note: There will be no cap on the number of participants in a challenge.</strong>

    <strong>Note: A Hell difficulty attendee can create a single Avatar, with any [Restriction]. The Avatar in question can be challenged three times at most.</strong>

    <strong>Note: If an Avatar defeats the challengers, the creator of the avatar will receive rewards as well as all the shards paid for the right to challenge the Avatar. The system ims 10% of these shards.</strong>

    <strong>Note: The creator of the Avatar can add additional rewards for beating the Avatar to entice more challengers. The additional rewards can be shards or items. The additional rewards will be lost in case the Avatar is defeated and split among the challengers ording to the challengers'' performance.</strong>

    <strong>The Avatars can be ced in 12 hours and it will be possible to challenge them during a 24-hour timeframe.</strong>

    Okay, that''s a lot.

    Opening the notification again, I jump up to take a seat on the table I¡¯ve been working at and read it again. I''m d the Avatar won''t possess any of my memories or emotions. If it did I don''t think I would be willing to set one, not after the 5th floor.

    This is not the kind of event I would have expected but it sounds fun enough. The most important things are, Hell difficulty people will ce Avatars so there can be 31 Avatars at once, with or without <strong>[Restriction]</strong>. Each Avatar can be challenged three times, which means people from other difficulties can join up to 93 fights against someone from Hell difficulty.

    The interesting part is theck of restrictions on group size. This means that over 2 thousand people can challenge a single Avatar at the same time, provided each of them is willing to pay.

    That makes deciding the level of <strong>[Restriction]</strong> a bit more fun. Alone, no one from Easy difficulty would be willing to challenge someone like Tess or Lily, but if they create a big enough group and the girls ce the right<strong> [Restriction]</strong>, they might get some challengers. cing additional rewards could also help.

    However, there is a bit of a problem for me. A very big one.

    Is there going to be anyone dumb enough to challenge my Avatar? Especially after thest event?

    Damn.

    But it''s too soon to give up already. I already have an idea. It''s time to make use of the group 4 psyops unit and the uselessly handsome man. Reaching out, I touch the web covering our house and Sophie responds.

    <em>(What?)</em> she asks.

    <em>(I need you to get the twins and connect with Channeler. Tell him toe here and to bring as many of his friends as he can. Useful ones only.)</em>

    <em>(Will do. But what are you nning? You saw the notification, right? You¡¯re screwed.)</em>

    <em>(Worry not. I just need you guys to help me with a disinformation campaign.)</em>

    This is gonna be fun.

 Chapter 353: I want him dead

    Chapter 353: I want him dead

    The living room was too small, so we decided to meet in the garden. It''s a nice change of pace, seated at a group of tables loaded with snacks, surrounded by a variety of lovely shade trees, and vibrant green grass, with a nice breeze to bring it all together.

    Even Biscuit¡¯s in attendance, floating around and sniffing at the gathered people. Some of them almost seem to be terrified; I guess they saw his performance in the prior events. Now that I think about it, didn''t Biscuit kill a bunch of people from Easy and Normal difficulty during the 1st event?

    As for the people milling about, we¡¯ve managed to gather about twenty men and women from Easy and Normal difficulty. Channeler, Dennis, Aaron, Sophie, and Izzy are also here. Off to the side, there¡¯s Tacita, sitting on a branch high up in a tree, nomming on some kind of snack she¡¯s stolen and observing us down here. I don''t think she¡¯s been noticed by anyone other than Sophie and I.

    I¡¯ve already brought Channeler up to speed on the situation, so he starts, ¡°So, the goal is simple. We need to make Noname look as weak as possible.¡±

    Someone giggles before being silenced by two of her friends

    ¡°Good fucking luck with that,¡± I hear before they cover her mouth.

    Channeler, unbothered, smiles at the gathered people, his handsome face projecting a calming aura.

    As he continues, even I find myself starting to believe his words, ¡°You guys have got it all wrong. During the second event, Noname waited for the others from Hell to weaken the monster so he could steal the rewards.¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s going to believe that!¡± someone shouts.¡°Why not, Eve? We all saw it. Noname used an item, that¡¯s the only reason he was even capable of defeating the monsters. It is a powerful item he stole like a coward on one of the floors, that¡¯s the only reason he¡¯s gotten so far.¡± He looks at Sophie, Izzy, then the twins. ¡°Even his own group has beenining about how much they¡¯ve had to carry him.¡±

    That¡­ that sounds reasonable, doesn''t it?

    ¡°Plus, Noname¡¯s Avatar won¡¯t have the ax,¡± Channeler adds.

    Someone else asks, ¡°What about the first event? He didn¡¯t have that ax then and he almost won!¡±

    The handsome man shakes his head, ¡°Once again, Noname was lucky, he even got his hands on an arcane item that¡¯s why he got so far. It''s insane how lucky this guy is. Even then, he lost against Savant.¡±

    ¡°Didn''t Savant have the arcane glove?¡±

    Channeler looks confused, ¡°Has anyone confirmed that? Savant won¡¯t deny it, he¡¯ll pretend he did because he¡¯s trying to hide his true power until the duels, right? In truthSavant fought with skills alone.¡±

    This time a small group of people starts mumbling among themselves.

    <em>(That guy is good,)</em> Sophie sends.

    <em>(He¡¯s mine,)</em> I return.

    After waiting for everyone to quiet down, Channeler continues, ¡°Obviously, we¡¯re going to lead by example and challenge Noname. Don¡¯t worry about the shards. Noname promised to reward us ordingly. Each of us will get an umon item and we get five rare items. But,¡± Channeler lifts his finger, ¡°The items are from Tent Cre... from Fuckyouintentbitch, and Noname was able to buy them. He might throw in some extra if we do well.¡±

    A few people giggle and Tent Creep gets called out a few times.

    Maybe I should beat them up.

    They do seem more enthusiastic after hearing that though. It looks like the performance of my items has spread.

    Continuing, Channeler exins, ¡°Noname will ce a high<strong> [Restriction]</strong> on his Avatar and ce a few decent rewards. Of course, the first few groups of challengers will probably lose. We need to be in those groups to downy it as much as possible. Then for the third challenge, we¡¯re going to get as many people as possible. I will take time with each of you to go over the things we expect people to say and our excuses.¡±

    Watching everything go down, I almost feel like a viin and I love it, it¡¯s like having my own minion to enact my evil ns. The group asks a number of questions and Channeler answers each with patience and a smile. He even knows all their names and after watching them I''m sure half of the people here are only helping because they¡¯re into him, men and women.

    <em>(Handsome people sure have it easy,)</em> I send through the twins'' link.

    <em>(I wish women would look at me the way they look at him,)</em> Dennis sighs.

    <em>(Maybe we can have Lily use</em><strong><em> [stic Surgery]</em></strong><em> on our faces to make us look better,)</em> Aaron tries.

    <em>(You guys are all dumb, none of you are that bad looking.) </em>Sophie replies as she observes the crowd while testing a few adjustments.

    She seems to make a bit of progress, so I ask, <em>(Well?)</em>

    <em>(I could probably influence people from Easy, without being noticed, normal too if I push it. But it wouldn''t be all that strong, just the tiniest poke towards them deciding to challenge you, nothing more. It would be like a friend giving you advice. People from Hard difficulty would notice that and it wouldn''t affect them. It would cause more trouble than it¡¯s worth.)</em>

    <em>(Fair enough. Let''s not do that then. How about you?)</em> I turn to the twins.

    <em>(No problem, boss!)</em> Aaron sends with a smile. <em>(We¡¯re happy to trash you a lot. We¡¯ll even see if we can¡¯t get Brainiac to help. It''s good you didn''t call Kim, he is terrible at lying as is Lootenant.)</em>

    <em>(It will be easy, but you have to teach us coordinates on the 6th floor in exchange, without taking a too big cut!)</em> Dennis reminds me.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    <em>(As promised,)</em> I agree.

    For a while, I watch Channeler and while some of the things he¡¯s saying kind of annoy me on an irrational level, I appreciate the effort. Not only that, but he¡¯s making Savant look that much stronger, maybe that will keep people from challenging the guy and stop him from earning any rewards, that would be a nice bonus.

    I don''t really think it will help very much. People aren''t that dumb, but it is fun to watch.

    I spend one hour crafting the items to serve as rewards for the people Channeler managed to rope into helping. Yet I still think it will be worth it.

    To avoid connecting my name with Fuckyouintentbitch, I''ve already hinted at buying some. For the rest, I''ll drop a few clues and leave it to their imagination, I¡¯m hoping they''ll think I know the guy.

    After finishing my crafting, I walk through themon area, heading towards WhiteWing.

    Surprisingly, I can already see some people looking at me. Some try to hide theirughter while whispering some private joke to the person next to them. It''s not many, but it¡¯s already spread enough to be noticed, and every once in a while, I see some of Channeler''s helpers going around and talking to people. He really picked some good helpers, they don¡¯t hesitate in the least as they strike up conversations.

    Is this the true power of people from lower difficulties?

    Noone from the higher difficulties is quite that friendly, though we did have to get used to floors where people were ready to stab you in the back at any time.

    As I approach the big house Gareth''s group has been using, I stop to look at it for a while. It has multiple floors, their yard is bigger than ours though they don¡¯t have a workshop.

    Our house and the view it provides are definitely better. Group 4 wins once again.

    ¡°Noname, you¡¯re slow as hell. But I guess that''s why you¡¯re in Hell difficulty,¡± Brainiac says weing me with ame joke.

    I ignore him and proceed to enter the house, and he quickly follows behind, ¡°And what the hell are these rumors I¡¯ve been hearing in themon area? I¡¯ve already had like five people ask if it''s true that you got an arcane item during the 1st event and that I beat you in a duel.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± I ask instead of answering.

    ¡°It sounded fun so I said I beat you three times in a duel and the arcane item was found by someone from Easy difficulty and you still almost died while stealing it,¡± he says with a bright smile.

    Nice, freebor.

    ¡°Ask the twins if you¡¯re interested; they¡¯re in on it and wanted to speak to you anyway. But if you do anything to ruin my n, I will find you.¡±

    ¡°Sure, no problem! Gary and Sset are already waiting, so go upstairs; I¡¯m going to find Dennis or Aaron!¡± Once again, he¡¯s ditched his responsibilities in the pursuit of fun and leaves the house. I can¡¯t hate him for it either; the guy clearly has his priorities straight.

    As I¡¯m walking upstairs, I detect three mana signatures in the room and knock before entering. There in the small room, I find a man tied to a metal chair. With a weaker version of the Null Cor around his neck. It¡¯s not epic, it¡¯s probably rare at best. It clearly won¡¯t allow him to use his mana.

    Even that is enough, this guy¡¯s clearly from Easy difficulty. Though a short examination tells me that he¡¯s probably the strongest person from Easy difficulty I''ve met hell, he¡¯s probably stronger than most of Normal.

    The more I observe him, the more interesting it is. Maybe he¡¯s stronger than some of the weaker people from Hard difficulty?

    The man tied to the chair is around thirty years old. He has a short beard and brown hair and a wild expression in his gray eyes. He is of average height and quite muscr. Meanwhile, Tess sits in a chair nearby, and Gareth stands in the corner of the room.

    ¡°So that''s the guy?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tess nods.

    ¡°So what if I am? You can''t do anything. Once the tournament¡¯s over, I¡¯ll be freed, and you won¡¯t be able to reach me,¡± the man''s voice is calm, despite his wild expression.

    There is something chilling about the way he looks around and speaks.

    ¡°That would be quite a wasted tournament for you,¡± I mention.

    ¡°I can live with it,¡± he responds coldly.

    ¡°What¡¯s the name of your skill?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Noname, you can''t be serious!¡± Gareth says, speaking for the first time, and the usually calm andpassionate man sounds like he¡¯s on the edge. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time or ce for that.¡±

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± I step closer and send mana to the man, forcefully overwhelming him and breaking through his natural barrier. Sending my mana through his body, I examine it and his mana.

    Other than a token attempt at the start, he doesn''t bother trying to defend himself and watches me with eyes that tell me he would stab me if he could. Or something much worse.

    Such an amusing guy.

    ¡°So how many?¡± I ask Gareth.

    Tess answers instead, ¡°It''s hard to say exactly, but we think he killed all 199 members of his group, sometime during the 1st Floor.¡±

    ¡°How did he do that? It couldn¡¯t have been that easy.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure,¡± Tess says, shaking her head. ¡°Maybe he poisoned them. He seems to have the skills for it. We spoke to a few of the people he defeated in the 1st event, and they seemed to confirm that he had some kind of poison smoke and acid that melts through low density mana. Both of them cause a lot of pain as well.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he just poisoned their water or something and killed them slowly,¡± I ponder as I examine his body.

    Other than being surprisingly high-level, it seems normal. I''m not an expert, but there is nothing remarkable. The guy just seems to be some kind of sociopathic mass murderer. Maybe he wanted to level up or take their equipment. Or maybe he¡¯s just a murderer and a twisted person who found himself in a ce without any rules.

    I stop using my mana and look at him. The entire time, and now even more so, he watches me with those eyes of his. I''ve met plenty of psychos but this one seems to be a special case.

    ¡°Any idea what floor he¡¯s on?¡± I ask.

    ¡°If he went no <strong>[Restriction]</strong>, then he¡¯s made it to the 11th floor, that''s what a few guys saw,¡± Gareth joins.

    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t that the highest floor out of anyone here?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes, and before you ask, yes, we¡¯ve tried to get info out of him, but he refuses to cooperate and the system censors everything else as always,¡± Tess leans back on her chair.

    Such an interesting situation. So, how do you deal with a murderer like that? Do you even want to? He can''t be killed during the tournament. Sure, he can be fake killed, even tortured, but after a few more days, he will be back to doing whatever he wants.

    Even if he goes back to the Floors, anything he does will be limited to fakes created by the system their not actual people. The question is if Gareth and Tess want to punish the guy for what he has done. More interestingly, do they even have the right to decide that?

    Curious about what they¡¯ll do, I turn to them.

    Gareth is silent and indecisive, unwilling to show his darker side, which I''m certain he has. There is no way the guy looking like a hero, with shiny armor, healing skills, and speeches about protecting others isn¡¯t evil.

    Tess, on the other hand, returns my gaze easily, her eyes unwavering as she deres simply, ¡°I want him dead.¡±

    That''s why I like her.

 Chapter 354: Expectations and consequences

    Chapter 354: Expectations and consequences

    "Are you sure?" I ask Tess, my curiosity growing. I want to see how she responds.

    "Yes," she says simply.

    "Do you have the right to decide that?" I ask though I don''t care what happens to the guy. I want to know what the young blonde in front of me is thinking.

    "Who cares if I have the right?"

    Ok, that¡¯s a good answer.

    So I ask again, pushing her, "I killed a real human, I threw that guy on the 1st floor to the Cinderbear."

    "Yes, you did."

    "Soph and Hadwin also killed the guy who wanted to kill Soph after his friend died."

    "Yes, they did.""And Izzy probably burned a group of people from Hard difficulty who entered Hell difficulty back on the third floor. Are you going to punish all of us as well?"

    "I will not." A simple answer.

    "That''s hypocritical."

    "Yes, it is."

    "So you want others to follow your rules while acting as judge, jury, and executioner without following the rules yourself?" I continue to push.

    "It''s not about rules I want them to follow. As I told you before, I will be leading this round of the tutorial. I will take over so our group will be safe when we return in four years. Yes, it''s still far off but it will be better to start right away."

    Gareth is just listening and the murderer tied to the chair is forgotten. Only when the bound man tries to say something do I hold his mouth shut with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>.

    "No one will want to follow a woman who sets rules she won''t follow herself," I note.

    "They will have to," another simple answer I like.

    "So this man is an example?"

    "Yes, we will make an example of him. A lot of them think they can do anything they want during the tournament because they can''t die. A lot of them also know about this murderer, rumors have been spreading for a long time and he even bragged in Community."

    "Sounds good," I can¡¯t help but be fascinated by this version of Tess. And yet that can''t be all there is to it.

    Her subss is Chastity and now here she is, greedily trying to pull everyone under her control. Gareth, other difficulties, and even the people from Hell. All in the name of protecting her friends and maintaining the camaraderie she¡¯s always wanted. It feels greedy but pure at the same time. Such a twistedbination.

    So I don''t mind helping, "I could forcefully inscribe a construct inside of his body. The kind that would trigger gradually a few days after he leaves the tournament. I could make one that constantly disrupts his mana or one that will make his heart explode. Something impossible for someone of his level to deal with. With a bit of help from Grumpy or Soph and some testing to learn what the system will allow, I should be able to do it fairly easily."

    "We can''t do that," Gareth finally joins in. "I know where you¡¯reing from, Sset, but this, this is too much. You won''t fix anything if you be a murderer as well."

    "I¡¯ve told you before Gareth, but you¡¯re too soft. We saw it all over the previous floors, there was always someone strong keeping the others in check. The second floor had the Champions. The third floor had a king. On the fourth floor, the lynthari kept the order and no one dared to step too far out of line. Even what we learned about the fifth, the Absolute, the Champions, and their powerful guilds," she gestures around.

    "I know where you areing from. But there has to be another way."

    "Probably? Maybe we¡¯ll find a utopia on one of the higher floors. But Gareth, Soph, and I looked into his mind, albeit briefly. I felt shes of his emotions when he killed people. This man is nothing more than a rabid dog to be put down."

    She takes a step towards the bound man and looks down at him, her voice turning darker, "We¡¯ve all done things we¡¯re not proud of and I''m sure we will continue to do so. And probably worse. We will kill natives, we¡¯ll even kill people from Earth. Hell, some of us might end up like this man. But right now I want him dead because of the things I saw in his memories. Later I will learn more about the way I want to walk. Then I might regret it, or maybe not."

    Instead of talking to Tess, Gareth turns to me, switching his strategy, "And how about you? Have you epted the idea of killing him so easily?"

    "I have," I affirm.

    "Would you kill so easily no matter who asked?"

    "I only agreed because Sset is the one asking," I rify. "I trust her," I say, focusing on Gareth, and returning his gaze.

    The man seems to be distraught. But he doesn''t feel weak or indecisive. It''s like he¡¯s honestly trying to find a better way.

    Gareth takes a step closer to me, his voice more urgent, "What if she¡¯s lying? You only have her word, and it''s a big decision. You should think this over. What if she¡¯s using you or intends to in the future? Perhaps she¡¯s twisting the truth to make you do what she wants."

    "I''m not entirely sure, but I think I might kill her."

    That shocks Gareth into stunned silence. He keeps looking back and forth between Tess and I.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    When I look at the blonde, she is smiling at me, gentle and understanding.

    "How can you say that so easily, isn''t she your friend?"

    "It¡¯s not easy," I tell Gareth. "Isn¡¯t a betrayal of that magnitude a good enough reason on its own?"

    "Even though she¡¯s your friend?" Gareth asks, refusing to let go.

    With a sigh, I continue, "Wouldn''t that just make it that much worse? I do things she asks of me without questioning her. I gave her my trust and she knows it and can make use of me. But thates with expectations from my side and consequences should she betray them."

    Stepping closer to the bound man, I collect my mana and touch his head, sending it through his natural barrier. I break through easily and ce an anchor directly on him, infusing it with enough mana tost for days. It might disappear if he enters the event, but I¡¯ve remembered his mana signature so I should be able to find him quite easily.

    Turning to Tess, I reach to the anchor I ced in themon area, "I will return home and wille up with somethingter."

    "See youter," Tess says.

    "Sure," I activate the anchor and disappear, appearing in the middle of a crowd.

    My sudden appearance makes some people jump, while I continue towards the house where I felt Min-Jae''s signature. Walking for a minute I reach the patch of trees and start cycling mana to hide my presence. Min-Jae has be better at detecting peopletely.

    Silently I enter a small patch of trees and when I hear his voice I slow down, carefully stopping as the view opens up. There I can see him. Min-Jae is around 16 years old I think and at the moment he¡¯s facing down a few men from Hard difficulty. Three to be exact.

    Lootenant is with him or Jakub if I want to use the name Gareth doxxed.

    The Korean boy seems to be excited about something, though Lootenant looks like he doesn''t want to be there.

    "We told you you¡¯re wrong," one of the men from Hard difficulty group tells Min-Jae threateningly. "We cursed at that lightning bit... woman, but so does everyone else. So what do you want."

    "I don''t like that you call her that. She is my friend," Min-Jae doesn''t seem to be impressed at all and faces the three men easily.

    I''m sure he wouldn''t be able to do this without the powers he now possesses. Thanks to them even a thin boy can face three adult men.

    They seem to realize it as well. They aren''t exactly weak, but people from Hell difficulty are just different so they hesitate.

    "Look," their leader says in the end, "I got it. I''m sorry, okay? I understand that she is your friend so I apologize." The man is surprisingly reasonable.

    Min-Jae, on the other side, seems to be disappointed. I can see how he watches them. The stance he takes is something that reminds me of mine and I could swear the expression too. He is even releasing a bit of his mana.

    I can see a thrill in his eyes as three much older and bigger men apologize to him, but immediately I can tell it won''t be enough. I''ve known people who acted the way Min-Jae is now.

    "That''s not enough," Min-Jae calls to them as they turn to leave.

    His skill activates and his gravity field surrounds the men, slowing them down as they fight to keep standing.

    "Enough Kim, we don''t¡­" Lootenant tries to stop him, but Min-Jae shakes him off.

    Taking a few steps towards the men he says, "I don''t think you were honest enough. As you said, she¡¯s my friend." Even as he is saying so, I can see a tenuous smile on his face.

    That smile and the way he pushes away their efforts to escape his gravity field tell me enough. I don''t even have to watch as he uses the excuse of defending his friend to put these men under his boot. Especially now that he is also angry because they insulted Tess and probably called her even worse names. I already know the reputation she has.

    As Tess said before, Min-Jae is young and because of his past, it''s no surprise he turned out this way after getting all these powers.

    Having seen all I wanted to see, I use an anchor I left in themon area to teleport away. There, I start walking around and checking for some things I could buy. Maybe some interesting stone that would prove to be a damaged arcane item, a ring with the personality imprint of someone powerful, or a talking sword.

    Bored and wanting to take my mind off my useless ponderings, I gesture for a young boy who¡¯s watching me from a porch nearby toe closer.

    "Do you want something?" I ask. The boy was following me for a good minute.

    "Are you Noname?" he asks.

    The boy sounds even younger than Isabe, and he feels much weaker. Easy difficulty probably.

    "Yes," I say.

    "The Cheater Noname?" he asks curiously.

    Damn, some people just reallyck survival instinct.

    "Why do you think I¡¯m a cheater?" I ask just in case, knowing it''s most likely the result of Channeler''s efforts.

    "I heard your group got an arcane item and you stabbed them in the back to take it for yourself. And even then you lost to Savant who was tired because he already defeated like 20 people from Hell difficulty."

    Oh. My. God. I love you, Channeler my dude.

    The boy doesn''t let my silence stop him, "During the second event too! You have some leech skill you used to steal mana from other people. Mom said it would be impossible to have so much mana otherwise! You also stole mana from the mines and the natives. All while you waited for the others to weaken the monsters and because you were scared!"

    "Be careful," I add with some urgency in my voice. "I don''t want people to know about my cowardly <strong>[Mana Steal]</strong> skill," I say, stealthily handing him some candy I traded for amon item.

    "I knew it! A nicedy was telling my father about it and I overheard! Is it true that you also have an item higher than arcane, but to use it you have to sacrifice 10 years of your life?"

    This is getting ridiculous.

    The boy doesn''t stop, "And you are such an asshole that you are sacrificing the life of your group instead!"

    There I pause him, "Kid, wanna learn something funny?"

    The weird kid nods and steps closer.

    How the hell can you talk about me in such a way and then just listen?

    I lower my voice to add more dignity, "There is one word I heard the most powerful Absolute I¡¯ve ever met say. That word bought her the respect of her enemies and the love of her friends."

    His eyes expand, "There is such a word?"

    "Yes," I gesture for him toe closer and whisper. "Don''t tell anyone. You promise?" I hand him another candy.

    "I promise! My dad said to never break a promise!"

    I nod and look around, like I¡¯m making sure no one¡¯s listening, "That word was ''nya.'' She added it to the end of every second or third sentence she said, gaining the respect of everyone who heard it."

    Then, unable to resist, I flick his nose and teleport away.

    Silly kids.

 Chapter 355: Miwa

    Chapter 355: Miwa

    I teleport back after the auction ends, I check the result and receive just over three thousand shards for the five items. The tournament shop has already covered our rent for the house and workshop, and a few days still remain.

    It''s not as good as looting the Veil Ignition Station, but it''s good enough that I should be able to make a few thousand extra shards before the tournament ends.

    As I check the crafter ranking, I''m still first, with the second person being someone called Miwa and even Adam is there. For a moment, I consider buying their things to examine them but then decide not to. Looking at my results and 1st ce, it''s obvious I''m doing better. So, there probably wouldn''t be all that much I could learn from them. I still might do it before the tournament ends.

    Sensing a few signatures on the roof, I boost myself into the air andnd on top of it. Lily and Tacita are still in the same spot, and Maya and Sophie seem to have joined them. The women observe Tacita while talking to Lily.

    Maya is closer to the mute girl. Maybe too close. Unlike me, she doesn''t seem to notice the tension in Tacita''s body every time someone moves too quickly, gets close, or speaks too loudly. It''s obvious to me after dealing with her for a bit, but Tacita seems to be about as twisted as the rest of us.

    Maya, being as straightforward as she is, smiles and holds out her hand by way of introduction.

    When Tacita ignores her, Maya makes a bit of a mistake. She presses closer and reaches out to her with a kind word.

    In a sh, her hand is severed, and Maya staggers back, a dagger sprouting from her neck. She coughs, blood spraying from her mouth and soiling her clothes.

    Maya doesn''t panic and her face takes on the deep calm of the skill we share. Before Lily or Sophie can move, Maya puts a hand on the wound after pulling the dagger free, blood seeping between her fingers. A de made of mana extends from the stump of her severed hand. Even bleeding, her expression turns dangerous.Lily lets go of everything and moves at a speed rivaling Tacita''s, reaching Maya and putting a hand on her to heal her quicker. She heals her even before the tournament healing aura activates, the wound closing within a blink.

    Then the three of them stand there, skills at the ready tounch an attack on Tacita.

    On the other side, the mute girl is calm, her slim body rxed, arms hanging along her body, and fingers slightly bent. Her feet are ced just so, priming her for a sudden burst of speed.

    Not to escape, but to attack. Even facing three powerful members of Hell difficulty, Tacita doesn''t hesitate.

    It might be sociopathic, but I want them to fight. I bet Sophie and Maya would go down, almost without a struggle, and only Lily could defend herself. However, the knowledge of our immortality in this space takes the sting from such thoughts.

    But I don''t forget to warn them, ¡°If you damage the house, I will expect an item equal to the damage caused.¡±

    Tacita lifts her hands and gestures at the trio opposite her after meeting my eyes.

    ¡°You too, I don¡¯t go around destroying your stuff, so I would expect you to extend the same courtesy.¡±

    That causes her to dete a bit, and her stance bes more rxed.

    "You saw what she did to Maya," Lily says through clenched teeth. Maya, unlike her, maintains a mask of calm, her eyes on Tacita.

    Have they forgotten who this girl is? She¡¯s been solo climbing the floors, the same as Savant. She has time and again proved herself to be an extremely dangerous individual and she¡¯s unstable to boot. Maybe the way she acted made them forget? Tacita''s behavior tends towards the yful, most of the time, not to mention the silly emoticons she uses instead of speech.

    It''s amusing, to be honest. How little it takes for people to let their guard down. Just a few smiles, a bit of childish behavior, and an innocent face.

    Unlike them, I strengthen my body every time I see even a shadow of Tacita and keep a barrier under my skin, ready to activate. Not even once have I forgotten to do so.

    I also know that Tacita has taken notice; she knows that I''m ready to fight her anytime. But being twisted as she is, she doesn''t mind myck of trust. No, it almost seems like she prefers it, she¡¯s actually morefortable when I try to keep her at arm''s length.

    Tacita looks down on those who¡¯ve growncent. But I guess that''s the inevitable result of her climbing the floors alone and being on constant guard.

    So I just tell Maya, "Dennis told me you know about someone who can make pizza."

    While keeping her eyes on Tacita, Maya says in a calm tone, "Yes, I¡¯ve already spoken with her already and can arrange a meeting."

    "Sounds good. Can we go?"

    Maya nces at me and then at the mute girl. Her expression slowly returns to normal, and she examines her bloody clothes. Her expression clearly shows that she realized she made a mistake and that she¡¯s really dissatisfied with the result.

    Cursing, Maya says, "Yes, just let me change clothes." She then jumps off the roof and enters the house.

    For a while, I sit there observing the standoff between Sophie, Lily, and Tacita, but in the end, it looks like there will be no fight.

    "Boring," I mutter and jump off the roof, and take a seat on one of the benches outside, waiting for Maya.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Maya and I enter themon area and only then does she turn to me, "I fucked up."

    "A bit," I nod. "Do you know where?"

    "I thought of her as harmless and allowed myself to get lulled into a false sense of security by the safety of the tournament."

    "I agree, you have<strong> [Focus]</strong> too so you should keep it running in the background constantly. Use it to keep your strengthening just a blink from activating or to monitor your surroundings. Whatever you like."

    We pass through the za as she leads us through the crowds.

    After a while, she asks, "Would she still act this way outside the tournament? If there was no field preventing us from dying?"

    "Yup," I say.

    I know that without a speck of doubt. Tacita¡¯s actions would be the same even out of the bounds of the tournament. Whether it be a native or a real person. It doesn''t matter. That''s how she is.

    My answer seems to strike the usually straightforward and talkative Maya silent, as she retreats deep into her thoughts.

    I, on the other hand, try to look as weak as possible. There are even a few people trying to probe my mana, in an attempt to scan me with their skills. Even Maya notices them, but I act as if I haven¡¯t and merely reduce the amount of mana leaking from my body.

    All in an effort to help the disinformation campaign.

    It¡¯s in this fashion that we reach a smaller house, carved deep into a nice grassy hill, covered with colorful flowers. Outside of that house is a small workshop, issuing the constant ringing of a hammer striking iron, along with a lot of heat.

    "Let''s wait outside, apparently she¡¯s sensitive about being interrupted," Maya says.

    Though it leaves me curious, I plop down on a stone nearby and Maya does the same, and we wait.

    I do not send my mana sense toward the cksmith Miwa¡¯s workshop. She is the second ranked crafter in the tournament shop and it looks like she may be the person I need to help me make pizza for my minion.

    It takes about an hour and in that hour, I die four times. All caused by ck mana turning my brain to mush as I experiment with it. It''s mostly part of my experiments with <strong>[Focus]</strong>, It¡¯s either<strong></strong>that or directly infusions into my brain. All the while I keep a field around me to stop mana from seeping into the area and keeping as much as I can inside of my body.

    At this point, I start thinking that before the event ends I will have to be a bit more careful and stop relying on passive healing of the tournament. It would be unfortunate if I tried something like this outside.

    Anyway, I''m learning a lot and the control I¡¯ve refined with the help of my Duplicate improves even further. Now even more so than before, I realize how much time experimenting with him saved me. Months, half a year, maybe even a year that I would¡¯ve needed to practice on my own, slowly to avoid blowing my head off.

    Maya also trains as she sits next to me, a focused expression on her face while she moves mana through her body.

    Another hour passes before a woman in her forties finally exits the workshop. She has a youthful face and seems to be Asian, Japanese if I had to guess. The heat seems to radiate from her skin while she wipes the sweat from her brow and nces at us, then taking a few steps she greets us with a nod.

    A few secondster she coughs and tells me, ¡°Hey, my eyes are up here.¡±

    Maya seems to be shocked for some reason and pokes me.

    I lift my eyes from her right arm, which is made entirely of metal. It¡¯s clearly some sort of heavily articted prosthetic, covered in delicate inscriptions. Looking up at her I ask, ¡°You didn''t make it, where did you get it?¡±.

    The metal itself is an alloy I do not recognize. Possessed of a silvery color with a pinkish luster.

    The arm is beautiful and I''m unable to take my eyes off it.

    She looks at me, ¡°I''m Miwa, I would like to hear your names first.¡±

    ¡°Noname.¡±

    ¡°Knight, nice to meet you, Miwa.¡±

    Miwa nods, ¡°Thanks, even if they are aliases. Now then, I thought you wanted help with pizza, offering an epic item in exchange?¡±

    ¡°I have a healer in my group. She can restore your flesh and blood arm. I will add two epic items in exchange for your metal arm,¡± I offer.

    ¡°I apologize, but no.¡±

    ¡°Five epic items and my healer will make your new arm stronger than the original should be.¡±

    ¡°I already said no,¡± Miwa repeats decisively.

    Should I try to steal itter? I mean, she¡¯s only in Hard difficulty, it should be easy enough. It might be worth the hell Tess would raise or Gareth''sining. I¡¯ve seen a few prostheses, but this arm is something else, there¡¯s only one floor where she could have gotten it.

    ¡°You got the arm on the second floor, right?¡±

    Seeing no reason to lie, Miwa nods, ¡°I got it from a man called Keiron.¡± She lifts her arm, it moves perfectly, fingers reacting immediately and nimbly as their natural counterparts. Even the metal seems to bend slightly at the required ces.

    The arm is a masterpiece and more so given by Champion Keiron. Maybe he was nerfed on Hard difficulty or not, no matter what it''s not something to ignore. More so him being a descendant of Lissandra.

    I want to offer another trade, but Maya pokes me before I can and when I look at Miwa I do realize that if I ask again she will send us away. Even now, this polite reception is little more than an act.

    I will think of somethingter.

    ¡°Yes, we came here because of pizza. Apparently, you can make one.¡±

    Miwa gestures to us to follow her and heads towards the house, ¡°I like to cook so when we reached themon area I traded with other people and got a lot of ingredients. With what I have, I should be able to make pizza as well.¡±

    We enter the hallways at which point she takes off her shoes and puts them to the side. We follow her example and wait for her to invite us in.

    She leads us to a small, but lovely kitchen, and the woman, still in her work clothes, starts preparing tea, her metal arm as if not more nimble than a normal one. Me and Maya both sit there awkwardly. Even Miwa seems to be somewhat cold because of my offers.

    Well, I think I know what will make her more friendly.

    ¡°I can give you an item for the pizza, but what do you think about this instead?¡± I put a few pieces of metal on the table.

    Turning back to us, Miwa sighs, ¡°Please, do not try to change¡­¡± she cuts off. Miwa quickly puts the kettle away and takes a quick step towards the table from which she grabs a small piece of metal.

    It''s voidsteel, not a de, just a few pieces of the metal I found in Veil Ignition Station.

    As expected, the woman seems to be even more interested now. Voidsteel is extremely expensive in the system shop and is mostly sold in ingots for one or two thousand shards. Then there is the problem that they are difficult to work with, especially for us from Earth with only a year of experience. So the pieces I gave her should be even more enticing given the way they should allow her more freedom to experiment.

    Then I decide to push more, ¡°I also have a damaged arcane grade item.¡± I lower my voice, trying to make my offer sound as enticing as possible. ¡°I will let you look at it if you let me look at your arm.¡±

 Chapter 356: Just give me the goddamn robotic arm

    Chapter 356: Just give me the goddamn robotic arm

    After being told to fuck off, we leave the ce. It''s the nicest way anyone¡¯s ever told me to fuck off, and I don¡¯t realize what''s happening until we¡¯re already outside, and she throws our shoes out behind us.

    HOW! How is she not enamored by the chance to examine an arcane weapon? Just show me the goddamn robotic arm!

    "Maya, I''m annoyed," Iin to the woman next to me.

    "You should run <strong>[Focus]</strong> in the back of your mind to¡­" Maya swiftly dodges my mana projectile and deflects another by creating a barrier over the back of her hand.

    She smiles yfully, "Just let it be before you make it worse. We can ask Tess or Channeler to talk to Miwa and at least get you your pizza."

    "But the arm¡­"

    "Oh,e on! What''s even so fascinating about it?"

    "It was made by Champion Keiron, the dude with <strong>[Avatar]</strong> skill and the descendant of Cockroachsandra. That alone makes it interesting."

    Her eyes burn on my skin as she asks, "Please tell me you are not nning on stealing that arm.""Borrowing. I can give her both of my arms if she wants. They¡¯re good arms."

    She snorts, "Only Lily has any use for your arms, please act like a normal human. You shouldn¡¯t be soidback about losing an arm. I mean, what are you, a lizard or something? Having Lily on hand is making you even worse."

    Grabbing my hand, she pulls me away from the house, "You have that arcane alloy you keep babying. Maybe she would like to examine that more, she seems like a cksmith."

    She lets go of my hand and I shake my head resolutely, "She would want a piece of it. I know that. I''m not willing, not even if she offers to give me the arm."

    "Is it that good?" Maya wonders.

    "Yes. It was made by someone who worked with the Champions on the 5th floor and was rewarded for it by their Absolute. His life¡¯s work."

    "But it''s only arcane." She pauses, giggling. "Only arcane," she repeats. "You already have a damaged arcane ax."

    "That''s not how it works," I offer my hand to Maya and she puts hers onto it. Then I teleport both of us, appearing near our house, and I continue, "It''s arcane even in its raw form. If you have, let''s say, upper rare materials like metals or stones you can, with a lot of work, create low or maybe even mid epic items."

    She pauses me there, "But I saw arcanadium, endurium, and some other metals and that¡¯s not including the rare crystals she had, some of them were even epics.."

    "Yes, that''s the difference in the purity of the material. I don''t know that much about it, but these metals are rarely found in their pure state, so they usually need to be purified. Nevan told me about a method he had to categorize the different grades of ore, but I ignored it back then."

    "So that arcane alloy can be turned into a mid or upper arcane item?"

    "Probably? There is a low chance that I may even be able to make something better than arcane, but probably not. Even Champions tended to carry arcane weapons and items. If the system hasn¡¯t been reducing the grade of these items, then it means that mid and upper arcane are usually what the new and weaker Champions would have."

    "And the system¡¯s already been putting low tier arcane items in the tournament?" she asks unbelievingly.

    "If I''m right, there is a huge difference between grades within arcane." It makes a lot of sense, in my opinion. As the rarities will grow, the difference between low, mid, and upper will only increase.

    Maya smiles out of nowhere, "When you have the funds, buy me some arcane armor or something. I¡¯ll be your personal minion if you do. We <strong>[Focus]</strong> holders have to stick together, right?" she pokes my side.

    In retaliation for her shameless deration, I ask, "So what level is your <strong>[Focus]</strong>?"

    That silences her for a moment, and she sighs, "That skill is scary to level. Anyone who makes it to the higher levels can''t be normal," she says, repeating her favored excuse.

    "But I turned out just fine," I say, in defense of my favorite skill, and myself by extension.

    She doesn''t answer, so I turn to her.

    Huh? Why is she looking at me like that?

    A few more hours remain until the start of the third event when I notice Biscuit returning from outside. It seems like he¡¯s been doing thattely, going out alone to do Biscuit stuff somewhere in themon area.

    At this point, I¡¯m more worried about the people than the little corgi, but so far there have been noints, so we let him do whatever he wants.

    Most of the group are outside, around a campfire they¡¯ve set up. A few trees have been felled as a sacrifice, so we probably aren''t good renters, but screw the system.

    They¡¯re roasting the marshmallows I bought along with some other things, like meat from some of the higher-level animals they fought on the 5th floor. Even Brainiac and Lootenant are here, leeching off us once again. They seem to have really hit it off with our boys and can often be found hanging around. The atmosphere seems to be cheery and very noisy. Ew.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition.

    It¡¯s at this point that Biscuit floats in through the second story window.

    Activating my eyes and crown, I observe him, wondering what he¡¯s been up to. I do have to be careful to avoid his detection; he¡¯s getting better at it. Biscuit moves from room to room and for a while, he even stops next to Noodle; I can sense their signatures close to each other.

    The future Danger Noodle is sleeping there on the couch and Biscuit floats over him. He does something and then leaves the snake alone, entering my room before leaving after a moment.

    He floats at his terribly slow speed out of the window to rejoin the others while shouting something about sustenance. I''m just happy he got bored of shouting ¡°bitch,¡± I was worried it was going to be his new favorite word.

    cing an anchor, I teleport into my room and look around the ce where Biscuit stopped. The sounds of people sitting around the firece are muffled and fade into the background, and there on top of the nightstand, I find a small piece of dried meat. It is clumsily wrapped in wrapping from the candies we¡¯ve eaten. Biscuit must have seen how much we liked eating the cheap candy after a year in the tutorial, so he thought the jerky would taste better for us if he wrapped it.

    Did he also carefully collect all the wrappers?

    In quick session, and ignoring the privacy of Min-Jae and the twins I check their rooms. In each, I find the same. A small piece of dried meat clumsily wrapped in pink wrapping.

    For a moment, I imagine the little corgi using his mana tentacles to do that.

    Teleporting to the living room with Noodle, I find him in his usual spot on the couch. And sitting there, In front of the little snake, is another wrapped hunk of meat and there is a nket awkwardly thrown over his body unlike when he first went to sleep.

    Noodle isn''t sleeping anymore, and when I enter the living room, he looks at me and then at the candy wrapping and the nket.

    These two cute animals often sh, fighting for dominance. So the awkward form of affection on the part of the silly dog seems to surprise the white snake.

    Noodle looks at me again with his green eyes, as if trying to understand the meaning of all of this. Why would the corgi do that?

    "Figure it out on your own," I tell him before leaving the house.

    Instead of teleporting, I walk over to the campfire where the others have gathered. The fake stars are in the sky and the night air is refreshing and warm entuated by the crackling of the fire.

    I pass by Brainiac, who is once again hitting on the girls, and bend down to pick up Biscuit.

    <em>(Asshole!) </em>the corgi shouts, surprised by my actions, moving his paws and twisting his body in an attempt to escape.

    Holding him under his front legs, I straighten up my arms, Biscuit''s hind legs hanging and swinging slightly, the corgi turned towards me.

    <em>(Asshole!) </em>he repeats in my head.

    As a reward, I shake him slightly, but the doggo seems to be enjoying that.

    I lean closer and touch his cold nose to mine, much to the corgi''s surprise. But he quickly gets out of it and licks me while repeatedly shouting his first and favorite word.

    <em>(Food food food!)</em>

    <em></em>

    Only an hour remains until we get the notification for the third event. It''s still night, yet from the hill where our house is, we can see thousands of lights shining in themon area. People moving around, lights of the houses, campfires set.

    Nobody here is a normal human anymore, and that applies even to the weakest among us. Even a few levels are enough to put the average person on a footing with those who¡¯ve trained their whole lives.

    We are stronger, we can move faster, and our stats make us more resilient. It''s easier to go without sleep for some time, and after the body upgrade, a lot of us require less food, water, and rest.

    Even with that, only a few things would change if we returned to Earth. But it doesn''t end with this.

    Some peopleck the proper scope. They see people from Hell as tactical weapons of mass destruction. Weapons to be used as deterrents by their respective countries. But that''s straight up silly.

    We¡¯re in the process of the Pairing, we will be forced to fight a whole other and face its natives, who are likely to be much more experienced than us and have had more time to build their forces.

    We¡¯ve just been introduced to the system, everyone in the tutorial is our First Generation. People who went through the tutorial while learning as much as possible. The goal here seems obvious now.

    We¡¯re being groomed to lead, protect, and set the order once we return to Earth. Some of us will need to serve as teachers.

    Every time I think about it, I feel the excitement in my chest. The boring life I had on Earth has been left behind, reced by something new and grand. The pursuit of power in the name of taking on opponents who want to see me dead, and the opportunity to explore the powers we¡¯ve received.

    Champions, Absolutes, and their Disciples, Rulers, and maybe something over that? The mystery of what happens after reaching level 99 in a skill. The final Beyond trial and Beyond itself. And more.

    Thinking on too small a scale is straight up stupid. This won¡¯t end with Earth.

    Back in themon area, I examine the window that pops up announcing the event.

    <strong>Please, create your avatar. You can decide the severity of your [Restriction] as well as any additional rewards.</strong>

    <strong>Warning, if your avatar gets defeated, the additional rewards will be split between the challengers.</strong>

    <strong>Warning, once you set a [Restriction], it can''t be changed.</strong>

    Looking at the window, I think of the love and hate rtionship I have with the system and the tutorial. From a certain point of view, it also makes sense that Savant thinks that the system is fair.

    But, the system is still an asshole.

    I set my avatar and look around themon area, Lily next to me has finished setting up hers as well.

    Then after a minute a notification appears for the difficulties under Hell and everyone starts scrolling through their windows. Then like clockwork, a conversation starts. Slowly growing shocked calls and hundreds of people looking around, some people look almost like their eyes are bulging out of their heads.

    Some of them find me, poking their friend, and like that, hundreds of pairs of eyes are looking straight at me.

    The reason is obvious, a simple small window they¡¯ve all been shown.

    <strong>Avatar:</strong><em> Noname, group 4</em>

    <strong>Restriction:</strong><em> 3rd Floor</em>

    <strong>Additional rewards:</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>80,000 shards</em>

 Chapter 357: Pump these numbers up

    Chapter 357: Pump these numbers up

    For a short moment, I bask in the gazes of the people, but when Brainiaces rushing, screaming about where the hell I could have gotten so many shards, I teleport away.

    I appreciate <strong>[Tether]</strong> more and more, the way it allows me to avoid people is amazing.

    Through the <strong>[Connection]</strong> twins set up I receive a call from Channeler, <em>(Boss! Good job with the shards! I don''t know how you tricked the system, but that¡¯s going to help a lot!)</em>

    <em>(Tricked the system?)</em>

    <em>(The amount of shards. Did you bug it out somehow? We could use it maybe or¡­)</em>

    <em>(I didn¡¯t have to. I have the shards.)</em>

    The silence that ensues is quite long, but it warms my cold heart.

    Actually, can I even say that? My heart can generate a lot of heat, so maybe it''s not all that cold.

    <em>(Are you serious?)</em> Channeler''s voice is quiet.<em>(Yup.)</em>

    <em>(Are you maybe dumb?)</em>

    Okay, someone''s asking for a beating.

    Before I can send a message, Channeler adds, <em>(Do you realize what you have done?! With such a high reward, I wouldn''t be surprised if over a thousand people challenge you at once!)</em>

    <em>(That would mean thousands of shards for one challenge, after the system''s cut. That''s not bad.)</em>

    <em>(Noname, please¡­ you set a 3rd Floor restriction! I know you¡¯re strong, but your restricted Avatar can''t defeat hundreds of people from Hard difficulty!)</em>

    <em>(It¡¯ll be fine.)</em>

    <em>(It won''t be fine! You¡¯re going to lose all those shards. So many!)</em>

    <em>(Channeler, my dude. Don''t worry, just keep to the n and let me know when people challenge someone interesting so I cane and watch.)</em>

    <em>(Will do.)</em> Channeler says, sounding deted as he does, and I end the conversation.

    It''s a bit after midnight, and yet themon area is lively enough for me to take notice even from afar. A giant screen dominates the center. Well, not one. Four of them, arranged in a cube for people to watch from every direction. So far, there¡¯s not much to be seen, and it seems like only one Avatar can be challenged at once.

    That''s interesting and it adds a degree ofplexity, given the 24 hour limit. Still, with 31 Avatars that leaves room for 93 challenges. Joining all of them would cost a massive amount of shards, so I don''t think anyone is going to be joining all of them. Especially if they¡¯re from Easy difficulty, they usually have 50-100 shards at most. The fact that Channeler has 150 is a feat in and of itself.

    Now that I think about it, I should probably feel bad for trying to get shards out of these people.

    Nah, screw them. Anyone fighting my Avatar is after my shards, so I have no need to pity them. Plus, I can always think of it as a form of patronage, after all these shards will go a good way towards making myself stronger, which will, in the end, help the people of Earth.

    Probably.

    I still haven''t decided what to do once we get out, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll like whoever winds up attacking us in the pairing, so I¡¯ll probably join the fight. Even if it¡¯s only to level up and acquire some nice loot.

    Pushing these thoughts away, I ce a few more anchors, and teleport until I reach our house. Once there I sit on the roof and wait for Lily. We¡¯re meeting to coborate on a few experiments. We¡¯ve decided not to sleep for the next 24 hours, and we shouldn¡¯t have any problem staying up for that long. Plus, I don''t want to miss any interesting Avatar fights, so I maintain an open connection with Channeler and the others to stay so they can continue to feed me information.

    It takes a few more minutes but Lily appears on the roof with a big smile on her face, ¡°Thanks for the warning! You were right, Savant and others were extremely fun to watch when they learned about your additional rewards.¡± Sheughs, a memory shing behind her eyes. ¡°Brainiac even started calling you sugar daddy Noname and insulted us for keeping you to ourselves.¡±

    Lily plops down on the roof next to me, a smile still on her face. Her eyes seem to glow. ¡°Dennis said Savant looked like someone told him they pissed into his drinking water for days.¡±

    Oh boy, maybe I should have stuck around longer.

    ¡°Tess said Gareth and Adam think you managed to bug out the system.¡± She stretches andys on her back, ¡°I haven''tughed so much in so long! Seeing the expression on Savant¡¯s face was priceless.¡±

    ¡°Screw that guy,¡± I note.

    ¡°Yeah, screw that guy!¡±

    I give myself time to enjoy the image of the pissed-off savant, and silence ensues.

    Quietly after a minute, Lily breaks the silence first, her words careful, ¡°Nat, I can fix your arm. Make it so it isn''t pale anymore.¡±

    As she says so, I nce at my left arm which is pale no matter how many times I restore it or how much sun it gets. Lily¡äs left arm shares its pallor. She probably could have fixed it at any time, at least I think so. It¡¯s obvious why she hasn¡¯t. But her decision to make the offer has left me curious.

    ¡°Why?¡± I ask, turning to her and our eyes meet as sheys there.

    ¡°I¡­¡± she starts and falters, ¡°I¡¯ve been speaking to Tess, Sophie, and Maya a lot and I think I was wrong to push that on you.¡± She looks at me as if waiting for a response, but I stay quiet.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    So Lily continues, still somewhat awkwardly, ¡°It was unfair of me and I shouldn''t have tried to force myself on you that way. The girls told me they were surprised you hadn¡¯t been more upset.¡±

    At this point, her emotions may as well be an open book. The more time I spend with group 4, the easier it is to understand them. The same way they¡¯ve learned to understand me. The experience is interesting.

    "So I''m sorry," Lily finally gets out, sulking over my silence and finding it increasingly difficult to speak.

    But I think it''s important for her to say this in her own words. Sometimes it can help one understand their emotions better.

    While she waits for my answer, I notice that even as she said so, she seems worried. This ck-haired healer of ours is still scared of being abandoned. It doesn''t matter that she understands that it won''t happen or that making my arm pale hasn¡¯t changed anything.

    For her, it''s a connection she bears to me, and like the rest of us, she can¡¯t help but be scarred inside by her past traumas.

    "I see," I say simply.

    Lily nods and reaches, "Then I will fix it."

    "I see, but I refuse," I say, pulling my left arm back, much to her surprise.

    While she stares at me with her big eyes, I say simply, "I like my arm the way it is. I think it looks cool."

    That silly healer of ours looks like she is about to cry.

    "You¡¯re going to like my minion, she¡¯s a crybaby too," I note.

    "I''m not a crybaby," Lily says, quickly wiping her eyes.

    "Something in your eyes?"

    "Yes, the dust. This tournament floor is terrible."

    "It really is."

    A bit longer silence ensues and I add, "Don''t misunderstand."

    At that, Lily only nods, "I know."

    Looking at her and remembering the way she was a year ago, I can see that she¡¯s really changed and grown up. But who among us hasn¡¯t? And going through all of it together has somehow brought us closer together.

    Thinking about it, it was the start of the 4th Floor where I decided to give this group a chance and I still remember the conversation I had with Lily. Even then she almost cried. Crybaby indeed.

    As I thought it over, I don''t think it was a bad decision, it¡¯s not bad at all, being surrounded by this far from normal group of people. At times and with limitations, of course.

    Weirdos, all of them. And poor old me having to deal with them.

    Anyway, I turn to Lily, "Let''s try cutting my chest open and see what we can learn about my heart before the system heals the wound."

    We have to give up after an hour of testing and a fewme jokes about Lily being close to my heart or holding my heart in her hand.

    Not because of jokes but because of the healing of this floor. No matter how hard we try to slow it or keep the wound open by stopping it from closing, it always heals after a few seconds.

    ording to the severity of the damage, it can be nearly instant or slower when the wound isn''t severe. Me or Lily causing it doesn''t change anything, the healing is the same in both cases.

    Well, it''s not like I didn''t expect that. This healing aura is also the reason why Active Tempering won''t work here. For it to work, my body needs to be infused with a special frequency of mana and get damaged. Any sort of healing prevents Active Tempering from doing its work.

    It''s almost like working out. You need to lift enough weight, enough times to damage your muscles. Then, while you sleep or rest, the damaged parts heal and be stronger provided they have the nutrients to do so. Well, it''s not exactly that, but it''s simr to Active Tempering.

    So, cutting my chest open, I was able to see my heart for the first time. A beating Mana Heart, slightly modified to serve as a medium to generate thermal and kic energy in exchange for mana.

    The heart was surprisingly normal. It didn''t glow. There was no change in appearance.

    Sure, there was some mana radiation as if the chest cavity were acting like shielding, and each beat of the heart creates mana, but that''s probably all that¡¯s different. Other than the inscriptions surrounding it from my constructs, it was almost normal if you can call it that.

    At least it allowed me to gain a bit of knowledge I can use in the future when I try to upgrade it again.

    <em>(Noname, they¡¯re challenging your Avatar!)</em> says a message from Channeler.

    How interesting. Was it the additional rewards and severe restriction? Or do I have the rumors to thank?

    ¡°Somebody¡¯s challenging my Avatar, wanna watch?¡± I ask Lily, who¡¯s returned to studying the Champion¡¯s bone.

    Hearing me, she quickly puts it away, ¡°Yes!¡±

    I offer her my hand, and after a bit of hesitation, she takes it in hers, and I teleport us away. Like most of the people from Hell difficulty, Lily is more than capable of enduring the process with her enhanced body and mind well adapted to powerful skills.

    Appearing to the side, we move even a bit closer.

    <em>(Your Avatar is the first to be challenged,)</em> Sophie sends through the web with the aid of the twins¡¯ connection.

    She has chosen to sit with some of the other members of group 4 and Hell difficulty taking up benches around the central za of themon area. Some of them have upied the terraces with drinks and food close at hand. It''s all being treated like an event to be enjoyed.

    <em>(I would expect them to test it out on someone else, no matter how much we tried to make me look weaker,)</em> I reply.

    <em>(Eighty thousand shards is a lot, Nat,)</em> Lily says, joining the conversation.<em> (A lot,)</em> she repeats.

    <em>(Lily¡¯s right. Plus, it''s not that expensive for Hard difficulty, so even if they die, it''s worth trying once.)</em>

    <em>(So how many of them are going in?) </em>I ask.

    <em>(They¡¯ve gotten greedy, so only twenty members from Hard difficulty. The group is being led by Samuel of all people, would you believe that.)</em> I can hear Sophie smile through the link. <em>(He threw his weight around and tried to limit the number of people who could enter.)</em>

    <em>(How does it work exactly?)</em>

    <em>(One person challenges the Avatar and a countdown starts. The countdown is 15 minutes, and within that time, anyone can join the challenge, and then they enter together. At first, there was only Samuel and his handpicked group, but the more time passes, the more people join. You should have something in your notification. It''s as much our event as it is theirs.)</em>

    <em>(You¡¯re right,)</em> I reply while checking the window.

    <strong>Challenge 1/3 -</strong><em> 9 minutes remaining until the start</em>

    <strong>Number of challengers:</strong>

    <em>Easy - 10</em>

    <em>Normal - 26</em>

    <em>Hard - 33</em>

    <strong>Collected challenge fees: </strong>1300

    We¡¯re going to need to pump these numbers up.

 Chapter 361: Gareth

    Chapter 361: Gareth

    My Avatar does exactly what I thought he would when faced with arge group of opponents that he couldn¡¯t face head-on.

    That beautiful bastard just flies straight up.

    Yup, it''s that simple, yet it still gives him a huge advantage.

    It''s like introducing a helicopter with machine guns and rockets into a conflict between people fighting with muskets. And it isn''t pretty.

    Once he¡¯s out of range, the people below struggle to detect him and a few of them do manage to reach that far, warning the others of the uing attack. But it''s all to no avail.

    Five seconds pass.

    Ten seconds pass.

    Nothing.

    People from Easy difficulty, nervous and more sensitive to the fluctuations, are already starting to feel his mana concentrating high in the air.Fifteen seconds pass and a number of fairly decent barriers form over a number of groups.

    Thirty seconds pass and Samuel shouts, causing people to scatter and spread out over a wider area.

    Then my Avatar attacks. Like a crashing meteor, he ms into the ground where the greatest concentration of people from Hard difficulty are, and like an EMP, a disrupting wave explodes from him. It spreads over a huge part of the forest, weakening barriers, canceling skills, and straight up disrupting them.

    He then lifts off as quickly, a single orb left in his wake. A thermal orb as big as an orange. It shines an intense golden color, the immense heat being released causing the air around it to waver.

    Golden mes explode into the area and with this, dozens of people from Hard difficulty start appearing outside.

    And more follow.

    One after another, their hastily recreated barriers, their armors, and skills fail to resist the brilliant golden mes. Bodies melt, charred to the point the system pulls them out.

    Being charged by so much thermal energy, the orb envelops a huge area, killing hundreds of people.

    When it looks like it''s the end, from high up in the air, an orbnds in the middle of another group. A tricolored orb that turns bright white, exploding into heat, shockwave, and following with an implosion.

    Then another tricolored orbnds somewhere else, and a third one too.

    The explosions are changing thendscape, tearing the trees from their roots, sending huge chunks of the ground flying through the air, and flinging human bodies around, burned and crushed before disintegrating into a cloud of shiny particles.

    There is no sight of my Avatar, as he hangs safely in the clouds. It''s an efficient and smart choice.

    Down below is pandemonium. People are burning, the ones not dead have been left with terrible wounds and missing limbs. Some of them scream, most of the leadership is already dead and safe outside in themon area.

    As I thought, my Avatar seems to have run low on mana and there are no more big explosions. Instead, a rain of orbs as big as grapes falls to the ground, each of them letting out a whistling noise as it passes through the air.

    Some of the survivors try to hide under trees or block the attacks. A few even attempt to shoot something towards where the orbs areing from. But it''s to no avail. The Avatar focuses his attacks on people who have been weakened or upied with fighting against the forest fire.

    Just ten seconds is enough to finish the rest of Easy and Normal difficulty. Tens, hundreds of people decimated by an Avatar with most of its mana depleted.

    The surviving members of Hard difficulty shout and hurl insults at my Avatar. Every single one of them finding themselves frustrated with their inability to reach him with their attacks.

    Obviously, the Avatar doesn''t care at all. Not even a little bit. I love the guy.

    On the screen, his face shows for a moment. Calm and expressionless while he forms somerger mana projectiles around himself,pressing them. Using natural gravity and his kic energy tounch them at the remaining challengers. Unable to use the mes the challengers just put out, he simply smites them from up on high with mana projectiles.

    It''s quite shameless.

    ¡°Why do you not fight like that? It looks so easy!¡± Min-Jaements, watching the screen with big eyes.

    ¡°Because it would be boring,¡± I respond.

    I figured this fighting style out a while ago. Most of the people around my level or higher can''t fly. That''s something kic energy allows me to do. Having air superiority and being able tounch ranged attacks without worrying about retaliation is truly powerful.

    Maybe it is even the most optimal way to fight for me, seeing the Avatar fighting that way.

    But it''s so boring.

    If I fought like that I wouldn''t be in danger. I wouldn''t gain more experience. I wouldn''t see the skills of the people I¡¯m fighting. I wouldn''t learn what is possible and how people tend to fight.

    I could, but I don''t want to fight that way because I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get any stronger doing so. It¡¯s as simple as that.

    Still, knowing that I could fight that way, I wasn''t worried about them defeating my Avatar, and Avatharniel didn''t disappoint.

    Such a cowardly little prick. Good job! You are making Papa Nat very rich!

    Thest remaining group gives up and leaves the event rather than wait for the Avatar to kill them.

    Just like that, in under two minutes, myst challenge is won, my restricted Avatar, the bane of almost two thousand people.

    <strong>Congrattions, your avatar emerged victorious in the 3rd challenge! You have received 17,113 shards. The final event reward will be given after the end of the 3rd event!</strong>

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    It physically hurts me how much the system took with its 10% cut, but there''s nothing I can do about it. But damn, an arcane passive might not be all that far off. Most likely not during the tournament, but maybe sometime during the 6th or 7th Floor.

    ¡°Fricking monster,¡± Brainids on the roof near us.

    ¡°I won''t give you any shards,¡± I say before he can continue. They¡¯re mine. My precious!

    My Avat¡­ no, I worked hard to get them.

    Brainiac snorts, ¡°Not even I¡¯m that shameless.¡±

    ¡°So what are you doing here?¡± I ask as he sits down next to me and the other members of group 4.

    ¡°I had to get away from Gary, the old man can be annoying sometimes.¡±

    ¡°You should beat him and take over as leader of WhiteWing,¡± Aaron jokes.

    ¡°Only if you take over Group 4,¡± Brainiac sighs, ¡°Even if all of WhiteWing attacks him together we have no chance against Gary.¡±

    ¡°He doesn''t seem that strong,¡± Maya mentions with interest.

    ¡°Gary is crazy strong.¡±

    ¡°Sure he is.¡±

    ¡°I''m not joking!¡±

    ¡°He just looks like he would fit better as a pastor or the director of an orphanage.¡± Maya snorts.

    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Brainiac nods. ¡°But that''s only because we¡¯re real people from Earth.¡±

    The conversation is getting interesting so I listen. At the same time, Gareth''s Avatar appears on the screen and a 15-minute countdown starts.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Min-Jae asks, moving closer while sipping on his drink.

    ¡°I mean exactly what I said. Gary is nice only to people from Earth and no matter how trashy they are, he always gives them a chance. Only once he really believes they are beyond helping will he be ruthless.¡±

    I knew it. The pdin of justice is secretly evil. Right now Brainiac might think the Earthlings are being protected by Gareth, but I''m sure his dark secrets will spill. There is no way someone acting so nice to people isn''t evil.

    Brainiac lowers his voice, ¡°On the third floor he killed a hundred or so natives. Women, and children too, no hesitation at all. We needed water and food and they had it. So he just took it on himself and murdered them all. After that he smiled, saying to us to not worry and that he would protect us and take these sins upon himself.¡±

    I watch Gareth''s Avatar. Restricted to the 5th floor, it stands there below the trees. The chiseled face of a 40 or 50-year-old man waiting for his challengers.

    ¡°Gareth hasn¡¯t gotten angry with us, not even once. He never shouts, he never despairs, he never hits us or anything, and often takes hits instead of us. Not once in the past year did I have a worry that he might hurt me,¡± Brainiac says, his usually cheeky expression serious.

    ¡°You shouldn''t underestimate him just because he acts silly sometimes or seems nice. He¡¯s in Hell and in Beyond for a reason,¡± Tess warns the other members of our group.

    ¡°He is,¡± Brainiac nods. ¡°You know what''s funny? He¡¯s at his strongest when he is alone. Fighting with us, he holds back a lot to protect us, but the moment he¡¯s alone his fighting changes. Just wait and see.¡± He points at the screen where the Avatar waits for the challengers.

    A few minutester Gareth¡¯s Avatar¡¯s 3rd challenge starts with over a thousand people inside.

    Right away the man starts moving towards the group of challengers and a silver crown floats over his head.

    Once again, I have to wonder what his crown is called. Other than me and Tess, he is the only one so far that has one. That offers another question, are crowns rare? Are they considered powerful or important?

    Getting closer and seeing the first people from behind the trees, Gareth starts radiating silver light from his skin. Maybe light is the wrong word, it''s more like silver smoke seeping through his pores.

    In his hands, two maces form, each of them with a few nasty spikes, and both weapons probably as long as my arm. Over his shoulders, two silver orbs float.

    Combat opens with Gareth mming a mace into a melee attacker from Hard difficulty.

    Not even for a second is the man capable of facing Gareth''s strength, his arms cracking and the mace piercing the skin-tight barrier and turning the man into shiny particles.

    A groupunches ranged attacks at him and whether they bombard the ground around him or his skin he doesn''t bother to create armor around himself. He faces them all easily with just the sheer strength of his stats and enhanced body.

    One of the orbs shoots ahead with surprising speed and reaches a group of twenty ranged attackers. Before they can move, the orb expands, in the blink of an eye, almost like a bubble, and each of them finds themselves inside of that bubble. The bubble stops expanding and then changes color to a darker shade of silver.

    The group finds themselves unable to get out. Their bodies m against the inner walls of the bubble and their weapons fail to pierce it. Before they can try more, the silver bubble starts shrinking as quickly as it expanded before.

    All twenty people are caught in that. From the size of a small house, the bubble shrinks to the size of a small room and then to the size of a basketball, and finally to the size it started at. Everyone inside it, unable to escape, is squeezed and killed.

    Attacks start anew. Gareth is bombarded while moving almostzily from group to group, no one manages to endure more than one attack from his mace. The two silver bubbles move around, enveloping groups of people and turning them into shiny particles.

    Outside of the tournament, the result would be more gruesome. A bunch of people reduced to apressed bloody paste.

    The forest exploding around him from the challengers'' attacks doesn''t cause him much trouble. He seems capable of going on for days.

    Shadowy attacks fail to slow him, fire causes him no trouble. They can''t disrupt his mana and they even fail to pierce the orbs. Anyone who winds up inside one of those silver bubbles dies without exception.

    When they start moving out of his reach or the range of his bubbles, he changes strategy. The crown over his head disappears and the silver smoke stops leaking from his skin. Instead, armor forms around his body.

    His armor isn''t bulky or impressive. It seems almost skin-tight and dense. At the same time, the maces in his hands dissolve, and Gareth dashes, the ground exploding under his feet.

    In a blink, he reaches another group, gloves forming around his hands as he delivers a shattering blow to someone¡¯s head, reducing the man from Hard difficulty into particles. Gareth twists his body and grabs the poor man''s sword in his hand as he kicks another assant, caving in their chest, and dispersing them into a haze of silver particles.

    Like Lily, Gareth uses the strength of his body and armor to go wild and tear the remaining people apart.

    ¡°Gareth is really bad at doing multiple things at once,¡± Brainiac sighs. ¡°But when he doesn''t have to focus on healing, teleporting, and keeping our marks active he can be really scary.¡±

    Nice. First, Gareth doxxes the real names of everyone from his group, and now here¡¯s Brainiac giving us exposition on his abilities.

    What a group.

    ¡°So what are the names of his skills?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Not telling!¡± Brainiac answers.

    Well, maybe they aren¡¯t <em>that</em> stupid.

    ¡°It''s fine, I might ask Tacita, I''m sure she already knows the names if you guys talked about them sometime during the tournament.¡± While I say it I nce back to the top of the chimney where a thin girl with messy brown hair sits.

    Her eyes meet mine and her expression seems to be surprised and in quick session a weird field she generates changes a few times. But each time I change my detection as well, allowing my senses to pierce through.

    Only herst attempt seeds at confusing me for even a moment longer and then she stops when I see even through that.

    Tacita seems dissatisfied, annoyed even, her eyes turning dangerous as she examines me, studying the way I¡¯ve been detecting her.

    I hope you didn''t think you could keep hiding from me forever.

 Chapter 362: Challenges

    Chapter 362: Challenges

    During the next few hours, as we watch the challenges, Tacita and I y a game.

    As she sits on the chimney, rooted within her barrier, skill, trait, or whatever it is, keeps changing. She alters it rapidly as she figures out my methods for detecting her.

    Sometimes it takes me a few seconds to pierce through, sometimes it takes thirty minutes. She¡¯s really good at it, and it''s intriguing to observe. She¡¯s not like Savant or Tess, with their genius level use of skills, they¡¯re both quick to learn and grasp new concepts. She¡¯s not even like me with my abuse of skills to push myself further than others while trying to scam the system.

    What Tacita is doing is mostly based on wild instinct. Like a bird thrown out of the nest, forced to learn to fly by instinct rather than rote learning.

    And damn, does she seem to be getting annoyed. Her penchant for stealth seems to be an important part of her identity. The way she gets twitchy when people get too close, it''s no surprise.

    Yet I refuse to take that into consideration. No, I even resort to using my eye trait when I have trouble piercing through her hidey barrier.

    The longer this goes on, the more dangerous she feels. The yful mood is gone, and her eyes are glued to the back of my head. I can nearly feel that gaze burning me.

    I also keep my body strengthened, while preparing to empty my Vortex Core, and funneling arge amount of mana to my Mana Regtor for Reinforcement.

    It''s a clear challenge to her, and I might be ying with fire, but I can¡¯t bring myself to care. I don¡¯t like having her sneaking around and appearing out of nowhere. I¡¯ve had a deep hatred for such tactics ever since my experiences on the 1st floor. It''s not to the point of trauma anymore, but I still find it deeply unsettling.So we either set some rules about that or we will fight. That''s my message to her.

    Meanwhile, the remaining Hell difficulty Avatars go through their third challenges.

    After being beaten by me and Gareth, they challenge a few of the weaker-looking ones. Just like before, they continue in groups of anywhere from a few hundred to one thousand. I turned out to be the exception with close to two thousand. They even win some of them.

    BenDover gets tired out and hunted down once he runs out of mana. Brainiac fails to reposition quickly enough and gets surrounded, as they use the forest to their advantage, limiting his ranged attacks.

    Lootenant is more defense based, so he finds himselfcking in means of attack.

    Aaron and Dennis get tired out, neither of them capable of sustaining longbat against that many people who are getting better and better organized. They are also weaker on their own and separated from their twin.

    The murderer from Easy difficulty is also joining a lot of these fights, often getting in a few nasty attacks during the challenge only to be pulled away once he reappears in themon area.

    At this point, around 150 people from Hard difficulty create a core that goes around challenging Avatars one after another. They are the main forces the others join and follow their lead. That group of 150 people has gotten quite efficient at this point. There''s a ranged unit, a melee unit, a unit of scouts, defenders, and a few really weak healers.

    They protect each other, their members switching ces to keep their mana topped up and stamina fresh. Once again, they¡¯re being led by Samuel and the other soldiers from his group. Once they¡¯ve seen how well they do, the others seem to have an easier time trusting his lead and following orders.

    They defeat another Avatar from WhiteWing and another from BenDover¡¯s group.

    ¡°Would be nice to see them beat your Avatar, Tess, especially given the way you¡¯ve been putting Samuel down,¡± I note.

    Tess doesn''t flinch, her bearing confident and carefree. ¡°If anyone from Beyond lost, I would be deeply disappointed,¡± she says.

    ¡°I still want to see them beat Savant,¡± I sigh while looking on as they make preparations in themon area. The next Avatar is Tess, restricted to the 4th Floor.

    ¡°Maybe if he went for a 2nd Floor <strong>[Restriction]</strong>,¡± Tess states, watching the proceedings with interest as they split into groups, having received final orders. ¡°I regret not going for 3rd. I was too careful.¡±

    ¡°Scared.¡±

    ¡°Careful.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Has anyone told you that they would like to punch you?¡±

    ¡°Yup, I heard it constantly on the 5th floor. He was a handsomed with a very punchable face himself.¡±

    ¡°I see. By the way, can you stop ying with Tacita? You¡¯re starting to scare people.¡±

    ¡°Hell no.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I forget how stubborn you can be once you¡¯ve made a decision. Anyway, I spoke to Miwa. How did you make her so angry?¡±

    ¡°He wanted to steal her arm,¡± Maya says, nomming on snacks that she shares with Biscuit sitting next to her.

    ¡°It''s still an achievement. Miwa is an extremely polite, patient, and reasonable person. Anyway, she¡¯ll still prepare a pizza, smi with some extra cheese. A few of the ingredients are old, but they should be fine. The price is an epic item and a single mid-sized piece of voidsteel.¡±

    ¡°What? We said epic item only.¡±

    ¡°That was before you decided you wanted to steal her arm and kept pestering her for it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, but the pizza had better be good.¡±

    Tess shakes her head, ¡°You know you could find a better use for an epic item, right?¡±

    Ha! Better than feeding my ESM? No way. I already have ns to take plenty of pictures of the little half demon.

    Now that I think about it, demons are indeed dangerous. Just a few weeks and she¡¯s got me acting like this. Am I really so weak or are the people around me just scary?

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I still have a few and I should be able to make them on my own soon. So I wouldn¡¯t worry about it,¡± I tell Tess.

    ¡°Truly you are the sugar daddy of group 4.¡± Maya says, turning to me, ¡°When you summon your disciple, I fully intend to watch and learn from her. Then I¡¯ll be your minion and you¡¯ll make epic items for me,¡± she jokes.

    ¡°What? I can''t hear words of people with a <strong>[Focus]</strong> below level 40.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s starting,¡± Sophie says, interrupting us and nodding at the screen.

    Tess''s avatar stands alone, with a shine in her eyes as she activates her skill, she quickly spots the challengers. Her crown forms above her head in an instant, white and red lightning cracking in a halo of energy. Then her avatar moves away from the groups attempting to locate her.

    While her Avatar runs, stones lift from the ground, floating after her. She imbues the stones with lightning and leaps through the trees, cutting a few branches loose with her bare hand before shaping them into javelins.

    In a few minutes, she has a decent number of projectiles floating around her, lightning crackling through the airborne arsenal. The Avatar does all of this while keeping the challengers in her line of sight, and collecting information.

    So when she attacks, it''s no surprise that she kills Samuel first.

    The man dies in the middle of a sentence, a stone the size of my fist tearing through him from over a mile away.

    Before the challengers can even react, five more die, each one the leader of their respective units, and none are able to endure the attacks. The Avatar made sure they were strong enough. With her eyes, Tess can see really far away and she can see a little bit of mana too. Not enough to use for detailed analysis like my eyes, but it''s more than enough to detect mana signatures andrge surges of mana.

    The challengers start repositioning and strengthening the barriers. A few secondster ten more attacks kill ten more people. And this time the attacks areing from the opposite side, the Avatar moving quicker than they could ever have expected.

    There are 196 people from Hard difficulty and each of them dies before the Avatar touches anyone else. Not a single Hard difficulty challenger endures the attack. They are all perfectly timed and unexpected, hitting weak spots with enough force to kill. Each with just the right amount of lightning.

    Once she¡¯s taken care of them, she changes her strategy. She uproots trees from the earth and flings them into the remaining groups, before following up the attack with a barrage of stones the size of motorcycles.

    And the entire time they can¡¯t even locate her precisely enough to attack.

    ¡°Why are you so cool, Tess,¡± Maya asks, sighing with her eyes glued to the screen.

    I mean it might be cool, but all she¡¯s doing is flinging junk at them from a distance. It must be boring as hell. Let''s ignore the fact my Avatar did the exact same thing.

    Anyway, to no one¡¯s surprise, Tess''s Avatar wipes out the challengers and Tess scrolls through a window to see how many shards she got. It won''t be as much as I did, but it¡¯s a nice amount for sure. Probably enough for her to buy an epic javelin.

    The epic items start at 4 thousand shards, but some of them cost multiple times that. There is definitely a difference between low, mid, and upper, even if the difference isn¡¯t as noticeable as it would be for an arcane item.

    When the challengers return brainstorming starts and most of the challengers don¡¯t really seem all that disappointed. As if they got the result they were expecting and they¡¯ve chosen to take it as a learning lesson. Though I mostly get that sense from Hard difficulty.

    That makes me reconsider a few things. Lately, I¡¯ve been thinking of them as weak, how could I not? Even restricted members of Hell difficulty can wipe them out with ease, but maybe I¡¯ve just beencking perspective.

    It''s not like Easy has a power level of 1, Normal has a power level of 2, Hard of 3, and Hell of 4. It''s more like Hell difficulty is a few stages above.

    Yet, Hard difficulty isn''t that bad. Logically they shouldn''t even be, the tutorial must be¡­ well, hard, for them as well. They¡¯ve shown me a hunger for improvement that¡¯s a cut above the people in Easy and Normal who seem to take things at a more rxed pace, more like a hobby.

    When the tutorial ends, I can certainly imagine a few people from Hard growing strong enough to destroy a small city on their own. Maybe even a bit more when ites to the stronger ones. But for the moment that¡¯s mostly spection on my part.

    It''s fun to think of the differences between us.

    Oh and now that I think about it, don¡¯t the strongest people tend to be loners? Actually, it might be half and half.

    Currently, we have 6 people from Beyond here. Tess, Gareth, and Lily are on the more sociable side while Tacita, Savant, and I seem to be more introverted. Though I''m sure our trio of introverts would win. Yup, screw those extroverted weirdos. I bet they¡¯re fine talking to people, even the moment after they wake up. Creepy.

    I also decide to ignore the fact that we three introverts are certainly weirder and bigger assholes than our counterparts. But it''s not like they¡¯re normal either. Everyone in Beyond is a bit twisted.

    When I finally crack through the change Tacita made in her field, I turn back to the screen. That one was difficult, it took me the longest time yet to pierce. Tacita can be surprisingly stubborn, it seems. Ever since we started, she hasn''t moved from her spot or stopped staring at me.

    The next avatar they challenge is Min-Jae. They don¡¯t even go in with that many people, below 500 even.

    I already suspect the result, but Min-Jae gets defeated. He takes out a bit more than half of them and they have trouble catching up to him. The Avatar even uses the eye he got on the 4th floor as it precedes the restriction.

    In the end, it''s not enough and his attacks gradually weaken as they catch up to him. Current Min-Jae would wipe them out easily, yet the <strong>[Restriction]</strong> he chose is too severe. The young boy is too proud to go higher than 4th.

    The result is a celebration among those excitedly discussing the fight. The one who did the most walks away with the better part of the two thousand shards Min-Jae offered as an additional reward and an epic item he got from the 5th floor. He did set it up after he saw me creating my Avatar and the result is what it is.

    If Tess knew, she would¡¯ve probably stopped him. Even twins would¡¯ve done that. But Min-Jae did it all on his own.

    Even before his Avatar was defeated, he disappeared from the roof.

    When Lily''s Avatar appears on the screen, I stand up and detect where Min-Jae went. I don''t even have to watch this challenge as I''m sure Lily will wipe the floor with them with her surprisingly low <strong>[Restriction]</strong>, the 5th Floor. But that''s just her. I''m sure she would be able to do it with the 4th Floor one but she doesn''t seem to have the confidence.

    I stop in front of Tacita, ¡°I have to go now. But let me tell you one thing. I¡¯ve humored you sneaking up on me for a good while, but I don''t appreciate it.¡±

    Even back on Earth I had bullies trying to ambush me in groups. I spent three days fighting for my life, being hunted by Phantom Goblins only to be stabbed every time I faltered.

    It''s not something I can help, even if there¡¯s no malice in it, even if it¡¯s just yful teasing. I don¡¯t trust Tacita the same way I trust group 4. And even though I can''t die here, I can¡¯t bring myself to allow it.

    Just for once, I¡¯m going to be nice and try to solve things by talking instead of fighting, ¡°Do you know what I mean by that?¡± I ask.

    Her eyes shine below her messy bangs, giving me a long appraising look. Her expression changes a few times until itnds on one of understanding.

    A few secondster, she nods.

    The field around her changes but this time it''s more akin to a yful attempt to hide and catch someone off guard tough at themter. Like a game.

    She looks at me with a question and tilts her head. Her own warning to me, to avoid pushing her any further.

    ¡°This much is okay.¡± I also change the way I detect her to match her change.

    From now on, it''s a fun way to keep ourselves sharp rather than anything more sinister.

    A bright smile appears on Tacita''s face and she waves as I use one of my anchors to follow Min-Jae.

 Chapter 371: Sparring

    Chapter 371: Sparring

    The first stop is Channeler, who I¡¯ve had preparing a few opponents for Vega from the lower difficulties. In part, so that she can gain some experience in a rtively safe space, though I mostly want to see how these guys handle the little half-demon.

    I locate one of my anchors opting to fly over instead of teleporting. I head over to the anchor until I reach Channeler who¡¯s surrounded by almost a hundred people.

    "Sorry, they were curious and wanted to watch. Most of them have been cooperative," Channeler says by way of greeting.

    "That¡¯s fine," I tell him before turning to Vega to get onest confirmation. " Are you ready, minion? The n is for you to fight until we find someone about as strong as you, and then for you to spar with them."

    "Can I stop holding back? Like with that girl where I couldn''t hear her heart?"

    "Sure, go all out. I¡¯ll interfere if it''s going to be too much."

    Having her answer, Vega stretches in imitation of me, staring in the direction of the hodgepodge of people from Easy, Normal, and a few curious individuals from Hard difficulty that Channeler¡¯s managed to round up.

    "We can start with George and Susan; they are both from Easy difficulty."

    "Yeah, I don''t think that''s a good idea," I say, examining them."I know it¡¯s going to be two versus one, but they won''t hurt your disciple. They¡¯re quite..."

    "That''s not what I meant."

    "Oh," his expression turns serious. "Then give me a moment."

    While Channeler goes to the group of people, I turn to Vega, "Change of ns, minion. Start slowly, and if they are weak, stop fighting. Find out if they can keep up before putting in too much effort."

    "Why? If they¡¯re really that weak, they need to know!"

    "Channeler spent a lot of effort pulling these people together, and I don''t want them to think he did this just so a 6-year-old girl could curb stomp them."

    "Minion Channeler should just be happy that master keeps him around!¡± Vega says.

    "I know where you areing from, minion, but try to think about the future. If I cause too much trouble for him, he¡¯ll find someone else to work for."

    "You should let him if he¡¯s really that dumb,¡± she says, ¡°there¡¯s no reason for you to work with people like that!"

    "Minion, you¡¯re being too naive. There are situations where you want something, and you can''t avoid people. Having someone who understands you and deals with them in your ce is invaluable."

    "Is that true?" Vega asks, seeming to suspect me of lying.

    "It¡¯s true, minion," I say, ruffling her hair out of habit. "So respect these people and keep them close. They won''t work for free, so make sure to make it worth their time. Otherwise, they may leave you in the lurch at the first opportunity."

    "Demons wouldn''t do that! They only follow the strong, so I need to be strong enough that they don¡¯t leave!"

    "That may be minion. But I still want you to think about it, okay?"

    After my minions nod in agreement, the Channeleres back, just in time.

    "We¡¯ve decided to start with George and Susan from Easy. I already exined everything to them." He says.

    "Sounds good."

    I give Vega a push, and she steps forward, even now I¡¯m keeping my full suite of senses focused on her. I might really be paranoid.

    Once the woman and man from Easy difficulty finally square off against her, the fight starts.

    It''s Vega who attacks first, and 5 secondster, the man and the woman roll on the ground. Nothing seems to be broken, except maybe their pride.

    Good minion, she did what I asked her to.

    "Please, Noname, can you tell your disciple to hold back a bit? I didn''t know she was that strong," Channeler whispers,ing to me after checking the man and woman over for injuries.

    "She did hold back. A lot." I whisper in response

    "But you said she was level 62."

    "Yes."

    "But... okay, forget about it. Let''s try Jon from Normal. He is one of the stronger ones there and should at least be higher level than she is."

    After I agree, the short, muscr, and wide man moves to face Vega.

    There is already a weak, almost transparent mana armor around his body with a deeper shade of blue around his forearms. The palms of his hands are darker yet, covered in a strange form of mana.

    Once again, Vega charges first, not even creating a dagger in her hand.

    She dodges under the man''s kick altering her speed multiple times in quick session. In an effort to confuse the man and throw him off. She then closes in on him, burying her knee in his crotch in one smooth movement.

    Unfortunately for the man, her knee sends a weak burst of kic energy through. The mana armor around him flickers as he almost loses control over his skill, and with a groan, Jon stumbles back.

    Before he can say anything, Vega kicks him again hammering away at the same spot, breaking through the stronger armor around his forearms and piercing hisst defense.

    For a moment, I think she might attack again, but she stops and looks down at the adult man rolling on the ground with a confused expression on her face.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "Master, he isn''t even hurt that much. It''s just a little pain. Why is he lying down? He would be dead if this was a real fight." She asks, turning to me.

    While Channeler rushes to the man, she rejoins me, and I quickly create a barrier around us to keep anyone from hearing her and thus preserve what remains of the man''s dignity.

    "He is older than me and has more mana too. But he¡¯s weak and slow. And he gave up so easily. I didn''t even use the kick at its full power so it couldn''t have hurt that much." Vega sighs disappointed.

    Even though she tries to hide it, I notice a hint of a smug smile on her face as she watches her defeated opponent.

    Damn it, minion.

    Thest hope of protecting the tutorial attendees'' dignity is the man from Hard difficulty.

    Well, there are three of them, but Channeler only picks one while the remaining two talk andugh.

    I think I heard something interesting, so I try to strengthen my hearing in that way that some members of my group can. But I''m only able to hear bits and pieces of their conversation. Being able to listen to others isn''t an ability I¡¯ve ever found to be worth the time investment.

    In the end, I turn back to Vega and her opponents as they take their ces. His level should be closer to 100, so he should have a good shot at defeating my minion.

    Unlike the others, he also radiates more mana, and his body strengthening seems better. Another melee build, seemingly, though he does seem to have a weak sheet of weak lightning arcing across his body as he seizes the initiative.

    Vega waits until thest moment, and with her body boosted by kic energy, she dodges to the side,unching a single mana projectile at the man who dodges it and charges her again. Vega creates a dagger in her hand, and the man also radiates more mana, the lightning around him flickering even beyond his body which he uses to ward her off.

    The minion used to melee range doesn''t seem to like it. It¡¯s clearly a barrier between her and the kind of fight she enjoys.

    Even so, she doesn''t hesitate and releases more mana, forming a weak imitation of mana armor.

    With a strong push of kic energy, she reaches the man even as his kicknds on her arm, leaving a scorched mark behind.

    For a short moment, the man looks towards me, expecting me to stop the fight. It almost costs him, and he barely blocks the kick aimed at hisher regions.

    As an answer, a burst of lightning shoots towards Vega, and the armor around her body moves, all the mana concentrating on her forearm which she uses to block it.

    Sheunches another orb of mana, boosted by her kic energy at the man who hastily avoids it, only for Vega to use the opportunity to close distance, with a knife in hand. The move seems to be an imitation of Tacita''s style, with a hint of my minion''s aggressiveness and her skills as a crutch to get her out of any tricky situations she happens tond in.

    But before she can even connect, the man moves at a higher speed, and his kick sends Vega rolling on the grass as she clumsily tries to absorb her own momentum.

    The man once again checks with me, and seeing I don''t mind, he sighs. Then he follows my gaze and notices a mana knife lodged in his calf.

    An expression of surprise is quickly reced by pain, and he pulls it out, the mana dissolving once Vega¡¯s dismissed it.

    Getting back on her feet, my minion smiles with determination, despite the burn marks on her skin, and the scratches covering her body. Her shoulder also seems to be dislocated.

    So cool.

    "Minion, say ''<em>I can do this all day</em>.''"

    "I can do this all day!" she shouts and charges the man again.

    They sh shortly multiple times, leaving another small wound each time, barely a nuisance to the man in question, and more burns for Vega. But my minion keepsing back for more.

    The man isn''t even holding back, and despite being at a higher level, he seems to be having trouble dealing with the nimble half-demon, who¡¯s been using kic energy to move erratically and weaken his physical attacks.

    It goes on for a minute or two, but at some point, the fight starts getting too heated, so I decide to interfere.

    "That should be enough," I call.

    Vega refuses to stop, continuing to charge the man who stopped the moment I called.

    So I use <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> and grab hold of my silly minion, who freezes mid-air, moving slowly toward her opponent. A wild expression has overtaken her face, and in each hand, she holds a dagger. The daggers at this point are nearly transparent, a clear sign of her depleted mana.

    I boost myself closer with my kic energy and poke her nose a few times, my minion locked in ce.

    "Thanks for helping," I tell the man from Hard difficulty. "My disciple seemed to be having a lot of fun."

    Unlike Vega, the man has already healed. A result of the healing aura in themon area. Vega¡¯s state only serves to confirm my suspicions regarding the protections afforded by this ce.

    "It''s fine." The Hard difficulty attendee says smiling weakly and turning to my minion. "She¡¯s very strong. Your name is Vega, right? Thank you for the duel."

    Vega still doesn''t move as I hold her in my skill.

    "She won''t answer. I need to punish her for being so stubborn. Can you thank Channeler for me as well? I¡¯ll meet up with him sometime in the other events."

    "I¡¯ll pass it along."

    I touch Vega and transport us both to one of the more private spots I discovered. It''s a clearing pretty far away from themon area, surrounded by trees and a small stream of clear water passing through.

    It''sfortably quiet here.

    "Do you know what you did wrong?" I ask her.

    Vega blinks a few times, still bound in the air. She can¡¯t defend herself even as I touch and push the tip of her nose, tilting it upwards, "I wouldn''t expect such a dumb way of fighting from someone with<strong> [Concentration]</strong>. Do you agree?"

    Silence.

    "I mean, some aggression is fine, but to go to the point of acting more like an animal than a thinking human? Isn''t that too much? If you want to be aggressive, go into it with some strategy in mind or at least be strong enough to get away with it."

    I give her some more boops on the nose and move her hair, covering her face until she can barely see me through it. Then I tickle her.

    "Some opponents are weak against rapid attacks and aggressive opponents. Others are weak against ranged attacks. Another group isn''t good at physicalbat. Yet I have noticed that my silly disciple still fights the same. No matter how much I try to change it."

    I pull a patch of grass from the ground and put it on her head.

    "I wouldn''t say anything if you were strong and excelled at a single type ofbat. In that case, you might be able to make it work. But minion, you aren''t there yet."

    Lastly, I move her body over the stream of water and release my skill, leaving her to fall into it.

    Quickly jumps out spitting water and sputtering like an angry kitten, shaking and letting out a series of hissing noises. Then she stands there, angry, wet, and wounded from the duel.

    "Have you any defense, minion?"

    When she stands quiet, I move closer and touch her, teleporting us over to Lily, who didn''t expect to see Vega after already saying goodbye. And especially not in such a state.

    Before we return to Miwa, Vega changes into new clothes and gets fully healed.

    Then I teleport us back to Miwa. Between my experience using <strong>[Tether] </strong>and Vega¡¯s improved level, I clearly don¡¯t have to worry about hurting her anymore.

 Chapter 373: Start of the 4th event

    Chapter 373: Start of the 4th event

    A new window opens up to me, and in it, I can see all 16 groups. The 2356 tournament participants have been separated into groups of either 147 or 148. I belong to a 148-member group, and after searching, I don¡¯t find any of the other members of group 4 in it. There isn¡¯t anyone from Beyond in my group either.

    However, I do find one interesting face In my group: BenDover.

    That reminds me that I forgot about him again, so it¡¯s nice to see him here.

    Then there¡¯s Brainiac, Adam from WhiteWing, and Samuel in another group. Miwa is in their group too, along with a few others from Hell difficulty. Otherwise, it seems like a boring group. The more interesting one is the one containing Tess and Lily, the two of them will probably find themselves jostling for a ce in the top 16.

    Tacita¡¯s group has both Sophie and Isabe in its ranks. Savant got a few people from WhiteWing, Channeler, and Maya. Biscuit¡¯s group has Aaron and Ghast, the lightning guy from WhiteWing.

    Min-Jae meanwhile has found himself in a group with a few people from Hell difficulty I don''t know.

    I spend my time focusing my attention on the others from Hell difficulty and ignore the rest, it should be fairly obvious who¡¯s going to being out on top of their respective groups.

    Instead of returning to the house, Iy on the grass and stare at the sky. It¡¯s nice to have some quiet after all these busy days full of people. But overall, it was my decision, so it¡¯s obvious who I have to me. Past Nathaniel of course, screw that guy.

    Even so, I¡¯m d I summoned Vega. Sure, we just said goodbye to each other less than a week ago, and I could have used the tokenter. But knowing the tutorial, There¡¯s no telling when I¡¯d have found a safe enough time to do so? It just seemed like the perfect opportunity.I stretch and yawn. The grass is thick and nicely soft, the ground embracing me in afortable chill. Laying there, I feel myself start to calm down. The need to move and fight I felt the moment the duel¡¯s countdown begins to fade.

    I wait for the countdown to start ticking down I sit on the ground and watch the window.

    <strong>To win your group, you will need to win 8 duels! Your mana and stamina will be restored after every duel.</strong>

    <strong>When there are 8 participants remaining in each group, you will be moved to amon area where you may choose to watch the remaining group matches.</strong>

    <strong>Good luck!</strong>

    I feel a pull on my body, and as always, I try to follow along watching how and what the system is doing, and yet I still, I find myself unable to do so.

    After being moved, I open my eyes and find myself in the middle of a huge clearing. The floor is made out of gray stone, and the weather is clear, without a single cloud to mar the clear blue sky.

    There is even a soft breeze, and other than the two of us, there is no one to be seen.

    ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake. Fuck¡¯s sake. Fuck¡¯s sake. What the fuck have I done,¡± my opponent curses.

    Such a beautiful day.

    ¡°Wanna forfeit?¡± I ask BenDover.

    He doesn¡¯t answer, but before he can use any of his skills, I reach through my domain and ce an anchor on him.

    Sensing it, he tries to remove it, but he is too slow, and I send kic energy through. Just a little to throw him to the ground.

    I raise a barrier, deflect his ranged attacks.

    His wounds aren¡¯t healing, though I shouldn¡¯t be surprised given the state of current events, and I can¡¯t think of anything else I would want to examine, so I just send much more energy through, emptying half of my Vortex Core. It explodes a huge chunk of the floor, sending debris flying through the air.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have won your 1st duel!</strong>

    After that, I appear outside and observe my Vortex Core. It seems to have been refilled. So it seems like the system has no problem replenishing the more obscure reserves as well.

    My second round is against a young woman from Normal difficulty.

    ¡°So that¡¯s it,¡± she sighs. ¡°I forfeit!¡±

    <strong>Congrattions, you have won your 2nd duel!</strong>

    I appear back outside, and soon after, I get summoned back in.

    ¡°I forfeit!¡± The man, feeling like a member of Hard difficulty, shouts.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have won your 3rd duel!</strong>

    Another match.

    ¡°Fuck, not him! I forfeit!¡±

    <strong>Congrattions, you have won your 4th duel!</strong>

    Standing back outside, I feel the calm mood I had before slowly eroding away.

    Another round starts.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just immediately forfeit, damn it,¡± I say before the woman can say anything.

    ¡°W-why?¡± she asks. She¡¯s from Hard difficulty for sure.

    ¡°I mean, at least try to fight,¡± I beg.

    ¡°Will you hunt me outside in themon area if I don¡¯t?¡± She asks while taking a few steps away from me,

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the vition.

    ¡°Not really, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I forfeit!¡± She shouts and disappears.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have won your 5th duel!</strong>

    Appearing outside, I release a chunk of kic energy from my Vortex Core and stomp, detonating the soft grassy ground Iid on before.

    <strong>Congrattions on your cement in the top 8 of your group! You will now be moved to themon area.</strong>

    The scenery changes again, and I find myself in themon area surrounded by a few hundred people, with more appearing as their groups work their way into the top 8 as well. Being surrounded by the noise of so many people only serves to add to my already sour mood.

    Stepping away to catch a break, I boost myself into the air andnd on the roof of the tall house we used to watch the other events. As if we had nned the meeting, the remaining members of group 4 follow over the next few minutes.

    ¡°Has everyone made it into the top 8 of their groups?¡± Tess asks.

    And everyone responds, issuing their affirmations.

    ¡°Good job, I guess we were lucky to not get strong ones right away.¡±

    ¡°Or it was nned,¡± Maya sighs. ¡°But why did I have to get into the group with a member of the weirdo trio.¡±

    ¡°You can do it, Maya! Just imagine how shocked Nat would be if you beat Savant. So give it your all and don''t be such a scaredy cat,¡± Dennis says with a smirk.

    ¡°You can do it too! Maybe Sophie will do you and your brother a favor and squish you between her thighs if you take first in your respective groups.¡±

    What a terrifying counterattack. It seems to cause a lot of damage. The result is immediate imprable silence from the twins and Min-Jae as well.

    ¡°Oh,e on, Dennis, why don¡¯t you say anything?¡± Maya seems to be enjoying every moment. ¡°Aaron, why don¡¯t you help your brother? And you, Kim? We don¡¯t know anything about what you said, so why are you so worried? Are you hiding something?¡±

    Nicebo indeed and the boys, smartly I might add, decide to keep quiet.

    In the end, Maya sighs, ¡°Boring.¡±

    The first out of us to get summoned inside is me.

    Finally, I¡¯m facing another person from Hell. Someone from group 8, TheGuild. A man I haven¡¯t met before.

    The area we find ourselves in is different this time too. A floating ind high in the sky, and I move to the edge of it and look down in an attempt to sate my curiosity and find myself gazing into a never-ending blue sky as far as I can see. A few clouds movezily through the sky beneath us, and yet the floating ind doesn¡¯t seem to have any inscriptions that I can find, nor is there any mana powering it. It just floats, probably to make the event more interesting to watch.

    I wonder if it¡¯s for participants only or maybe even the Rulers themselves, should they decide to watch. Or maybe it¡¯s possible for other beings to watch. Should I wave my middle fingers at the sky?

    Creating a barrier in front of me, I block a barrage of invisible shes. The attack feels like an extremely sharp breeze, invisible to the eye, leaving me to rely on the movement of its mana to betray its movement. It¡¯s not bad at all, though it¡¯scking in oomph.

    Above my palm, I create a single mana orb andpress it until it turns dark blue.

    More attacks surround me, swirling like a tornado, shing, trying to tear through, but to no avail.

    Reaching into my Vortex Core, I use a stream of kic energy, boosting the orb such that it disappears in the blink of an eye.

    Even though he was surely expecting my response and after creating some sort of wind barrier, the man is unable to defend himself, and the orb, moving at high speed, pierces through his chest.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have won your 6th duel!</strong>

    Back on the roof, Tess sighs, ¡°You could be more considerate. I know the guy, trust me, he¡¯s a really nice person.¡±

    That makes me snort, ¡°Maybe to the women. He attacked me while I was examining the arena.¡±

    ¡°Did you consider that ignoring them and examining the arena during a duel might piss them off?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    The screen lights up before Tess can say anything else that makes no sense, and two figures appear on the disy: Samuel and Brainiac. The redheaded Brainiac that our boys have befriended and some other military guy from Hard difficulty. The result seems to have already been decided.

    On the screen, a few sentences are exchanged, the sound enveloping themon area from all sides, making it possible to hear even over the noise of two thousand people.

    Brainiac teases the man. In much the same way I do, he seems to dislike uptight military men who are good at organizing but to some of the more free-spirited Hell difficulty attendees, it all feels too stuffy.

    The projectiles Brainiac likes to use shoot from his body, invisible, and Samuel barely manages to deflect the attacks with his giant sword.

    From below, the sound of the crowds cheering explodes, as people hype each other up in support of their personal favorites.

    ¡°A few groups have started going around and setting up bets. Mana stones, magical items, food, and items from Earth. They take and write down anything. They bet on winners of groups, winners of duels overall, and a few other things,¡± Sophie rifies, reading is my expression, as she follows the path of my gaze.

    ¡°Damn, they act quick.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and some have started selling snacks too. I think Adam¡¯s been helping them with quite a lot. Even here, he is trying to make as many shards as possible. But I guess that¡¯s why he is in the top 5 of the crafter rankings.¡±

    ¡°Who has the best odds of winning the duels?¡±

    Sophie falls silent for a bit, a stiff expression taking over her face as she concentrates.

    ¡°There are four people with a few small differences between them. But Tacitaes just slightly ahead. They say that her speed is the biggest advantage when ites to fighting humans versus humans. You seem to be a bit ahead of Savant, who is third, and they¡¯ve ced Tess in 4th.¡±

    ¡°Poor Gareth and Lily didn¡¯t even get on the list,¡± I say, being sure Lily is listening.

    ¡°I will beat Tess, and they will see! I bet they only picked her only because she goes around zapping people, the guys from Hard difficulty guys are just more scared of her. If I did that too, they would ce me there instead!¡± Lilyins.

    ¡°So what¡¯s your n for fighting Tess? She¡¯s probably going to keep a distance and pick you off from afar,¡± I be a bit curious.

    I wonder how I would fight Tess if I were Lily. Using <strong>[Sacrifice</strong>] to get as close as possible in an attempt to end it all in a single <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> attack. But Tess then again would be expecting that, and unlike Lily, she can fly.

    Sure, Lily can use some ranged attacks, but they can¡¯tpare to Tess¡¯s range.

    ¡°As if I¡¯d say any of that to her face,¡± Lily snorts much to Tess¡¯s amusement.

    ¡°I¡¯m already excited for the fight, Lily,¡± Tess smiles at her.

    With that, the duel between Brainiac and Samueles to an end, Samuel loses, unable to get too close even after using his body strengthening and some sort of movement skill that caused his feet to glow and slide across the ground like an ice rink.

    Brainiac disyed a great sense of positioning and managed such a massive and consistent barrage of attacks that he seems to have been able tounch almost infinitely.

    The next match takes ce between a couple of people from Lily¡¯s group, It¡¯s a mixed gender pair from Hell difficulty. Their arena turns out the same as mine and Brainiac¡¯s. A great floating ind where they fight for over 10 minutes, trying to tire each other out. Both of them are extremely careful and swift to dodge. A woman with a bow, using projectiles created out of pale blue mana, that move almost as if they have a mind of their own.

    The man uses his skill with mana topress the orb into a disc shape with sharp edges. He then proceeds to move it with the power of his mind alone, the disc easily cutting through trees and stones, and tilting at times to block the arrows.

    Yet, in the end, the man loses. An arrow that missed him and stuck in the tree moves out of nowhere and takes the man in the back, the ordeal proves just enough to distract him, and causing him to take a hit by a few more attacks. The woman then takes the opportunity to attacks more aggressively, wearing him down quickly and winning the duel.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± Tess says. ¡°Sophie, what¡¯s her name?¡±

    ¡°I think it was ine from TheGuild. I think she and Swordmaster are married.¡±

    ¡°Swordmaster is a nice guy too. They fit well together.¡±

    Sophie nods, ¡°Yes, TheGuild so far seems to consist of quite the number of decent people.¡±

    Petting Biscuit, I listen with one ear and nibble on some snacks I stole from Maya. Surprisingly, she doesn¡¯tin too much. Maybe she still harbors the hope that I will sell her my ax one day.

    This isn¡¯t really all that bad. How could a football or hockey matchpare to this? Watching people use interesting skills, fighting, and giving their all. Truly, not bad at all.

    Soon after, Isabe disappears, a thin figure appears alongside her on the screen, facing her down.

    Sophie, who¡¯s been speaking with Tess up until now, grows quiet, and I see her clench her teeth, her eyes bing much colder.

    Tacita on the screen tilts her head in surprise and looks at Izzy opposite her.

 Chapter 377: Sophie vs Tacita

    Chapter 377: Sophie vs Tacita

    Sophie loses control as Tacita changes her field, and the mute girl disappears.

    Even while that is happening, Sophie keeps her hands moving as she sets up her web. She works quickly, creating floating constructs the size of bees that roam the battlefield in a chaotic fashion, drawing nearly invisible threads of mana behind them.

    Sophie detects something and waves her arm, causing the ground to bulge a few steps away from her before bursting into arge spike and piercing high into the air. She spins swiftly causing another three spikes to burst from three more points.

    It¡¯s almost impressive to see how little this distraction seems to trouble her as she continues to build her web and more constructs.

    For a moment, Tacita appears, dried blood under her nose, ears, and eyes, and the skin over her corbone bleeding down her shirt. She stands there calmly, dagger coated in her own blood. Did Sophie just force Tacita out of her stealth skill?

    Changing her grip mute girl takes a step.

    A dozen or so constructs take off after Tacita, each one its own, self contained trap, ready to trigger their effect the moment it¡¯s destroyed. The arm holding the dagger turns into a blur and all of the constructs disappear, each of them having been cut to ribbons in the span of a second.

    When the spikes pierce the ground, Tacita avoids them gracefully, jumping from side to side, avoiding them with ease, even while dancing between the threads of Sophie¡¯s web.

    Every second she is moving closer to Sophie, who continues to throw everything she can against her. Her web, constructs, earth spikes, wind shes, and even the air over Tacita changes, attempting to focus the light and burn Tacita like an ant under a magnifying ss.And every time Sophie tries to use her mind maniption, Tacita creates a short dagger out of mana and throws it at Sophie in a beautiful straight line. The dagger leaves a trail of blue mana in its wake, forcing Sophie to defend herself as it pierces through multiple barriers with ease.

    When Tacita gets just a few steps away, Sophie shrinks her web, pulling the constructs into a tighter perimeter, before spinning a number of threads together, and attacking the mute girl.

    The web actually seems to affect Tacita¡¯s movement now, hampering it, as it pulls oxygen out of the air, restricting her ability to breathe, hell It even seems to be altering the temperature, and density of the air.

    Seeing all this, Tacita continues to walk slowly, yfully dodging her opponent''s attacks as needed, her arms the only parts seeming to move, her speed causing them to vanish in a blur as she deals with each attack. She looks angry as she does. The angriest I¡¯ve seen her yet.

    One step away from Sophie, she moves her arm and jams her dagger into Sophie¡¯s neck.

    Sophie tries to grab Tacita¡äs arm, which would improve her maniptions, but Tacita pulls the dagger free, before removing Sophie¡¯s entire arm and taking a step back.

    Then they face each other. Sophie, bleeding from her neck and the stump of her arm, and Tacita watching and waiting for her to die.

    There is an invisible fight we can¡¯t see or sense, but I¡¯m sure <strong>[Maniption]</strong> and Tacita¡¯s skill or trait are shing even now.

    Gradually, Tacita squeezes her dagger, blood once again flowing from her eyes as her hand moves. Turning the dagger against herself, the tip of the de pierces the skin over her heart.

    Then the movement stops, and in ash-out-like movement, the arm swings, sending Sophie¡¯s head flying and reducing her into a cloud of shiny particles.

    Soon after, Tacita also gets teleported outside.

    The crowd under the screens bes extremely loud, with different groups of people chanting the names of the girls. Some erupting in celebration, and othersining as they rush to check their bets.

    Sophie doesn¡¯t seem to be happy but quickly finds herself drawn into a conversation with the others, all the while trying to keep her sister from noticing, though I''m sure can still feel it.

    As I wait for the next fight to start, I create a ck orb over the palm of my hand and, as always, it tries to fight back while I shape it, creating a projectile, dagger, and other constructs. I¡¯ve found that Mana Cycling helps here a lot too, though I probably should have expected that from a technique left to me by that cockroach-like Absolute. Not to mention all the progress I¡¯ve made with the aid of my duplicate and all the training I¡¯ve been doing here.

    As we approach the end of the tournament, I n to continue my testing. In particr, involving thebination of ck mana and my<strong> [Mana Crown]</strong> and trying to use it to power my skills in interesting ways.

    The result will probably be¡­ well¡­ explosive. Excited as I am, I figure I¡¯ll need to put it off to work on improving my control, just a bit more before moving on with the attempt.

    Lately, I¡¯ve thrown a lot of effort into trying to master ck mana and I can¡¯t shake the feeling that my basics are stillcking. It might not be a bad idea to slow down a bit and work on the basics. In the long term, I¡¯ll be better off than I would rushing to use powers I barely understand.

    Then there is also Miwa and her arm and her desire to meet Tent¡­ the first-ranked crafter, damn it.

    ¡°Maya¡¯s up against Savant,¡± Izzy pokes me, jolting me back to focusing on the screen once she¡¯s done speaking with Sophie who she still calls dumb.

    ¡°Why is Noodle growing so slowly, it seems like he eats a lot of mana,¡± I ask as I turn to the screen.

    ¡°I told him to not grow too quickly so that I can continue to carry him around and pet him! He¡¯s cuter at this size.¡±

    I see, that makes sense.

    Poor danger noodle.

    Meanwhile, back on the screen, dark blue armor starts to surround Maya, and before the helmet can cover her head, I take notice of the cold and focused expression on her face. She must know she doesn¡¯t have much of a chance, but that won¡¯t stop her from trying.

    Maya activates her<strong> [Boost]</strong>, and her high dexterity increases even more as she charges Savant, short swords in hand.

    This time, Savant doesn¡¯t use his domain and pulls out the broken Sword of Aeons instead, not seeming to care that it only has half a de. He uses it like a long dagger or a very short sword.

    His strengtheningbined with the short bursts of mana he uses to reinforce his body are nearly perfect. Better than anyone from Hell difficulty, he strengthens his body with his mana. In very short bursts, he bes almost as quick as Tacita.

    He avoids her attacks with extreme uracy, sometimes by a hair¡¯s width, merely by stepping to the side or jumping back, asionally moving so little as to simply tilt his head.

    He matches Maya¡¯s speed, and each time their weapons sh, he uses the bare minimum level of force, preferring to absorb the excess with his skill. He even manages to make use of the absorbed energy and releases it as needed to strengthen his attacks.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    I think his skill is probably something along the lines of <strong>[Absorption]</strong>, <strong>[Counter]</strong>, or <strong>[Redirection]</strong>, or something with a simr name. Though the skill allows him to absorb attacks and store them for a while, it likelyes at the cost of his mana. The longer he stores it or the more powerful the skill is, the more it¡¯s going to cost him.

    His skill must be really good too, given the way it was even able to store <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>. Either that or it was a higher level than Lily¡¯s skill and required Savant to use a lot of mana.

    It doesn¡¯t worry me that much. With my reserves, I should be able to overpower it quite easily. There is no chance he can endure it with his pitiful reserves.

    Savant dodges andshes out with his sword, the de¡¯s edge glowing in the gentle orange light of his domain. It easily cuts through Maya¡¯s armor and causes a serious wound.

    Without hesitation, Maya creates a patch made of mana to stop the bleeding, and instead of using<strong> [Boost]</strong> to enhance her healing, she uses it to attack again. She keeps changing her weapons, switching from daggers to hammers to swords, all in an effort to catch Savant off guard.

    At times she even creates additional limbs made of mana from her back and attacks with them instead.

    It still isn''t enough and the fight ends a minuteter with Savant barely warmed up and Maya''s armor flickering as she starts to lose control. At that point, Savant ends it with a few swift swings of his sword, slicing through Maya''s creations like nothing.

    ¡°So who do you think is stronger, Nat or Savant?¡± Aaron asks Maya when she gets out.

    Maya, in a state of deep concentration, takes a moment to jolt back to reality, and then a few more as she stares at the blonde boy.

    ¡°Savant may be ridiculously skilled, but Nat is crazy to the point of being suicidal.¡±

    ¡°So Nat?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine Nat losing, but I don''t think that Savant showed everything he can do, so I would expect him to have some nasty surprises in waiting.¡±

    ¡°So Savant is the smart kid who finds it easy to study while Nat is just a dumbass spending his nights brute-forcing the lessons?¡±

    ¡°No, Nat sets the ss on fire and then uses the distraction to cheat while getting terribly burned.¡±

    ¡°The fuck?¡± Aaron shouts, stealing the words from my mouth.

    For now, I may as well ignore the pokes at my surely normal personality.

    On the screen, the scrawny man who beat Min-Jae wins his fight, bing the finalist for his group. I think he¡¯s from Bendover¡¯s group. A simr assassin build, but unlike the 30-something Bendover, the scrawny man must be over 50, though it¡¯s not like it matters that much anymore with the benefits granted by our stats.

    A few fightster, and the group fights end, leaving us with our 16 finalists.

    <strong>Congrattions on bing the finalist for your group. The finals will start in 1 hour!</strong>

    <strong>Group 1 - </strong><em>Swordmaster</em>

    <strong>Group 2 - </strong><em>Noname</em>

    <strong>Group 3 -</strong><em> Brainiac</em>

    <strong>Group 4 -</strong><em> Bard</em>

    <strong>Group 5 - </strong><em>Gareth</em>

    <strong>Group 6 - </strong><em>FoodFood</em>

    <strong>Group 7 - </strong><em>Wanderer</em>

    <strong>Group 8 - </strong><em>Zenith</em>

    <strong>Group 9 - </strong><em>Savant</em>

    <strong>Group 10 - </strong><em>Rook</em>

    <strong>Group 11 - </strong><em>Meridian</em>

    <strong>Group 12 - </strong><em>Sset</em>

    <strong>Group 13 - </strong><em>Tacita</em>

    <strong>Group 14 - </strong><em>Vesper</em>

    <strong>Group 15 - </strong><em>Luminary</em>

    <strong>Group 16 - </strong><em>AnotherOneHere</em>

    Having seen the groups in their full glory, I can¡¯t help but think about just how unlucky Group 4 was. A lot of them met someone from our group or Beyond, preventing them from making the finals.

    There are even two people from Hard difficulty who were lucky enough to get groups without anyone from Hell in them, Zenith and Meridian.

    The duels are announced as well, while the participants are split into two groups.

    <strong>Group 1 - </strong><em>Swordmaster</em><strong></strong><em>vs</em><strong> Group 2 - </strong><em>Noname</em>

    <strong>Group 3 - </strong><em>Brainiac vs</em><strong> Group 4 - </strong><em>Bard</em>

    <strong>Group 5 - </strong><em>Gareth vs</em><strong> Group 6 - </strong><em>FoodFood</em>

    <strong>Group 7 - </strong><em>Wanderer vs</em><strong> Group 8 - </strong><em>Zenith</em>

    <strong>Group 9 - </strong><em>Savant vs</em><strong> Group 10 - </strong><em>Rook</em>

    <strong>Group 11 - </strong><em>Meridian vs</em><strong> Group 12 - </strong><em>Sset</em>

    <strong>Group 13 - </strong><em>Tacita vs</em><strong> Group 14 - </strong><em>Vesper</em>

    <strong>Group 15 - </strong><em>Luminary vs</em><strong> Group 16 - </strong><em>AnotherOneHere</em>

    It looks like I need to win against Swordmaster, followed by either Brainiac or Bard. Then that leaves either Gareth or Biscuit. The winner of this mini-group will go against the winner of the other mini-group. Likely Savant, Tacita, or Tess.

    ¡°Are you happy with your group?¡± I ask Tess as we read from our system windows.

    ¡°Well, I need to win my fight and then I¡¯m up against Savant. It¡¯s a shame, I wanted to fight Tacita, but there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°Already giving up?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I will throw in my best, but I think out of everyone you¡¯re the only one who can reasonably face the guy.¡±

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t shown off much. He got an arcane weapon during the first event, and had a high <strong>[Restriction</strong>] during the second and third.¡±

    Tess chuckles in response, ¡°That¡¯s more than enough for someone like us to make a judgment, right?¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡± I sigh.

    Then I look at the mana stone I¡¯ve been keeping in my pocket. It''s the one Savant gave to Lily in exchange for restoring his arm. The stone contains research on healing made by He, a disciple of Champion Tristan.

    Knowing Savant had it since the second floor, it''s obvious that he saw the research as well. There¡¯s a lot here about body modification, more than there is about healing wounds or regrowing limbs and organs.

    Things like taking parts from someone else and making them your own by ¡°healing¡± them into ce, and simply making your body ept them.

    Every bit of it is nasty, descriptions of taking the corpses of long-dead Champions and trying to use them. Changing limbs, transnting the hearts and flesh of more powerful humans, even body parts containing traits. It also talks about the risks inherent in such procedures. Rejected traits, the body fighting back against foreign organs. Such procedures are extremely dangerous should the new part be rejected.

    And I wonder how much of this knowledge that guy has used and how much of that body is still his own.

 Chapter 379: Before the finale

    Chapter 379: Before the finale

    Gareth scores an easy win in his next fight. Even though it¡¯s possible to die now, neither seems to hold back much. The fight still seems dangerous, but also like friendly sparring.

    Wanderer is a petite woman using shockwaves. She uses them to attack, reposition, and mimic flying for a second or two. Sometimes she even concentrates them much like I do, but theyck the damage output required to hurt Gareth.

    When Gareth wins, there is barely any sign of the fight on his body.

    As I wait for Tess and Savant to enter the field, I try to figure out the system¡¯s intent behind allowing us to die within the Arena at this point in time. Even during the start, the system said that it was impossible to die during the tournament. Does it mean the rules changed or was this always the n? Am I just paranoid, thinking some sliver of intent from the Rulers would bother to mess with us?

    Either option could be true, though It¡¯s not hard for me to imagine the system doing this on its own to shake up the final matches. Whatever it is, it can wait as the two people enter.

    Tess with a dozen javelins floating behind her back, wearing armor she got on the 3rd Floor from Edwal and had improved and fitted on the 4th. The javelins are a mixture of a few epic ones with the rest being rare. Mostly made out of endurium.

    Savant is wearing a chestte I¡¯ve seen him wearing on a number of asions, a light weight and well fitted scale mail cuirass. Other than that, he enters with a bracelet on his wrist, a ne, and the damaged Sword of Aeons on his waist.

    This time, Tess takes a more mobile approach and rushes to put more distance between Savant and herself. Her<strong> [Storm Crown]</strong> is already in ce and she even uses<strong> [Psychokinesis]</strong> to move herself faster.

    Her opponent doesn¡¯t react and stays rooted in his starting position. The orange light is already starting to seep out around him, and he holds the Sword of Aeons in his hand.Once she thinks she¡¯s far enough away, Tess makes her <strong>[Deration]</strong>, the air itself vibrating as she forces the world to obey her will. What she said, I don¡¯t know, either Ick the capacity to understand, or she¡¯s chosen not to let anyone know, or perhaps the deration doesn¡¯t quite make the transition from the Arena. But the result is obvious.

    The crown over her head grows in diameter, doubling in size, as the lightningshes out at the air chaotically.

    The first javelin to sail through the air is an epic grade artifact. In the blink of an eye, it reaches its target, leaving a trail of red and white lightning behind it.

    Instead of piercing his chest, it slows as it gets closer, either the pressure from Savant¡¯s domain or some unseen ability slowing it down and weakening the lightning. In the end, he grabs the javelin depleted of its lightning and, after examining it curiously, he lets it fall.

    Before that javelin even touches the shallow water of theke, five more pass through the air, each of them at different speeds and all of them focusing on the same spot.

    The result is the same, the five weapons devoid of lightning falling from the sky to sink down into the water.

    Seeing that, Tess sighs and drops all but one of her javelins, and all the lightning from her crown and other weapons flows into it over the next ten seconds. The javelin cracks under the amount of energy stored in and surrounding it and Tessunches it directly into the air.

    Once again, Savant lets it happen. His eyes watch her like a tiger standing to the side, ready to pounce on its prey.

    After a while, that javelin starts falling down like a meteor, lightning cracking all around it as it shines like a solitary star. Its falling speed is further increased by Tess¡¯s skills.

    Without even attempting to dodge, Savant¡¯s posture straightens, and lightning starts flowing from his hand and crackling around the Sword of Aeons. Shining red and white, like the one he absorbed before. It blisters his arm, eats into his flesh, and a few boltssh their way across his cheek, causing a burning scar. Even so, he somewhat forces it under his control and shes at the falling javelin.

    The water from the bottom of theke explodes into the air, as the sheer force of the impact causes arge quantity of water to burst into steam t. The disced water rapidly makes its return to earth, falling like rain and rippling out across theke. Somewhere within the area of impact, Savant remains, hidden by the cloud of vapor, a bit of red and white lightning continuing to arc through the fog.

    Tess moves her arm, and the javelins in the water lift into the air again. There is no lightning crackling around them this time. But before she can attack, a javelin flies from the point of impact at a speed nearly equal to that of herst attack.

    Even though Tess is not expecting to react, she sends a strong push in an attempt to stop the attack.

    A single thump sounds, and shocked, Tess looks down at her chest. There she finds a huge hole piercing through her body, big enough to see through. Clearly a mortal wound.

    ¡°I forfeit,¡± she says, evacuating as quickly as she can while her body sways from blood loss, her eyes losing focus and bing more and more distant.

    When she appears outside, the wound is gone, and her clothes and mana are restored. Tess grasps for the air.

    If she had hesitated a bit longer, she would be dead.

    If Savant aimed any higher, she would be dead.

    That much is obvious.

    So that¡¯s how we y.

    I filter out the conversation of my group and watch the next duel. Tacita against AnotherOneHere.

    After thest duel, Tacita seems to share my feelings, and the moment the fight starts, she disappears.

    Before her opponent can even react, he finds himself staggering back, her dagger piercing deep into his chest, slicing through his armor and ignoring any other defenses he may have had. A mercy I¡¯m sure he knows. That dagger could¡¯ve easily been ced in his eye and killed him before he could forfeit.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he mumbles while the blood flows from his wound.

    He disappears, and a new notification pops up.

    <strong>Congrattions! You have ced in the top 4 of the Arena of the 5th round of the tutorial. The fights will continue immediately with the final duel happening one hour after.</strong>

    <strong>Death is still possible within the Arena.</strong>

    <strong>Note: The remainingpetitors will not be healed by the system after the duel ends, only mana and stamina will be restored.</strong>

    <strong>The duels are as follows:</strong>

    <em>Noname vs Gareth</em>

    <em>Savant vs Tacita</em>

    Someone from the group says something, but I feel myself pulled inside and rush to find my bearings within the new Arena.

    This is the 1st floor. The clearing we¡¯ve appeared in is set under a dark sky lit by the northern lights. Blue, green, and pink, they shine vibrant in the sky. Unlike in my memories, this ce is eerily quiet, not even the sound of leaves moving in the wind. Nothing is moving; as if we were frozen in time.

    ¡°Forfeit.¡± I give a single warning to Gareth.

    ¡°No.¡± He answers simply.

    Both of our crowns appear at the same time, and he shoots a few of his orbs at me. They reach me quickly and expand, trapping me inside of a bubble as it tries to shrink, crumpling me up inside.

    But it doesn¡¯t move, the sheer pressure of my mana holding it at bay.

    My eyes activate, and I decipher the frequency, using <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to step through the bubble.

    Gareth reaches me quickly, his slim armor covering his form and dagger in hand. For a second, I grasp him with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, add that energy to my own, and release a burst of kic energy from my core.

    This story has been uwfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The earth in front of me explodes, sending the man flying through the forest and breaking the trees in his path. I use the anchor I ced on him, and after creating a tricolored orb, I send it through.

    Far in the distance, an explosion rocks the forest, followed by two more as I send out more orbs. Then my anchor disappears, crumpling under the amount of mana I¡¯ve sent through and because I didn¡¯t have time to make it stronger.

    The explosions stop and a few secondster Gareth stumbles into the clearing, his body bloody, mangled, and burned. A silver light shines around his body as it heals him and his armor surrounds him again. Huge parts of the forest behind him have been left in a state of disarray not to mention the fire.

    Ipress a javelin over my shoulder and fill it with thermal energy beforeunching it at him. As mes explode around him, I use an anchor I ced on the javelin and appear right in front of Gareth.

    While he swings his silver mace at me, I absorb the mes around us and release more thermal energy from my core. That forces Gareth to stop his attack, and a shield nearly as big as him embeds itself in the ground as he blocks the attack. The golden mes slide across the barrier, scorching the earth at his side and heating up the air.

    Taking a bit of ck mana I created, I boost my <strong>[Resonance]</strong> and disrupt his shield, which causes him to cross his arms in front of his body to block them.

    Even so, the ridiculously resilient man endures them, his armor failing in the heat and starting to melt at the edges.

    Another disrupting wave powered by ck mana dispels his armor, and he continues his attempts to hold the mes at bay with his body alone. His flesh melts away, leaving his bones exposed while his body continues to regenerate.

    Gareth takes a step towards me.

    Then another as a silver mace forms in his hand.

    Before he can take a third step into the mes, apressed javelin as thick as my leg appears behind him, Iunch it at him, boosting its motion, piercing his belly, and anchoring him to the ground.

    Exhausted, Gareth moves to get rid of it but then notices the javelin turning bright white.

    His eyes nce from it to me.

    ¡°I forfeit,¡± he says with a smile and disappears before the javelin explodes.

    Appearing outside, I let my replenished thermal energy flow through my body to activate my passive and heal the small wounds I have taken. As the system said, they haven¡¯t been healed, only my energies and mana have been restored. Even so, I¡¯m not worried about Gareth. The man will surely be able to heal wounds of that level.

    I use<strong> [Focus]</strong> and force myself to calm down.

    While watching the screen, I continue to work on my mebearer, the damaged arcane ax. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been working on ever since the end of the second event. The goal is to create temporary inscriptions like I did back then. Until now, I haven¡¯t had a reason to take it into the duels with me, but that¡¯s about to change.

    Tacita and Savant both appear in the Arena clearly modeled after the 1st floor.

    The mute girl takes a deep breath, pulling out a second dagger. Both of the weapons are of epic grade. The first one is shorter and with a wider de, made out of silver metal. The second dagger, which she¡¯s showing off for the first time, is made of ck crystal. It looks brittle as if a single attack would break it.

    Releasing her held breath, Tacita blows a strand of hair from her face. All her attention is concentrated on what I guess is as quick movement as possible.

    <strong>[Dawn]</strong> surrounds Savant close to his skin, the orange light radiating like armor.

    Mana coats the two daggers, and Tacita disappears.

    When she appears again, she¡¯s only holding one dagger; the ck one is gone. Tacita looks at her arm which is quickly changing colors, an orange light spreading from her hand and reaching higher.

    Without hesitation, she swings her dagger and removes the arm at the elbow, after that the field around her changes slightly, likely in an attempt to counter or weaken the effect the next time she attacks.

    Savant is standing there, a ck dagger piercing through the palm of his hand, the attack stopped before going through his eye.

    Tacita went for a kill. There was no hesitation at all.

    Looking at the ck dagger, Savant watches as it crumbles, turning into dust. His arm starts turning ck and then crystallizing, and it spreads quickly. If he doesn¡¯t do anything, I¡¯m sure that attack will leave his entire body like that.

    He pushes at the encroaching crystal with his domain, countering the effect somewhat, and as the orange light seeps through his body, it seems to be reverting it to some extent. Aware of his reserves, he doesn¡¯t push more to remove it and decides to save his mana; he just keeps it at bay.

    When Tacita attacks again, targeting his head, he barely manages to parry the strike with the Sword of Aeons, and Tacita reappears further away.

    It takes a huge toll on him, I can see, but for really short moments Savant is almost capable of matching her speed. Almost.

    Once again, Tacita¡äs body is poisoned by his domain. Each sh costs her, even the short exchange they just had was enough to leave her affected. Not showing any hesitation, she charges again, attacking from the side, her arm bing a blur.

    Savant barely covers his vitals, and the dagger stabs him three times: striking his arm, his knee, and the right side of his chest.

    Tacita pays a high price for the exchange though. Blisters form all over her body, and her breaths are quicker and shallower. One of her eyes seems to lose its sight.

    ¡°You will die if you don¡¯t forfeit,¡± Savant says as he shifts his weight on a different leg.

    A bit of mana glows at the tip of Tacita¡äs dagger, and she swings it, creating an image in the air just from the afterimage of the glowing mana.

    U(¥Ä?)¨Ï

    A crazed smile climbs its way onto Tacita¡¯s lips, and more mana seeps into the dagger, its surface vibrating visibly, cracks forming across the surface of the weapon. Her feet bury themselves in the ground, and she lowers her body. The mana poisoning reaches further, blinding her other eye as well, and she just closes her eyelids.

    The orange light of his domain dances across Savant¡¯s skin, flickering like mes.

    Tacita reaches him in a blink and nearly severs his arm, the bone serving to stop the sh that was meant to separate his head from his neck.

    I can see how much it surprises Tacita that his bone stopped her attack. She tries to dash back but finds herself unable to. She falls to the ground, her chest barely moving. Her skin starts shivering, and some of her hair falls out as her limbs thrash as they cramp.

    Savant watches her. He doesn¡¯t attack, but he doesn¡¯t take down his domain and Tacita is slowly being poisoned to death.

    Then she forfeits and disappears.

    For some reason, I realize that I''m about to stand up, grab Lily, and teleport somewhere. It''s surprising reaction for multiple reasons, but I stop myself and wait.

    The reaction I expected to happenes quickly.

    ¡°Nat, we need to help her!¡± Lily shouts, grabbing my shoulder and shaking me.

    ¡°We need to?¡± I ask curiously.

    ¡°Yes, we need to!¡±

    ¡°She is unstable and dangerous. She could kill any one of you at any moment, so I don¡¯t think we need to.¡±

    ¡°Nat?¡± Lily cries, shocked.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I thought you were friends, I thought you¡­¡±

    ¡°Lily, I¡¯ve only known her for a few days. Don''t misunderstand, I care about our group only and I will kill anyone who tries to hurt us. As for Tacita, I don¡¯t mind being neutral with her, but we aren¡¯t friends, and she doesn¡¯t belong to this group.¡± These words are meant as much for me as they are for Lily.

    ¡°Please...¡± she whimpers.

    I look at her. Lily is almost crying.

    ¡°Even though you don¡¯t know her?¡± I ask with interest. It''s a question I want to ask myself as well.

    ¡°Please. She¡¯s dying. I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s going to help her.¡±

    ¡°Okay then if that¡¯s what you really want.¡± I put my hand on her shoulder and teleport to Tacita¡¯sir. It¡¯s deep in the forest, a small hideout built around a fallen tree.

    There, hidden inside, lies Tacita, curled up, shaking, and clearly dying.

    I watch as Lily rushes towards her, immediately using<strong> [Sacrifice]</strong> and sending a burst of healing through the girl.

    I don¡¯t mind helping Lily. She¡¯s a member of my group, someone who¡¯s helped me over and over again. Someone I want to call a friend in the future.

    But Tacita? There are things I like about her, but there¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t. And I know she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill me or anyone from group 4 if she thought it was necessary.

    Why would I want to help such a person? Out of some sense of petty sympathy? Because of pity?

    ¡°I can¡¯t help her fully, Savant¡¯s poisoning is too deep. I can¡¯t use <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>; I would probably kill her.¡± Lily is desperate, and her constant healing is the only thing keeping Tacita alive. The mute girl is on the brink of death because of what <strong>[Dawn]</strong> did.

    With a sigh, I concentrate my mana through <strong>[Focus] </strong>and force it into the shape of a small ck nail. I lower my head and pass under the fallen tree.

    In this tiny hideout, a singlerge nket full of holes lies, most likely an item from Earth, judging by the design. A few stolen items are strewn about as well, some of them are even ours, Earth food I bought that disappeared. In the corner of this small ce, a few daggers lie, all of them extremely clean and well taken care of. Layed out and organized like treasures.

    Lowering my hand, I pierce the ck nail into Tacita¡¯s chest, and for a moment, she opens her eyes that are already healed by Lily. They meet mine, and I can see the stubbornness in her gaze. A strong will clinging to life.

    "It wasn''t my idea. It was hers." I gesture at Lily.

    The ck nail starts absorbing the mana that¡¯s poisoning her and some of Tacita¡äs own as well. I try to control it so it absorbs only Savant¡¯s and I seed only partially, but it¡¯s the best I can do.

    When all of the mana poisoning is gone, I remove the nail and turn it into an orb. I will need to get rid of this somewhere.

    Lily touches Tacita again and starts healing her. Tacita¡¯s breathing steadies, her convulsions subside, and color gradually returns to her face.

    The entire time Tacita holds a dagger in her shaking hand. Even in the state she is in she is ready to fight back. It''s something I''m sure Lily didn''t notice.

 Chapter 380: Final duel

    Chapter 380: Final duel

    We stay a bit longer and I keep an eye on Tacita and the knife she has hidden behind her back.

    She is like a wounded animal, growling, and showing teeth, but knowing she is getting help and not biting because of that. I can¡¯t help but find it amusing to watch her face while Lily works on healing her, at this point Tacita¡¯s probably finding herself feeling even better than she did before the duels.

    As we leave she doesn¡¯t bother to draw anything for our benefit. She just watches us, clearly having us so close is making her nervous.

    Giving her onest nce, I teleport us away and let Lily deal with any questions our group might have. I, meanwhile, take the opportunity to stretch and return to sitting in the spot I abandoned before. I still have some time before my final duel with Savant, so I may as well work on mebearer.

    I rey the events of the 1st event in my mind, paying special attention to Savant¡¯s use of the arcane glove he found there. Back then I wasn¡¯t taking anything too seriously, but arcane weapons are probably difficult to control. Very difficult.

    mebearer is like that even with my temporary inscriptions. It''s hard to say how much more difficult it is to control a fully powered arcane weapon.

    To hear Savant tell it, the glove tended to guzzle mana, and yet he made decent use of it, even with his paltry reserves. And the restriction he had in ce only makes his feet even more impressive.

    Hell, he demonstrated his prowess again during his duel with Tess when he managed to force her primordial lightning under his control. I think his skill gives him an edge when he needs to manipte an ability that he¡¯s absorbed.

    That exins why he couldn¡¯t control her lightning before absorbing it. Even so, the fact that he was able to do as much as he did says a lot.Then there¡¯s his duel with Tacita. I''m not worried about his domain or poisoning as I can counter it with mine. Actually, he should probably be worried about my domain. No, the interesting thing is that his bones were capable of resisting Tacita''s attacks.

    Tacita showed a rare expression of surprise when he did that. Connecting it with the mana stone he gave to Lily and the knowledge it contains, it''s possible he made some modifications.

    The question is if he reced all of his bones or picked and chose. If I had to guess, I would say he went with thetter.

    <em>(Would you mind if I asked you something?)</em> Sophie probes, connecting to my mind.

    <em>(Go ahead.)</em>

    <em>(While you were ying with your ax, Lily exined what happened with Tacita. She tried to not show it, but she was disappointed and surprised.)</em>

    <em>(Makes sense. So what¡¯s the question?)</em>

    <em>(I''m surprised by your reaction. I think it¡¯s out of character,)</em> she says.

    <em>(Is it?)</em>

    <em>(Yes, I would have thought you would try to help just to get her on your good side, it wouldn¡¯t have even cost you anything. You already seem to have some small connection with her, and she seems to respect you.)</em>

    <em>(Weren¡¯t you trying to kill her earlier?)</em>

    <em>(A bit, but that was just in the duel. I don¡¯t think I truly wanted to kill her if you know what I mean. So can I have an answer?)</em> Sophie pushes.

    <em>(I''m an asshole, simple as that.)</em>

    <em>(Were you waiting so that Lily could take the me? Why would you do that? Why¡­)</em>

    <em>(Anything else?)</em> I snap, interrupting her.

    <em>(Just one more. I noticed a weird feeling a few times during our conversation, but did you die?)</em>

    <em>(Yeah, once or twice.)</em>

    Sophie cuts off for a long moment and when she continues, her tone cautious,<em> (Nat, others areing to me to weaken their memories so they can keep dying while training. Yet you died at least two times during our conversation and who knows how many times before. Are you sure¡­)</em>

    <em>(It¡¯s fine. A bit of training didn¡¯t kill anyone¡­ well, you know what I mean.)</em> Having had enough, I just cut off the connection.

    Two times? It was twice as much.

    I''m using this opportunity to examine my heart as much as possible, even cutting it apart inside of my chest to examine its pieces. So of course, there are some risks.

    It would probably be safer if I didn¡¯t work on mebearer at the same time, but it¡¯s fine.

    As for Savant, I''m curious how he will heal. At the start of the tournament, he appeared missing an arm, which Lily restored, but I can¡¯t help but wonder if he did it on purpose so he could examine her healing. Maybe he even absorbed some? What an annoying guy.

    Either way, I¡¯m certain that he has some n to heal the wounds Tacita inflicted. The weird effect produced by that dagger can probably be removed if he¡¯s willing to sacrifice a decent chunk of his mana to fuel his domain.

    As for me, I don¡¯t think the duel willst very long. I n to go all out fairly quickly and I have no qualms about using thest charge of Titan''s Backbone. It already proved itself in my fight against my duplicate.

    Once again, I feel myself getting giddy.

    Soon.

    <strong>POV Brainiac</strong>

    I poke Gary and gesture at the screen. The old man finally stops talking and focuses his attention.

    After he got his ass kicked by Noname, he seems even more interested in this fight. He may be trying to hide it, but I can tell that he is deeply dissatisfied with being subjected to such a one-sided defeat.

    Well, it¡¯s not his fault. Noname¡ªthat guy is bonkers, even the twins and Kim can¡¯t say any different.

    The screen disys an image of the final Arena, where the two stand, face to face. The setting appears to be a generic city from Earth.

    They¡¯re surrounded by skyscrapers and the sun sits high in the sky. Down on the streets, cars, bicycles, and a myriad of other vehicles stand parked. But not a single human can be seen.

    Though the setting is familiar, I can¡¯t help but find the image of a city without its multitude of bustling inhabitants disturbing.

    ¡°Hey, Adam, know what city it could be?¡± I ask.

    ¡°It looks like somewhere in North America.¡±

    ¡°Howzy can the system be? It could have at least set it in New York, Paris, or San Francisco. That¡¯s where all the big disaster movies take ce, right?¡± Mari asks, giggling.

    ¡°Well, the two of them are definitely going to cause a catastrophe.¡±

    I watch as Savant leaps to the top of a skyscraper in a few bounds, his path up the building, marked by a trail of crumbling ss and concrete. Meanwhile, Noname is already waiting at the top. As always, he wears that same punchable expression that¡¯s so emblematic of his personality. The one that makes it seem like he is looking beyond you like you¡¯re just a bug in his way.

    Granted, having known him for a bit, it¡¯s probably not intentional, but damn, I would love to punch him. If he was at least a bit less good looking¡­ if he smiled a bit, I bet all the girls would be all over him. Even so, I don¡¯t know how big a chance they would have with that mana maniac.

    The fight doesn¡¯t start immediately. For a moment, they face each other, neither of them using their skills. They are measuring each other.

    A few seconds pass and not a single word is exchanged. Then the fight starts.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Noname takes a step forward and mana roars from his body as that pale blue crown appears taking its ce over his head and golden circles form in his eyes. He stomps and the entire skyscraper cracks and starts to copse.

    Orange light flows from Savant and crashes into Noname¡¯s mana and for a moment they seem to push against each other, though the blue mana starts to take over as Savant jumps to another skyscraper.

    Like a predator pouncing on its prey, Noname charges him and swings that ax of his with both hands.

    Golden mes devour the area, burning between the buildings, cracking ss, and reducing the cars below into molten heaps of g.

    Another swing and more golden mes explode into the area.

    And then a third evaporates the building Savant was standing on, the man surrounded by his orange light and holding that broken sword in front of him.

    Slowly the mes die off, leaving burning streets, destroyed buildings, and molten metal in their wake.

    ¡°Well, I had hoped it would do more damage, but at least it depleted a lot of your mana,¡± Noname says as he floats in the air. Without any hesitation, he throws the ax aside, leaving it buried in one of the buildings.

    ¡°Your ax¡¯s output was unexpectedly high.¡± Savant nods.

    Both of them are weirdly calm.

    This time it¡¯s Savant who makes the first move and the orange light he¡¯s been radiating increases. It expands further and further. lighting up the sky, like the breaking dawn. It pushes against Noname¡¯s own light and rapidly approaches it, eager to make contact and poison him just like Tacita.

    ¡°Sword of Aeons was the best mana battery on dore, wasn¡¯t it? I wonder how much mana you stored to push me like that.¡± Noname inquires, seemingly unconcerned, even as the orange light reaches him.

    Blisters start blossoming across the surface of his skin but he seems to be examining them instead of trying to fight back. More and more orange light exerts its pressure on him, surrounding his body like it means to devour and drown him, while it slowly forces him to reduce his mana expenditure.

    ¡°Well, not like it matters.¡± He says, the serenity in his voice making me shiver.

    It¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t even care that he can die now. He acts no different than he did when he was invulnerable. On the contrary, he¡¯s even more daring now.

    Noname lifts his arm to the sky and one of those scary ck orbs forms in the palm of his hand. It grows more and more until it¡¯s the size of an orange and then elongates into the simple shape of a sword.

    Immediately, all the orange light surrounding them gets pulled inside. It doesn¡¯t even touch Noname anymore, it just flows into the ck sword like water down a sinkhole.

    Noname floats into the air again, holding the ck sword which absorbs any mana close enough to reach him. His blue crown slowly spins over his head.

    Then he starts releasing his own mana seemingly unaffected by his terrifying ck sword.

    Every time I think he might reach his limit, he pushes more and more mana from his body.

    And then more.

    And more.

    ¡°Fuck¡­ just how much¡­¡± Mari sighs.

    And more.

    Gareth keeps his eyes glued to the screen and I realize that calling Noname a mana maniac was an understatement. How is he not dead? Did¡­ did he invest all¡­ of course¡­ of course he did. He was always telling us in the Community, we were fools to think he might be joking.

    What a monster.

    Everything is fine, it¡¯s even running smoother than expected.

    Savant¡¯s<strong> [Dawn]</strong> can¡¯t do shit against me. The ck sword just absorbs any of his mana that reaches me. It sucks it in like a ck hole. Sure I could make it easier to upkeep and maintain the ck mana as an orb, but the sword looks cooler.

    My training also paid off and with the help of my eyes and<strong> [Resonance]</strong> I can change the frequency of ck and normal mana so they do not affect each other. It¡¯s extremely difficult and I''m sure the aftereffects will be severe even with Titan''s Backbone. Though I can¡¯t keep it up for long, which may be a problem in the near future, but it should be fine for now. No, it¡¯s more than fine.

    Most of my primordial energies are gone but I can still use all of the mana I¡¯ve pushed into the surroundings to pressure Savant, his domain is already dissipating and he turns it into that orange sword that seems to be trying to fight it. So far he¡¯s enduring pretty well even under all of the mana I¡¯m radiating, an attempt at mimicking his domain and mana radiation.

    Seeing as he¡¯s not trying to poison me anymore, I split the sword into three parts, forming each one into a javelin beforeunching them at him.

    Each one crashes to either side of him, pulling on his mana and devouring it gluttonously.

    I reach towards all the mana within my <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> and shape it. I send it his way in the form of tricolored orbs, javelins, mana wires, and mana orbs. Each attack pierces through a skyscraper as Savant jumps from one to another and I force the ck javelins to follow him.

    We destroy the city so simr to the one I grew up in, leaving everything trashed. The choice of this Arena is a clear message from the system.

    Look and see what you could do to your and cities.

    Buildings crash. Roads get torn apart, cars bowl over. I unleash mes that melt the concrete and kic energy reducesrge statues and telephone poles into dust.

    Savant dodges, the orange sword made of his domain flickering under the constant pressure applied by my orbs and mana. Yet he still manages to absorb some of my attacks. Some fire disappears here, and a pulse of kic energy doesn¡¯t hit him as strongly there, and tricolored orbs fail to explode.

    His heart beats. At this point, I''m sure it¡¯s not the original. Neither is his right arm, one of his legs, and one of his eyes. All of these parts came from different beings, all of them more powerful than his own and absorbed into his form.

    So I''m not surprised when all the attacks he absorbed get released,pressed into a single orb, not dissimr to my own. His poisonous domain, my fire, and kic energy, my tricolored orbs and javelins, all of it merged into a single orb, which he sends my way with perfect timing.

    Even before it explodes, the orb releases immense heat, setting nearby buildings on fire and copsing the road under it.

    I move one of three ck javelins and shoot it through the orb, the ck weapon sucking in all that mana, leaving only primordial energies behind, which I reabsorb into my Vortex Core.

    The attack disappears as if it never existed.

    I move my arm and the three ck constructs fly back to me, all of them contained within my domain. In my hand, they connect and reim the form of a sword. Moving them now is much more difficult, but they are also so much more effective.

    Boosting my body, I reach Savant who meets me head on, his orange sword shing with mine.

    I watch as his sword tries to poison me, to take over ck mana. The domain is extremely concentrated in that weapon. But it can¡¯t do anything. The ck sword just absorbs it all with ease and it doesn¡¯t even seem to have enough to resist.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to keep it up for much longer so that¡¯s why you are pushing me,¡± he says as if it¡¯s a fact.

    ¡°Yup, soon it will start wrecking my body. How much more mana do you have stored in that sword?¡± I ask, gesturing at the Sword of Aeons.

    ¡°Enough to keep resisting your domain for another ten to twenty.¡±

    I shoot a pulse of kic energy at his head only for it to be absorbed, and returned immediately. He does the same with my fire, javelins, and the tricolored orbs I form over our heads. All of it taxes him, I can see that.

    In thest attempt, he finally pulls out his trump card. He absorbs his left arm, the one Lily restored at the start of the tournament.

    His sword made of his domain disappears with it. The wounds on his body heal, the arm most likely containing some of Lily¡¯s healing powers and his strength and speed increase likely enhanced by the biomass he absorbed from his arm.

    The orange light ignites again. A light shines from the broken de, extending it and giving it the look of a normal sword. his domain taking the ce of the missing mana.

    Savant then powers his sword with the mana remaining in his body and the Sword of Aeons itself.

    It¡¯s scary how muches through and some of his domain even pushes through the ck sword I made, for a moment escaping its reach and affecting my body. The damage reaches my heart even though my domain and all my other defenses. It pierces through my mantle and spreads through my circuits.

    Even then, it¡¯s not enough.

    It¡¯s far from enough.

    My heart thumps and Ipress the mana flowing through my body. I throw the ck sword far away and I grab hold of Savant¡äs hand, holding his sword in ce. Then I push further, Ipress more and more until all the mana currently flowing through me bes tricolored before resolving into that mysterious ck mana.

    In a blink, it devours my mana poisoning and threatens to tear me from inside, until I push it out. Ignoring the damage it causes I form a big nail out of it, the same kind I made during the 1st event.

    I then jam said nail into Savant¡¯s chest, making sure he understands the message.

    He tries to absorb it, he tries to work around it, but he can¡¯t. Not currently. With his body in tatters from our bouts and the sheer amount of mana we were channeling and our abuse of powerful skills, he looks at me.

    I''m ready for anything. My mind is sharp, my heart is beating wildly, and the world feels so colorful, so alive.

    Show me what you can do when pushed to the brink.

    ¡°I forfeit,¡± Savant says simply and disappears.

    For a moment I just stare into the air and at the destroyed city all around me.

    What?

    I appear outside in themon area, to the sound of people shouting my username down below.

    What just happened?

    Some members of my group rush to congratte me but I don¡¯t hear them.

    Did he give up just like that? Just because I had an advantage?

    I feel myself clench my teeth and my now restored mana starts seeping from my body.

    Is he messing with me?!

    I send my senses through themon area in one strong pulse and fail to locate him. I can''t sense him at all.

    As my mana starts to build up I nce at Lily and Isabe who are smiling. Izzy is even holding my hand and I''m sure she can feel my emotions right now. I once again look at the crowd down in themon area, most of them shouting my nickname, happy and celebrating the end of the event.

    When I nce at Izzy again, she smiles at me and taps my hand.

    Feeling extremely frustrated I sigh and seize control of my mana. I start cycling it again before it can start to leak and reach the people down below.

    This doesn''t feel satisfying at all.

 Chapter 381: Itâ€™s youâ€¦

    Chapter 381: It¡¯s you¡­

    <strong>Congrattions, you have won the 4th event - Arena!</strong>

    <strong>Do you want to ept your reward or would you like to forgo receipt to improve your final rewards?</strong>

    <strong>Your reward for winning the 4th event is:</strong>

    <strong>Passive skillbination token (low epic)</strong>

    ¡°I would like to use it to improve my final rewards.¡±

    The window disappears and I look at the palm of my hand, clenching it into a fist and then opening it.

    What a cowardly little bitch.

    Sure, he was about to lose. He gave his all, and I overwhelmed him. But still! What the hell. Fight me, show some pride, and don¡¯t just look at me like that! Goddamned Patience, is it his subss, is that why?

    Savant my ass.I don¡¯t remember thest time I felt so frustrated. He¡¯s more talented than me, he has some amazing skills, he was mentored by a Champion, and dered a Champion candidate. Yet he thinks so logically. It''s as if he¡¯s weighing everything, without taking any joy in the fighting.

    And now he¡¯s hiding. I went looking for him. I¡¯ve scanned the entire area of the tournament, but I couldn¡¯t find him. So I can¡¯t even try to punch him to vent.

    As has be my custom whenever I¡¯m annoyed, I pull Biscuit closer to my chest.

    We are alone in the living room in the huge armchair I¡¯ve reserved. Biscuit is quiet, and I have a suspicion he is sleeping off arge quantity of meat he found somewhere.

    His small body is soft and warm, and I can sense his heart beating calmly and hear his breathing. The fur on top of his head is pleasantly soft as I pet him.

    I wonder if I should start referring to him as an ESC, emotional support corgi, or ESFA, emotional support future absolute, or ESAO, emotional support animal overlord? It could be something to think about in the future.

    I pull up my status and check the skills that leveled up after I left the Arena.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 45 > Resonance - lvl 46]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 38 > Mana Domain - lvl 39]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 39 > Mana Domain - lvl 40]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Crown - lvl 22 > Mana Crown - lvl 23]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Crown - lvl 23 > Mana Crown - lvl 24]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 45 > Mana Maniption - lvl 46]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 46 > Mana Maniption - lvl 47]</strong>

    At least the rewards are nice, damn it.

    Once this tournament is over I need a break. Somewhere with fewer people. Maybe once we get the twins out of that ck Tower I can disappear for a bit and do some hunting on my own. Staying with them all the time could also slow their growth and mine as well if the danger isn¡¯t high enough. It sounds like a good n, I would think.

    But for now, I have a few hours before thest event, so I may as well visit Miwa and check out her arm.

    Before that, I can put the items I made into the store.

    I open the interface, and as I do, I put in twenty mana stones. Each of them qualifies as a rare quality item, and they shouldn¡¯t sell for too high a price. But I¡¯ve inscribed each one personally, making the same sort of exercises for mana maniption that I gave Vega and Channeler.

    I¡¯ve already tested them to my satisfaction. Vega and Channeler have certainly made some decent progress. So I set a starting price of 300 shards and time of auction until the end of the tournament.

    I won¡¯tin about an extra few thousand shards before it''s all said and done.

    I find Miwa in her workshop as always. She almost seems to live there.

    After a minute or two, she emerges, and her expression isn¡¯t quite what I remember. It''s hard for me to guess what emotion she is feeling. Maybe she watched the duels or maybe she heard something?

    ¡°So, about the guy. You know, the number 1 crafter¡­¡± I start carefully.

    The moment I mention that person, her eyes light up, and her stance opens a bit. She may still be hesitant, but she definitely has a strong interest in hearing me out.

    ¡°Can you bring me to them? My offer is still on the table, I¡¯m willing to let you examine my arm.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ about that¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, did they refuse? I can add ten rare grade items I made. I can throw in some of the ones I made for my group members too. I will owe them, and it will be a lot of work to make new ones, but I can do it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that. Let me show you something.¡± I request, walking past her and into the workshop.

    Inside, I find a corner with a metal table covered in inscriptions. After grabbing some low-quality mana conductive metal from a nearby pile, I start releasing mana, suspending it in the air.

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    Thermal energy flows from me, and I surround that metal, imitating a furnace and keeping the heat even. I gradually increase the intensity, and as it starts to melt, I move my mana to mix it evenly.

    Miwa stands somewhere off to my side, at first seeming like she wants to interrupt, before settling in to watch.

    I stoke the heat, and my golden mes envelop it as I cut off the air. continuing an experiment I¡¯ve been working on in an effort to learn how it might change the result. As it reaches the proper temperature I begin to release kic energy to hammer the metal.

    As time goes on, I slowly start absorbing heat from the dagger. It took me some time to get it right, and even then, there are imperfections. Cooling it down too quickly will only serve to ruin the final product.

    Of course, it could always be worse. I could use water to cool some parts, there are alloys, and oils I could have added into the mix, I could have triedyering the metal, heating it to different temperatures, and heating it for longer. I¡¯m certainly not starved for options and I definitely have plenty of room to improve in the future.

    But for now, I just let it cool as I work on shaping the molten metal into a bracelet as thick as my pinkie.

    At the same time, I use my skills to engrave inscriptions across the surface of the item andce some more along the inside. It would definitely work better with a different alloy to serve as the base, but then it would take longer as well.

    The process still takes over 2 hours, and Miwa silently watches without saying a single word the entire time.

    When it''s all said and done, I let the bracelet drop to the table with the ng of colliding metal.

    I check the results Identifying it as a low rare artifact bestowing an effect that will allow its owner to endure high levels of heat as it absorbs the excess and redirects it away once the storage reaches capacity.

    ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± Miwa says, finally breaking the silence.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°You¡­why would you call yourself that¡­ never mind, forget I said anything! You should have told me earlier! I¡¯ve been admiring your items for a while.¡± Miwa gushes, picking up the bracelet and smiling brightly, showing me the item, ¡°They are ugl¡­ that is to say theyck aesthetic appeal, the metals are often a mess, having been worked at excessively high or low temperatures. They are clearly amateur work.¡±

    ¡°Uh, okay?¡± Is she trying to start a fight?

    ¡°But at the same time, I can feel the enthusiasm and the raw talent. And the inscriptions are amazing! I don¡¯t think there is anyone from our round of the tutorial better at working with them. And even on the floors, people like you were rare.¡±

    Miwa continues to talk and talk. She talks about the item and the materials it''s made of. She asks about inscriptions, and she points out mistakes I made.

    Without hesitation, she presents me with a notepad full of notes on crafting. There are experiments she performed, alongside their results. Along with a few methods of smelting from Earth. Methods for working metals and more.

    The notepad alone is extremely valuable, but she even gives me a pair of mana stones with more information. One she got from the second floor and One from a cksmith who worked under Champion Keiron.

    There is no hesitation at all. She only tells me she already read and memorized it all dozens of times over.

    In her group, there is no one she can talk with about crafting properly, so she is happy.

    So I tell her about Nevan and his alloys and the things he showed me. I show her the arcane alloy he made, which I keep on me at all times. I even let her see mebearer.

    Miwa seems like she¡¯s going to pass out from excitement at any moment, as she jumps from item to item, peppering me with questions.

    In the end, I show and tell more than I had nned. But she reminds me of Cael, the craftsman from the 4th floor, a bit too much honestly. There is not a single sign of greed in her actions, and I just can¡¯t see her selling the items I leave her with for simple profit. All I see in her is a pure love for the act of creation, nothing else.

    She also shows me the arm, and I examine it and the way it''s connected to her body. I examine the material and inscriptions. I even copy most of them into one of the many mana stones I keep on me.

    I make Miwa move the hand, send mana through it, and activate the various inscriptions. We even activate some she didn¡¯t know about, like one particrly efficient example that serves to make her arm even stronger, and a few more she will have to examine on her own. The arm seems to have been shielded from examination by anyone other than its owner, so it''s difficult to parse even as she allows me all the time I need.

    Still, I learn a lot and I believe that knowledge will stay with me, add to what I currently have, and allow me to create better things in the future.

    Unfortunately, she still rejects my offer to buy her arm. She doesn''t care about the possibility of receiving a new arm, courtesy of Lily.

    I could offer to rent her Biscuit for a few hours, but something tells me she wouldn''t ept, and I have nothing more valuable than that so I give up.

    Lastly, I inscribe a mana stone for her. Miwa has a skill that allows her to manipte mes, but the inscriptions I created should allow her to practice and improve that skill. Maybe even evolve it.

    She is probably happiest about that part.

    When I finally leave, she thanks me repeatedly and bows profusely, her behavior having done aplete one-eighty over the course of my visit.

    I wonder if she saw something in me when I was crafting, just like I saw in her when she spoke about her love for the art of creation.

    I spend some time with Min-Jae and examining his eye. It works very well, and I don¡¯t find any problems.

    When Vega was still here, I also checked her eye. I might have gotten a bit paranoid after reading the contents of the mana stone that cowardly asshole Savant gave to Lily. Thankfully, it seems like everyone did a good job, and Vega''s weakened Mana Wavelength Iris fits her well.

    I wonder if I might be able to sell my eyes sometime in the future, perhaps I could even give a few away, weakened versions of course. Just pull it out, have Lily or another healer weaken it with my help, and then fit it to another person, and sell it.

    Logically, it shouldn¡¯t affect the trait itself, at least I don¡¯t think it should. I¡¯ll definitely need to learn more before going through with it.

    Min-Jae is still acting embarrassed, and it''s fun to see. Just that short spar won¡¯t change much, but he is a smart boy, so he should be fine. He will probably get his ass kicked a few times before that, but that''s to be expected.

    To be honest, if I see him doing it again, I might beat him up. I dealt with a lot of bullying growing up, people called me the brother of a murderer or poked fun at my mother.

    Of course, I¡¯m a hypocrite too and I bully others as well. Bendover is an example, or to a smaller extent, others. But at least I¡¯m an asshole who has enough power to be an asshole without getting killed by some vengeful chump. Meanwhile, Min-Jae is weaker, and it could cost him his lifeter. He can mimic me once he gets stronger.

    With little more than an hour until thest day of the tournament, we get a new notification.

    <strong>The 5th event - Chronicle of the Past will start in 1 hour!</strong>

    <strong>Everyone will have the opportunity to engage in a 1v1bat challenge with one being from the database of the Earth¡¯s tutorial. Beings such as natives from the alreadypleted floors.</strong>

    <strong>Every participant will be given 1 challenge, so choose wisely!</strong>

    <strong>Challenged beings will be of the same quality as an Avatar, possessing no memories other than those required forbat. They do not possess emotions or the ability to talk and have no motivations other than defeating the challenger.</strong><strong></strong>

    <strong></strong>

    <strong>Note: There will be no rewards for the 5th event. Your performance will be included in the calction of your final rewards instead.</strong>

 Chapter 382: Chronicle of the Past

    Chapter 382: Chronicle of the Past

    ¡°Hey,¡± Tess says, moving closer to me.

    ¡°What is it this time?¡±

    She chuckles, amused by my reaction, ¡°I wanted to confirm something. Lily seems disappointed with you over that thing with Tacita, but I can¡¯t help but wonder if that¡¯s all there is to it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m an asshole. It''s simple.¡±

    ¡°Really? Why then, was your first reaction to grab Lily and teleport to Tacita? I saw it, I have good eyes. I sensed you preparing to teleport.¡±

    ¡°You must have seen wrong.¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡±

    ¡°Yup, it was all Lily¡¯s idea.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about Tacita bing attached to you?¡±¡°Are you crazy, Tess? That girl is bonkers. She isn¡¯t attaching herself to anyone.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying. But I wonder why. Would that really be so bad? Does the idea scare you? Having someone like her attached to you? Maybe you just like acting like an ass so people will leave you alone.¡±

    ¡°Totally. Anyway, did you see thest event? What do you think?¡±

    Tess looks at me for a bit and then lets go of the previous subject, ¡°I will be challenging The First One. Lily will probably go against The Fallen Hero. Sophie is also going to pick The First One for obvious reasons. The rest still isn¡¯t that sure. Have you made a decision?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ve got a few ideas about that. Could you get Channeler and a few people from Easy difficulty? I¡¯ll give them some items if they use their challenge the way I want.¡±

    ¡°Sounds intriguing. I¡¯ll give him a call. And don¡¯t forget to set something aside for Channeler, he was helpful most of the time.¡±

    Who does she think I am? I¡¯m already preparing some nice stuff for my future PR guy. Enough to make him the most powerful Easy difficulty attendee.

    I spend half a day training with Lily, trying to beat some sense into her and improve her efficiency. She tends to use too much mana and needs to invest more into her reserves, as the result of her duel with Tess demonstrates.

    Using a lot of her stats for constitution is nice as it means better body parts to <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong>, but even that consumes mana. She also spends a lot of mana regenerating her body, which now costs more because of her high constitution.

    Her ideal strategy would be avoiding injury and taking advantage of her tough body through <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong>, but Lily seems to like cosying a bulldozer during fights.

    In the future, the power of constitution and some additional traits could make her investments more viable, but that¡¯s going to take a while.

    Then I spend a bit of time with Izzy, demonstrating a few better ways to use her mes. Sophie helped her a lot with that, and Izzy herself is pretty good, so it''s just a nudge towards a different direction.

    As always, I remind Maya to not be a scaredy-cat and level her <strong>[Focus]</strong> more.

    So far, no one from Hell difficulty has chosen to issue their challenge for the 5th event. We have people monitoring the auditorium, once again set up in themon area, with multiple screens disying each challenge.

    Some of the people from Hard have chosen to challenge powerful monsters they met on previous floors and couldn¡¯t defeat. Others challenge humans they want to learn something from, stretching fights out as long as possible.

    Challenging to learn is the way to go, I think. Yes, some want to ovee their trauma and near-death experience, but that¡¯s not for me. My challenge has already been decided, and I will wait for the end. Not like it is that far, just a few more hours.

    When people from Hell difficulty start issuing their challenges, I teleport to themon area.

    It¡¯s a bad day for ants as I watch both Sophie and Tess obliterate the First One.

    Something nearly snaps in me as I see that ck ant again, standing there like it had never died even while seeming like an empty husk.

    Tess is usually quiet about this kind of stuff, but I think The First One was something she sees as her big failure. Even though she doesn¡¯t talk about it or show it to others, I¡¯m sure it bothers her a lot.

    As I watch her fight that ant, I think I can understand that, at least partially. Even though it won¡¯t be a satisfying form of revenge and it won¡¯t change anything, it will be a step forward. She might need this more than any prize she could have gained.

    Her fight isn¡¯t even that difficult. Without the support of his <strong>[Hive Mind]</strong>, the First One is weaker, and the much stronger Tess defeats the ck ant.

    When Tess gets out, Maya makes sure the others leave her alone, and Tess sits to the side of the roof near us. There is a solemn mood around her as she sorts through things in her head.

    Sophie also gets in and it¡¯s even worse for the First One¡äs Avatar. He just freezes on the spot as his skill and<strong></strong>Sophie¡äs<strong> [Maniption]</strong> sh. He stays like that for the rest of the challenge. Sophie just holds him there, tearing as much knowledge as she can from his usage of <strong>[Hive Mind]</strong> as he tries to use it to counter her skill.

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    Where Sophie failed back then, she seeds now and holds him in ce with ease. But I don¡¯t think she feels as satisfied as she would have hoped. The First One is an Avatar and without his Colony may as well be a weaker version of himself. One thing I can say, even hating the ant as much as I do. He was truly formidable back then.

    The Challenges continue, and at some point, Savant reappears as well. He says a name and appears inside, facing a young-looking man. The ten-second countdown starts, and Savant starts his preparations to face him.

    ¡°Champion Tristan, he said,¡± Sophie, who¡¯s recently reimed her space on the roof, mumbles.

    That makes me check the man again.

    Tristan has a young, friendly looking face. He is slim, and his blonde curly hair makes a nice contrast to his simple ck clothes decorated with a few subdued golden ornaments. His eyes are sharp and have a slight orange hue to them. He looks very dignified even for the Avatar he is now.

    Back on the 2nd floor, I heard multiple people say that Champion Tristan easily ssified as the closest being to attaining the title of the Absolute from the entire world dore. Even closer than Champion Keiron or the mind mage emperor. And that man took Savant as his disciple for some reason, even dering him a candidate.

    Now they face each other, Savant radiating as much mana as he can, focusing it all on defense. To stay alive for as long as possible and learn from the man who took him in.

    When the countdown stops, the duel doesn¡¯t even take a second. Tristan barely moves, and Savant dies.

    Appearing outside, Savant doesn¡¯t seem to be dissatisfied, and I see the calctions going behind his cowardly eyes. Maybe he came up with better ways to forfeit duels that just started. Maybe he learned to say the word ¡°Forfeit¡± much faster.

    Maybe¡­ I shake my head and sigh.

    Biscuit¡¯s challenge is a huge deer with white glowing antlers. The deer is extremely majestic, each step he takes makes him look like a being from a fable. Like the kind of spirit our ancestors would have worshiped as a god in ancient times.

    The deer dies almost immediately in a single hit that seems to avoid damaging the body. Before Biscuit gets teleported out, tentacles surround the deer as he tries to bring it out with him.

    Appearing outside without his prey, Biscuit seems extremely confused and disappointed.

    <em>(Food!)</em> he shouts.

    His head moves from side to side, and he even tries digging into the rooftop with his front paws, while sniffing at his surroundings.

    <em>(Gone!)</em> He cries, with pain in his voice.

    I pick him up, and while he keepsining over and over again, I feed him pieces of my decreasing reserves of deer jerky.

    ¡°Hang in there, buddy,¡± I say trying tofort him.

    I think Biscuit was a 2-year-old corgi when he entered the tutorial with us. On the 1st floor, he ¡°awakened¡± forck of a better term. He still could be considered a kid, a child, even younger than my minion or Izzy.

    However, I find his naivety extremely endearing. His attempt to pay for stolen meat with pieces of ss he thought were the same as the mana stones they used as currency. Packing up pieces of meat with candy wrappers, thinking it might make us happier because he saw how much we enjoyed them. And more.

    His worldview is simple, and even most of his abilities were gained just to get more food. Tentacles to reach the ces we had hidden food, telepathy so he could ask for more food.

    ¡°You are one cute little thing, aren¡¯t you?¡± I whisper, making sure no one hears, and boop his nose a few times.

    <em>(Gone!)</em>

    ¡°We will get you someter, don¡¯t worry. And where did you see that deer? Did you face a monster like that on the 5th floor?¡±

    <em>(Food!) </em>He confirms.

    Receiving a Notice from Sophie, I look at the screen to see Min-Jae facing down a monster I haven¡¯t seen yet. It''s bipedal with human-like features and four arms. Its skin looks like it is made of metal. Maybe it¡¯s something Min-Jae met on the 5th floor?

    Soon the reason for this challenge bes obvious as the monster seems to possess a skill simr to <strong>[Telekinesis]</strong>.

    Min-Jae, like people before him, uses this to observe the monster and try to learn as much as he can. There also seems to be a hint of fear and hatred directed at the monster. Maybe it caused him trouble before.

    In the end, the boy wins. It''s still not fully satisfying, but his fighting feels just a little bit less tense. At the end of his challenge, he even seems to enjoy it.

    The twins go one after another, both of them summoning the same monster. A small blue one with a huge head and a thin body that keeps creating illusions. That monster seems to be much stronger than they are able to handle, and after a while, they both lose. Even so, I can see their excitement as they exchange their wordless conversation.

    The next member of our group to fight is Maya, and she faces a female lynthari I don¡¯t know. The warrior is wearing simple armor and wields a longsword.

    ¡°It¡¯s Maya¡¯s teacher from the 4th floor. One of the best sword masters of Virelia. The lynthari liked Maya and taught Maya when she asked for lessons. She agreed and In exchange, Maya had to apany her when she went to the city and shout vulgar stuff at people who tried to talk to her teacher,¡± Tess exins with a giggle.

    ¡°Typical lynthari.¡±

    ¡°I know, right? Still, Maya was rather fond of her and learned a lot. She didn¡¯t have time to say goodbye, and I think she wanted to see her one more time. Maybe even learn a thing or two or see how much stronger she has be.¡±

    To watch the scene y out on screen, I can¡¯t doubt what Tess said. Maya is getting pushed back by an extremely skilled lynthari. I recognize parts of her move set that Maya seems to have adopted into her own style. The lynthari also likes to quickly switch between a number of weapons created from mana. She uses a shield, then she switches to a spear, then a dagger, and finally back to a sword.

    The style looks extremely confusing and very versatile. It requires a lot from its user, but the result seems to be worth it.

    Maya holds back and focuses on her technique instead of exploiting her higher level. And because of that, she loses, but she doesn¡¯t seem sad at all. Instead, she smiles proudly, satisfied with her growth.

    ¡°Can you connect me to Channeler?¡± I ask Dennis, and with a nod he does.

    <em>(You guys can do it, I will pay as promised if it works.)</em> I say, sending it through the connection.

    <em>(Sure thing! The guys are excited!)</em>

    Then I watch the scene down below, as one man separates from his group and heads towards one of the screens. I¡¯m too far off to hear what he said, but I know the words. They are the words I told them to say.

    <em>¡°I want to challenge the winner of the 1st round of Earth''s tutorial''s 1st tournament.¡±</em>

    The man then disappears, teleported inside the arena to face his challenge.

    The event is called The Chronicle of the Past after all.

 Chapter 383: Bloody brawl

    Chapter 383: Bloody brawl

    An Avatar appears before the man from Easy difficulty. An Avatar of the man who won the 1st tournament of the 1st round of Earth¡¯s tutorial.

    The rumor spreads quickly, and before the countdown ends, signaling the start of the duel, all eyes have been glued to the screen, examining that man.

    He is very tall and muscr, the build you would see on strongmen. He¡¯s bald, has a bushy ck beard, and looks to be in his thirties. He Wears simple clothes and seems to be unarmed.

    When the duel starts, he takes a few steps and stares down at his challenger. It¡¯s just a moment, but even that seems to be enough to unsettle this particr member of Channeler¡¯s group.

    Then the Avatar swings his arm, and the upper half of his opponent''s body disappears, and just like that, the challenger reappears outside.

    ¡°Did you see that? That one swing left a massive crater,¡± Aaron says excitedly.

    ¡°High strength?¡± Min-Jae guesses.

    ¡°That dude was massive, and probably as heavy as the two of us and Min-Jaebined,¡± Dennis says, staring at the now nk screen with his eyes wide open.

    ¡°But it seems like you were right, Nat! We really can challenge the winners of the previous tournaments.¡±¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s all that useful, but it¡¯s going to be nice to see some of the other tutorial attendees. We might even find out how many rounds our tutorial has,¡± I inform Min-Jae.

    ¡°The next challenge is beginning,¡± Sophie says, and we turn back to the screen.

    The 2nd round winner of the tournament is a young redheaded woman with a long scar on her cheek. She is wearing simple, well-made armor, which I recognize as the armor of the Fallen Hero. Her only weapon is a huge ax with two des.

    Even so, she doesn¡¯t bother using her weapon and nonchntly kicks a stone off the ground towards her opponent. It speeds off like a bullet and kills the man from Easy difficulty.

    ¡°Hot.¡±

    To my surprise, it¡¯s Maya who says that. She gets a few surprised looks, and I can see the twins want to say something, but neither is brave enough to do so.

    The winner of the 3rd round¡¯s 1st tournament is a child. A boy looking to be even younger than Isabe. He has brown curly hair and deep blue eyes. Very deep blue, likely a result of one of his traits rather than anything approaching his natural color.

    As ten seconds pass, the boy¡¯s shadow expands, and two pitch-ck wolves rise from its depths, as if they were made of ink. They attack at once, dashing at the challenger who quickly dies at their hands.

    The two ck wolves turn into a liquid-like substance and seep back into the boy¡¯s shadow which quickly returns to normal. The entire time, his blue eyes seem to shine.

    Then the timees for the winner of the 4th round¡¯s tournament.

    It¡¯s a 27-year-old woman. Most people would probably find her attractive. Her eyes are both brown though one of them is slightly lighter in color than the other.

    She¡¯s wearing simple clothes. ck pants and a gray shirt with long sleeves. The design seems to originate from the 4th floor. Her ck hair is pulled back into a simple ponytail, clumsily done, she never was any good at doing it herself.

    Even as an Avatar, confidence, and grace radiate from her as she stands waiting with perfect posture.

    ¡°Nat¡­¡± I can hear Tess say quietly.

    ¡°Something happened? Why is your voice like that, Tess?¡± Maya asks, voice full of concern.

    ¡°That woman, she¡­¡± Tess hesitates, unsure what to say.

    ¡°She is my sister,¡± I answer in her ce.

    I watch the screen as Victoria takes her first steps. Her movements are so familiar. The Avatar moves just like her. Confident and daring. It''s as if she is daring the entire world to throw everything it has at her. And I¡¯m sure if that happened, she would endure it all withoutining. That''s how she is.

    The challenger dies with a single swing of her arm.

    When she disappears, I can only stare at the ce where she stood.

    <em>(Boss, we tried to challenge the 6th round winner, but it didn¡¯t let us. The same goes for higher numbers. It seems like we can challenge only rounds below the 5th for some reason.)</em>

    <em>(I see. How many guys do you still have?)</em>

    <em>(We have five left. They can challenge¡­)</em>

    <em>(Tell them to challenge the winner of the 4th round tournament. One after another. Don¡¯t ask why.)</em>

    <em>(I¡­ I understand. Can do!)</em>

    These five guys from Easy difficulty die one after another. Each of them receives some mana stones with inscriptions from me. But at the moment, I don¡¯t care about the cost.

    The thought of testing who this event would allow to challenge disappeared from my mind the moment Victoria appeared.

    Each challenge gives me 10 seconds in which I can see the Avatar of my sister and then a few more seconds as she calmly reaches her challenger. A few of them try to run away, but she catches up to them quickly and finishes it.

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    Group 4 is quiet, likely in an attempt to give me space after a quick exchange in the group chat.

    When it¡¯s all over, I find myself staring at the screen.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you challenge her? You could see her longer¡­¡± Maya tries, and her voice is unusually soft.

    ¡°No, I will never fight her.¡±

    Just the thought of hurting Victoria, even in the event of a sparring match, disgusts me.

    She is someone who cared for me for so long. Who took so much on herself and suffered on my behalf. There is no way I will hurt her, not even for a friendly sparring match. Not even if it¡¯s only an emotionless Avatar.

    Never.

    But there is someone with a different idea, a silly and petite ck haired girl who moves impulsively and probably thinks she is helping me. She even wastes her challenge.

    Lily appears inside facing Victoria, and she turns towards the ¡°camera¡± and smiles. I know she does it for me.

    What a dumb girl.

    For ten seconds, Lily and the Avatar face each other. Then the fight starts.

    Unlike before, Victoria¡¯s Avatar acts differently. Her posture changes, and as she charges, even her speed is much higher.

    She and Lily sh against each other, Victoria easily dodging Lily¡¯s strikes and hitting her a few times in retaliation. Lily takes two blows to the face, two to the neck, and a stronger one to the chest.

    Lily staggers back, her tough body enduring it so far. Out of everyone from the 5th round, Lily has one of the highest physical stats, and with the addition of<strong> [Sacrifice]</strong>, probably the highest. Yet Victoria matches her.

    Another exchange sends Lily rolling on the ground as Victoria pounces on her. Even in a fight, she seems so collected.

    Finally, Lily is forced to use <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>.

    Victoria shows incredible reaction time and jumps back. She nces down at the missing piece of her shoulder and, for a moment, I can see her calcting her next move. Then she attacks again. She uses more of her strength and mana while dodging Lily¡¯s burst of<strong> [Disintegration]</strong>.

    But then, to Lily¡¯s surprise, Victoria gets hit by a series of strong, slow bursts of gray mana, and her entire body disappears. Only a finger remains, plopping to the ground behind Lily.

    Lily stands there more shocked than anyone watching.

    ¡°That was unexpected,¡± Maya mutters.

    But Lily doesn¡¯t find herself teleported outside; the duel doesn¡¯t end.

    In a blink, Victoria regrows from her finger. The flesh extends from the finger, along with bones, nerves, organs, and skin. It happens extremely quickly, and Victoria grabs Lily¡¯s arm.

    Lily, who was looking around at that moment, starts pulling her arm back in shock, but Victoria pulls harder and tears Lily¡¯s arm from its socket.

    That makes Lily stagger back, a short scream of pain escaping her while her arm starts regrowing.

    Before it¡¯s restored, Victoria takes a step swinging Lily¡¯s severed arm. Shends a blow on Lily¡¯s face, striking with great force, sending her staggering with a broken nose. And then she advances with another quick step and swing, making Lily stumble even more.

    Before the third hitnds, Lily uses<strong> [Disintegration]</strong>,shing out at Victoria.

    Victoria swings, deflecting the gray mana with Lily¡¯s own arm. As the arm of a person who possesses that skill and uses it often, It only makes sense that it should be able to endure it. The only sign of damage on the arm is the ragged skin at the stump and a few disintegrated pieces of flesh.

    Lily continues to attack, and every time, Victoria uses her arm to block her gray mana. After a while, all that remains is a jagged bone, and Victoria attacks head-on.

    She spits, and I can see a bloodied piece of something fly over Lily.

    ¡°Was it her tongue? Did that crazy woman bite off her own tongue and spit it behind Lily?!¡± Maya says in shock.

    The moment that piece of tonguends on the ground, another Victoria grows from it just like she did from the finger. A perfect copy of the original.

    That copy quickly moves and puts her arms around Lily from behind while the original uses the bone jutting from Lily¡¯s severed arm to pierce Lily¡äs chest, aiming for her heart.

    A whip-like burst of gray mana is sent from Lily, both versions of Victoria getting hit. One loses both arms, another one its legs under the knees.

    From these cast-off limbs, three more Victorias quickly regrow.

    Victoria, missing her arms, knees Lily in the chin, and the one without legs grabs one of Lily¡äs arms.

    The other three Victorias each grab a limb and start pulling.

    Lily screams as they tear off her limbs, and another burst of gray mana devours everything around it in a wide area, and all the Victorias with it.

    Still, they had time, and further away, two bloodied fingers make theirnding. From each finger, one Victoria regrows.

    Lily sways a bit but straightens up as they attack her relentlessly. They are much more confident now, better at dodging <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>, and after a while, one of them bites off her finger and spits it out.

    The finger spawns a third Victoria. After dodging, she swings her arm and punches Lily in the jaw, staggering her and almost causing her to lose consciousness as the powerful blow shakes Lily''s brain. All three of them seize the opportunity and attack Lily. Two start pulling her arms, and the third one grabs Lily¡¯s head after punching her again in the same spot.

    Lilly¡¯s bursts of bursts of <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> gradually weaken, still damaging them, eating away at their flesh, and blinding them, but they still continue to pull.

    In the end, Lily¡äs head lets go before the limbs, and they pull it free, dangling her spine behind it.

    Finally bursting into a cloud of particles Lily reappears on the roof.

    The result is a total shitshow.

    She wanted to help, to have a duel so I could see my sister for just a bit longer, and yet it ended like this.

    A total, absolute shitshow.

    Instead of fighting with her to allow me a longer glimpse of my sister, it ended with them getting into a bloody brawl.

    But I do understand. I tend to screw things up when I try to help, making them worse instead. It caused my sister so much trouble back then.

    There was no ill intention from Lily, none at all. In her own naive way, she just wanted to help, without thinking it through at all. It''s almost silly. What did she imagine would happen?

    Lily tries to get out of the rooftop, but I move to her and grab her arm. I patiently wait until she lifts her head from the ground and looks at me.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say.

 Chapter 384: The end of the tournament

    Chapter 384: The end of the tournament

    The remaining challenges of the 5th event continue, but other than a few of the more powerful members of Hell difficulty, we don¡¯t pay them much attention. Also, Channeler is already trying to get somest-minute people to challenge a few individuals and beings we wanted to try to challenge before I made them go against Victoria.

    ¡°So Nat, your sister¡­¡± Maya starts carefully.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°She seems ¡­ nice. Hehe.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°But damn, why do you both have to fight like that? What kind ofbat even was that, regrowing her body and tearing limbs off? She beat Lily down with her own arm.¡±

    ¡°It makes sense if you think about it. Lily¡¯s arm should logically endure <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> at least a bit, so she used it as a shield.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem with you, Nat. You don¡¯t even see anything wrong with that. Tess, you said you met his sister a while back. What kind of person is she?¡±

    Tess takes her eyes off the screen and turns to Maya, ¡°She is very polite.¡±Maya blinks a few times and gestures wildly at Sophie, who also shakes her head.

    I let them talk and jump down to themon area. Upon reaching one of the terminals to start the challenge, I stop and look at the screen. There are so many options for me to challenge, but at the same time, there is only one. The only person I feel anything like admiration for.

    ¡°I want to challenge Lissandra Hawthorne, Absolute of dore.¡±

    Feeling myself pulled, I do not even examine it and find myself inside the arena. Like everyone else¡¯s, mine is unique. It is a clearing with vibrant grass and purple flowers that cover it in its entirety. A few pirs stand in the distance, crumbling under the weight of their age, and off to the side, stands the ruins of a building that must have been glorious once, long, long ago.

    The Absolute Lissandra stands opposite me, just a few steps away. She is as I remember her. Tall, in a ck suit that would be more fitting on a male. looking to be around 60 years old, and her hair is gray. But most importantly, there is that absolute confidence of hers, evident even in the form of an Avatar.

    A ten-second countdown starts and ck mana from an orb I create seeps into my mind, the world starts feeling as if it has slowed down. My Mana Wavelength Iris activates as well, and in this state, I stackyers uponyers of barriers around me, using all of my body¡¯s mana.

    Once I¡¯m done with that, I reach into my reservoir and start using that as well, and a third of my reservoir disappears like that.

    The second third powers <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, which I¡¯m ready to use at any moment to defend myself.

    Thest third I use to further power my mind and eyes while keeping a single ck orb in front of me, onest attempt at defending myself.

    In these ten seconds, my body gets ruined beyond measure. I¡¯ve used too much mana too quickly and recklessly. All my reserves are emptied in mere seconds. But I just need to endure for a moment.

    Ten seconds pass.

    Lissandra looks at me and then takes a single step. The step resounds in a seemingly infinite echo, and I feel myself stumble and fall to my knees, barely able to keep myself from fainting.

    Another step and the echo continues, but I hold on and force myself to keep my eyes and mind in one piece, staring at the most powerful being I have met so far, not counting the Rulers.

    Lissandra stops holding back her mana, and it radiates from her. It moves like a wind that, without any effort, blows through all of my defenses. It¡¯s not even an attack, just the sheer pressure of her unrestrained mana.

    All of my efforts are nothing in front of this Absolute.

    Then the ck orb absorbs some of her mana, and bursts open like a bubble, unable to contain the overwhelming force.

    I find myself back outside and for a long moment, I stand there, reying what happened and trying to decode what my eyes saw. I still have a long way to go, but I don¡¯t feel quite as hopeless as before. I have seen her move her mana, and with it came a tiny bit of understanding.

    This kind of knowledge I value more than any reward, more than any item.

    In the remaining few hours, we try to challenge the 1st Beyonder, but his Avatar fails to appear. We make multiple attempts, but nobination of words seems to work. Even the Intent or Rulers refuse our summons, but that¡¯s only to be expected.

    I also catch Channeler and force him to ept a few upper rare items, making him by far the strongest and richest member of Easy difficulty.

    I notice a few members of his group giving him some interesting looks, so I mention that if something happens to Channeler, I will find the one responsible. I make sure this message spreads.

    We don¡¯t want my PR guy to get hurt.

    Then my mana stones sell, thest few shards trickling into my ount from the tournament shop.

    <strong>Congrattions, your items were all sold in the tournament shop! You have gained 10,346 shards. Ten percent will be taken by the system.</strong>

    The bidding still went even higher than I could have expected.

    There are a lot of goodbyes, many people making friends in the week we¡¯ve had here, that¡¯s far from normal in my book. It takes me months to get used to waking up 30 minutes earlier orter than usual and these people made friends.

    Humans can be scary indeed.

    Gareth, Brainiac, Lootenant, and even Samuele to say goodbye. I also notice Tacita standing in the distance. She stares at Lily for a while, but she does take a moment to nce at me. Then she disappears as she is used to do.

    We also say goodbye to the twins, who will be separated from us the moment we exit the tournament. They still have wounds on their bodies, something they¡¯ve had to endure the entire time they¡¯ve been here.

    As our time approaches its end, I move to the side where, for onest time, I make use of our immortality in this space. I create a big orb of ck mana and feed it to my crown.

    The result is the same as before. Despite all my training, experience, careful thinking, and inscriptions, none of these help me control it.

    After disconnecting from the crown which still manages to steal almost all of my mana, it crumbles and explodes in a shockwave that washes over the entiremon area, giving onest scare to the people around us.

    A small goodbye from me to them.

    <strong>Congrattions onpleting your 1st tournament! The second tournament will take ce 2 years after the start of your tutorial.</strong>

    <strong>In the second tournament, all rounds of the Earth¡¯s tutorial will participate.</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions, you have ced 1st overall in the 1st tournament of the 5th round of Earth¡¯s tutorial. Your reward has been improved.</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions, you have ced 1st in the overall crafter rankings of the 5th round of Earth¡¯s tutorial. Your reward has been improved.</strong>

    <strong>You have rejected multiple event rewards in order to increase your final reward. Your reward has been improved.</strong>

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    <strong>Please pick 2 out of 5 possible rewards before you are transported back to the 6th floor where your Floor Quest will continue.</strong>

    <strong>Rewards to pick from:</strong>

    <em>Passive skillbination token (upper epic)</em>

    <em>Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)</em>

    <em>Passive skill (upper epic)</em>

    <em>Item (upper epic)</em>

    <em>15,000 shards</em>

    ¡°I want the passive skillbination token and the trait strengthening token.¡±

    <strong>Passive Skill Combination Token (Upper Epic) -</strong><em>Allows you tobine two passive skills up to upper epic rarity. The resultingbination will be a unique skill that cannot be obtained otherwise. Passive Skill Combination Tokens cannot be bought or sold in the system shop.</em>

    <strong>Trait Strengthening Token (2nd Stage) -</strong><em> Allows you to strengthen your trait by one stage, either from the base to the 1st stage or from the 1st to the 2nd stage.</em>

    After that, the scenery changes and I find myself where I was before we entered the tournament.

    Both Aaron and Dennis are gone, the lush grass is reced by rocky ground and we stand beneath a dark sky with a neb shining across the bulk of its expanse.

    We are back on the 6th floor.

    I open my system and check, confirming my suspicions. the system seems to have chosen to feed me just a bit more information on passives:

    <strong>Name:</strong><em> Nathaniel Gwyn</em><em></em>

    <strong>Difficulty:</strong><em>Hell</em><em></em>

    <strong>Floor:</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>6 - Astral Prison</em><em></em>

    <strong>Time left until forced return:</strong><em>3y 357d 23h 59m 21s</em><em></em>

    <strong>Traits (2/3):</strong><em>Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3</em>

    <strong>Lvl 237</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Strength: 113</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 110</em><em></em>

    <em>Constitution: 268</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1015 + 1015</em>

    <strong>Primary ss:</strong><em>Focused Channeler (Epic)</em><em></em>

    <strong>Sub-ss:</strong><em>[Initiate of Pride]</em>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Focus - Lvl 49</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 46</em><em></em>

    <em>Redistribution - Lvl 48</em><em></em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 45</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Domain - Lvl 40</em><em></em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 36</em><em></em>

    <em>Infusion - Lvl 29</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Crown - Lvl 24</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Maniption - Lvl 47</em>

    <strong>Constructs:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Thermokic Mana Heart (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Vortex Core (Construct)</em>

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Mana Reservoir (upper epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Arcane Resilience (mid epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Phoenix Embrace (mid epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Overload Absorption (low epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Cognitive Fortress (mid epic)</em>

    <strong>Tokens:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Beyond difficulty entrance token</em><em></em>

    <em>Passive skillbination token (upper epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)</em>

    <strong>Shards:</strong><em>135,369</em>

    I guess we¡¯ve unlocked a bit more of the system. The Item in my hand is no different.

    <strong>mebearer (low Arcane, Damaged)</strong> - <em>mebearer held dominion over fire, with a mere swing capable of igniting the horizon. This ax¡¯s ze once burned with immense fury. Despite the damage and its weakened mes, moments of intense heat surge through its de, offering a glimpse into its fiery past.</em>

    But before I can really think about it another window pops up.

    <strong>You have been invited to be a disciple.</strong>

    <strong>If you decide to ept, you will be summoned to train and study under your master for 2 weeks.</strong>

    <strong>If you choose to reject, there will be no consequences.</strong>

    <strong>You have 10 minutes to decide.</strong>

    <strong>Do you ept?</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    Well, this is unexpected.

    Three minutester, each member of group 4 present takes a seat in silence, each processing the news of the invitation I got.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s an additional tournament reward. You said you rejected event rewards multiple times, so I think this is part of it,¡± Tess says.

    "It could be it. The message seems to be nearly the same as the one my disciple received before she entered the tutorial," I answer.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to enter the third Beyond trial?¡± Min-Jae asks.

    ¡°I wanted to go to trial, get Aaron and Dennis out of the ck Tower, and do a lot of other things. This message has ruined all of my ns.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll get another chance if you reject it now,¡± Sophie muses. ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s a one-time thing. And what does this even mean? Will you be leaving the tutorial, or will your master be one of the tutorial¡¯s natives?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t rule out the possibility of interference on the part of the Rulers either,¡± I say, shrugging my shoulders.

    ¡°I think you should ept it. If the tutorial can be trusted, your master may be able to help you a lot. You might even get someone powerful enough to dere you a Champion candidate, whatever that means.¡± Tess seems to be pushing the most.

    She knows just as well as I that they will face greater challenges if I leave, yet she still does it.

    She seems to read my mind for a moment, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. We will get the boys out and wait for you toplete the Floor Quest.¡±

    I wonder, is it worth it to push back the next trial of Beyond anymore than the tournament already has? But I have to agree with Tess. The rewards I picked for the tournament are more than amazing, but it makes sense for this invitation to be part of it. There is a weird twisted logic to it.

    If I get a capable master, it has the potential to make me more powerful than any other reward I could get. And who knows how much information I could collect? I might even get summoned out of the tutorial.

    At least I don¡¯t need to worry about group 4, well, not much. They have a few monsters in their ranks, and Tess will make sure to keep them all alive.

    Okay, I guess I¡¯ll just have to follow my gut on this one.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ept,¡± I tell them.

    Then after retrieving a few things from our hidey-hole and leaving the rest with them, I prepare to leave.

    I do not use the passive skillbination token as I have a great n for it but I don¡¯t have enough time to work out all the potential kinks. As for trait strengthening, it¡¯s still too soon to strengthen my eyes. Mana Wavelength Iris is just too powerful as it is.

    So just like that, we find ourselves being separated again. Both sides wishing the other luck and telling a fewmest minute jokes.

    ¡°I ept,¡± I say and once more feel myself pulled away.

    <strong>POV Earth </strong>

    ¡°Professor, w-we have a problem.¡±

    ¡°Go on, Liam, don¡¯t make me pull it out of you. You young folks are supposed to be direct. Leave the pointless tiptoeing around to oldtimers like me.¡±

    The young man by the name of Liam gulps, ¡°We¡­ we found a spider on the moon.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you did? Maybe it¡¯s just some kind of contamination left over from the moonndings? No, wait, since when do we have telescopes that powerful?¡±

    ¡°Professor, we didn¡¯t use a telescope...¡±

    ¡°Excuse me? Liam, I don¡¯t know if this is your idea of a joke, but if so I¡¯m deeply disappointed in you.¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t use any of our telescopes, Professor. It can be seen with the naked eye.¡±

    Silence ensues, and the old man bursts out in a boisterous fit ofughter, but as a minute passes and he sees the unchanging face of his student, hisughter tapers off.

    With a serious expression, Liam continues, ¡°The spider in question is the size of the entire state of Colorado.¡±

    <strong>POV Nathaniel</strong>

    I immediately recognize the ce I find myself in. The poisonouske nearby, the weird inscriptions covering the sky. I even recognize the forest around me.

    I¡¯ve clearly found myself back on the 5th floor, and by the looks of it, the Veil is in the same state I left it in. It might even be the same instance.

    But there is one thing that shocks me more than any other. There are three presences beyond the trees on a small clearing near theke. I can¡¯t see their owners yet, but I recognize their signatures.

    One of them is the murderer from Easy difficulty. The other is a tall lynthari woman and thest¡­

    ¡°Little pup, are you going toe out or do I have to grab you by the scruff of your neck and drag you out myself?¡±

    We were wrong. This was never part of my rewards.

 Chapter 385: Five rules

    Chapter 385: Five rules

    Like my minion before, I walk from behind the trees and enter the exact same clearing she entered back then. There, these three people greet me.

    The murderer from Easy difficulty stands there awkwardly. He is not tied, and there is no mana holding him at all. Yet, he stands there with a terrified expression, not daring to move or say anything.

    Myrra looks just as I remember her, tall and cheeky. Her white hair easily flows in the wind, and her golden eyes are squinted with a happy smile.

    The emotion I''m feeling right now is extremely silly.

    There is just one problem: her tail sways from side to side in the manner she does when there is danger around.

    ¡°Feral one, be very careful, she made a deal with some being to kill you,¡± Myrra warns me.

    And the third person lets her say it. It''s like it doesn''t matter at all if I know. That absolute confidence tells me she will deal with anything thrown her way.

    Lissandra sits on the stone nearby. Unlike her version I just met in the 5th event, she is young and beautiful, an ethereal kind of beauty that''s hard to grasp or describe. Her silver hair flows over her shoulder, tied into simple ponytails. She is wearing ck clothes, more fitting for a male, but looking easy to move in.

    As before, her body is wless. That''s the word I could use. It''s like it¡¯s made with the single purpose of being as athletic as possible. As she shifts, I can see that in each of her motions. Every movement sends a shiver down my back as if I''m standing in front of a peak predator.It''s a sentiment confirmed by the calm in the area around us. All over the forest, monsters are fighting, veilshriekers crawling, the Veil intensifying this pressure. Yet, the small area around us has not a single monster nearby, as if they do not dare to enter her territory.

    Lissandra doesn¡¯t say anything for a while but continues to observe me very intently. Behind her eyes, I know she is thinking of something. Something very important.

    ¡°I''ve decided. I won¡¯t kill you, little pup,¡± Lissandra states, as she makes her decision. She was always quick to do that.

    She jumps on her feet, picks up the ck dagger that was stabbed into the stone, and puts it on her belt. The moment she does so, time around us feels like it slows down, and the pressure increases.

    A single giant orange eye appears there and grows in size until it covers a third of the sky, which turns pitch-dark.

    ¡°Fake one, we made a deal,¡± the voice of that entity I met multiple times roars through the air, making it vibrate and the world shake. ¡°Do not dare to try to¡­¡±

    ¡°I have a few requirements, of course. If you break any of them, I will kill you, little pup,¡± Lissandra tells me, totally ignoring the thing in the sky.

    ¡°Why?¡± I ask her, also ignoring the intent.

    I wouldn¡¯t take it lying down, but seeing her now, it feels like I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against her. None at all. It¡¯s this primitive feeling that¡¯s hard to describe, and she is the only person who makes me feel this way.

    If ites to it, I will fight till the end, but this¡­ this would be throwing my life away. I hate it. I dislike how weak I feel and the difference in our strengths.

    This won¡¯t do. This can¡¯t go on. There is no way I will allow myself to feel this way.

    Seeing it¡¯s not getting attention, the intent in the sky disappears, its anger is easy to imagine. The world bes normal once again, and the soundse rushing back as the sun appears back in the sky.

    ¡°Good, Envy is now gone. He won¡¯t be able to mess around with this tutorial for a year or two. Maybe less if other Rulers share the bacsh with him, which could be quite possible.¡± Lissandra turns to Myrra, ¡°Little kitten, kill that man but freeze and keep his heart.¡±

    Myrra does so right away. The murderer from Easy difficulty tries to use his mana and defend himself, but a single hole is pierced through the middle of his forehead, and his body falls on the ground like a puppet without strings.

    Lissandra takes a few steps towards me and taps with her finger right over my heart.

    ¡°Originally, I agreed to deal with Envy so I could get your heart and status, little pup. The man that just died was supposed to be used so I can transfer his status to this female lynthari you saved in such a silly way.¡±

    As she talks to me, I examine the ck dagger on her belt. That thing is totally the one I made on the 3rd Floor and came back to bite my ass. It currently doesn¡¯t even try to absorb any mana. It just sits there.

    I find it very, very interesting. Something I should try to experiment with. But maybe I should pay attention to Lissandra. She seems to notice me getting distracted, and I know if I push it more, there will be consequences.

    So I say, ¡°You made a deal with that entity. He wanted me dead, and you agreed, asking in exchange to be moved here, this floor was probably kept ¡®alive¡¯ by the entity and maybe because of my and my duplicate¡¯s attempts to have it kept running after I leave it.¡±

    Lissandra gestures for me to continue.

    ¡°The n was to kill me as the entity wanted and for you to take my heart and status, the status of that now-dead man going to Myrra. Then you would either on your own or with some help be Earth¡¯s tutorial attendee and get out of it when it ends.¡±

    ¡°Simple, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lissandra takes a step back and gestures at Myrra toe closer.

    ¡°Are you not worried about breaking the deal you made with Envy?¡±

    ¡°Little pup, why would I even keep the deal with someone who would break it at any moment? Envy is just inept to allow himself to get used that way.¡± She says it towards the sky, to someone who might be listening, ¡°But if he is dissatisfied, he can wait for when I will get out of the tutorial, and we will solve it then.¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Even though her original was just an Absolute, when her word got scanned and included in the tutorial, she doesn¡¯t seem to care. Back then, she would be weaker than a Ruler, and now, much weaker than her original self, she still shows confidence to face him.

    But something has changed about her, I have noticed.

    ¡°You are different now; you seem to have more of your original memories that should be lost because of your imperfect imprint. I wonder, did you make another deal with another Ruler?¡± I ask.

    A small smile flickers on her face, but she doesn¡¯t answer and examines the frozen heart Myrra is showing her. Myrra does it respectfully, and her eyes quickly perk up when she catches my gaze.

    Lissandra prods it a few times before sighing, ¡°Deplorable, but that was to be expected. Little kitten, we will use it to give you the status of an attendee. It will be more annoying, but I will make my own heart.¡±

    Myrra nods, ¡°Yes, Lady Lissandra,¡± and her aurora ss flickers around the frozen heart, as if packing it before she puts it into the bag on her side.

    ¡°As for you, little pup. I will let you live, I will dere you Champion candidate if I feel you deserve it, and I will even train you,¡± Lissandra continues.

    ¡°Why?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°I won¡¯t answer that question for now. But there are five rules for the following two weeks, so listen carefully.¡±

    She lifts one finger.

    ¡°If you use your concentration skill to affect your emotions during the following two weeks, I will kill you.¡±

    Second finger.

    ¡°If you use the mana you used for this dagger,¡± she taps on it, ¡°I will kill you.¡±

    Third finger.

    ¡°If you fail to reach level 250, I will kill you."

    Fourth finger

    "If you fail to get three skills to level 50, I will kill you."

    Fifth finger.

    "If you fail to reach Adept of your subss, I will kill you.¡±

    She already seems to know a lot about me and my status. Too much to my liking, but I guess there are things thate with being thousands of years old and being the most powerful being of her for a simr length of time.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot,¡± I mention.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Like, a lot, a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just kill me?¡±

    ¡°I can do it if you have given up.¡± Because of the way she says it, I¡¯m sure she isn¡¯t joking.

    ¡°What will you do if I insult you a bit? Call you things. Be a bit honest about my feelings and what I think of your expectations?¡± I ask. I¡¯m sure she knows how much I dislike it.

    Lissandra stays quiet, but her eyes give a simple answer.

    I have to hold myself back from saying anything too harsh, and it¡¯s surprisingly difficult. Lately, I have been relying on <strong>[Focus]</strong> a lot to deal with this kind of stuff, so this feeling is weird as I already stopped using it for my emotions. Something I¡¯m sure she already noticed. I''m able to keep quiet for now, but I¡¯m sure more trouble willeter.

    Level 250 is doable; I''m missing only 13 levels. Adept of Pride could be tricky, but maybe doable. It¡¯s been a long time since I got my subss, but I do not know the requirements. ck mana is a big hit to my power level, but it seems the cockroach has something in her mind.

    The situation reminds me of the time she threw me into the dark tunnels full of me imps, imps poisoning me and serpents. All for my training and because she was dissatisfied with my, in her opinion, slow growth. Maybe this is something simr? Such a lovely olddy indeed.

    The worst will be getting 3 skills to level 50.

    <strong>Active skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    Focus - Lvl 49

    Perception - Lvl 46

    Redistribution - Lvl 48

    Resonance - Lvl 45

    Mana Domain - Lvl 40

    Tether - Lvl 36

    Infusion - Lvl 29

    Mana Crown - Lvl 24

    Mana Maniption - Lvl 47

    This will be dangerous. The bottleneck from level 49 to 50 seems to be really big, looking at how long my <strong>[Focus]</strong> is stuck at 49.

    Lissandra, probably getting the reaction she wanted, takes a step closer, and the thing I expected since the start happens.

    She hits the side of my head, hand open, with her palm. This powerful attack is¡­

    Yes, she bitch-ps me.

    I''m sent to the ground even though I kept strengthening my body a lot ever since I saw her.

    It annoys me that she used the perfect amount of force to make it sting and not hurt me further than that. It doesn¡¯t even feel like an attack, more like punishing a kid for doing something stupid she doesn¡¯t want me to repeat. This is most likely for the end of the third floor. Or maybe she just likes to p people. Perhaps it is to show dominance or something. Damned cockroach.

    Seemingly in a better mood, Lissandra turns around and heads somewhere between the trees. I''m left behind with Myrra and the corpse of the murderer from Easy difficulty.

    ¡°Myrra, let''s run away from her.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s useless, feral one.¡± Myrra¡¯s tail moves in an annoyed manner. She is even whispering.

    ¡°Did you already try? What happened?¡±

    ¡°Long time no see. How are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Why are you avoiding my question, Myrra?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you again, feral one. That mana stone you left behind was an extremely cheeky way to try to help me. But it worked, so I have to thank you for that.¡±

    I decide to give up on getting an answer to my question and instead look at the tail that so often betrays Myrra¡¯s emotions. It now sways from side to side. She seems to be in a really good mood.

    ¡°You are her disciple now?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say a disciple. Maybe a candidate to be her disciple would be more urate? Lady Lissandra is very picky when ites to these kinds of things.¡±

    ¡°Of course she does. Old people are like that. How much do you know?¡±

    ¡°Parts of it. The process is gradual for me, unlike Ms. Lissandra. If I get a status, I should be able to finally learn more. About this ce, me, her, and about you, feral one. Who would have thought you and your group are even more interesting than I thought.¡±

    As the conversation goes, I continue to observe myself. So far, not using <strong>[Focus]</strong> doesn¡¯t seem to change that much.

    I was worried about being unable to use it for emotions, but maybe it won¡¯t be that bad after all.

 Chapter 386: Outburst

    Chapter 386: Outburst

    For now, I decide not make any attempts at running away from this crazy woman. At least I should be able to get something useful out of the experience.

    This version of the 5th floor seems to be a continuation of my instance, so unfortunately I can''t loot the Veil Ignition Station again. But there should be others, so maybe I can raid a few along the way. Of course, I¡¯ll have to keep working hard on fulfilling Lissandra¡¯s demands.

    I don''t think I¡¯m going to have much chance to sleep over the next two weeks, my first goal should be to get myself to level 250 and earn some body strengthening. Hopefully, it will help me endure that.

    ¡°Myrra, why do you guys have that arm with you,¡± I ask, gesturing at the slim, and pale arm that once belonged to a woman.

    ¡°Lady Lissandra brought it with her. She said it belonged to someone who used to share her title.¡±

    Oh? Did ite from the Absolute Saint of the third floor?

    I take a few steps closer and squat in front of the arm, which pokes from the bag. Surely it is better than the piece of Champion¡¯s body I left with Lily, right? Even though she was long dead, it dide from the body of an Absolute.

    ¡°Feral one, I would advise against taking it. Very strongly advise,¡± Myrra says seriously.

    ¡°It feels weird. What did she do to it?¡±¡°We found Thalen''s original body and...¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Myrra blinks slowly a few times and stares at me.

    "What? I can''t remember every random guy''s name."

    "Thalen, the guild master of The Luminous Order? You and I fought Is and him in the Old Capital, feral one. Lady Lissandra forced him to use his skill and took over. She did it so easily too. She used him to make changes to the arm and create a few single-use emblems. Thalen died in the process. The pressure melted his brain."

    ¡°Eh. It¡¯s not like anyone¡¯s going to miss the guy.¡± I say, poking the arm, which retains a degree of softness and warmth.

    It radiates a simr aura to the Saint''s body almost as if it were still alive, ready to wake at any moment.

    Looking at the arm, I whisper, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that you made it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Myrra asks, and her ears perk up.

    I¡¯m fairly certain that she heard me the first time, so I ignore her question and stand without disturbing the arm.

    ¡°So she didn''t dere you a Champion candidate?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°She didn''t. Unlike the matriarch, she doesn¡¯t think I¡¯ve earned it yet.¡±

    ¡°Can she even do that? She isn¡¯t an Absolute anymore. What even is her current level?¡±

    ¡°You can ask her, feral one. Please let me know what you learn.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you should ask. I¡¯m sure Lady Lissandra loves her little kitten enough to answer.¡±

    ¡°Maybe she likes her little pup more. Why don¡¯t you bark for me? Woof woof, my little feral pup.¡±

    ¡°Nya.¡±

    Myrra freezes and blushes, ¡°Do not¡­¡±

    ¡°Nya nya nya.¡±

    ¡°Feral one, do you need another beating? How could you have grown even more annoying in the time since west saw each other?¡±

    ¡°Nya?¡±

    ¡°You little shit¡­¡±

    ¡°Grab our things. We¡¯re moving out.¡± Lissandra says, appearing out of nowhere. It¡¯s like she¡¯s taunting me for my poor perception. I didn¡¯t sense her at all. I didn¡¯t sense her heart, my ck dagger, the heat of her body, or the kic energy from her movement.

    She just appears out of nowhere.

    Myrra reacts quickly and pulls the items from the ground, bundling them away in a number of small bags. Some of them contain food, others contain water, and a few others contain a series of misceneous items. Oh, and the human arm and the heart of the man Myrra just killed, of course.

    ¡°This way. You¡¯re up first, little pup. Kill any monster that gets in our way. For the next hour, you may only use five percent of your body¡¯s mana. Any mana you recover will not be added to this allotment. No primordial energies either,¡± she says.

    I look at her for a while and blink.

    Lissandra doesn¡¯t volunteer any more information, so I take the indicated position, knowing all too well that she will be watching.

    I sense my heart beating. A feeling I identify as hesitation and uncertainty? It¡¯s not something I¡¯m used to feeling.

    Quickly, I reduce the reach of my <strong>[Perception]</strong> to conserve mana. I also stop strengthening my body, which bes much weaker right away. I feel almost naked without mana feeding my Reinforcement Construct.

    The feeling I get from the forest around me changes immediately. The same can be said of the sensation of danger radiating from the two beings behind me.

    I know Myrra won¡¯t attack me without a very good reason, and Lissandra doesn¡¯t currently have one. Yet my paranoid mind can¡¯t help but expect betrayal, leaving me in a state of concern. Even my diminished reach is leaving me fumbling.

    The first monsters to appear are a small pack.

    <strong>[Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 201]</strong>

    <strong>[Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 212]</strong>

    <strong>[Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 206]</strong>

    <strong>[Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 202]</strong>

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    <strong>[Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 199]</strong>

    They are humanoid, but they seem to be made of ck wood, covered in bark. They seem tock any kind of sensory organs. Each one is at least two heads taller than me, and each step they take is apanied by the creaking of branches as their limbs sway in the powerful wind.

    I let the first two approach, and as they swing their limbs, I boost my body and jump to the side.

    Root like spikes pierce the ground, expanding outward from the creatures.

    I sidestep the attack only to watch as two more of the Stalkers enter a tree nearby only to exit another right behind me, beforeunching a coordinated assault on me with the help of the first two.

    This time, I let a bit of my mana seep out and cover the knife edge of my hand, along my pinkie, down to my wrist. I oscite that little bit of my mana and sh against one of the limbs.

    My attack doesn¡¯t cause any damage. Instead, I feel a sharp pain in my hand and boost my body to escape the encirclement, repeating the exercise two more times to avoid the normal trees they manipte in an attempt to grab me.

    The apanying sense of frustration almost makes me flood my body with mana, but then I see Lissandra standing calmly and watching me.

    I force myself to push these feelings to the back of my mind and run towards the Ebonwood Stalker that¡¯s been using the spikes the most, only to be forced to boost my body to reach him before the others catch me. Once again, osciting mana coats my hand. This time, I strike at the intersection between the neck and the torso.

    Spikes erupt from the monster¡¯s body, too many for me to dodge, so I shift my body, allowing two of the spikes to pierce the skin just over my corbone and another to take a chunk out of my forearm.

    I force my healing passive into dormancy given Its use of primordial energy.

    Then I sh three times into the monster¡¯s neck, separating the head from its body.

    <strong>[You have defeated Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 202]</strong>

    As I stagger back to avoid the other monsters, I notice something spreading through my body. Foreign particles seeping in through the wounds I just received.

    Dodging to the side, I examine them, and then, seeing no other option, I raise my mana a bit and push them out of my body in one concentrated effort at two ces, using two percent of my mana leaving me three to work with.

    Four monsters remain, and I still have over 50 minutes until I get to swap out.

    I attack right away, using just a bit of my mana for detection and mostly relying on my senses. I jump from side to side and then extend oscition around my palm and cut through the tree.

    It falls down, taking the Ebonwood Stalker that just attempted to use it to nk me.

    <strong>[You have defeated Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 212]</strong>

    Using<strong> [Focus]</strong> for<strong> [Resonance]</strong>, I sh against the rest of the monsters.

    They are strong and durable enough that they would probably cause more trouble for anyone without the necessary cutting force. <strong>[Resonance]</strong> is just that strong, and I can keep up with any attacks I can sense.

    When thest one dies, I stop and, for the first time in a long time, I feel breathless. My heart thumps wildly, as even now I stop mana from strengthening my body too much.

    <strong>[Lvl 237 > Lvl 238]</strong>

    Our eyes meet, she points in a direction, saying ¡°That way.¡±

    With just over one percent left out of my five percent allotment, I head off.

    It¡¯s all weird. Especially the emotions I usually block or weaken with <strong>[Focus]</strong>. Using a mere fraction of the mana I¡¯m used to throwing around without any thought. I¡¯m sure I even sense a bit of fear. It¡¯s one of the few emotions I let through if only to increase my enjoyment of a given fight, but this time it feels more real. More raw.

    We reach a small clearing, finding a single monster awaiting our approach.

    <strong>[Rootfiend - lvl 210]</strong>

    Another humanoid figure. As tall as me, with long spindly limbs. The moment the monster spots me, it attacks,shing out in a single smooth motion, mana coating the length of its arms in a field of wildly vibrating energy.

    I boost my body just in time, holding my arms in a defensive stance, covering my neck with forearms coated in an osciting mana.

    Almost by reflex, I¡¯m about to ce an anchor on it but stop myself because of the mana cost. Instead, as the monster jumps back, I grab its arm, resonating my mana against it to stop it from damaging me.

    As I take hold of its limb I take the opportunity to pull the beast off bnce, the monster hisses in response, baring its teeth in a show of aggression. Revealing rows upon rows of shark-like teeth. In exchange, I open my mouth,unching the orb I¡¯ve been hiding from the monster¡¯s detection, lodging it in the monster¡¯s mouth.

    I manipte it, changing its shape, causing it to elongate into a spike and piercing the monster¡¯s brain, watching as it sways and falls. But not before it can sh my body a few times, too quick to dodge. Leaving gashes across my waist, and my blood seeping through my clothes.

    <strong>[You have defeated Rootfiend - lvl 210]</strong>

    One percent of my allotted mana remains. My mind feels weirdly nk, and even my heart, despite its wild thumping, begins to pound out a strong rhythmic beat.

    ¡°That way.¡± I hear Lissandra say behind me.

    It irks me in just the wrong way, and for a moment a strong temptation overtakes me.

    Just a single order and my mana will move the way I want. I can use all of it. I just need to turn around and face that annoying woman. There is no need to kill her, just show her that I¡¯m not here to be toyed with. At this moment I don¡¯t care if she is trying to teach me something.

    Just a¡­I freeze the moment I turn around.

    Lissandra towers there. At that moment, I can¡¯t even see Myrra cringing nearby. It¡¯s as if Lissandra is the only being in existence in this ce. Her presence overwhelms everything around her.

    There is no mana flowing around us. Lissandra doesn¡¯t even take a battle stance. She just returns my gaze. Something about it tells me she knows exactly what¡¯s going through my mind. She even wees it.

    If I attack her right now, she might kill me.

    My lips shift, and a big smile forms on my face. The biggest one I¡¯ve shown in a long time.

    Lissandra seems to be taken aback for the faintest moment, but even though her expression doesn¡¯t change, a dangerous light begins to dance in her eyes.

    My mana flows into my body, and a crown forms over my head. I take a step towards her, extending my domain over the area. I do not use ck mana, nor do I use <strong>[Focus]</strong> for my emotions. Instead, I manipte my trait, activating it, and within my domain, I ce anchors. Then I use <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> and reach out and grab Lissandra.

    Lissandra reaches and taps on the ck dagger on her waist. A single clear ringing sound, and I see the dagger absorb a bit of my mana. Less than the five percent I used against the monsters. Only then does she lower her body and use the skills Hadwin used to have.

    <strong>[Strengthening]</strong> activates, and she moves even quicker than Tacita, each of her steps tearing the ground apart.

    <strong>[Disruption]</strong> dances around her skin, changing frequency with a speed I can¡¯t even imagine, forcing me to deactivate my eyes when I try to examine it.

    I stack barriers around me. I strengthen my body and shoot projectiles towards her.

    She ignores it all. None of that mana damages her. Every piece of it bursts into particles when it touches her.

    I kick out at her, and she increases her speed even further for an instant, slipping under my leg, andshes out at me with a kick of her own. Under her kick, my knee bends and shatters. I send mana there to support myself, but then she touches me and all of my mana starts running out of control.

    I empty my Vortex Core, all of my thermal and highly concentrated kic energy bursting into the area around me, mes burning everything in their path, and kic energy tearing through the area.

    She connects to one of my anchors and activates it, and I feel myself teleported through it, along with an uninvited hitchhiker. Lissandra and I appearing in a ce far away from the explosion.

    For a fleeting moment, our eyes meet. Then her arm bes a blur, striking the side of my head, and I ck out.

 Chapter 387: You are free to try it anytime

    Chapter 387: You are free to try it anytime

    When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the Veil weaving its way through the sky. Feeling a presence near me, I turn my head to the side, and Lissandra sits there on the fallen trunk of a tree.

    Myrra is nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°I sent her to level up,¡± Lissandra says.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Sending thermal energy through my body, my passive activates, and it starts healing my wounds.

    Lissandra lets it happen, and waits for me to recover a bit before speaking, ¡°You are free to challenge me anytime.¡±

    With my interest piqued, I listen as she speaks. Even after all this, I can¡¯t help but feel a lot of admiration for her. She¡¯s the only being to inspire me in quite this way. The strongest being I¡¯ve met through the floors, not counting the Ruler of Greed and the Ruler of Envy.

    ¡°I never backed down from a challenge, little pup. I have defeated more than a dozen Absolutes. I have beaten every Champion who had an eye towards taking my title, everyone who thought they were ready to challenge me. Just through my own power, I have brought my victory in every Pairing we¡¯ve experienced.¡± A long silence follows her words.

    Lissandra takes a moment before continuing, ¡°Before these two weeks end, you will know more, and I won¡¯t kill you if you follow my rules. Soe, challenge me, little pup. Test yourself and see what breaks sooner, you or your pride.¡±

    ¡°I would ask why, but I won¡¯t get an answer, will I?¡±¡°I don''t feel like it, but if you use that head of yours, you might figure it out.¡±

    ¡°What did you do to my ck mana dagger?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m using it as an external, temporary mana heart. As you have realized, I do not have a mana heart, so I have to rely on external mana. To that end, I modified the dagger you left behind.¡±

    ¡°What is that ck mana?¡±

    ¡°I might tell you if you survive.¡±

    ¡°You used Hadwin¡¯s skills.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why would you need my status then? You can take over Hadwin¡¯s?¡±

    "I told the Ruler of Envy I couldn¡¯t. He just happened to be gullible enough to believe me. He used one of the tutorial¡¯s functions to bring that other man here so that I could transfer his status to our little kitten. In exchange, he wanted me to kill you."

    It seems like old Liss is making ns of her own. I would like to ask more, but she seems to be at her limit. All-powerful Absolute cockroaches aren¡¯t going to be ustomed to answering questions for one so lowly as me, so I better stop here. Instead, I go through the list of my skills and the ones I have the best chance of pushing to level 50 in the next two weeks.

    My best choices are <strong>[Focus]</strong> which is at 49, <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> which is at 47, but something tells me that I should have a fairly high chance to make it work. And that leaves me with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, my next best option,<strong></strong>sitting at 48. Either that or <strong>[Resonance]</strong> at 45.

    <strong>[Perception] </strong>might be an option as well sitting at 46, but I don¡¯t think I would be able to level it in the time we have. It¡¯s not a skill that I can level up that quickly.

    I also start right away. Lissandra doesn¡¯t seem to want to mess with my training much further, even though I¡¯m sure she is watching. Still, for now, I push her presence to the back of my mind.

    I start working on the closest approximation I can make to the mana shaping exercise she was ying with back on the 2nd floor. A ball of mana constantly growing and shrinking. That alone wouldn¡¯t be that great, so obviously I added some challenges I figure she must have thought of herself. I increase the density of mana, I spin it, and I increase the speed.

    It only takes a few minutes of this before I hear Lissandra stand up and walk towards me. I look up, and she looks at me and then at the mana orb, I¡¯ve been using to practice.

    She flicks her hand and sends it flying far away whereupon it expands between the trees and bursts open.

    Making sure I watch, she then gestures at me, and I send a chunk of my mana her way. She absorbs the mana into the ck dagger and pulls it free. And with that mana, she creates a small mana orb and then another. Then more, In quick session, dozens, then hundreds,e into existence.

    Without looking away, she copses them down, without seeming to try, until they¡¯re only as big as the eye of a needle. Like a swarm, these tiny orbs move in formation, taking on the shape of an orb of their own.

    They¡¯re so small the newly created orb seems like a single orb rather than the thousands of tiny orbs forming it. The sheer control required to do something like that leaves me speechless.

    Fascinated, I reach out a finger and touch the surface which ripples like water, thousands of tiny orbs reacting to my touch and reforming into a ss like surface.

    Lissandra then moves her hand, and with seemingly less effort than breathing, each of the orbs burst open and in the blink of an eye form into a single orb. But it¡¯s not that simple. Sending my senses toward it, I see another orb inside of that.

    Then another.

    And more.

    Each orb is smaller than the one before it, with an insanely thinyer of air separating it from the others. The number of orbs feel like they go on infinitely.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    With another movement of her hand, all the orbs disappear and instead, two smaller orbs form inside the third one. These two orbs inside start spinning around each other.

    Gradually, the speed of their spin increases to a terrifying degree. A vortex is created between them, trying to pull in the manaprising the orb that contains them. Yet therger orb resists without strain, without so much as letting a sound escape despite the impossible speeds involved.

    Then the orbs disappear, dissolving into particles of mana that Lissandra waves her hand and sends away.

    ¡°Little pup, it pains me to watch your clumsy attempts at shaping mana. The exercises I just showed you are something everyone capable of breathing should be able to do.¡±

    Here ites. This is something I really haven¡¯t missed very much.

    ¡°The other issue is your weak body. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed the results of your Active Tempering, I¡¯ll grant that you¡¯ve had somewhat passable sess for someone so clumsy. For now, though, you are forbidden to use it. It¡¯s obvious in the way you fight that you rely on your mana and primordial energies too much, so before you leave, I will give you a way to train your body.¡±

    ¡°Are you really that bored?¡± I ask.

    ¡°If you live as long as I have, you will learn how rare it is to experience something new. I told you multiple times that the rank of Champion is the highest you will ever climb, little pup. I still stand behind that assessment. Yet you keep refusing to ept that. You have the determination, more than enough of it, the only thing youck is talent. So now I want to see how far you make it.¡±

    ¡°Lucky me.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. In my long life, I¡¯ve only ever had one disciple, and the number of people I honored with my guidance could be counted on the fingers of my hands.¡±

    ¡°You mean Ruby. Was she really that talented?¡±

    ¡°I believed she was capable of reaching my level. If that¡¯s not talent, I don¡¯t know what is.¡±

    Having finished talking, Lissandra takes a step closer and pulls a bit more mana from the ck dagger.

    ¡°Lower your defenses,¡± she orders.

    I do it without much hesitation.

    Lissandra taps my chest with her finger just over my heart, and from it, that point of contact expands an incredibly intricate web of inscriptions, some pathways connecting to my heart and supplying them with power.

    ¡°A long time ago, even before my Keiron was born, I saw one fresh Champion do it. I have never tried it before, but it seems fairly simple to use and modify for what I want.¡±

    The inscriptions look anything but <em>fairly simple</em>. The intricacy is easilyparable to the inscriptions of the damaged arcane item in my possession. In some ways, they are even more impossible to follow. But of course, for the monster in front of me, even something like this may as well be the height of banality.

    ¡°I think that man called them Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. The young ones back then always did likeing up with fancy names for everything.¡±

    Even as she speaks, she continues to inscribe, not even for a second does her concentration slip.

    ¡°Little pup, I won¡¯t ask you if you agree nor will I ask what level I should set these to. We both know your answer. That stubbornness of yours is one of the reasons why I find you so interesting.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear from someone who keeps threatening to kill me.¡±

    ¡°I knew people like you. You are the type who does the best when they find themselves at their worst. But don¡¯t think, even for a moment, that I didn¡¯t mean what I said back then. If you fail, I will kill you.¡±

    ¡°It would be nice if you dered me an Absolute candidate if I seed.¡±

    ¡°If you seed, you will prove you are capable enough to be dered a Champion candidate, at least by my standards. That''s it.¡± She finishes and takes her hand away, leaving the delicate inscriptions behind.

    ¡°What are the advantages of being a Champion or Champion candidate? Are there any actual advantages?¡± I ask.

    ¡°The system doesn¡¯t like to waste resources on the weak. If you prove yourself talented enough to be a candidate, your body will start changing in preparation for you to be a Champion. It¡¯s different for everyone, so you will have to find out on your own.¡±

    ¡°You mean like a body upgrade, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡±

    I shut up immediately. This is probably as much as I¡¯m going to get from her. In fact, I might have pushed too far and asked too many questions. Old people have no patience at all.

    She takes thest remainder of my mana from the ck dagger and sends it towards me. Activating the inscriptions, and I fall to the ground.

    It¡¯s like there¡¯s an immense pressure pushing me down. Like I¡¯m being forced tobor under increased gravity. The only difference is that there¡¯s no external source to apply it. All of it is caused by the inscriptions, my mana, and my body. I can¡¯t even twitch my finger, and it¡¯s difficult to breathe.

    ¡°I have noticed that you possess kic energy, little pup. So I have to wonder, why do you keep using mana to strengthen your body? Kic energy is extremely rare, not to mention one of the best ways to achieve your goal. I knew knights who would kill for it, yet you¡¯re wasting it.¡±

    Unable to answer, I justy there. No matter what I try, I can¡¯t move at all. The only reasonable way seems to be to get rid of these inscriptions preventing me from using mana to strengthen my body. They also make this bullshit happen. But something tells me Lissandra wouldn¡¯t appreciate it.

    ¡°You might try to say that using mana is more efficient than transforming it into kic energy with your heart. Maybe you might try to say it doesn¡¯t matter given the amount of mana you have, and maybe you could get the same result either way. You are wrong.¡±

    She takes a few steps back and sits on a stone. With one eye, I can see her pulling the pale white arm from the bag, and she starts painting on it with mana conductive paint. The lines she draws are extremely smooth and thin.

    From there, she nces at me and deres, ¡°You won¡¯t be sleeping for the next two weeks. Every morning, you will spend five hours in the state you currently find yourself in. When you show improvement, I will make changes and increase the pressure.¡±

    I would love to say a few choice words, but I can¡¯t even squirm as much as a worm, so I reach into my Vortex Core and let kic energy seep through my body.

    ¡°After these five hours, you will spend five more hours hunting and leveling. Then I will let you rest for one hour. After that, you will spend ten hours working on any mana shaping exercises I decide to teach you.¡±

    The inscriptions she made do not hinder kic energy at all, but even though I have some experience with it, it¡¯s not enough. Not even when I use a crazy amount of it am I able to lift as much as a finger.

    ¡°The remaining three hours will be randomly allocated by me throughout the day. I might have you do maximal bursts of your mana or primordial energies. I might rouse up the entirety of your mana and have you bring it back under control.¡±

    She stops drawing on the arm.

    "After these two weeks, you will probably hate me enough to want to kill me."

    She makes sure I¡¯m looking at her. ¡°You are free to try it anytime.¡±

 Chapter 389: Dumb of you

    Chapter 389: Dumb of you

    ¡°Again,¡± Lissandra says simply.

    As before, I collect mana and concentrate, sending another burst through my arm. Taking more damage in the process, shredding the limb. This time, I feel my mind waver. Having to concentrate and expel so much mana is difficult.

    Usually, when I do these kinds of things, I keep my body strengthened,tely even with ck mana. My eyes help as well. Often, I don¡¯t even need to think about the bacsh, letting my passive take care of any injuries I might sustain.

    With a weakened body, the inscriptions making it even more difficult, it¡¯s on another level.

    ¡°Little pup, want me to tell you what you did wrong?¡±

    I''m already collecting mana for another burst and nod.

    ¡°You were and are too impatient. One of the worst things that happened to you was getting ess to that <em>ck mana</em> of yours. The problem isn¡¯t your ability to use it, the problem is that you cheated. You exploited the healing aura of that ce and discovered all the things it could do.¡±

    Another burst of mana I send through damages my hand even further, but I watch as the tears heal under the influence of my passive.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 47 > Mana Maniption - lvl 48]</strong>¡°That was stupid of you, very much so. Instead of honing your basics, you went ahead with your foolish n to exploit your <em>ck mana</em>. You even made sacrifices to do so, and I can see how much work you¡¯ve put into it along with all the ways you¡¯ve modified your growth to facilitate its use.¡±

    The fourth burst takes a bit of mana from my Mana Reservoir. The grove of trees that once stood in front of me is now non-existent, reduced to a clearing devoid of any greenery, and huge chunks of the ground turned to dust.

    ¡°If you continue down that path, you will reach the rank of Champion, little pup. Just the sheer power of that mana will grant you this. You will even gain a degree of mastery over it, and there won¡¯t be a single mana user who doesn¡¯t fear you.¡±

    I pause to give my body an opportunity to heal, especially my throbbing skull, which feels as if someone had decided to drill into it with a red-hot metal rod.

    ¡°But?¡± I ask.

    ¡°But that¡¯s all you would ever be, little pup. Compared to the other Champions, you would never rise beyond the middle of the pack. Extremely dangerous to some but weak against others. Perhaps some of the weaker Absolutes, those barely deserving the title, those dependent on mana, might even think to avoid fighting you, but that will leave you an easy target for the others. Why have you stopped? Again.¡±

    With a groan, I reach for more mana drawing it from my Reservoir. This time I even manage to damage bits of my body other than my arm as I move it. I put my mind into it, I grasp that mana, I mold it, I control it. I¡¯m currently channeling more mana than is avable to most of Hell difficulty.

    It roars through my arm, tearing through my circuits, before exploding in a burst of osciting mana, damaging the area even further.

    I feel tired. It reminds me of a gym workout, like maxing out several times in a row, injuring myself in the process.

    ¡°You said your goal was to be an Absolute, with an eye towards pushing beyond even that. The probability of that is not something I will address again. But to even have a chance, you have to be a powerful Champion. The kind even Absolutes will think twice about messing with. Challenging you needs to be costly enough that the best case scenario is just not worth it.¡±

    She doesn¡¯t order it, but I collect my mana again. It¡¯s so difficult; I don¡¯t remember thest time I had so much trouble managing it. The inscriptions she made are straight-up evil, requiring an insane amount of control and concentration to work around.

    It¡¯s fun.

    ¡°Honestly, watching you fumble is annoying, so I will do everything in my power to beat these bad habits out of you.¡± She says.

    ¡°Lovely.¡± I reach to grab more of my mana.

    ¡°Stop,¡± she orders.

    Something in me wants to do it anyway, but knowing her likely reaction, I just sigh and stop.

    ¡°Heal yourself. Your output and control are decent enough that you wouldn¡¯t be considered a mana cripple, but your body is a disgrace. I understand your decision. I can¡¯t say it isn¡¯t stupid, but I understand.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s worked for me so far.¡±

    ¡°As you said, so far. But having to constantly strengthen your body and divert your focus to hold it together robs you of resources you could be using to improve your skills. In the end that makes your investment into mana useless. Honestly¡­¡±

    Here we go again.

    ¡°...the courtdies had pets that were smarter than you.¡±

    ¡°Of course they did.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be giving you something else. Something one of Keiron''s disciples came up with. She called it a Restrictive Training Emblem. Out of all our Champions, she had one of the most powerful bodies and one of the highest mana stats. It¡¯s a shame she was such a musclehead.¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    This sounds interesting. Training is fun, but eventually the time for variety training ends. Lissandra then activates the inscriptions she made before, and I fall to the ground on my belly, unable to move at all, forced to rely on boosting myself with kic energy.

    Myrra stays nearby, working on her training while Lissandra goes wherever she goes when she leaves.

    Unable to move, I can only act with all the patience and grace I can muster while enduring Myrra''s teasing.

    As she pinches my butt and tickles me under the nose with her tail, I promise revenge in my mind.

    She then, for the remaining five hours, uses my back as a pillow under while gets her training in.

    The five hours of leveling ensue, and this time I''m also forced to deal with monsters. Lissandra tells me to use mana and mana projectiles, and up to 20% of my total mana for the next five hours.

    We meet many more monsters this time, hundreds of veilshriekers and a Veil Guardian.

    Each time a veil monster dies and sends a signal towards the Veil, Lissandra stops it. When I ask her what she thinks of the Veil, she tells me it¡¯s decent.

    That instantly raises my assessment of. Lissandra generally seems to think that most Absolutes barely deserve the title, relegating them to clueless beginners, even that small admission may as well be high praise.

    I level up once in the process, and<strong> [Resonance]</strong> gains a level as well.

    So far, my body¡¯s handling it well, and theck of sleep and intense training aren¡¯t bothering me much. Even so, I''m sure it will get worse, much worse. My body might be strengthened, but I still require sleep, food, and water. I''m sure it¡¯s something Lissandra means to use for the purpose of pushing my body and mind to the limit.

    To a degree, I wee it and soak up everything she teaches me like a sponge. I''m already thinking of ways to implement all of this in the future. The inscriptions she made, any bits of knowledge she shares, and her training methods.

    I thought I might hate having someone to teach me like this, and to be honest if it was anyone else, I would probably protest much more.

    Lissandra isn¡¯t used to people rejecting her, and she never shows hesitation. Even when things do not go her way, she has an unshakable faith that she will find a way to turn things around.

    She¡¯s quiet most of the time, focused on doing her own thing, and when she interacts with Myrra and I, it feels like we¡¯re turtles she¡¯s pulled from the road to keep cars from hitting them. Compared to her long life, ours is barely a blink, and I still remember the decisiveness of her actions on the 2nd Floor. Killing everyone she knew without hesitation and then turning her body into a construct, just out of pure spite for the system and her refusal to be used.

    But even then, she nned ahead, in an act of revenge and self preservation.

    Simply, she irritates me, but I clearly admire her and believe that she¡¯s someone I could learn from. However, I tried to avoid it for a long time in favor of exploring on my own.

    ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Ask.¡±

    Catching a breath after the fight and eating a piece of dried meat, I think of it seriously.

    ¡°Are you a member of your¡¯s 1st Generation?¡±

    ¡°No, I was born yearster, in the middle of our 1st Pairing. We were losing, and like everyone else, I¡¯ve had to fight ever since I could hold a weapon and use mana.¡±

    ¡°Are there differences between the 1st Generation and their descendants?¡±

    ¡°Obviously. The 1st Generation goes through the tutorial. They have ess to the system shop and have more control over their growth. They have tokens, they have more options to customize their growth. They¡¯re not evenparable to those who didn''t.¡±

    Even saying that she stands here. Not a member of the 1st Generation, but she was the Absolute of her for millennia. Honestly, it feels like a waste. Just how powerful would she be now if she was also of that generation?

    She continues, likely knowing my next question, ¡°The 1st Generation bes protectors and teachers. The first ones to awaken, future Champions, and among them, an Absolute as well. They gain all this power earlier than anyone else to lead their through the changes thate with its awakening.¡±

    I had expected the system to censor some of these words, but this amount of knowledge seems to be allowed to me at the moment. Lissandra¡¯s basically confirmed our suspicions on the matter.

    With that, I decide to stop asking questions for now, before she gets annoyed. There is still plenty of time left, surely enough to get more information out of her.

    I think she had a n when she said she wouldn¡¯t kill me and that requires me to be stronger, and for her to maintain a somewhat neutral rtionship with me. She knows my personality and knows that if she does, I won¡¯t be as willing to reject her as long as the request is somewhat reasonable. Why else would she be so forting?

    I don¡¯t mind though; honestly, it seems like a win-win situation with little to lose for either side and plenty to gain. What interests me is what she wants from me. She¡¯s probably getting help from at least one other Ruler, so how much can I help her?

    There is also the option that she really is that bored, perhaps she actually took a bit of a liking to me and decided to teach me. As she said, she is very old and has often implied that beings like her tend to seek new experiences, and I seem to have caught her interest.

    Well, I have noints. Cowardly Savant can screw off with Tristan; I¡¯m getting free lessons from an Absolute.

    In thest hour of my power leveling for the day, we move much faster. Lissandra allows more mana, and we run at a speed that obscures the environment around us in a blur of motion.

    Even then, she requires me to use projectiles. It¡¯s difficult to do, I have to ount for my speed as well as that of the monsters straining to match it. I fail a lot, and my projectiles are way off, but towards the end, I start to improve.

    We eventuallye to a mountain, and even at this distance, I can recognize the giant iron door covering the side of that mountain.

    The road that leads there seems to have been damaged by shelling, riddled with craters and strewn with g, and debris. Though it¡¯s still wide enough to admit a number of passenger airnes side by side.

    As we begin our approach I start to realize just how huge everything actually is. The path, the door, and the mountain. Yet it all seems to have been abandoned, left unattended for years on end. Leaving what once must have been solid roads to be overgrown with all manner of greenery, from shrubs to trees.

    ¡°There¡¯s a Champion inside. She¡¯s hurt and very weak.¡± Lissandra states, refusing to borate as she guides us on our way.

    Even though her level is currently likely even lower than mine, she proceeds without worry.

 Chapter 390: The Workshop

    Chapter 390: The Workshop

    So far, I have seen multiple ces survivors had holed up in. The first was the obsolete bunker where Nina and others lived AKA the Sanctuary. Another one was the Fallen Bastion, the Skyhold Bastion with its running defenses and city-like structure.

    Then there were the bunkers in the Valley. One of them was abandoned, higher tier than the Sanctuary, but empty just the same. Lastly, The Veil Ignition Station. A Top-notchboratory with a number of facilities and a core of such high quality that it still held an immense amount of mana even after 100 years.

    The ce we find ourselves now is hard topare to any of them. It doesn''t look like a bunker, it¡¯s makeshift at best. I''m also fairly sure it''s not a Veil Ignition Station, given the bare bones amodations.

    ¡°It used to be a mine and a workshop,¡± Lissandra says.

    ¡°It''s massive, what could they have been making¡­ ah, Skyhold Bastions?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The people of this world seemed to be obsessed with them, this was probably one of the assembly lines for therger portions..¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t find any monsters,¡± Myrra notes.

    ¡°Even though they seem to be wounded, this ce is still being guarded by a Champion, little kitten.¡±

    ¡°So what are we doing here?¡± I ask.¡°I want to speak to her.¡±

    I don''t even bother mentioning that that might be a bad idea. Not because everyone is trigger-happy. It has more to do with my fear that this cockroach-like ex-Absolute might just try to deal with that person the same way she does with Myrra and me. That does beg an interesting question though. Who would win?

    Another thinges to mind now that I''m thinking about it. It¡¯s currently my one hour rest period. Did she time our arrival here on purpose?

    What a demon, I¡¯m sure Vega would like her.

    We stop near the giant iron door that likely served as an entrance for therger parts of the Skyhold Bastions and wait for a response.

    Even I have noticed a web simr to Sophie''s and to the Veil all over the ce. Not moving covertly, Lissandra even triggered some parts on purpose. Something akin to sending a message. The reaction doesn''t take long, two men exit a much smaller entrance nearby which opens with an eerie silence.

    <strong>[Frost Reaper - lvl ??]</strong>

    <strong>[Sr Ascendant - lvl ??]</strong>

    Just a nce betrays that theye from the generation before the war. An additional piece of information for me. Somewhere between levels 200 and 300, your aging slows on the order of centuries.

    It¡¯s not like they could pass for twenty, but they could easily pass for someone in their forties. The most likely cause I can think of is abination of stat investment and body upgrades, especially the one at level 250.

    The more I learn, the more of a mess I expect to find when we return to Earth. The consequences of someone being able to live for hundreds of years won¡¯t go over well with some people. It will create a clear division, separating us from normal humans.

    One of the men, a slim individual with a friendly face, bows quickly. In exchange, Lissandra makes an elegant gesture, acknowledging the greeting.

    ¡°Lady Niall told us about you. Please allow me to offer you a greeting,dy¡­?¡±

    ¡°Lissandra.¡±

    He nods, ¡°I greet you, Lady Lissandra. I extend an invitation to the Workshop on behalf of Lady Niall. You will be safe as long as you show no aggression. This, we promise.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Lead the way and please extend my greeting to Lady Niall along with my interest in having a conversation with her.¡±

    I almost don¡¯t recognize Lissandra right now. She is extremely graceful, authority seeping from her words, without seeming arrogant, There¡¯s just enoughmand in her bearing to make her seem regal. She slips into her role as easily, as afortable pair of shoes.

    When she introduces Myrra and I, I feel like a country bumpkin.

    Well, it''s not like it matters what two random guys think of me, so I don¡¯t even bother trying to imitate Lissandra.

    What interests me more is the ce they call The Workshop. The moment we enter the door they lock it behind us, and an intricate set of inscriptions washes over the surface, The surrounding stone following suit, totally sealing us away from the outside world.

    We are in a tunnel that¡¯s at least as wide as the path outside. And making it even more impressive is the fact that they had to carve this out of the mountain at some point. Even so, the walls are extremely smooth, and the lights are evenly spaced throughout. The shining points of light lead us deeper into the mountain, illustrating the monstrous size of the ce.

    There are a series of gardens, framed by a sort of railing along the center of the path, giving the passage a needed ssh of color.

    The tunnel is full of greenery and it boggles the mind to see how much dirt they must have brought in here to sustain the sheer number of nts in here, with everything from fruit trees and vegetable patches to decorative flowers and shrubs.

    There are people scattered about the ce, in various stages of work. Either resting under trees or taking care of the nts. Most of them are under level 50, and they readily greet the two men escorting us with a great deal of respect.

    The quiet hum of the air filters is ever-present. The same mana that powers the lights powers it as well. The deeper we go, the more people we see. There are some facilities full of animals, and huge pieces of what should be another Skyhold Bastion lying all over the ce.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    And Myrra, like me, looks around with open interest, her twitching tail giving her away. Though she¡¯s been getting the most looks from those we pass, her being something of a curiosity herself, even the two men leading us can¡¯t seem to help to take a nce here and there.

    Myrra towers over both of them, not to mention Lissandra and I. Her pure white hair and cat ears don¡¯t help much, and neither does her fluffy tail.

    When we enter the giant cave full of buildings and towers, I¡¯m not even surprised. This ce contains more people than the Bastion did. Much more. Tens of thousands easily.

    We enter another tunnel, and there we are led to what seems to be an isted apartment structure. There are multiple rooms housing a small group of people.

    This ce even has windows on one side, and as we approach I begin to hear and eventually see a waterfall, tucked away inside another huge cavern, the water crashing upon the stone below and continuing on to form arge underground river, crisscrossed with dams and bridges, before snaking along its bed to somewhere else.

    ¡°Lady Lissandra, when you are prepared, please leave the room, and we shall escort you to Lady Niall. Yourpanions may remain here in the meantime.¡±

    After that, they exit the room.

    ¡°Is this all being powered by a single person?¡± I ask Lissandra.

    ¡°So you have noticed. Not fully, but most of the mana seems to belong to the person I came here to meet.¡±

    ¡°They called her Niall, I¡¯ve heard of her. Apparently, she was one of the Champions who was toote to realize what had happened to the Veil, she helped kill the people responsible. She also was powering at least one of the Veil Ignition Stations with her mana for weeks before the advent of the Veil.¡±

    ¡°That much makes sense with her Potent Mana.¡±

    ¡°The same attribute upgrade as you? Before you said you hadn¡¯t reached the 3rd stage yet, so do you think she¡¯s going to be like you?¡±

    Lissandra doesn¡¯t even bother answering the question, likely dismissing it as stupid.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off to meet her. Little pup, you will continue working on the mana shaping exercise I showed you thest time. Little kitten, you will work on your mana cirction.¡± She exits the room.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t eat any suspicious meat,¡± I tell Myrra who¡¯s already making a beeline for the kitchen.

    I turn my attention to a pair of mana orbs I form in the palm of my hand. For now, I may as well ignore my curiosity and work on my training. I¡¯m on quite the time limit here. Not satisfied with just training, I attempt to make it as difficult as possible by changing the frequency and density of my mana.

    ¡°Are you not worried, feral one?¡± Myrra asks, jumping into an armchair nearby. Even while talking, I sense her working on the mana cirction techniques Lissandra showed her.

    I keep part of my mind on the exercise and turn to her, ¡°About the Champion?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I never got a real look at what a Champion can do, so it¡¯s hard for me to judge the danger. Plus, she¡¯s apparently wounded. But you have been with Lissandra for weeks already, are you still worried?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried Lady Lissandra might¡­¡±

    At that exact moment, the lights flicker and I could swear I feel the ce shake. The tremors gradually stop, but in their ce, I feel an immense wave of mana wash over us. The lights flicker again, and somewhere in the distance, I can hear rms ringing.

    Just in case, I keep my eyes on the door, and my mana at the ready. I have anchors ced all across the room, going so far as to ce a few behind the window, near the waterfall. Myrra''s activated her Aurora ss as well, the tiny pieces of ss-like material sparking in the light as it hangs in the air.

    One more burst of mana flows through our surroundings before rippling out into the distance, covering an area I find hard to imagine. Then the mana disappears and the lights stop flickering.

    There are no guards rushing in and gradually the rms stop.

    A minuteter, the doors open and Lissandra enters the apartment, closing them behind her.

    ¡°We will be staying here for three days, after that we will head north,¡± she says.

    I try to examine her but there are no wounds to be seen, no damage to her clothes. She looks like she just came back from a short walk.

    ¡°How was Champion Niall?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Her mana heart is damaged and can¡¯t be restored by her own body. She¡¯s failed to find any healer capable of working on a mana heart belonging to someone at her level. She has three years at most before she loses control and kills everyone around her in one of these seizures. That, or the thing lodged inside it, will kill her.¡±

    ¡°You said you intend to make your own heart, are you thinking of helping her?¡±

    ¡°It could be possible with the arm of the Absolute in my possession, but I already have a different idea for that and there is no reason to waste it on a fake who allowed herself to end so pathetically.¡±

    The contempt she disys now is genuine. She has no mercy for someone so powerful who¡¯s allowed herself to fall into such a state.

    Seeing how far this fake Absolute went, through all her mad schemes, it is evident she has nothing but contempt for Champion Niall¡¯s apparent surrender.

    ¡°I will teach her a method of containing these outbursts that should buy her a few more years. In exchange, she will give me the information I want and give you a lesson, little pup. It¡¯s for something I can¡¯t do currently.¡±

    ¡°Lesson from a Champion? I guess I¡¯ll be owing you quite a lot, that is if you don¡¯t kill me at the end of these two weeks.¡±

    ¡°You might be having fun now, little pup, but I give you a ten percent chance of seeding.¡±

    Her words remind me of the situation I''m currently in. Without <strong>[Focus],</strong> the hint of fear that washes over me feels more real. Ever since I stopped using it to suppress my emotions it¡¯s like everything changed. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m watching things happen from a distance, instead, it¡¯s like all my emotions havee flooding back.

    But that much is fine. There is no way I will let a small bump in the path stop me. Part of me even wees it.

    ¡°Sounds good, but why don¡¯t we add a little extra to the rules?¡± I challenge her.

    Lissandra turns to me and I can see Myrra gesturing wildly for me to stop. That silly lynthari knows me too well. But I let the emotions take over.

    ¡°Let¡¯s raise the stakes and say I need to get 4 skills to level 50 for you to spare me.¡±

    Just for a short moment, a hint of surprise shes behind Lissandra''s eyes. She observes me, and seeing I mean it, she gives me that small, almost imperceptible smile.

    ¡°Little pup, think very carefully about what you are saying right now.¡±

    She underestimates me, and it irritates me.

    ¡°Five skills,¡± I dere.

    My emotions are wildly swirling inside of me. To be honest, it''s annoying how ustomed I''ve grown to dampening them.

    Yeah, it won¡¯t be that bad being unable to use <strong>[Focus] </strong>for my emotions, it will be much worse than I expected. But I think, in the end, I will like it more.

    If I don''t get killed before that.

 Chapter 393: Dome

    Chapter 393: Dome

    Niall continues her lecture as shepletes the circle, ¡°Someone with a Potency upgrade is always going to have an easier time hardening their mana against external influence. You Amplifiers have to work harder for it. Looking at the modifications she told me to make, you seem to have some skill, or trait, allowing you to change the frequency of your mana. So this experience on its own should be of some benefit to your growth.¡±

    I can already sense more work ahead of me. Each of these techniques alone is going to take years to grasp properly, and I can''t focus on them currently because of the death sentence waiting for me if I do.

    Damn, Lissandra and her insistence that I raise five skills to level 50. She¡¯s straight up crazy; three alone was too much.

    ¡°Let me guess, as long as I¡¯m in the dome, my external mana will grow more difficult to manipte as time passes,¡± I say.

    ¡°It will, obviously. But past a certain level or when you find yourself faced with certain opponents, it''s just something you¡¯re going to have to deal with. There are sses, skills, and traits that will cause you a great deal of pain otherwise. Your first instinct might be to engage in melee at that point, but that''s where they¡¯re going to want you. And I''m sure you already know a few people you wouldn¡¯t have a chance against in that scenario.¡±

    Upon hearing her words, Tacitaes to mind. If I wasn''t able to use my external mana, it could end up being¡­ interesting.

    ¡°Can you dere me a Champion candidate?¡± I ask.

    That makes Niall falter, and just for the shortest moment, her mana wavers before she continues.

    ¡°Fuck, you are shameless. Are you always like that?¡±¡°You seem to prefer the direct approach, so I may as well take the opportunity.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but damn. A few decades ago, I would have sttered you against a wall for even asking. As for dering you a candidate, no. In the future, assuming someone doesn¡¯t just kill you for being a pain in the ass, you will learn just how rude these questions are. Then you will finally appreciate the beautiful Champion Niall, who once had the pleasure of being courted by hundreds of the finest young men.¡±

    ¡°Well, I appreciate that even now,¡± I say, and I mean it. I don''t expect any of the Champions I meet in the future to be anything like her.

    It''s better now, but at times I still find myself wanting to dampen my emotions with <strong>[Focus]</strong>, but that¡¯s not on the table right now. Of course, I me Cockroachsandra.

    For now, I decide to silence myself. It¡¯s been much the same with most of the powerful people I¡¯ve met. They don''t tend to mind honest answers; they far prefer it over lying, fake behavior, or ass-kissing. But in the end, they are used to being in control, so asking too many questions or trying to lead the conversation will cause them to push back. It coulde in the form of a p, a burst of mana, or finding oneself sttered against the wall.

    I''m quite proud of myself for this observation. For an extrovert ss tutorial attendee like Tess or Gareth, it might be simple, but I, as with many things, tend to learn through suffering.

    Niall pauses in her work and turns to me, ¡°I can still see that mischievous light in your eyes, and your mouth¡¯s hanging open like a fish. I won''t answer, but I''m curious, what questions would you ask if I were to allow it? Be honest; I promise not to punish you no matter what questions you mention.¡±

    I observe her for a moment, and she honestly seems to mean it, so I decide to take her up on the invitation.

    ¡°What level are you? How old are you? How long did it take you to be a Champion? What did you gain by bing a Champion? What does being a Champion candidate entail? What traits do you have? How did you split your stats? What effect does the second stage of your attribute have? How high level is an Absolute? Why can¡¯t there be more than one Absolute? How do you be an Absolute? Being Absolute seems to be special, so what does it have to do with managing the? What does it mean for a to awaken? Are you from the 1st Generation? What happened during your 1st Pairing and what does it mean to win or lose a Pairing? Who referees the pairings? What happens to the losers of a Pairing? Why dos have to fight if they''re Pairing? Do they really have to fight? What have you learned about the Veil? Who caused your wound? At what levels do you get body strengthening? At what levels do you get primary ss upgrades? What is your subss? How do subsses work? What are the differences between subsses¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough, enough, enough.¡±

    I shut my mouth immediately.

    ¡°I know I said I would let it slide, but I really feel like¡­¡± she gestures, a swing with her arm. ¡°Well, anyway, I''m done here. It''s fairly simple; I¡¯m going to activate the dome, and it will stay up for five hours. I made it so it constantly disrupts the mana inside just like that woman wanted. It''s not efficient, it¡¯s more like we¡¯re abusing the abundance of mana in our surroundings, so it should be easier for you to endure it.¡±

    Well, now it makes sense that Lissandra couldn''t do it. It uses too much mana on purpose, likely to mimic huge areas of effect, maybe even domains.

    ¡°There are three things the dome will do. First, it disrupts mana like many domains. Second, it imitates the kind of pressure a weak Champion could generate. It''s not concentrated pressure, and I weakened it a bit, but it should be enough to cause you some serious trouble. Lastly, and that''s what that woman wanted, the longer you stay in there, the worse the disruption and pressure will be. Five hours should be your limit after which it might be fatal.¡±

    It looks like Niall misunderstood Lissandra. It''s clear as day that this is a challenge for me, to stay there as long as possible. The goal isn¡¯t to escape within the next five hours like Niall seems to think.

    ¡°How do I get out?¡±

    ¡°You only need to touch the wall of the barrier, and it will disappear.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s going to be easier to do at the start, before any pressure has a chance to build and it¡¯s going to be harder the longer I stay in?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the higher the pressure, the harder it is to reach the wall of the barrier. At some point, it bes quite deadly. Kind of fucked up, but you can guess whose idea it was.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in five hours.¡± She waves, and then the dome activates.

    The dome covers an area the size of a city block.

    Before I have a chance to wonder why the domain had to be so big, something pushes at me from all around. Creating a feeling of constant danger. My mana senses are gone, every bit of mana pours from my body, torn apart and reduced to the tiniest of particles. It even begins to affect the mana clinging to my skin, and weaving through my hair, leaving me with what I have inside my body.

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    The pressure then starts increasing, along with the disrupting effects and the constant feeling of danger that¡¯s begun to twist at my insides.

    As a test, I channel mana into my surroundings, only for it to be destroyed all over again.

    I walk for a bit and stop in the exact middle of the dome. For now, I wait, observing the effects as my senses are distorted by the dome.

    I try to create a dagger while using <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to test different frequencies. The result looks terrible, and it''s hard to maintain.

    Niall said the field was meant to mimic the pressure generated by one of the weaker Champions. However, what she probably meant was the pressure of their unrestrained manabined with some sort of domain.

    She probably expected me to react worse, but so far, it hasn¡¯t been all that bad. It may have only been a moment, but it wasn¡¯t long ago that I felt the pressure of Lissandra¡¯s Avatar. And I still remember the 2nd floor quite vividly, even though it was almost a year ago.

    So this is nothing. I have any number of ways of fighting its influence.

    One hour passes.

    The pressure increases, gradually approaching the levels Niall warned me about.

    I find it fascinating that they use something like this to train the warriors and mages before sending them off to face Champions and Absolutes. Just so they don¡¯t panic when the timees.

    Two hours pass, and I¡¯m sitting in the middle of the dome. Everything beyond the blue walls of mana is blurry, and the ground I¡¯m sitting on is unnaturally smooth. Polished by Niall''s mana to create a workable surface for her inscriptions. I examine them for a while, remembering some of the more interesting twists.

    When I try to locate the power source, I fail to do so. For the next thirty minutes, I attempt to find it but to no avail. Even my eyes do not help.

    <strong>[Resonance]</strong> levels up once as I struggle to keep the dagger from breaking down. At this point, it''s just a short de more reminiscent of a nail than any knife.

    Another unrted thoughtes to my mind. Back then, I thought ck mana was the second stage of the Potency mana upgrade. But as I¡¯vee to see Lissandra¡¯s Avatar and sense Niall¡¯s mana, I think I may have been wrong, perhaps my ck mana is something else entirely.

    Three hours pass, and my dagger flickers and finally disappears. At a high cost to my mana and concentration, I attempt to activate it again.

    I repeat it over and over again.

    A tiny bit of mana forms in the palm of my closed hand, which I open only to watch the resulting construct disintegrate.

    But I refuse to stop.

    Again.

    And again.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 47 > Resonance - lvl 48]</strong>

    Then, a few minutester, it bes impossible, and I feel that pressure amplifying around my body without reaching inside. Yet.

    Six hours pass.

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 40 > Mana Domain - lvl 41]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 41 > Mana Domain - lvl 42]</strong>

    <strong>[Infusion - lvl 29 > Infusion - lvl 30]</strong>

    <strong>[Perception - lvl 47 > Perception - lvl 48]</strong>

    Seven hours pass

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 42 > Mana Domain - lvl 43]</strong>

    Eight hours pass.

    My domain is gone, and I''m unable to activate it at all, I can¡¯t even push it a hair¡¯s breadth from my skin. Not even with help from <strong>[Resonance]</strong>. The pressure at this point is strong enough that I''m sure if Niall hadn¡¯t prevented it from being able to pass inside my body, it would be causing me quite a bit of trouble.

    I haven¡¯t got a single wound to speak of, but I''m sure if I stay just a bit longer, something bad will happen.

    I stand up and take a step, immediately falling to my knees. When I push myself up, it happens again.

    Amusingly enough, I catch myself being annoyed by my inability to find a cause. Is it another effect of the dome? Any problem with the simted domain? The strength of the mana disrupting effect? What? How? Why?

    Finding myself unable to rise to my feet, I start crawling. Questions and frustrations shing through my mind. It''s funny.

    It takes me five minutes of crawling before I''m halfway to the dome''s wall and the pressure increases. The disrupting effect starts seeping through my skin, ignoring my Mantle.

    Of course, it makes sense that someone at the level of Champion would be able to do that, but it once again reminds me that there are still a lot of people more powerful than me.

    It¡¯s only been a year since I started, so that¡¯s no real surprise. I still have a long way to go.

    But I will get there.

    Thirty of crawling minutester, I finally touch the wall, and in a blink, the dome disappears. The sounds of nature arounde rushing in, and I feel a soft wind on my skin. The pressure is gone, and I finally grab control of the mana raging inside my body.

    I¡¯m covered in dozens of wounds, small andrge. Disrupting my control over the mana inside my body proved to be quite an effective attack. I have to constantly use Mana Cycling to keep it under control because of my stat imbnce. Having it run wild reminded me of the good ol¡¯ days.

    Catching my breath, Iy on my back and send thermal energy from my core through my body.

    I reach my hand towards the sky, and a drop of blood falls from a torn finger,nding on my cheek as I watch the wound close.

    I hear a voice say, ¡°You are one crazy motherfucker, aren¡¯t you?¡± and recognize it as Niall, watching from her perch nearby.

    ¡°I dozed off in there; the pressure was too weak.¡±

    ¡°Cheeky little shit.¡± She snorts, sitting down on the grass next to me.

    ¡°Did anyone tell you yournguage is kind of¡­¡±

    ¡°Many times. They tried to beat it out of me when I was younger. But it¡¯s hard to do, and I still me the five older brothers I grew up with.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a good excuse. Can you give me ten minutes? I should heal enough to walk by then.¡±

    ¡°Take half an hour.¡±

 Chapter 394: Cooked

    Chapter 394: Cooked

    In the end, I healed enough to not have to be carried in a princess carry, something Niall hinted at with a smirk. After opening the door and passing me onto the Sr Ascendant guy, Niall leaves somewhere.

    Passing through the tunnel full of greenery, we walk slowly. The man probably sees my still far-from-perfect state and walks slower.

    I notice that he is smiling for some reason and is nice to me. Should I tell him I''m not into men?

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I saw Lady Niall smiling that way,¡± he breaks the silence finally. ¡°In the past few years, she was always in a gloomy mood, even though she tried to hide it, constantly worried about something.¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s not easy to defend that many people.¡±

    ¡°It is not. But I think it was her other problem she was worried about. Lady Niall holds no secrets from us, so I know yourpanion helped her. But she also seemed to have fun with you out there. So I want to thank you for that. She deserves it as she suffers a lot because of us all.¡±

    On our way back, we even stop to eat some food from something reminiscent of a food stall that is there for all the people working on the fields covering a huge part of the tunnel.

    Against my will, I learn that he and that Reaper something ss guy look at Niall like a daughter, used to be bodyguards in the noble house of Niall¡¯s father. Just from the way he talks about her, it is nearly as if he sees her as a child. Someone most likely over 200 years old and a Champion.

    As much as Iin about this kind of info dump, Ie to think it wasn¡¯t that bad, as I learned a bit about how others might see Champions and about the world from before the war.Soon after, I enter the apartments again.

    Lissandra, who has nothing better to do as always, looks at me. ¡°The inscriptions I made are all messed up and need to be redone, give me a bit of your mana.¡±

    I do so, and five minutester, I¡¯m on the floor again, fighting against the pressure on me using only kic energy.

    After five hours pass, I¡¯m punished for my sess. Being able to move my pinkie finger seems to be enough of a reason, and Lissandra increases difficulty. The next time it will be even more difficult; I¡¯m sure of that.

    Currently, both me and Myrra exit the Workshop for 5 hours of hunting and then 1 hour of rest before more training.

    ¡°You sure I shouldn¡¯t carry you? You still seem to have some internal wounds. Silly feral one. You''re supposed to train to not get hurt, not hurt yourself to train. So typical of you.¡±

    ¡°I me my environment and the people around me affecting me the wrong way.¡±

    She nods seriously, her tail twitching and showing her amusement, ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±

    ¡°Actually, am I not a victim here? I should report it to someone. Physical and psychological abuse or something.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, feral one, it¡¯s quite serious what''s happening to you.¡±

    I jump away from her, and she does the same. Where we stood, the earth bulges and dozens of spikes pierce the ground. Through them mana flows, strengthening them.

    The spikes explode, and hundreds of small projectiles from stone crash against the barrier I make and the simr one made of Aurora ss Myrra creates.

    More than the attack, I watch Myrra¡¯s defense. Even now, I¡¯m quite fascinated by Aurora ss. The crystalline material with reflective facets that go through multiple colors ording to Myrra¡¯s use of the skill, element, or whatever it is.

    It¡¯s something she gets from abination of her fire and ice attacks, I think.

    Aurora ss seeps into the air, dozens of tiny reflective particles she uses simrly to my anchor and teleports through, disappearing to hunt the monster who attacked us, leaving me behind to deal with the other one.

    <strong>[Veil Guardian - lvl ??]</strong>

    Tall, pale, and with voidsteel des instead of forearms and hands. As many times before, the monster screeches with a voice full of hate, and I cut off the signal it sends to the Veil.

    Blue veins going through its skin increase in number, and the gravity field envelopes the area, crushing the trees and boulders under the pressure.

    The monster charges at me.

    I use <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, and the effect of gravity disappears. It¡¯s so easy to do it now, and I try to mimic what Lissandra did when I attacked her before with her<strong> [Disruption]</strong>.

    Instead of using a lot of my mana, I reach only for a few percent and create a single projectile.

    As Veil Guardian reaches me, I send kic energy through my body and dodge a few times, avoiding the swings of the voidsteel de.

    Kic energy is different to use; unlike using mana, even the movements look different. It¡¯s not as smooth; instead, it is a burst of speed added to movements.

    I elongate the projectile over my shoulders, creating something akin to a spike as long as my forearm that I start to spin around its axis.

    The voidsteel de cleaves deep gashes into the ground and cuts through the boulder behind me. A few trees fall down as an invisible sh leaves them cut smoothly.

    Dodging under thest swing, I boost my body, take a step closer to the monster, and hit its chest with an open palm, adding kic energy to the strike.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    The force of the attack makes the monster stumble back, and I shoot the projectile I was creating, urately piercing through the Veil Guardian''s head.

    <strong>[You have defeated Veil Guardian - lvl 273]</strong>

    My instinct screams at me to use more mana, to move more, but I push these habits down. Not with my skill but on my own.

    I check, and there is barely any dent in my mana reserves; it¡¯s already nearly filled back.

    Cutting the voidseel des off the dead body I sell them to the system shop. Then, using only kic energy to strengthen my body, I rush towards where I sense more monsters.

    Five hourster I check my notifications, and there is only one.

    <strong>[Lvl 240 > Lvl 241]</strong>

    ¡°Myrra, am I cooked?¡±

    ¡°Feral one, as far as I can see, you are not cooked? I don¡¯t even know what using ¡®cooked¡¯ in this context means.¡± She reacts a bit confused.

    ¡°Based.¡±

    ¡°Based on what?¡±

    Even though it was only one level up, I am in a good mood, so I decide to mess with her a bit more. All with the use of knowledge from the twins and the confusing gibberish they used all the time together with Brainiac.

    ¡°Would you say I¡¯m the goat?¡±

    ¡°Did you get hit somewhere? You clearly aren¡¯t a goat.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t say it before, but nice drip, I like your clothes, they are lit.¡±

    ¡°You are indeed even more annoying than before. Wanna have a fight? No cheeky stuff, just body strengthening, I will beat it out of you.¡±

    ¡°Mood. But anyway, let¡¯s get some bussin¡¯ food.¡±

    ¡°You little shit...¡±

    Her reaction makes me even happier and I dodge the kick she throws at me. The next time I meet the twins, I will have to ask if I used these words correctly. They are still confusing as fuck.

    Walking through the entrance tunnel after being let in by Niall¡¯s Frozen Reaper guy, I allow myself to rx just a bit. Around 50 minutes remain before another round of training, so I decide to examine the ce a bit.

    ¡°And by the way, it¡¯s your rest time, so why do you keep that orb near you and train shaping? A little bit of rest is fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on a time limit here; as you might have noticed, ourpanion requires me to level up 5 skills.¡±

    ¡°It was you¡­¡±

    ¡°Would you believe that? Five skills to level 50.¡±

    ¡°But it was¡­¡±

    ¡°So yeah, I have to train a bit more.¡±

    Myrra sighs and looks at a man who''s been staring at her; that makes him turn away quickly and rush behind the trees.

    ¡°If you need help, feral one, I¡¯m here. I owe you a lot, and if ites to it, I will fight with you against Lady Lissandra if you fail.¡±

    It¡¯s as if she dered she is willing to die with me and for some reason, I can¡¯t find the right words to react to it. Such a surprising deration out of nowhere catches me off guard.

    She notices it and smiles with her fangs showing. Her tail shows she is even more amused than before, and her ears perk up.

    ¡°Am I also cooked now, feral one?¡± Myrra asks with a bright smile.

    ¡°We have to do something about your habit of picking up weird words, the same with ¡®nya¡¯ before.¡± I decide to ignore it for now and push by her, heading deeper into the workshop.

    ¡°Did I use it incorrectly? Should I call myself goat instead?¡± She quickly catches up to me and walks by my side.

    ¡°Please stop, I¡¯m sorry for teasing you before.¡± Seeing the lynthari I once considered majestic using these words ruins my image of their entire race even more.

    ¡°Based.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°We are going to get some bussin¡¯ food? Do you think they have restaurants here? That would be cooked!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not even how you use¡­ whatever, why are you so quick to catch these things up?¡±

    ¡°Feral one, I might not be at the level of Lady Lissandra, but my talent is quite good. Out of all the lynthari, I was considered the most talented in millennia.¡±

    Even though she is still smiling, it makes me remember that her entire world is gone. She might not consider herself fake or doesn¡¯t consider it at all, but it doesn¡¯t change that fact.

    Unlike me, who will most likely return to Earth, she has nothing left. Just that crazy woman by her side who pulls her around.

    The way she always tried to stay by my side ever since we met again now makes sense. We weren¡¯t best friends or anything like that, but I¡¯m someone she knows, and we probably did have a better rtionship than she currently has with Lissandra.

    Not having time to grieve, having to fight to survive, unable to hear a lot of things because of the censor preventing it, the risk of dying at any moment.

    ¡°Maybe your talent is at the level of pets the courtdies from Lissandra¡¯s used to have,¡± I tell her.

    I start noticing just a bit of clinginess from her. The way she talks quickly and stays nearby. As if an animal looking for someone to share warmth with.

    Even though she tries hard to not let it show. ¡°Maybe in a few months. So far, none of us are a match for them, feral one! But one day!¡±

    Walking and joking, we pass through the tunnels and a few caves.

    All of these ces are huge. The walls from which they got massive crystals for Skyhold Inds. The giant tools they used to create parts of them.

    One of the rooms has a pir in the middle that looks like it could move up and down, imitating hits of a hammer. Just that pir is as big as buildings, and there are more things like that.

    It¡¯s all fascinating even when they are sitting there and collecting dust. Some even used as meeting spots for kids that run around and y. The inscriptions look fine, so it all could probably work with a lot of effort, but they are not powered, mana too precious to waste like that.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a city,¡± Myrra says. ¡°Thousands of people. Gardens, fields, waterfalls. Seeing it used this way is nice, but sad at the same time. Do you know what I mean?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It used to be a busy ce, full of people working on yet another part of a Skyhold Bastion. Hammering sounds, rails used, materials mined.¡±

    It all feels a bit post-apocalyptic. As if a once prosperous city was left behind and taken over by nature, the trees piercing through the roads and growing in the middle of the streets. That kind of feeling.

    All radiates this feeling of nostalgia and the tools created by generations of people, most of whom are already dead. It¡¯s something proven even by most of the tools left behind being taken apart, to serve in a better way.

    In the end, we don¡¯t find any stalls offering food and just walk around, and the hour of rest passes like that.

    When it¡¯s about to end, we turn around and return to our apartment where Lissandra sits, working on the arm of the Saint. It might be me, but the arm seems to be a bit smaller than before.

    Lissandra nces up from the arm at the orb that still floats near my shoulder and I train with constantly.

    It¡¯s to the point the entire time while walking with Myrra I also had to keep up my healing passive from the strain and effort I put into that shaping exercise.

    ¡°Continue what you are doing but with no healing for the next 10 hours,¡± she says simply and continues to work on the arm.

 Chapter 397: Clash with the locals

    Chapter 397: sh with the locals

    The Veil Ignition Station known as Cinder, is a pyramid made of metal. Up close the surface isn¡¯t quite as smooth as it looked from a distance, its sheer size serving to smooth out any inconsistencies in its form.

    The exterior is covered in abination of silver and gray metals, with orange-ish veins of a different material tracing its way through the surface.

    The external surface is covered in huge doors, leading to a vast multitude of terraces. Each ounting for an area spanning several city blocks, and higher up the surface, I begin to see a number of stone and wood clinging to the metal exterior, as various humanoid figures bustle about.

    ¡°This is where I leave you for now; you two go on together. I will rejoin youter.¡± With that, Lissandra strides off, entering the pyramid through a long tunnel leading to what appears to be an elevator shaft.

    ¡°Want to go up from the outside?¡± I ask Myrra.

    "I don''t mind," she answers, and with that, we start scaling the pyramid.

    Despite her apparentck of enthusiasm, I can still see her tail swaying from side to side. Myrra is a curious creature, and she¡¯s never been able to hide it.

    And, it''s not like I''m not curious myself. The only thing that could be an issue is the rtive strength of the natives. Myrra and I both have inscriptions restraining our bodies, and they¡¯re always active at some level. It''s not terrible, but it''s powerful enough that it¡¯s forcing me to use kic energy just to be able to walk.

    Plus, Lissandra decided that I was finding things a bit too easy, and added a disrupting effect to interfere with my mana, not unlike the imps from the tunnels she left me in. Most of my focus and attention is being taken up by the process of walking without my mana ruining my body.I might make it seem easygoing, but to be honest, it¡¯s taking a lot out of me just trying to keep it up. Even more so than it did before, I catch myself wanting to sleep or just to take a rest for a bit.

    It''s a lot. And Myrra isn''t so different.

    She must have guessed what I''m thinking about because she jokes, ¡°If we get our asses kicked by some level 100 guy, I¡¯m leaving you and running away.¡±

    ¡°I don''t know, sometimes I feel like a level 50 would be enough to kick my ass.¡± I use just a bit of kic energy and boost myself up onto one of the terraces, which I find to be individual segments of the pyramid.

    ¡°That''s pathetic, feral one. Not even I feel that way. To get me, they would need to be level 51 at least.¡±

    ¡°The way you move your mana is pathetic. I¡¯ve never seen such a poor form. I swear¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I swear I knew nobledies whose pets had better control over their mana than you,¡± Myrra finishes, clearly annoyed by theparison. Her canines drawing free of her lips.

    We jump a few more times, slowly moving toward a group of people, and I continue to examine the pyramid as we go.

    As I do, Ie to find my first impressions vindicated, the metal surface is nearly perfect. Even after who knows how many years, It hasn¡¯t taken any significant damage, though there are scratches here and there. However, we are on the opposite side of the structure from the skeletal remains of that giant snake. I''m sure that part is damaged.

    Another interesting thing is that as the day turns into night, the pyramid is getting warmer while the surrounding area is getting colder. Not ufortably so; but enough to create a cozy pocket of warmth that Is slowly rising in temperature.

    It seems like the pyramid is absorbing heat from the surrounding area and It doesn''t seem like it¡¯ll be done for a while yet. I''m curious to see how high it¡¯ll go.

    Before we can reach the tform and the humans on it, a few of them start heading our way, with weapons drawn and skills at the ready. The men and women approaching us are dressed in mismatched armor, not to mention their weird mix of weapons and wild eyed expressions. Each one is around level 100.

    What surprises me most though is the way they go about trying to estimate my power. It¡¯s not something I¡¯ve seen in a long time. It''s terrible like I¡¯m being repeatedly pped with wet spaghetti.

    ¡°We will need you to pay a toll to enter,¡± the woman with the highest level speaks first, stepping forward and gesturing, ¡°The ax and the de should do.¡±

    She seems to be indicating my mebearer and voidsteel de, which I¡¯ve continued to carry despite the fact that I rarely have a use for them.

    ¡°Just kill them. I bet they have some nicer stuff as well.¡± One of the others smirks, already holding his weapon.

    ¡°Maybe we shouldn''t; they must be somewhat strong if they¡¯ve managed to make it all the way here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up, Veril. Anyone could do that. There aren¡¯t many monsters in the area, and just look at them, they look like they¡¯re about to fall apart. Look at them, they¡¯re bleeding.¡±

    The bleeding in question is a side effect of our active inscriptions and the asionalpse in control. Though I''m not really willing to exin that. I¡¯d rather listen to their conversation. After all, I¡¯ve found myself in quite an interesting situation. Like low-grade thugs stopping the protagonist from reaching a certain area.

    It''s a fun experience until one of them decides to attack us from behind, using the others as a distraction. The way he moves makes it clear he¡¯s going in for the kill, his deshing out for Myrra''s neck.

    Before he even reaches her, he staggers, the dagger tumbling from his hands, a deep cut viting the integrity of his neck, as Myrra¡¯s Aurora ss shimmers in the air.

    Three more jump at me, one seizing control of my shadow in an attempt to bind me, as another¡¯s skill struggles to disrupt my mana, leaving the third man to rush me as armor made of mana begins sprouting from his body.

    This tale has been uwfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Each of them stops mid-attack and I ce three anchors. Three bursts of kic energy erupt next to them, and their headless bodies fall to the ground.

    Somebody screams, and projectiles crash into Myrra''s barrier of Aurora ss and I retaliate byunching a projectile at the attacker and receive a notification confirming the kill.

    Myrra boosts herself towards two more of the attackers, throwing one off the pyramid and far into the distance, as he ils his arms before crashing into the ground and lying still. Either dead or acting. The second attacker dies as Myrra caves his chest in with a single punch, probably destroying his heart.

    Thest one tries to escape so I teleport through an anchor I ced on him grabbing his arm, and pulling him towards me, dislocating it. He¡¯s the one who noted that we might be a little bit strong.

    He keeps screaming, either out of fear, desperation, or pain. If it''s the pain, I''ll be disappointed; his wounds are barely worth mentioning.

    For a moment, I nce up at the hundred or so people looking down at us. They¡¯ve clearly separated themselves into distinct groups, probably gangs. Some areughing, some are pale in the face. I also notice a few of them rushing up the pyramid, eager to spread the news.

    ¡°If you don''t put a stop to all this screaming and whining, you will die.¡±

    It takes him a moment, but he does manage to shut himself up, clenching his teeth, as I notice the tears in his eyes. He is fairly young, barely twenty years old, and most of his items are barely in the realm of umon grade.

    <strong>[Shadow Whisperer - lvl 78]</strong>

    Myrra steps closer as well, towering over the young man whose heart begins to beat even faster.

    ¡°What are we asking him?¡± Myrra turns to me.

    ¡°Good question. What does Lissandra want here?¡±

    ¡°Something stashed away in the pyramid? The remains of a Champion? More information? Not like she will tell us.¡±

    ¡°That''s true.¡± I shake the young man, ¡°Who¡¯re the highest level people around? Who runs the ce?¡±

    ¡°Champion Zey and his five disciples! They live at the top!¡± he manages to get out, and I notice that he¡¯s started to sway. It''s just a dislocated arm! Why¡¯s he being such a wuss about it?

    ¡°Someone pretending to be a Champion?¡± I ask Myrra.

    ¡°For sure.¡±

    ¡°He is not! He beat the Arch Serpent and saved us all those years ago! It''s him who controls all and gives us warmth so we can survive the night. It''s him who defends us against all the monst¡­¡±

    With a sigh, I let him go and push him to the ground with a weak burst of kic energy, sending him to the ground, where he smartly stays lying without any movement.

    Is he a possum or something?

    Then I use another one to jump to the next tform, repeating the action twice more, Myrra following behind.

    So someone¡¯s probably found a way to control a few of the minor functions of the Veil Ignition Station, it¡¯s probably someone from before the war. Champion Zey, he seems to be calling himself, taking advantage of the title to cling to power. Almost like a cult leader.

    It''s a different style of governance from the Sanctuary, the Workshop, or even the Bastion, but it¡¯s not really surprising.

    Of course, there is the slim chance he turns out to be a real Champion, but I have a feeling Lissandra would have told us if that were the case.

    We finally reach a tform with buildings, I give them a nce. They¡¯re all wood and stone construction with some weird glue-like material to serve as the mortar. All of these buildings sharply contrast with the smooth metal of the pyramid.

    It makes for a rickety, ratted out mess, as we saw from the lower tforms. People walk around in old, tattered clothes. There are shops and craftsmen in some of the buildings, but none of them seem any better constructed for it.

    I guess the higher on the pyramid, the more powerful the people and the nicer the buildings we can expect to see.

    ¡°Fuck, these inscriptions are going to kill me, feral one,¡± Myrrains, approaching me.

    ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you look like you¡¯re going to pass out? Look, your mana¡¯s leaking and you¡¯re bleeding all over the ce!¡±

    ¡°Isn''t this much normal while training?¡±

    I do not get an answer, and her expression takes on a mix of amusement, pity, worry, and frustration. Her fluffy tail all but confirms it as it flits about in a confused manner.

    That''s when an item falls between me and Myrra. I sense it heading our way, but I¡¯m curious to see what it¡¯ll do.

    It turns out to be an orb the size of my fist, and it turns out to contain a decent amount of heat, not to mention that the container seems interesting on its own. The orb¡¯s been made from a thin ss-like material engraved with simple inscriptions. I wanna say that its rarity sits somewhere around umon? Maybe a step away from rare, but no higher than that.

    The surface starts to crack as I kneel down and poke it.

    The cracks grow wider, and one of the inscriptions starts to shine just a touch brighter, serving to release the concentrated heat in a single burst.

    To be honest, the whole setup is clumsy, nearly to the point I''m surprised that it seems to be working.

    More heat passes through the crack, and it expands, the inscriptions bursting into full activity as I grab the orb, leaning in close to examine it further.

    All of the heat contained inside is released at once, rushing to melt my face off along with a small area around me. It¡¯s a bit amateurish by my standards, the st isn''t all that concentrated, and its simple release mechanism only serves to weaken the effect.

    I absorb the heat of the explosion and start spinning it around my head before absorbing it into my body, using it to fuel my passive and heal some of the wounds caused by mypses in control.

    Lissandra''s inscriptions are truly evil. I¡¯ll just have to learn how to make and improve on them, maybe.

    Looking up, I catch a glimpse of Myrra, who¡¯s already reached our attacker while avoiding another orb. At this point, she merely breaks his neck and throws him into the distance.

    It must be nice to have such high natural physical stats.

    ¡°Want to catch some and gather information?¡± she asks as she nimblynds next to me.

    Even though sheins about the inscriptions nonstop, she also seems to be doing well. However, she doesn¡¯t really have much choice now that Lissandra¡¯s decided to teach her. I''m sure that cockroach wouldn''t have bothered if Myrra weren''t talented.

    ¡°Let''s just climb higher. If they attack, we kill them. If not, we leave them be. There doesn¡¯t seem to be much to learn here, we should probably head higher before trying to ask again. Catching that fake Champion and his ¡°disciples¡± are optional.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a n, feral one. Let us head higher then. I¡¯m eager to find out what¡¯s inside and at the top.¡±

 Chapter 398: Heading inside

    Chapter 398: Heading inside

    About a third of the way up the pyramid I signal Myrra to stop. Then, while keeping my mana in check, I send my senses out, probing the area around the Veil Ignition Station.

    I find my suspicions confirmed, the temperature out there is dropping rapidly. And not just the weather; no, the pyramid is absorbing heat at a scary rate, pulling in energy from a huge area. All that heat is being absorbed by the metal and sent somewhere inside, part of it radiating from the surface.

    The drop in temperature is so huge I¡¯m sure I would die out there without the use of my thermal energy, not just because of my stats either. I don¡¯t even think Myrra would have much of a chance. Especially seeing how effectively and hungrily the station devours any heat in the area.

    Myrra notices it as well. She herself has a taste for fire and ice based attacks, so I¡¯m sure she can sense that much.

    ¡°So that means the Ignition Station is at least partially functional,¡± she notes.

    "Seems like it."

    What really surprises me though is that we see a group of about 100 people at the bottom of the pyramid putting on something like a space suit with a number of mana stones connected to them. I can¡¯t exactly puzzle out what purpose they¡¯re meant to serve from up here, but my best guess is that they serve as instion against the extreme elements outside.

    These weirdos are nning to head out.

    Most of them are carrying a number of big baskets, while others are left to pull even bigger ones, connected to ropes.Myrra and I take a break to watch them work. After a few minutes of preparation, they head out into the darkened field before the pyramid. They walk quickly, and when they get far enough out, they take out tools and start scraping frost from the metallic surface surrounding the pyramid.

    They then proceed to throw the resulting clumps of frost into the baskets behind them, and once one ce is cleared, they move on.

    That begs the question though, is this where they get their water?

    As I look around, I keep finding more and more groups like that, spread all around the pyramid, each crew containing at least a hundred people who work quickly to harvest the ice.

    Once in a while, one of them starts panicking, touching the suit he is wearing. It seems like it must have taken some sort of damage. Maybe a broken mana stone, damaged suit, anything.

    At which point it only takes a few seconds for that man or woman to die, their bodies ignored by the others. Left behind to be collected the next day, if only to recover a suit that could still be repaired or the items the person in question happened to have on them.

    ¡°They don¡¯t drink the water from the area, and there isn¡¯t any source in the pyramid, so this is probably the best method they have,¡± Lissandra says, appearing out of nowhere, also looking down at these groups of people.

    ¡°Don¡¯t they have people with skills that could help with that?¡± Myrra asks. It¡¯s a naive question.

    ¡°People like that tend to be grabbed by the ruling factions and used as a means of control,¡± I exin.

    ¡°Such childish games,¡± Lissandra chuffs, probing Myrra and me with her senses before nodding in an affirmative manner. ¡°We¡¯re spitting up again. Pup, you¡¯re heading into the pyramid. Kitten, you¡¯re going to the top. Do whatever you want, and we¡¯ll meet here in 24 hours.¡±

    For a moment, it almost looks like I¡¯m getting some time off. Time I would, of course, use to train. But Lissandra doesn¡¯t disappoint as she turns to me and grabs the bits of mana my body is leaking.

    She forms a small orb out of that mana and makes it float over my shoulder, ¡°Keep that orb from breaking down for the next 24 hours. If you use too much mana, it will burst. If you use too little, it will disappear. The amount required to maintain it will change over time.¡±

    Of course, it will. I don¡¯t respond, already turning my attention to the orb. Right away, the orb almost bursts, and then while I lower my mana, it almost disappears as the requirements change.

    A few secondster, they change again, and then a minuteter it happens again. There is no rhythm or consistency; the changes seem toe at random. Sometimes it happens after half a second, sometimes it takes a full minute. Even then, the constant and unique changes make the experience far from simple.

    What an evil thing. How do I make one?

    At least Lissandra did have just enoughmon sense to weaken the inscriptions on my body, just a bit, the added disruptions to my mana easing off a bit. Of course, they¡¯re not entirely silent either. The amount has been perfectly calcted to leave me just capable enough to do anything else.

    Myrra also gets a simr task, and then both women disappear on their way, leaving me on my own as I try to grasp the orb and stop it from bursting open. It takes ten minutes before I¡¯m used to it to the point I can use kic energy to force my body to move.

    For a moment, I almost feel like just sitting down andughing. I need to use kic energy to move, I need to take care of the orb, and I need to take care of my mana which is constantly being disrupted.

    What amuses me is that I¡¯m not even that angry. I¡¯m caught up in the sheer humor and absurdity of my situation while I can barely walk like a drunkard.

    I could probably use my domain or crown to make it easier, but that would ruin the point of training. So I continue with some more normal methods.

    It¡¯s in this state, that I walk through the tform, terrace, whatever it¡¯s called, and head towards the skeletal remains of the snake. It takes me a while, and as I make my way over, I¡¯m already growing used to it.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the vition.

    Of course, five men stop me just as I get to some of the more broken parts of the pyramid and the huge bones.

    They stare at me, I stare at them. No one says anything until a man with a level of around 200 smirks, his eyes shining a bit, most likely a trait.

    All five of them attack me at once, their simr lightning based attacks working together, as they link through the man with the highest level.

    Not knowing what would happen to the orb Lissandra left to me if I used<strong> [Tether]</strong>, I use <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, and the attack dissolves into nothing just as it¡¯s about to reach me.

    I boost my body closer to them with an external application of kic energy, and the air resonates, letting out a high pitch as I get within effective reach.

    Two men die immediately, their heads exploding as a result of their terrible defenses.

    The third one shoots a lightning burst at me which I block with a barrier. I immediately reform it into a spike that pierces through his heart, destroying his shield as it takes form.

    The fourth one starts running, my mana projectile piercing his knee beforeshing its way through the back of his neck.

    The leader charges me with lightning surrounding his body, short bursts of lightning shooting towards me in quick session.

    Just for a moment, my eyes activate, and then I disrupt his armor, and he staggers, surprised. Even so, he lifts his arms to protect his head, and the armor starts to reform. But not in time.

    A spear made of mana pierces his chest, and the wound starts healing thanks to some kind of regeneration skill he seems to have, so I change the spear¡¯s shape, tearing his chest apart from the inside.

    When he falls down dead, I take some time to calm my mana and the orb that changes frequencies multiple times in three seconds. Then, moving my body with kic energy, I kneel down in front of the man and send my senses towards his eyes, examining his traits.

    Like me, he does have some inscriptions, but most of them are too detailed to get any useful information They work a bit differently in the body than they do in weapons.

    I noticed a long time ago that traits just tend to be that way. And I¡¯m sure the system¡¯s doing everything it can to make it much more difficult to obtain traits. It would also be possible for me to emte Min-Jae and my minion in this matter, but even then, the traits were far weaker than the original.

    It would be nice if I could steal traits in a simr way sometime in the future, but if it was that simple, everyone would be doing it. There must be some sort of trick up the system¡¯s sleeve.

    So, taking my time, I pull out one of the eyes and check the connections and nerves, and at some point, I cleanly cut it in half, examining it visually from the inside.

    There are a thing or two I notice but nothing too interesting. The trait also seems to be much weaker than my eyes, so in the end, I just give up and let go.

    I clean my hands on the man¡¯s clothes and stand up, quickly checking their pockets for goodies. And of course, I take a few small mana stones, along with some pieces of metal and bone that I failed to identify, before continuing on my way towards the skeletal remains.

    I find more on the other side of the pyramid than the skeletal remains of a huge monster. though it wasn¡¯t really all that visible from afar there is still some flesh remaining. And I do find it interesting that the bones suck in the heat from the pyramid seem to be allowing that energy to flow through them.

    After ten minutes of watching people work, Ie to the conclusion that that¡¯s part of what allows all these people to carve out the flesh and scrape the bones for materials, shaving them into some kind of bony dust.

    It seems like they also waited for the night. I know I didn¡¯t see them during the day. They wait for the pyramid to absorb heat, some of that heat is absorbed by the bones and warms them up, boiling hot in some ces. Which, in exchange, allows them to scrape the bones of a very high-level being and separate out some tiny pieces of its flesh.

    It probably represents the work of generations among these people.

    So fascinating. Generations of people over hundreds of years. Thousands of people eating the flesh of the same monster. Trying toe up with ways to use the bones and the other parts. Coming up with ways to get more out of it.

    It¡¯s something I would never see if I was on Earth. Something I would never even think of. Yet here it is, thousands of people crawling over that humongous corpse just to dine on the scraps.

    I could sit and watch this for hours, but I have to remind myself what I¡¯m here for.

    Before entering the pyramid through the hole in the side, I take out my voidsteel de and use <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to make it even sharper. Then I carve out a few pieces of bone, which I stash neatly away.

    Lily can check it out for meter. Our project to make my bones stronger and improve my mana conductivity seems to be going well.

    Now that I think about it, it might be weird for me to keep giving her pieces of bones, not to mention the human remains, she is a teenage girl after all, but I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t mind.

    A few people shout at me and others even throw some attacks my way, but I ignore them mostly, only blocking the ones with a chance of connecting. Then I slide through a hole in the wall and into the pyramid.

    The hallway I find myself in is extremely smooth, and there are no inscriptions anywhere to be seen. There aren¡¯t even any lights. More than a hallway, it looks like a vent to channel heat through. I even have to lower my head a bit as I enter.

    In front of me, I create a single thermal orb that lets out soft yellow light.

    Once again, I pause to concentrate on the mana orb which is in the process of changing its parameters multiple times, each worse than thest.

    Once it calms down, I continue on, feeling the warmth from the walls now even more than before. Soon enough, I might find myself being forced to fight against that heat; it¡¯s getting a lot warmer really fast.

    It takes me five minutes to find a way through, but I do eventually find the entrance to a much bigger one, and I increase the size of the orb.

    The light falls upon the smooth surfaces of the tunnel. It¡¯s hot here and very quiet. My only lightes from the orb, the pyramid has, thus far, proved itself devoid of any other sources of light. As always when I find myself in a ce like this, I feel my excitement spike, the experience further enhanced by the fact I¡¯m alone.

    It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve truly had an opportunity like this. I¡¯ve had my Minion, Duplicaniel, and the tournament, with its abundance of people to get in my way. And after that, I wound up with Lissandra and Myrra. I think I¡¯ve been handling things well, and if need be, I¡¯m perfectly capable of dealing with it.

    But now, I''m on my own, exploring this ce that once served as a channel for the traits and skills of a Champion. I find myself feeling quite pleased with the situation.

    Yes, I think pleased is just the word for it.

    As I head deeper into the pyramid, I ignore the fact that not one of the natives tried to follow me in.

 Chapter 400: Living quarters

    Chapter 400: Living quarters

    While I work on the door, the heatwave hits three more times, forcing me to focus on defending myself until it passes. And once it''s gone, the ¡°code¡± changes and I have to start over again.

    With each attempt I make, I am getting quicker at it, so it''s only a matter of time before I unlock it before the next heatwave.

    What''s nice is that during the heatwave, more Heatseekers start appearing, and the centipede-like creatures with human faces continue to fall to my concentrated thermal energy. I even fight some of them without it to better gauge their strength, and I find that it''s entirely possible to defeat them without thermal energy.

    My voidsteel de actually cuts through them quite easily even without support from my skills. The only disadvantage is that it''s getting just a tiny bit damaged. It would probably require me to kill hundreds of Heatseekers to destroy it, but the damage is there. Not like it doesn¡¯t make sense; these monsters are all close to 300, but none of them have broken that particr threshold.

    I level up once during that time, and my crown gains a level as well.

    The crown is currently active, and filling with my mana. There is also an orb made of thermal energy filling as well.

    I thought of just either filling the crown or the orb, but in the end, I decided to split my resources between the two of them. I always liked to be versatile.

    When I finally unlock the door, it slides back and rolls to the side like the one before. After I pass through, it closes behind me, and I watch it happen. I don¡¯t even create an anchor outside.

    Being on my own has a bad influence on me. Maybe present Nathaniel messed up in his own way.I will rely on you, future Nathaniel, to deal with the consequences. It''s all for our Pride, and I appreciate your service.

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>Seems like I won¡¯t be using Community that much. I need to focus on other things.</em>

    Reliable Tess reacts quickly; she, like most of us, has been constantly checking the chat, for seconds at a time.

    <strong>Sset - </strong><em>Got it. Good luck.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Luck doesn¡¯t have anything to do with it.</em>

    I turn off the Community and then stop and stretch. My body feels so light and warm. I even notice that I¡¯ve been subconsciously using bits of kic energy to add power to my movements. However messed up Lissandra might be, her training methods do work.

    Fulfilling my expectations, a few Ashborn Phantoms attack, only for me to kill them one after the other. Dozens of them throw themselves at me while the heat in the room I just entered gradually increases.

    Soon enough, another heatwave hits, and with it, three more Heatseekers, each one bigger than thest and each one has three question marks but they¡¯re probably no higher than level 299.

    Thermal energy flows from my Vortex Core, and through my arm, as I use <strong>[Infusion]</strong> to fill my ax, the damaged de of the weapon glowing with my golden mes. Kic energy flows through my body, giving me afortable feeling mana strengthening never did.

    The first Heatseeker attacks me while the other two start absorbing the heat from the room, channeling it into the mes they use to attack me. And despite their strength, they can¡¯t seem to damage the metal the pyramid is made of.

    So far only my thermal energy seems to be capable of that.

    I miss my first few shots at the Heatseekers, the monsters are quick and twitchy, but I use the golden orb over my shoulder, and fire aser thin stream of thermal energy easily cutting into the monster.

    Newly slowed, the monster fails to avoid me, and a single swing of my ax sends thermal energy coursing through the monster, burning it even surrounded by this crazy heat.

    <strong>[You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]</strong>

    I hold mebearer in front of me, absorbing the monsters¡¯ mes, and though they dance around me they fail to reach my body.

    The sound of them passing through the air reminds me of a ne starting, and once I¡¯ve gathered enough energy, I stop absorbing and swing, adding a bit of my own thermal energy into the mix.

    A huge wave of mes explodes from me filling the room, bits of golden mes dancing within the monsters¡¯ yellow, and devouring the Heatseekers, reducing them to ash in the process.

    <strong>[You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]</strong>

    <strong>[Infusion - lvl 30 > Infusion - lvl 31]</strong>

    With the monsters gone, the heatwave disappears as well, the room cooling off, as the residual heat is absorbed by metallic walls.

    The light dims again, plunging the room into a nearly pitch ck darkness. The only source of light is my thermal orb and the walls, though it¡¯s not much. Even though it¡¯s made of metal it looks like a me has somehow been trapped inside it, letting out the faintest orange glow.

    I take a moment to examine what I thought was a room, but in the end, I identify it as another tunnel that was blocked off by the door.

    It is mildly disappointing, but I don¡¯t mind it that much, opting to head deeper inside.

    After two days of wandering around and killing any monsters I see, I¡¯ve gained another level. Bringing me up to level 248.

    My skills leveled up a bit as well, leaving me with this:

    <strong>Active skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Focus - Lvl 49</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 48</em><em></em>

    <em>Redistribution - Lvl 48</em><em></em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 49</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43</em><em></em>

    <em>This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.</em><em>Tether - Lvl 36</em><em></em>

    <em></em><em>Infusion - Lvl 32</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Crown - Lvl 28</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Maniption - Lvl 49</em>

    Oh, and I strengthened my domain with Pride, using the point I was given when I reached Adept in my subss.

    After thinking about it for the past few days, I just decided to go with the option that makes the most sense instead of just going with my mostmonly used skills. From my point of view, it just seems like my domain is the most fitting ce to invest it.

    I¡¯ve started testing things out, and my domain has been strengthened significantly. Not so much its size, but its quality has definitely improved. It¡¯s gotten a lot easier to make my mana do what I want within its bounds, but that¡¯s not what I was aiming for. My theory is that it will be much more difficult for anyone to take control of my mana or disrupt it with my domain activated. It just feels like my Pride won¡¯t allow it.

    Of course, it¡¯s still going to be possible for monsters like Lissandra and others much stronger than me, but as with a lot of things I do, I had the future in mind when I did it.

    I¡¯ve also decided to avoid letting it blind me and impede my growth as the ck mana did.

    Even so, I still think it could maybe have been better to use with my other skills.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>? To give it an effect like my domain without having to activate it. Maybe applying it to <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong> would have improved my control or offered something better. And I think about it<strong>[Redistribution]</strong> also sounds like it could work nicely with Pride.

    I¡¯ll probably be having these thoughts for a long time, but I still think I¡¯ve chosen well. Even if it might not be the best option currently, it will influence my future options for my primary ss and passives. The system always says rewards are offered ording to my performance, so it knows how I use my skills and chooses rewards ordingly. I could spend an endless amount of time theorizing, so I may as well put a pin in it. I have something more interesting to deal with now.

    I have found the loot.

    The owner of the pyramid didn¡¯t even try all that hard to hide it. Just a few traps, one of which cut off my left arm and removed my feet below the ankle.

    Another trap with spikes that I couldn¡¯t detect piercing through my side.

    Another one that tried to fry my brain with some kind of mental attack. Though, I still regret destroying it to stop the attack, rendering it impossible to examine.

    And a few more lost limbs and a day or somethingter, I have reached a truly beautiful ce.

    Living quarters.

    As with everything in this goddamn pyramid, it is huge. Like a skyscraper plopped down in the middle of the pyramid, It seems out of ce, surrounded by all this metal, but this ce is shielded, and the heat is much lower there.

    There are no elevators and only stairs, but I quickly locate the core. A pir made of white crystal somewhere in the middle of the living quarters. Well, not just living quarters. There are workshops here as well, from what I saw as I was passing by.

    So I reach the core, and using my<strong> [Resonance]</strong>, <strong>[Infusion]</strong>,<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong>, even<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong>, and my Mana Wavelength Iris, I easily activate it.

    It takes an hour, and I me it more on myck of sleep rather than the amazing defenses or difficulty of the task.

    Connecting to my crown, I redirect a part of my mana to the core, and it floods it with shiny light blue particles of mana. The lights dance inside nicely, and then it takes two more hours for me to take over the controls and light up the ce.

    One after another, the lights in the walls start glowing and after days in the dimly lit tunnels, it feels nearly alien. Cozy, but alien nheless.

    I nce at my left arm which is still missing a hand. It will regrow soon, but it¡¯s annoying because I can¡¯t use a mana prosthesis properly; the hand keeps growing and interfering with it. Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s anything new to me.

    I take a huge chunk of my mana and use <strong>[Perception]</strong> and <strong>[Focus]</strong> to get as much out of it as possible. I send a pulse through the living quarters like a sonar wave, trying to locate anything interesting.

    <strong>[Perception - lvl 48 > Perception - lvl 49]</strong>

    Huh.

    I did have to get a few of my skills to level 50, didn¡¯t I? The cockroach threatened to kill me if I didn¡¯t.

    Instead of bothering with more useless stuff, I create an orb over my shoulder. It¡¯s an imitation of that evil orb Lissandra made for me before. Mine¡¯s still not perfect, but it¡¯s good enough to train.

    Since I don¡¯t have to deal with the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions, disrupting mana and heat, I create another evil orb and head to the lowest part of the ce while training. I have sensed some nice stuff down there.

    On my way there, I stop in front of a room with expensive-looking doors. They¡¯re made out of some weird wood and delicately inscribed. In fact, some of these inscriptions are only there to make them look nicer.

    With a st of kic energy, I turn them into mere scraps of wood. Their defenses were inert, my mana in the core supporting the most important functions of this ce.

    I enter a room that seems to be really luxurious. One of the huge windows even offers a view of what probably used to be a huge garden. Now it''s dried up, and the trees have been reduced to giant hunks of dry wood.

    There areyers of dust everywhere, but it''s still been well preserved. There isn''t much humidity in the pyramid, so I guess it makes sense.

    First, I reach a small stand where drinking sses sit under a few faucets. I send a bit more mana to the core through my <strong>[Tether]</strong> I left there and then reactivate the inscriptions directly, bypassing the broken mana stone.

    A hissing sound pours from the pipes for the next thirty seconds, before being reced by a quiet bubbling. A stream of dirty water shoots from the pipes, and it takes another thirty seconds for it to clear up and correct the flow. I use it to wash off one of the sses and then fill it. Without much hesitation, I drink the entire ss in one go.

    Disgusting.

    I fill another one and drink it as well. Then a few more. The longer the water flows, the better it tastes. That, or it''s already killing my taste buds. Both options are fine with me.

    I stop the water and then head to another room, which is entirely made out of white polished stone, with hundreds of holes in the ceiling.

    The clothes I''m wearing end up on the ground, and for a moment, I look at them. Then I burn them in the golden me of my thermal energy until nothing remains.

    The room turns out to be a shower, as I had expected. At first, dirty, disgusting water pours down, again as was expected. It takes a minute of me standing under it before the water flows properly or clearly.

    There doesn''t seem to be any soap or Old Spice shower gel, so I just stand there for a few minutes until I feel cleaner. All the dirt and sweat I¡¯ve collected ever since the start of this little adventure with the little kitten and cockroach are washed away. The experience leaves me feeling much lighter.

    After that, I spend a good ten minutes choosing new clothes in the small room I find nearby. There are dozens of articles, and most of them are in a good state. Only clothes made of certain materials seem to have been ravaged by the passage of time.

    Using the mirror I wipe clean with one of the shirts while inspecting my reflection.

    ck shirt with rolled-up sleeves. I really like the material. The pants are light brown and feel nice as well. The shoes do not fit me at all, so I go barefoot. I¡¯ve gotten used to the experience since the tutorial started. Some shoes just can''t handle too much explosive movement, so it makes sense.

    Maybe I could open a shoe shop for superhumans when I get back to Earth. I bet a lot of people will need them.

    In the end, I also use <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to trim my hair and ¡°shave¡± the stubble from my face.

    I loot the ce as well, taking interesting mana stones from appliances and a few stones from the walls. I fill a few bottles I found with water and pick up some recement clothes as well.

    Only then do I head to the bottom of this ce.

    If I''m right, it''s where the armory is.

 Chapter 401: I will come to see you

    Chapter 401: I wille to see you

    The door into the armory is extremely thick, and the door leads to an unassuming hallway that opens into a wide room.

    Of course, I was smart enough not to power up this section, so the only defense I need to worry about is the door.

    While I think of it, I add another evil mana orb so I don¡¯t bezy, and when I feel blood dripping from my nose, I send thermal energy through my body to deal with it.

    Unsure how to deal with the door, I take thermal energy from my core and concentrate it into a thinser stream which I focus on the metal surface of the door. Gradually, I increase the quality of that stream as it begins to glow with a brilliant golden light, biting into the metal as the heat spreads through the surface. In an effort to speed the process along I absorb any stray heat and reincorporate it into the main stream, tightening the beam¡¯s focus as I go.

    It takes a good minute until I feel it break through andnce into the room as the resistance of the materials gives way, so I start moving it to the side.

    After a minute, I pause, an interesting thought taking hold of my mind.

    Is myser cutting through the items inside?

    Shouldn¡¯t I have thought of that sooner?

    Could I create another evil orb?Liss is going to be pissed off, isn¡¯t she?

    Whatever. I just raise myself into the air and start shooting at an angle, directing my line of fire toward the ground.

    After a few seconds, I stop again and sigh. The thin stream of thermal energy disappears, and I send my mana through the thin cut I made and ce an anchor inside, which I use to teleport inside before recreating my evil orbs. The crown and my thermal orb, nicely filled, now teleport with me even at the higher cost of mana.

    The armory lights up in the golden light of my orb, revealing rows of weapons hanging on the walls. Surprisingly, there aren''t that many of them here, only about ten or so.

    When I send my senses further, I notice a few dozen more on the other side of the armory, though they tend to be on the lower end of quality. Rare at best, both weapons and armor. The ones surrounding me now are all epic grades.

    First, I examine the one that seems to be damaged. A shield with a smooth line carved into it. Around which the metal of the shield seems to have been melted. Almost as if someone...

    Oh.

    Unlucky.

    <strong>Frostguard Shield (mid Epic, damaged) - </strong><em>A shield imbued with the essence of eternal ice. When activated, it can project a barrier of freezing cold air that slows down iing attacks and chills enemies upon contact. This shield can also create a field of icy terrain centered around the user.</em>

    Hehe, it¡¯s a shame it wasn¡¯t activated.

    Damn it.

    What catches my interest is the reference to the essence of eternal ice. I think I remember an item that had been imbued with the essence of eternal wind. I wonder if it¡¯s something I should know about. Maybe I¡¯ll find out sometime in the future.

    One after another, I examine these ten items. Three of them are of upper epic rarity, three of mid rarity, one of which is a mysteriously damaged shield, and four of low epic rarity. One after another, I also sell nine of them for close to 7 thousand shards. None of these items are attractive enough for me to even try learning anything from.

    Once again I¡¯ve found myself in a ce I probably shouldn¡¯t have reached. The system is really sloppy at times.

    I spend the next thirty minutes going through the remaining items and examining their effects, searching for new ideas in the variety of weapons I¡¯ve imed.

    For example, in between the epic items I sold, there was:

    <strong>Basilisk Fang Whip (mid Epic) -</strong><em>A whip crafted from the fang of a basilisk, imbued with its petrifying venom. Strikes from the Basilisk Fang Whip can temporarily turn flesh to stone, immobilizing enemies. It can also be used to create stone barriers by striking the ground.</em>

    The item sounded cool. Not that it really fits my fighting style, but it was nice to learn that beings like the Basilisk exist, doubly so given that their venom can apparently turn you into stone.

    Then there was another thing that caught my eye:

    <strong>Void Lantern (upper Epic) - </strong><em>Antern that contains a fragment of the void, emitting a light that can pierce through illusions and invisibility. The Void Lantern also has the ability to nullify weaker spells cast within its light, making it a powerful tool against magic users.</em>

    I had thought about keeping it, but in the end, I decided against it. I have my eyes and I have <strong>[Perception]</strong> and I wouldn¡¯t want to rely on an item for this. And I have <strong>[Resonance]</strong> if I need to disrupt the mana in an area.

    Of course, I activated it a few times just to look over the effect, but in the end, I felt that it would be ipatible with my skills if not weaker overall. But now I know there is void primordial energy, and seeing thisntern, that energy might be a good means of disrupting and against magic users.

    That¡¯s why I go through descriptions of any item I see, even rare and umon. Because I¡¯m a curious person and you never know what might be useful to have. It¡¯s just something I like to do.

    But in the end, I sell all of themon and umon items I¡¯ve found, whichs me another a bit over 4 thousand shards.

    Maybe I really shouldn¡¯t be able to reach this ce. It can¡¯t be that easy to make shards, right?

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the vition.

    By the time I leave, my total sits at 153,488

    I do have one item that I didn''t sell though.

    <strong>Astral Projection Amulet (upper Epic) - </strong><em>This amulet allows the wearer to project their senses out of their body, exploring the world as an ethereal entity. The projected form is invisible and intangible, perfect for reconnaissance.</em>

    I jump from room to room and visit a few workshops along the way, and as I do, I sell anything that¡¯s not nailed down.

    Some clothes for 1 shard? Sold.

    A few mana stones for 5 shards? Sold.

    The entire building? Impossible to sell, unfortunately.

    My minion would be proud.

    When I''m done, I examine a few workshops and pocket a few mana stones inscribed with information and experimental data. Something to y with when I have a bit more time and energy.

    Lastly, I lock myself in the safest-looking ce. Something akin to a panic room with thick walls made ofminated tes of various materials. Surprisingly, there is still some food avable which seems like it was made tost. It¡¯s a bit weird tasting, as one might expect of the calorie-dense bars that I still eat regardless, and drinking plenty of water to wash them down. I even store some forter.

    Then, once I¡¯ve locked myself inside, I pull out the amulet and activate it.

    My mind separates from my body as It slips into some kind of invisible ghost-like form. The world loses some of its color, and I can feel the ways my senses are restricted now. I can only see and hear. Even so, it¡¯s amazing, and I look at the body of the man resting against the wall with crumbs of food soiling his shirt.

    Damn, that poor guy might need some sleep.

    I move closer and try to p him, but my hand passes through, so instead, I fly through the walls. It¡¯s an unnerving feeling, but I¡¯ll just have to get used to it.

    Firstly, I start moving in a direction, seeking the exact center of the pyramid. A ce whose location I found in the core of the living quarters.

    My movement is quick, and no heat or monster will stop me, as I fly directly through the walls.

    When I reach it, it¡¯s a huge room supported by dozens of pirs. Even though there are so many of them, they seem dwarfed by the space between them. Most of the floor is covered in molten metal, continuing to bubble and shine like an exposedva bed.

    There is no center to it. No special location. The entire ce seems more like the core of a, its pirs and walls covered in metal that constantly melts and reforms, creating simple inscriptions.

    All of the heat is directed and absorbed here. To the center of a monolith, erected in the caldera of a long dead volcano whose heat was once harnessed in the form of mana by a Champion.

    And there is something else.

    A being swimming in the molten metal and sending ripples through as it passes by.

    I can''t sense more in this state, but I already have a suspicion about what awaits me beyond that being. Somewhere deep below the surface.

    Sending the projection away, I head straight towards the top of the pyramid, moving at the highest speed possible.

    Let''s see what cockroach is getting up to. She is surprisingly quiettely. Part of me expected her to pull me out of the pyramid by my ear.

    As I exit the pyramid, the projection bes weaker, and the quality of the image begins to suffer, but not muchter, I locate the top.

    The tip of the pyramid is hollow, like a building unto itself. There are even trees nted in the dirt that probably had to be brought here and meticulously watered. Flying in, I find luxurious rooms with vibrant carpets on the floors, paintings on the walls, and a lot of gold. It¡¯s so unfitting, it¡¯s crazy.

    I also find the man who dered himself a Champion, Zey I believe his name was. Near him lie five more bodies, probably his disciples. All of them are fairly well dead.

    A bit further, I find Lissandra and Myrra. Both of them are sitting in a small room that seems to be exactly in the middle of the hollow tip of the Veil Ignition Station known as Cinder.

    On a small stand is the head of a man. It doesn¡¯t seem to be from any of the natives killed outside. The head¡¯s eyes are wide open, both orange in color, while his hair is red and curly.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Champion with whom they built this station. They built it here, right over the biggest active volcano they could find. I don¡¯t know the Champion¡äs name, but he used to be second in rank after their Absolute.¡±

    ¡°Lady Lissandra?¡± Myrra asks, confused.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you, little kitten. The head was what I was after here, a lot of it can be used. I have no need for his body, so y with whatever remains of it. Well, if you can.¡±

    Lissandra then turns around, looking directly into my eyes, ¡°You made your decision, and I will respect it but after I deal with things up here, I wille to see you.¡±

    The meaning of that messagees through loud and clear.

    After that, the connection cuts off abruptly, and I find myself back in my body with a throbbing headache.

    There is a long crack across the entire surface of the amulet, and its description has been appended with a new word, ¡°damaged.¡±

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 390 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Astral Projection Amulet (upper epic, damaged)</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    I confirm and then stand up. Once I¡¯ve gotten the door open again I exit the panic room and start heading for the core, not having to deal with all the heat I subconsciously try to create a fourth evil orb, and finally, a notification rings out.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 49 > Mana Maniption - lvl 50]</strong>

    Disappointingly, there is no additional notification. No change. No boost, unlock, or addition to the skill. It just levels up. A system giving notice of a threshold crossed.

    For me, it feels weird for such a breakthrough to happen without the life and death struggle ofbat. But in the end, it¡¯s one of the many things Lissandra has said that I agree with, even though it seems more boring.

    When I reach the core, I take all of the mana out of it, the lights dying off one after another until the ce is dark. The only lighting from my thermal orb as I continue to feed it energy. I use <strong>[Tether]</strong> and ce an anchor that shouldst me a week at least.

    Then I grab the ax, the voidsteel de, and a bag with a bit of food and water, and leave the rest here.

    I reach the tunnel serving as an exit from the living quarters and unlock it after resting for a moment.

    Passing by and closing the door, the living quarters disappear from my view, and the harsh heat of the pyramid attacks me once again. Apanied by the presence of a group of monsters sneaking ever closer.

    I recall theyout in my memory and then head towards the center of the pyramid. The ce with molten metal pool and being just under the surface.

    There are preparations I need to make to wee someone very hard to kill.

 Chapter 402: Follow through

    Chapter 402: Follow through

    As I stop to endure another heatwave and wait for more Heatseekers to pop out, I stop to think.

    The heatwaves have been urring at regr intervals. Three times in the span of 5 minutes, a five-minute pause, another heatwave, a thirty-minute pause, another heatwave, 15 minutes, heatwave, 10 minutes, heatwave, one minute, heatwave, thirty minutes again, and then another 3 heatwaves in the span of 5 minutes.

    That¡¯s all I¡¯ve grasped so far and I''m currently in the process of confirming and getting more exact timing with the help of the countdown timer in my status. And I¡¯m already nning to use it to my advantage.

    Finally, the Heatseekers appear bringing more heat with them. This time there are five of them.

    I let a bit of thermal energy flood through the mebearer and take a step towards them.

    I wonder how I should deal with them this time.

    A day passes and my level goes up once.

    Other than Heatseekers, weaker monsters are abundant here. These ones move in bigger groups, but nothing I can¡¯t handle.

    <strong>[Redistribution] </strong>has reached level 49 thanks to my constant use of thermal energy. Overall, it''s not bad.However, I am being presented with a problem, in that the closer I get to the center of the pyramid the slower I seem to be healing.

    My passive uses heat and thermal energy to heal my body. However, something seems to be getting in the way. It¡¯s even managed to bypass my mantle without me noticing and no matter how hard I try I fail to identify the source. I think it¡¯s probably connected to the Champion who died here.

    At this point, I''m sure that man, whose head Lissandra stole, once possessed primordial thermal energy.

    Lissandra said it before but his body, well, what remains of it should be down there. I have a few theories but I won¡¯t be able to confirm them until I get there.

    Overall the slowing of my heat-based healing only adds to the difficulty and once again leaves me frustrated with my inability to learn any other form of healing.

    As a result, I have only 1 evil orb over my shoulders and find myself forced to act with more caution. It¡¯s also taking a lot more effort to deal with the heat which is rising with every moment. It''s frustrating.

    The current tired me prefers to take a minor blow if it provides an opportunity to deal more damage. It''s tiring to be constantly avoiding them, and to be honest my mind isn''t as fresh as it could be.

    Still, I force myself to be a bit more careful and see results in the form of fewer and smaller wounds. Well, they could be lethal if It weren¡¯t for my boosted stats but it''ll probably be fine.

    I pause again as the next heatwave hits. Right away I check the time and make a mental note.

    Heatseekers like toe exactly 11 seconds after the heatwave starts. Lately, there tends to be at least five of them. Three of them will engage immediately while the other two will hold back for several seconds. Usually, one of them attacks from the ceiling, and two will strike from the walls.

    In preparation, I ce a few anchors in ces I expect them to be and prepare five thermal orbs. Precisely calcting the amount of energy in each one.

    The three Heatseekers appear right on time. This time two on the ceiling and one on the side wall.

    Cheeky things, maybe they felt fancy and decided to change their strategy a bit.

    I send two orbs through the anchor at the ceiling and one to the wall. The orbs explode in golden mes the moment the monsters reach them.

    <strong>[You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]</strong>

    Then seven secondster three more appear instead of the usual two.

    Two of them die falling victim to the orbs I send through my anchors.

    <strong>[You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]</strong>

    The third one stops on the spot. Turning his humanoid head towards my anchor and the monster hesitates.

    Tired of waiting for a reaction I boost my body with kic energy and throw mebearer at him, the weapon is filled with thermal energy and lodges itself deep into the wall, melting the metal around it under the heat of my golden mes.

    The Heatseeker, having nimbly avoided my attack, rushes me, its dozens of legs turning into a blur and the heat around him rising in turn.

    I look towards the ax and then at the monster. I step a bit to the right. Then changing my mind I step just a tiny bit to the left.

    As the Heatseeker opens its mouth I activate the anchor I left on the ax and use <strong>[Tether]</strong> to pull it towards me.

    The ax dislodges from the wall and flies in a straight line, piercing through the monster as I use a burst of kic energy to keep its body from falling on me.

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 36 > Tether - lvl 37]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299]</strong>

    For a very short moment, I''m happy with the result but then the handle of the returning ax bangs into my shoulder, causing me to stagger before I can catch it, leaving the weapon to tter to the ground.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Five out of ten points for the cool factor, I judge as I retrieve it from the ground. But my poor man¡¯s telekinesis isn''t that bad.

    I sit down and take a sip of water from a bottle I brought with me. Those bottles are ones I¡¯m constantly reminding myself to protect from heat. It''s really nice to be able to drink something cool. And to that end, I use <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>.

    Still, the water tastes terrible and yet manages to be the best water I ever drank at the same time.

    While sitting there I think about why I''m not using ck mana or <strong>[Focus]</strong> for my emotions. I¡¯ve already decided to fight Lissandra so is there a need for that?

    I know I had a good reason not to stay and continue her lessons, but recently, it''s been getting hard to remember.

    Partially I don''t even care about the reason anymore. I just know I made the decision after thinking things over and now I¡¯m just following through.

    It could be said that I trust past Nathaniel.

    I yawn and blink a few times, rubbing my eyes. Damn, I really want to sleep.

    Another heatwavees and I take note of the timing. It seems like I was wrong about the timing, it¡¯s even more chaotic than I expected. But there is a rhythm and I will use it to my advantage. That along with my crown and the thermal orb next to me. After days of channeling these things are scarily full of their respective energies.

    The funny thing is that the crown is still light blue in color, meaning it''s nowhere close to its limit. Yet the amount is easily more than my body and Mana Reservoirbined. The skill might be scarier than I thought.

    The passage of time is hard to estimate currently. Well, it shouldn''t be, I just need to check the timer, but I''m toozy to bother.

    It''s annoying to calcte the passage of time by checking the countdown to our forced return to Earth.

    After a long time, I begin to think. It says forced return. Does that mean it''s possible to return earlier? Or does that imply that someone might try to stay beyond the 5 years and the system has a failsafe in ce to send them back regardless?

    I mean, it wouldn''t be so bad, climbing the floors of the tutorial for the rest of eternity.

    It''s a shitty ce, yes, and sometimes the difficulty is truly hellish, other times it feels too easy. It might be part of the strategy behind the tutorial¡¯s design, to lure us into a sense of security and then bombard us with bullshit.

    Anyway, I think a few days have passed but I''m toozy to calcte it. I just know I still have enough time. And I trust myself.

    I know I won''t fail.

    Another break and I sit down to think once again. It lets my legs rest and makes it easier to deal with my growing collection of wounds that continue to heal slowly. There is a lot of heat so why isn¡¯t my passive oveing the debuff?

    What does the cockroach need the Champion''s head for? The man did have orange eyes so maybe she¡¯s after some kind of trait. Could she steal his trait with just his head? Does she want to dig some kind of information out of it? Could she learn his skills?

    I bet I would have found out if I had stayed with her but I¡¯ve already made my decision, I just have to follow¡­ I pause.

    Didn''t I already go over that?

    Well, who cares? Past Nathaniel made the decision and I will follow through.

    I stand up and add another evil orb to the one floating over my shoulders.

    Huh. Since when were there two of them?

    Whatever, I add the third one there and head to the hallway leading to the center of the pyramid.

    As I work on thest set of inscriptions the heatwave hits me and I take note of it.

    With it, my theory is confirmed and the timing of heatwaves is deciphered. Another one wille in thirty minutes and this time seven Heatseekers should appear.

    Without pausing my work I ce anchors and attack, fully intending to kill all the monsters the moment they appear. I miss a few times and some of their attacksnd dangerously close, but I continue with my strategy until they are dead. After the fight, I feel a new wound somewhere on my body but ignore it. What is one more added to the mix at this point?

    My level doesn''t change but at this point, I''m sure I''m getting close.

    Then I check the timer.

    One day and a bit remain until I return back to the 6th floor, my two weeks hereing to their conclusion. The past few days have turned into a blur as I fight, train, and intentionally move slower to reach the center so I can level up.

    The cockroach is weirdly fair at times so she will wait until thest hour to go after me so I still have plenty of time. It¡¯s all been nned out and I just need one more level and four skills to level 50.

    For a moment I pause my work on the inscriptions and check the doors. Only now do I notice how huge they are, tall as a multi-floor building and about as wide. The metal they are made of is slightly different and they unt a number of decorative ornaments.

    Things like these are one thing I¡¯ve started to ignoretely, they don¡¯t tend to matter much, but nevertheless, they are pleasing. I bet I would appreciate it a bit more after some sleep.

    With a sigh, I reach for my bottles and stop.

    Where is my left arm?

    Checking closer I notice a clean, healed cut close to my shoulder.

    The Voidsteel de on my waist is nearly gone, just a piece as long as a dagger remains. All the water and food are gone too. Only mebearer remains, reliable as always, by my side, undamaged.

    I have plenty of shards, should I buy an arcane weapon instead of saving for a passive?

    Shaking my head I make an arm of mana to rece my missing one. I concentrate, improving on my design, most of the changesing about as a result of my examinations of Miwa''s arm back in the tournament and other bits of information I managed to acquire.

    I even assign part of my<strong> [Focus]</strong> to keep it up.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 50 > Mana Maniption - lvl 51]</strong>

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 49 > Focus - lvl 50]</strong>

    The arm then flickers and with some annoyance, I check to see what¡¯s taking so much of my mental capacity.

    I identify the source right away, four evil mana orbs floating above me. Each one changing its frequency in an unpredictable manner, forcing my mind to work in overdrive. They also seem to constantly change the amount of mana required to maintain them which only adds to the strain.

    What kind of dumbass decided to keep so many of these things running.

    Shaking my head I deactivate all of them and for a short moment, I feel like losing consciousness as a wave of relief hits me. It''s as if an immense pressure has been lifted from me, the constant annoying buzz in the back of my mind gone.

    The arm made of mana instantly solidifies, turning dark blue with streaks of light blue, moving just like my normal arm would. I lift my mana arm topare it to the right one and stop in surprise.

    A second passes as I just stare at my arms.

    The right arm is also made out of dark blue mana, this one severed just over the elbow.

    I giggle, myugh sounding weird even to me as it slips from my parched throat.

    Not wasting my time on useless stuff I then turn back to the door and continue with my work.

 Chapter 403: Savi

    Chapter 403: Savi

    The doors open and heat washes over me even harder than before. The hallway outside the room starts to melt as its walls absorb the heat from outside. The walls on the other side of the door seem to be made from a material different from what I¡¯ve encountered until now.

    Detecting the doors starting to close I slip inside and look at the view in front of me.

    It''s a massive room. I don''t even know if it can truly be called a room. Some time ago, back on Earth, I saw a documentary about the Tokyo flood tunnels. Giant structures that served to redirect water to keep it from flooding the surface. This ce is simr, though it¡¯s bigger and taller. Instead of water, I find ava-likeyer of molten metal. The space I find myself in stretches over a huge distance leaving the ceiling to be supported by a number of massive pirs.

    A quick pulse of detection is all I need to confirm that all the heat being absorbed from the surface is being pulled through the pyramid and absorbed by this massive pool of metal. Perhaps by design, maybe it¡¯s being caused by the entity swimming around inside of it, or it may be something else entirely that lies deeper within.

    I know that the being inside the pool has detected me already, yet it''s not attacking for now. It seems to be wary of me. Well, more likely it''s wary of the thermal orb I have with me.

    I wonder if it ate the body of the Champion. Is it something that came into existence as a result of the Mana Radiation from the champion¡¯s corpse? Is it some creation of the Champion''s skills? It could honestly be either.

    But now, standing here, looking through the lens of my <strong>[Perception]</strong>, I confirm that the body of the Champion is still there. Lying at the bottom of the pool of molten metal. The heart continues to pull in the heat, using the pyramid to do so. It even beats with long pauses in between. These pauses are perfectly in sync with the heatwaves that push their way through the pyramid and the appearances of Heatseekers.

    I give the shy guy in the pool of molten metal an opportunity to attack but it doesn''t take the bait. Annoyed, I create three tricolored orbs and fire them off, targeting what I think is the being¡¯s location. The molten metal explodes into the air sending ripples through the surface and pushing me back with the shockwave, almost making me fall even as I activate my defenses.

    Even then no counterattack seems forting.Annoyed, I boost myself into the air with kic energy and repeat a few more times until Ind on a ledge projecting out from what I think is the central pir. It¡¯s thicker than the others and much more densely inscribed. Up close I even notice that there¡¯s much less heat moving around it, and some of the molten metal seems to have solidified at its base.

    Ind on the surface of that solidified metal and tear out a few huge chunks which I send through my <strong>[Tether]</strong> to the anchor I left in the living quarters near the core. Being done, I boost myself up andnd on the ridge in front of the doors on the pir''s side. They are extremely smooth, almost feeling painted on. My mana doesn''t even seem to do anything and even my senses can''t feel much.

    While thinking, I throw another tricolored orb to where I think the being is. Then I take a bit of thermal energy from my orb and send it to the door. The lines light up and it looks like they are melting the surface and it spreads through the entirety of the door until they melt away entirely.

    I go inside and the door starts reforming behind me and only now do I see how thick the wall of metal is, at least as thick as I''m tall.

    Infusing my mana arm with thermal energy, I tear off a chunk of the metal and send it through the anchor as well. Then I do it a few more times until the hole closes. Only then I turn to the room I found myself in.

    Of course, the room is nearly dark, lit only by a few lines that seem to be powered by the bit of thermal energy I used before to light up the ce.

    The control panels near me don''t react to my mana and there don¡¯t seem to be any other doors. It''s just a circr room that encloses a space in the shape of the pir it sets within.

    Knowing now what the problem is, I let thermal energy seep out of me causing the panels and devices to start lighting up. Even the ceiling changes, the lights taking on the appearance of swirlingva.

    I don''t think thermal energy powers it all, that would be weird. It''s more like thermal energy serves as the key. That or the room has some means of converting it into mana and using the result as fuel.

    Anyway, is there anything I could sell?

    I grab one of the chairs and try to send it through the anchor only to find myself unable to do so.

    Cheeky ce seems to have engaged some form of shielding after it closed itself off. Hell, my thermal energy may have reactivated the defenses. For some reason, I find the idea funny.

    I release more of my thermal energy and more devices light up, some of them even projecting a map of the pyramid and an uninteresting series of letters and numbers.

    So where do I find thest will stating: "If you¡¯re reading this I''m long since dead."?

    It takes a few minutes but I do manage to find a switch and when I activate it the walls of the room be transparent, allowing me to see the pirs and pool of molten metal outside.

    More than that, it allows me to see the monster coiled around the pir as one of its huge eyes tries to stare inside.

    <strong>[Volcanic Hydra - lvl ???]</strong>

    Myser-like stream of thermal energy hits the now transparent wall and starts melting through, right over the monster''s eye.

    The monster doesn''t react in any way and my attack continues to melt through the wall very slowly. It would take minutes for it to pierce through. Annoyed, I throw a tricolored orb against the uselessly thick wall and cancel my thermal attack.

    As I watch the tricolored orb turn bright white, Ie to think that that might not have been such a great idea.

    My eyes activate for a moment and I quickly move my mana, tearing the orb apart before it fully destabilizes. There is still a small shockwave, but most of the devices survive it just fine.

    That also makes me realize that the monster can''t see me; the room only allows for a one way view. Most likely even cloaking what''s happening inside.

    Watching the hydra for a bit longer I only be angrier.

    Cowardly little thing. Did it wait until I went inside to crawl from its pool? What, Is its subss Patience? Should I go to sleep?

    At this point, I may as well temporarily nickname the monster ''Savant,'' lovingly shortening it to ''Savi.''

    Savi has three heads, each one exactly the same. They grow from a single lizard-like body with long nimble-looking limbs and a simrly lithe tail. Savi''s body is entirely covered in dark gray scales and his heads keep snapping and biting at the pir.

    After a while, Savi bes ufortable; the pir seems to be absorbing even his heat so he disappears back into the pool of molten metal.

    Turning away and back to the devices, I examine what I can, but most of it¡¯s been encrypted. The ones I can''t gain ess to, I try to pull the mana stones from but the moment I do so, the mana stone crumbles into tiny particles. Maybe it¡¯s some kind of mechanism to defend against spies or something.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I¡¯m In the middle of examining a file when Savi starts attacking. Waves of molten metal crash into the pir, hot enough to cause damage, and parts of the pir start slowly melting.

    I let it continue for a few minutes while learning more and more.

    The Champion here was truly the second strongest person on this, right after Absolute Tassian. His name was Laten, bearer of the Ignition Wavelength Eyes and a skill called <strong>[Thermal Convergence]</strong>. Some of the records even theorize that if he had been given a few hundred years he could have be even stronger than Tassian, even with Tassian''s head start.

    All the notes I''m reading seem to have been left behind by the people who helped build the pyramid. People who were essentially mana scientists, some of whom were Champion candidates, and disciples. All were people who worked with Laten, examined his body, traits, and skills to find the best ways to apply them.

    They did it here, right over the biggest active volcano on the. A volcano they estimated could throw out enough ash to bring about a new ice age. Yet, these beautiful maniacs used it to help power the Veil. This ignition Station does a huge chunk of the work even whenpared to the other stations.

    Of course, a lot of these people were from the Enchanters¡¯ Guild, they were the people who attempted to enve the young divine beast. But damn if Laten isn¡¯t a fascinating if dumb man. Why did he allow his skills and traits to be noted here? Not like I intend toin though, it''s fun reading.

    Another attack shakes the pir and with an annoyed sigh I release a huge amount of thermal energy and this ce takes it all in, using it to fix the outer surface which has begun to take damage. The metal of the pir quickly melts under my thermal energy and restores itself to a perfect state.

    Savi stops attacking, most likely shocked or scared. Maybe he wants to forfeit now, coward.

    I turn back to the mana stone I was examining. A lot of the information on it has been redacted. Some by Enchanter Guild and some by the system, likely containing knowledge I shouldn¡¯t have yet. Letting go I check the timer and decide it''s enough. I need to deal with Savi before Lisslisses so I open the door to break the shielding and send a few more things to the living quarters. A mana stone, a piece of a device, and a chunk of a wall.

    For some reason, a memory of watching shows about hoarders filling their houses with trash shes through my mind. Could never be me, the things I collect will surely find a useter.

    Done with it, I exit the pir, the heat hitting me right away. This time Savi¡¯s waiting for me outside, his three heads lowered and air reverberating under the sound of his hissing and a threatening amount of mana surrounding him.

    Savi is scared of me. Of my thermal energy. Thermal energy so simr to Laten''s, even if it is so much weaker than the Champion¡¯s.

    He is scared because Savi is probably all that remains of the giant snake that attacked the pyramid. Something like the slivers of intent.

    A monster from the that paired with this one, one that was once just below Champion rank.

    Savi failed, probably because the head of the Champion served to maintain the defenses and killed Savi when he attacked the pyramid.

    The nearly dead powerful monster, its intent, its egg, perhaps even a piece of his flesh, whatever it was found its way here, mutating and trying to regain its power within the radiation of Laten''s dead body and his still beating heart. The body and heart of a Champion too strong and hot for Savi to take over.

    So close to pulling it off, yet still unable to take over. All while feeding on the Heatseekers over hundreds of years and leveling up.

    That''s the theory I go with after my many observations and what I found in the records.

    Looking at the way Savi moves through the molten metal, collecting more and more heat, I don''t think he wants to tell me anything new. He seems to agree as he starts hurling rivers of me from all 3 heads.

    I quickly create a shield and infuse it with golden thermal energy, the orange mes of the hydra rolling off the surface impotently. Savi hisses, just that single sh telling him more than enough.

    Decisively one of the heads moves quickly and bites into the neck of the next. With one strong pull, it tears the head off and along with the second one, they devour it.

    I should probably use the opportunity to attack but at this point, I''m too fascinated. So I watch as the two remaining heads fight each other before one of them devours the other.

    Bones tear through the back of the monster and pierce through the air, forming a shape reminiscent of wings. The blood still drips from the white bones when mana flows through them.

    Then the monster roars, sending ripples through the pool of molten metal, and the inscriptions on the pirs light up in response.

    My body is pushed against the pir, my crown and thermal orb threatening to destabilize. I activate<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong> to bring them both back under my control, the blueish light of it shing with the dark orange color of the heat radiating from the volcanic hydra.

    The pool of molten metal ripples and from its surface emerges dozens of spear-like spikes the length of my body, all aimed directly at me.

    <strong>[Redistribution] </strong>activates, and I absorb all the heat, causing the attacks to visibly lose power and speed until the metal spikes sit frozen, pointing at me as they pierce the surface. A fewing to a stop just an arm''s reach away.

    These spikes made out of metal fall back into the pool where they melt once more. I boost my body with kic energy and fly off to the side, avoiding another wave of spikes piercing through the surface of the huge pool.

    They follow me as I fly, some crashing into the pirs I¡¯m using to avoid them. The amount of heat they contain is impressive and even with my defenses, I can still feel it scorching my skin.

    Savi looks dried up now and much thinner, his ribs beginning to show. Yet the bony wings are bigger than before. The thinner he is the quicker the attacks are and the more heat they carry.

    Over time bigger and bigger sections of the pool begin to fall under his control.

    Sometimes I absorb the heat of entire wave-like attacks, which creates waves of metal, seemingly frozen in time.

    The spikesing my way continue to fly even as I absorb the heat, piercing into my shields or causing injury.

    Then there are Savi¡¯s attacks; even though he¡¯s found himself looking at his deathbed, the hydra continues to move quite nimbly, swimming through theva and snapping at me with apparent vigor.

    I form a suit of armor around my body, increasing its size until we find ourselves the same size. It''s so much easier now, my mastery over kic energy is much better, allowing me to move the huge armor with less resistance.

    So we sh, my mana corroding and melting every time it touches the pool and Savi seizing the advantage. His attacks have even changed now, ounting for my ability to absorb the heat.

    As the fight goes on he bes stronger and stronger and at the same time, hees closer to his death. His body is just skin and bones, and his bone wings are beginning to crack and for the first time, he starts taking damage from theva.

    However, the Volcanic Hydra continues. I know I should save as much of my mana as I can to use against Lissandra but at this point, there are no such thoughts dwelling in my mind. I just fight, one side trying to kill the other.

    <strong>[Redistribution - lvl 49 > Redistribution - lvl 50]</strong>

    And then when the time finallyes and Volcanic Hydra slows down, I redirect my attacks, barely avoiding its head. The monster is missing three of its legs, its tail is broken from one of my attacks, one of its eyes has been destroyed and its bone wings are nearly gone.

    Even then it still has that determined gaze in its eyes as he stares me down in challenge as I float over him. The hydra doesn''t try to escape and in the end, we both know he gave it his all. Onest hurrah from a monster trapped for over a hundred years, unable to break through its limitations and regain its previous power.

    ¡°You gave it your all, didn''t you?¡± I say, sure he can understand.

    The Volcanic Hydra doesn''t say anything but its eye seems to confirm the sentiment.

    ¡°I''m no Champion yet but I hope you had fun fighting onest time.¡±

    The monster''s neck straightens up and its eye stares at me full of expectation.

    I let golden thermal energy flow through my arm of mana and for the first time during our fight, I use it to attack. The golden mes devour the monster and I let its bones sink back intova without stopping to take any of them.

    <strong>[You have defeated Volcanic Hydra - lvl 329]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 249 > Lvl 250]</strong>

    <strong>Level 250 status reached. This marks a significant leap in human potential.</strong>

    <strong>Your body will undergo a crucial upgrade, designed to enhance your cellr regeneration, bone density, and muscle efficiency.</strong>

    <strong>This upgrade will enable your body and mind to endure the strain of higher leveled skills and support more powerful traits and passives.</strong>

    <strong>Note: Following the upgrade, your body''s requirements for air will diminish.</strong>

    <strong>Well done!</strong>

 Chapter 404: Shall we start?

    Chapter 404: Shall we start?

    Well, the body upgrade goes more or less as expected. Nothing extra, but it does entail some nice additions. Much like the previous upgrade, the changes seem to be taking some time to apply, so it¡¯ll probably take a few days at least.

    As a test, I let my mana flood my body, but once again, I immediately start taking damage. There might be a tiny difference in the degree of damage, but that''s it. I''m curious if the fully applied upgrade will change that, at least a bit.

    In the end, it seems like I still have way too much mana for my body to handle.

    Good.

    At least I won''t have to breathe as much.

    Rereading the description, I also don''t think my improved cellr regeneration will be enough to rece my healing skill. The system just isn¡¯t going to give out powerful regeneration to everyone over 250. Though It might be for those with high or upgraded constitutions.

    I also start to wonder what would happen to my body if I didn''t get body upgrades? Going by the notifications, it seems like it wouldn''t be able to handle active skills, traits, and passives. It could be interesting to observe andpare the difference between a body upgrade and a high constitution.

    The timer continues to tick down so I locate the body of the Champion. It''s easier now without the Volcanic Hydra messing with my senses. Unfortunately, the body seems to be very deep below the surface of molten metal. Deep enough to be surprising. I expected it to be just a few lengths of my body, instead, it''s deep enough to hold a small skyscraper.

    Feeling that I know I won''t be able to reach it. My senses barely pass through and cing an anchor is impossible.The amount of heat is also too much for me to absorb.

    My shields would be unable to endure that amount of molten metal and heat.

    Hell, I''m sure even our resident cockroach would have trouble reaching it with her current capabilities.

    It also exins why there isn''t that much Mana Radiation. Most of the residual energy generated by the body is being used to send heat through the pyramid, create these annoying monsters, and keep a pool of moltenva the size of a small city liquid.

    Should I jump in? I mean, I''m sure I would be able to move around for a while just with my chest and head. I can recreate the rest with mana and slowly regenerate itter.

    Or maybe I could go in with nothing but my heart, spine, and brain?

    Maybe I could just send my brain and leave my heart behind connected through <strong>[Tether]</strong> to feed me mana. It could be possible to create a smaller barrier around my brain.

    Hmm, maybe not that, the molten metal would cut off the connection to my heart. Also, it would be unfortunate if the cockroach found me like that.

    What about the main pir with the rooms, I could try cutting it loose and using it as a submarine to get there? Or maybe create a capsule out of the metal for me to dive in? That probably wouldn''t work, my thermal energy will only work against me there and whatever the body below is generating should be more than enough to destroy me.

    Fish the body out? Am I even capable of creating a thread powerful enough to get there? Not even mentioning how easily it¡¯s going to melt as it gets closer to the body.

    Even the Volcanic Hydra wasn''t swimming that deep, keeping itself just below the surface.

    I shake my head and then scratch my cheek. At least I try to, both of my mana arms are disrupted as I forget to concentrate on them. It leaves me standing there without arms which I can¡¯t help but find funny for some reason.

    Annoyed, I shoot a tricolored orb in the direction of the Champion¡¯s body and then head to the solid metal around the control pir. There I sit and nearly fall, losing my bnce due to myck of arms. Even so, I do not recreate them. I don¡¯t need them right now and may as well use my<strong> [Focus] </strong>for other stuff.

    First, I reach into my crown, and the amount of mana in it makes me both happy and terrified.

    Slowly I reach for the threads I¡¯ve been forming around the crown. My own web heavily based on the Mindblender¡¯s. It''s not as good or delicate but it doesn''t need to be. Thread after thread I uncoil it, making a fewst-minute changes.

    These threads start covering the area around me. Starting with the pir next to me, than moving to the ceiling, the adjacent pirs, and the walls of the room. More and more I continue as the invisible, intangible threads fill almost the entire room.

    I use <strong>[Infusion]</strong> and <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> to fill them up. Adding my Pride to the skill makes the threads more ¡°mine¡±, less susceptible to external influences. It''s almost like expanding my <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>, but it¡¯s also more than that.

    Gradually, I redirect a bit of mana from my crown, creating a dozen pockets of mana all over the room. Each one contains enough mana topress into a tricolored bomb or a few.

    I create multipleyers of the web, each with a different frequency. I even make a few smaller webs with less mana running through them. These webs, I keep disconnected from the main one. I fail a few times, and it costs a lot of mana. I just don¡¯t have as much experience with it as I would like. But I still continue, using everything I have learned.

    <strong>[Mana Crown - lvl 30 > Mana Crown - lvl 31]</strong>

    <strong>[Infusion - lvl 32 > Infusion - lvl 33]</strong>

    My creation, my web then stays there, anchored, with the help of <strong>[Tether],</strong> to the surroundings and myself. And it''s huge.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the tform they originally published on.

    I also ce a few mana stones and melt mana conductive metal into the inscribed pirs.

    And once I¡¯m done, I let the crown disappear from its ce over my head. I can activate itter when the timees. Instead, I focus on converting my mana transforms into thermal energy which I use to fill the orb. At this point, it''s about as big as my fist and could be bigger if I didn''tpress it.

    It''s fun to watch as it melts anything ites close to. Even the pir just an arm''s reach away is being scorched, a thinyer melting off the surface.

    For some reason, it bes difficult to stand up and for a moment I rest against the pir.

    Damned body upgrade, could do something for once. Sure, making sure my skills and traits don¡¯t kill me is great and all but a bit more healing would be nice. I get that the system is cheap and doesn''t want to give out regeneration but this cellr something bullshit isn¡¯t going to regrow my arm. Best case my staminaes back a bit faster, and wounds close faster.

    I summon the status window and flip it the bird only to realize I have no arms. Huh, why are they not regenerating?

    Oh, it''s because my healing is based on thermal energy and the body of that chump is messing with its ability to function. An annoying guy, indeed. Shouldn''t dead bodies float to the surface or something like that? If I can''t take the heart I at least want to examine it.

    I shoot another tricolored orb toward where I think his body is and step away from the pir, boosting myself up onto the ridge. There I concentrate my thermal energy, opening the hole into the pir.

    It besfortably cold as the hole behind me regenerates and instead of creating an arm and hand with mana I just create a single tentacle to touch the control panels. Maybe I''m gettingzy.

    Using detection systems I locate all the heat signatures inside and outside of the pyramid. There are thousands of them, disyed as tiny dots on the surface.

    At the top, I find two of them in particr, and as the time ticks down I continue to watch them. As I¡¯m waiting, I get bored and recreate a few evil orbs, part of my mind continuing my training.

    A question pops into my head.

    Why didn''t I at least take a few hours to sleep? It would have helped me a lot and I wouldn''t have lost much in the way of preparations.

    It was because of that Pride of mine, right? Because of the cockroach¡¯s rules. For the same reason, I haven''t used <strong>[Focus]</strong> for my emotions and nor did I use it to create ck mana.

    Well well well, if it isn¡¯t time to face the consequences of my actions.

    Even so, I wouldn''t change anything. Though maybe I¡¯d have tried to loot a bit more and get more shards.

    While I¡¯m wasting my energy on these useless thoughts I train and explore the options the control pir gives me. The longer I do it, the more I learn about the functions and how I could use them inbination with the timing of heatwaves being generated by the Champion''s body.

    Five hours remain until my two-week stay here ends when one of the dots starts moving, leaving the other behind.

    In one hour, that dot moves through a distance multiple times greater than I was able to. There are no stops, no fighting monsters. It just rushes straight here.

    Four hours remain when I begin manipting the pyramid through the control panel. I start closing the doors, opening them, controlling vents. I do it all with the heatwaves in mind, redirecting them through openings and closing doors to hit the red dot as much as possible.

    Heatwave after heatwave washes over the dot, slowing it down and forcing it to waste mana.

    At some point, the dot disappears from the detection array and I just open and close the doors where I expect it to go, knowing the heatwave will hit it fifteen secondster.

    Lastly, I close some doors further away and activate some of the barely working devices with the intention of increasing the temperature in this ce. Then I take a bit of my mana back from the control panels and pop the evil orbs.

    My heart beats wildly in my chest and after a long moment, my mind feels as sharp as can be.

    Three hours and ten minutes remain when I exit the pir.

    My <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong> forms over my head, and <strong>[Perception]</strong> checks the web onest time, makingst-minute changes. A pathway added or removed. A twist changed, mana redirected.

    I move my thermal orb to the stump of my right arm and then I create a golden arm prosthesis out of its energy. My flesh burns to the point where it touches the golden thermal energy, emitting too much heat for me to redirect.

    Taking a few steps I grab mebearer from its ce with the de half submerged in molten metal, finding it untouched by the heat.

    I swing the ax to clean the de, molten metal shooting free in its wake. Then my thermal energy moves through the ax which starts shining with golden light.

    Parts of the ax sizzle, the metal at Its surface melting slightly as the metal starts to glow, the air around it beginning to shimmer from the heat.

    <strong>Active skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Focus - Lvl 50</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 49</em><em></em>

    <em>Redistribution - Lvl 50</em><em></em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 49</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43</em><em></em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 37</em><em></em>

    <em>Infusion - Lvl 33</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Crown - Lvl 31</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Maniption - Lvl 51</em>

    Two more skills, that''s all I need and I still have a few hours.

    If I fail I will die.

    If I die it will be my fault.

    If I survive I¡¯ll only have myself to thank.

    That''s how it should be. That''s how I want it to be from now until the end.

    The doors I used to enter this ce open, and a single figure steps through them, striding confidently in my direction. Her silver hair moves in the scorching hot air, contrasting starkly with the surrounding colors; it even seems to be glowing in this ce.

    She enters and the doors close behind her without her giving them a second look. On her waist, there are two daggers. One made out of ck mana, and another made out of flesh, skin, and bones. Embedded in that fleshy dagger is a single orange eye.

    So that''s what she did with the Saint¡¯s arm and the other Ignition Wavelength Eye.

    Lissandra Hawthorne, Absolute of dore, a fake, a shadow of her original self, is just as rxed as ever. With a single nce, she examines the room and its contents, taking note of the ax, and my preparations.

    Then she takes a step forward and stands on the pool of molten metal, around her feet a faint amount of blue mana glows. Each of her steps sends a ripple through the otherwise calm surface and shees to a stop a few steps away from me.

    ¡°Shall we start, little pup?¡±

    Three hours and two minutes remain when a heatwave generated by the body of the Champion fills the room and I attack.

 Chapter 405: Candidate

    Chapter 405: Candidate

    The ax in my hand radiates thermal energy as I swing it, adding to the heatwave that fills the room. The heat doesn''t bother me anymore, but it surrounds Lissandra, who has to radiate a field of mana to surround her body. She¡¯s likely being limited by the amount she got from Myrra beforeing here.

    The mana around her isn''t anything impressive from a quantitative standpoint, yet it interacts with the heat of the room in such a way that it drastically reduces its effect on Lissandra.

    It reminds me of a tiny me refusing to be extinguished by the tornado.

    When she swings her arm, the heat in front of her disappears as if it were being blown away by an immense pressure wave, and I block the invisible cut with the ax. Even then, I find myself being thrown into the air, nearly colliding with one of the pirs.

    I activate one of my webs, and it reaches down and surrounds her. Multiple tricolored orbs explode all at once while the rest of the web disappears, consumed to send a powerful disrupting wave of mana at her.

    Lissandra even now refuses to use her daggers, and the orbs stop mid-explosion. I can see the shape of their mana expanding but it¡¯s almost like they¡¯ve been suspended in time.

    Surrounded by the explosions, she takes a few more steps, her eyes still on me. Clearly challenging me.

    More heat crashes into her, a stream of concentrated thermal energy shooting from the ax in my hand.

    She dodges to the left, breaking into a run as my attack tracks her movements, sending more ripples through the pool of molten metal and gouging the pirs with their heat.Her path takes her past one of the stones I nted, causing it to activate and send multiple frequencies of disruptive mana her way all at once.

    One of my anchorsunches a spike of kic energy at her, another web, made out of extremely dense threads meant to entrap her, shrinks and coils around her.

    Lissandra ignores the jamming field; it doesn¡¯t even seem to bother her. She tanks the kic energy with her forearm, and something she does makes my threads disappear as if they had been dispersed by the wind.

    The tricolored orbs I shoot her way freeze in the air, and when she stomps, another wave ripples out from her, blowing away another thermal attack. None of it really seems to be causing her any trouble, but I just continue to press the attack.

    I never expected to get her with any of these attacks; I¡¯m just trying to make her waste as much mana as possible. Even now she is missing some because of the encounters she had on her way here, and now she has to use some more.

    No matter how efficient she is, at some point, quantity will win out over quality. And while she faces me, I watch her, I read her movements, and I perceive her techniques.

    I make changes to my web, I switch frequencies. I modify my anchors. The way I''m using thermal energy changes, and even my offensive use of kic energy begins to adapt. All to find a way to deal with her.

    <strong>[Perception - lvl 49 > Perception - lvl 50]</strong>

    Finally, that annoying skill levels up, and I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris, the powerful trait taking over and working in tandem with my crown and domain.

    Immediately, I release half of the thermal energy remaining in my arm and ax, causing it to swirl through the surroundings, melting the pirs and causing them to fall.

    A wall of golden energy surrounds the woman while tricolored javelins shoot toward her from every part of my web. Others are filled with wildly disruptive mana, some are just dense manaunched through the air at immense speed. All of these attacks bombard her, and for the first time, she touches the ck dagger.

    At that moment, the main web activates and disrupts my own mana, dispersing it into shiny particles before she can absorb any to use against me.

    The attacks that seemed ready to tear her apart disappear at the cost of a huge bacsh to me, and instead, the wall of golden mes shrinks, surrounding her.

    Lissandra lowers her body, and her eyesnd on me. I don''t even have time to blink, and she¡¯s there, leaving the mes left behind her.

    With a wave of my hand, I pull the mes towards me, and kic energy fills my body, absorbing some of the energy of her attack and staggering me anyway.

    Her fistnds on my face, she kicks me in the side, and I release a st of heat only for it to be blown away by her mana. The golden mes surround us, pressing on the faint glow of mana around her.

    Lissandra still looks perfectly fine. There isn¡¯t a single wound on her body, even her clothes are mostly intact.

    When I shoot a thermal orb at her, she dodges easily, and thest remains of my web and domain press in on us while she punches me in an attempt to break through my kic armor.

    It¡¯s efficiency vs quantity. And I win that matchup. The sheer amount of mana and thermal energy I¡¯ve collected is too much for that little amount she took from Myrra.

    Finally, Lissandra uses her ck dagger and stabs it into my side. And for the first time, a look of surprise appears on her face, if only momentarily.

    I try to catch her hand, but she is quicker, and after breaking my nose and a few ribs, she jumps back to avoid wildly resonating kic and thermal energy attacks.

    There is no mana in my body for her to absorb, and neither is there any in my Mana Reservoir. It''s all somewhere else.

    I check the timer, and just in time, another heatwave fills the room. The remains of my web also disappear, reduced to a cloud of fine light blue particles, too fine for the imperfect dagger to absorb.

    Lissandra can''t kill me. Not because it''s impossible for her, but because of the promise she made not to kill me unless I failed the tasks she gave me. And I don''t think she¡¯s willing to break that promise, not with me. She wants to defeat me cleanly and decisively, that''s why my head isn''t rolling into a pool of molten metal at the moment.

    Of course, part of it is that this is just how the two of usmunicate. Neither of us is really good at anything else.

    More and more heat surrounds us both, the golden whips of me following her, theser-like streams piercing through the air. There is no mana for her to absorb, and everything I generate immediately bes more primordial energies.

    But she reaches her breaking point and stops, "That much should be enough."

    The Mana that¡¯s been softly radiating from her body up till now is gone, and then I feel my body lifting into the air, with Lissandra below me.

    Another punch throws me to the side, and a third one leaves me staggering backward.

    The fourth one tears off the arm made out of thermal energy and throws it far away whereupon it explodes into mes that I try to pull to my side, but she hits me a fifth time to break my concentration. This time, I can barely stay conscious.

    Even so, I did what I wanted, and there is her ck dagger held in a hand made of mana.

    Lissandra tilts her head, and a tiny orb of thermal energy misses her, masking the ck dagger behind it as they fly through the air, boosted by most of my remaining kic energy. The monster reacts in time and tries to grab it, but <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> activates for a tenth of a second, pushing on it with all my effort, causing her to miss the timing.

    She turns her head, watches the trajectory, and dashes to grab the dagger while I attack with everything I have.

    The thermal orb hits the main pir, opening the door into it partially, and the ck dagger flies through the entrance. The thermal orb in question was justrge enough to open the entrance by the slightest margin, allowing it to close before Lissandra can reach it.

    But there was something else in there.

    A mana orb hidden in the pir. An orb containing an amount of mana equal to the contents of my entire reservoir and body ced next to an anchor through which mana seeps back into my body.

    <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> extends further, and the crown over my head grows while my mana surrounds me like a beautiful suit of armor enhanced by my subss. I use <strong>[Focus]</strong> to mind my skills, and all of my mana floods into <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, powering it.

    The high pitch of screaming man fills the air, as bits of mana surrounding Lissandra are torn apart by the sheer amount of mana I¡¯m using.

    She keeps changing the frequencies and even appears in front of me, striking at my armor infused with kic energy. The monster of a woman damages me even then, her hits cracking the armor and forcing me to repair it.

    Her, no, Hadwin''s, <strong>[Disruption],</strong> and<strong> [Strengthening]</strong> active and powered by thest bits of mana she got from Myrra.

    My mana depletes more and more as she endures it all.

    While defending against the heat.

    While keeping herself standing above the pool of molten metal.

    While using someone else¡¯s mana.

    While having been awake for even longer than me.

    While not even being that serious about this fight.

    Whilecking a mana heart.

    Slowly, she starts backing off, just a split second of hesitation as she checks her reserves. There is no way she is used to having so little mana after thousands of years of being an Absolute. There is no way it''s easy for her.

    But it''s not enough for me.

    More mana pushes on her as I release it without any mind to my wounds, my body breaking within my armor under the force of my own actions and her attacks.

    It''s far from enough.

    I add kic energy to the mix and force her back a few steps, leaving a wound on her skin for the first time.

    Does she want to y my teacher? To mess with me and do the things she has until now?

    I pull heat from the molten metal and increase the heat around her, forcing her to expend a touch of effort there as well. I don''t bother making mana arms and focus instead on making the armor around my chest and head stronger.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    If she wants to be like that, she can. But she needs to prove it.

    Prove to me that she is truly that much stronger than me.

    Prove that even in such a pitiful state, she can kill me.

    Prove that all my tricks and all my days of preparations are meaningless faced with her.

    Only then will I ept it.

    And Lissandra does just that.

    Instead of being pushed back more, a smile slowly blooms on her face.

    Her palm hits my chest and my heart beats. She risks it all and, with thest bits of her mana, she pierces through my armor and defenses. We stand and push against each other. If she loses against me here, it will be her who dies, and she knows that for a fact. She also knows that inside my body, my control is even better thanks to my passives, traits, and constructs.

    But she doesn''t lose. She connects to my heart and makes it generate mana for her instead of me. All of my skills deactivate, the armor is gone, and I stagger back.

    It¡¯s over so quickly.

    With mana coating her hand, she holds it to my neck, still smiling.

    ¡°Still far from satisfactory, but it''s enough for a Champion candidate.¡±

    <strong>Congrattions, you have been dered a Champion candidate by a person judged by the system to be capable of such a deration!</strong>

    I have lost, but out of all the losses I have suffered up until now, this feels the least upsetting.

    Some timeter Lissandra and I find ourselves sitting near the core of my Living Quarters where I¡¯ve transported us with my anchor. After a bit of rest and sharing a bit of my mana with her through the ck dagger, the mood feels awkward while we eat old rations and drink water.

    ¡°You do know you would have died if I hadn¡¯t used the dagger to heal you?¡± she mentions.

    ¡°It would have been fine.¡± I wave it off with mana arms I still use while my body now regenerates with my passive. ¡°What did you even do to that Saint¡¯s arm?¡±

    Lissandra pulls the dagger made out of bones, flesh, and the orange eye of a Champion. It¡¯s creepy, very much so. Somehow it reminds me of that time on the 3rd floor when she was a fleshy brooch.

    Such a cockroach queen.

    ¡°Did you just call me a cockroach queen?¡±

    Huh? Can she read my mind?

    ¡°You just said it out loud, you do realize that, right?¡±

    I really need to sleep.

    ¡°Yes, you do. As for the dagger, the arm of the Saint will be used as a base so that the healing function can prevent my body from rejecting it, while the eye will ignite and start the heart I intend to make for myself out of Niall¡¯s. She had a Potency upgrade as well so it¡¯s fitting.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± I say while taking another sip of water.

    All around us are the various chunks of metal, and items I¡¯ve saved, along with a bunch of other stuff I collected. There is really a lot of stuff. I use the opportunity to pack them down while I watch the timer.

    Not much time remains.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want the Champion¡¯s heart down in the pool of molten metal?¡± I ask.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t fit me. Do you want it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t think I can get to it.¡±

    ¡°Neither can I, but in a few months, I should be able to do it easily. You reminded me of something nice today so I¡¯ll grab it for you. If you grow well, it will be yours the next time we meet.¡±

    ¡°Months?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll take at least that long to reach the pce where the Absolute lies and for me to prepare the heart to my standards. I also need to fully gain status for myself and a little kitten.¡±

    I don¡¯t even want to imagine how difficult it must be if it¡¯s going to take so long for the cockroach queen.

    ¡°You said it again,¡± Lissandra says, sighing. ¡°You didn¡¯t get one of your skills to level 50.¡±

    ¡°You are right,¡± I respond.

    Moving a bit closer to her, I offer her my mana hand and she puts her hand into it without hesitation.

    Concentrating, I close my eyes and try to remember the feeling of what she did to me. It takes me a few attempts, but in the end, I mimic it just the tiniest bit, and a simr effect makes its way through her arm.

    The cockroach is too rude to let it pass so it doesn¡¯t affect her much and it¡¯s nowhere powerful enough to disrupt her control over my mana. But it¡¯s good enough as a starting point.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 49 > Resonance - lvl 50]</strong>

    ¡°I guess you can¡¯t kill me now,¡± I quip.

    ¡°I guess not.¡±

    Something bounces off my chest, and as I catch it, I see a pouch containing a few mana stones.

    ¡°One of them contains a Restrictive Training Emblem. Break it and it will appear on your body. The second one contains more information on the mana shaping exercises I taught you. Just those three. Thest one details a few improvements on Mana Cycling.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she says simply.

    And just like that, the time passes. There is no more training. No more fighting or conversation. We eat together, food and water ced on a square piece of clean cloth.

    The timer ticks down and my two weeks under her tutge are finished.

    During this time, not even once did I call her my master, and not once did she call me her disciple. I¡¯m sure she understands why.

    ¡°Say hello to Myrra from me,¡± I say as I stand up.

    The entrance to the sixth floor appears next to me and looking at Lissandra, I guess she can see it. She can see it but not pass. But even that is something that will change.

    ¡°I will, little pup, and I will see you during that event in one year.¡±

    The second tournament will for sure be interesting.

    I look at her one more time. Her clothes are still scorched in ces and torn where I damaged her. And even sitting, as she is, on the floor, she seems so dignified and confident.

    ¡°Cockroach,¡± I mutter quickly and grabbing my stuff, pass through the door.

    Even then, a mana projectile burrows into my shoulder, but it was well worth it.

    I''m still not done with her. The next time, I will kick her ass for everything she has done.

    <strong>POV Myrra</strong>

    As she said she would, Lady Lissandra returns without Nathaniel. It might be because I already have traveled with her for quite some time, but as far as I can tell she seems to be in a better mood than she was before.

    ¡°Did it go well?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°It exceeded expectations. And you? What do you think of your Ignition Wavelength Eye?¡±

    I hesitate, looking at the eyeball in my hand, the eye of a Champion. A being I heard of only in legends. Being dered a Champion candidate by the matriarch so long ago doesn¡¯t change anything about the awe I have towards a being that has reached that level of power.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet¡­¡±

    ¡°Keep trying then.¡±

    ¡°I will, Lady Lissandra.¡±

    She sits on the chair nearby, her eyes somewhat absent.

    Led by curiosity, I finally ask, ¡°Why did you treat him that way during these two weeks?¡±

    When she doesn¡¯t respond, I think she might not answer, but in the end, her expression changes just a tiny bit. But before I can decipher it, it''s back to normal.

    And she doesn¡¯t answer my question.

    ¡°You know what¡¯s funny, little kitten? He didn¡¯t ept me as his master, not fully. That crazy Pride of his wouldn¡¯t let him.¡±

    Even saying that she doesn¡¯t seem to be disappointed.

    ¡°I¡¯m a fake. My body isn¡¯t mine, most of my memories aren¡¯t mine: Even my original was a fake. It¡¯s so dumb it¡¯s almostughable. But that stupid man doesn¡¯t care. He would treat me just the same as my original self.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like him,¡± I agree.

    ¡°Yes, and there is something even funnier in the way he thinks. My original was an Absolute, aiming for a higher rank. But, little kitten, me being here can mean only one thing. My original has failed. Otherwise, there is no way I would be here. And he, that man, doesn¡¯t want to ept such a failure as a master. He¡¯s challenging me to prove to him that I can do better than her.¡±

    After that, she doesn¡¯t say anything else. She just sits there and slowly, orbs appear around her. Each of them is as big as my fingernail.

    At first, there are dozens of them, then a hundred.

    These orbs float around her, each one having its own unpredictable frequency and ever-changing mana requirements to keep them from bursting or disappearing. I know these things well. Just a few are terrible to deal with.

    Lady Lissandra seems to be more motivated than ever before as she trains.

    For a moment, I think of that man and smile. Things never fail to be interesting with him around. It was a short time we spent together here, but I know it''s not thest time. No, between him and Lady Lissandra, I''m sure our paths will cross again.

    I will see you soon, Nathaniel.

    <strong>POV The First Disciple of Nathaniel Gwyn, minion Vega</strong>

    ¡°Stop hiding!¡± I shout.

    The presence that¡¯s been following me for days still refuses to show itself. It doesn¡¯t have a heart so it must be weak, but it¡¯s good at hiding. Surely it¡¯s a coward.

    Maybe it¡¯s one of those invisible monsters my master hates so much. Or maybe it¡¯s part of Bambi¡¯s curse.

    Even so, it doesn¡¯t attack so I continue through the forest. I need to find some monsters to fight. Gray lizards have started running away from me on sight recently, That¡¯s a shame because they were really tasty. I wish I could eat them with master.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I hear a voice say.

    My barrier surrounds me and I curse at myself. I didn¡¯t sense anything. Master would be angry with me.

    There, to the side, sits a woman on a boulder. She is young and has long red hair. Her eyes are yellow and they¡¯re covered in a weird pattern. There is no heart beating in her chest.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a projection, little minion, I do not have a heart,¡± she says with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m not your minion,¡± I answer while collecting kic energy to use in theing fight.

    ¡°I apologize, he always called you that and I wanted to try it. It sounded fun.¡± She continues to smile as she speaks.

    ¡°You know master?¡±

    ¡°Not personally, but I like to watch him sometimes. He is a very entertaining person.¡±

    ¡°Creep. What do you want from me?¡±

    I blink and she stands in front of me and then squats, her eyes at a simr height to mine. She smells nice.

    But how can she have a smell as a projection? What is a projection even?

    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you, don¡¯t worry. But there is a very envious guy around who might try to. So I want to make sure you are safe from him and I will watch from a distance. If he tries to do anything, I will beat him up.¡±

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like watching from a distance.¡± What a silly human. Indeed, the master is the most reasonable person I have met so far.

    ¡°I got bored,¡± her teeth show in a smile.

    ¡°So you want to protect me against a bad guy. Why?¡± Master always said to ask many questions. It¡¯s better to look dumb while asking a lot of them than not to ask and pretend to know.

    ¡°It¡¯splicated, but I promised the man whose eye you have, little half demon. That and I¡¯m greedy too.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem greedy.¡±

    Her smile scares me even though it¡¯s so pretty.

    She moves her face closer and I can see the pattern in her yellow eyes, ¡°That¡¯s where you are wrong. You could even say that I¡¯m the greediest person that ever existed.¡±

    Her finger pokes my cheek, and I can feel it. Then I blink, and she is gone. I can''t find her no matter how hard I try.

    In the end, there is nothing I can do now, so I push it away. I can deal with itter.

    I send my senses through the area and continue to search for monsters to fight. I need to be stronger.

    All this trouble smells like Bambi¡¯s curse.

 Chapter 406: Unique

    Chapter 406: Unique

    I appear on the 6th floor with my arms still missing and a few other unhealed wounds. Though they¡¯re slowly being taken care of with the help of my passive.

    I find myself in the exact ce I left from, leaving me separated from the other members of group 4 including our silly healer. It will probably take a few days to get back to them.

    Too tired to deal with anything at the moment, I send my domain as deep under the surface as possible, and find the hidey hole we made for our items. Inside is some arcane alloy, assorted materials, a few interesting mana stones, water, clothes, food, and more. Mostly my things, as the rest of the group took theirs.

    I ce an anchor and teleport there and light my way with a single orb, which I make tost for a day or two.

    Before going to sleep, I check my stats for the first time in a long while. And they are beautiful.

    <strong>Name:</strong><em>Nathaniel Gwyn</em><em></em>

    <strong>Title: </strong><em>Champion Candidate</em><em></em>

    <strong>Difficulty:</strong><em>Hell</em><em></em>

    <strong>Floor:</strong><em> 6 - Astral Prison</em><em></em><strong>Time left until forced return: </strong><em>3y 343d 23h 06m 11s</em><em></em>

    <em></em><strong>Traits (2/3): </strong><em>Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3</em>

    <strong>Lvl 250</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Strength: 121</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 115</em><em></em>

    <em>Constitution: 272</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1054 + 1054</em>

    <em></em>

    <em><strong>Primary ss:</strong> Focused Channeler (Epic)</em><em></em>

    <em><strong>Sub-ss:</strong> [Adept of Pride]</em>

    <strong>Active skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Focus - Lvl 50</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 50</em><em></em>

    <em>Redistribution - Lvl 50</em><em></em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 50</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43</em><em></em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 37</em><em></em>

    <em>Infusion - Lvl 33</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Crown - Lvl 31</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Maniption - Lvl 51</em>

    <strong>Constructs:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Thermokic Mana Heart (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Vortex Core (Construct)</em>

    <strong>Passive skills:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Mana Reservoir (upper epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Arcane Resilience (mid epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Phoenix Embrace (mid epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Overload Absorption (low epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Cognitive Fortress (mid epic)</em>

    <strong>Tokens:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Beyond difficulty entrance token</em><em></em>

    <em>Passive skillbination token (upper epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)</em>

    <strong>Shards: </strong><em>156,638</em>

    I can now use my passive skillbination token. I can now check the stuff Lissandra left with me. I can now do Beyond''s 3rd trial. But first, I need to sleep.

    Using my <strong>[Tether]</strong>, I let fresh air into the hidey hole. I wouldn''t want to suffocate in here.

    I set up defenses and traps, I strengthen the walls with mana and give it enough to hold out against all but the strongest of attacks. I also make orbs designed to burst and injure intruders in case someone tries to get in.

    That should be enough to wake me up and trip up anyone who tries to disturb my sleep. Then I create another thermal orb which I position over my chest, allowing the heat to power my passive.

    I fall asleep even before I fully close my eyes.

    When I wake up, I open my eyes very slowly and let out a long yawn. Then I close my eyes again, grabbing one of the nkets nearby with a hastily constructed mana tentacle and pulling it over myself.

    It feels almost too nice and cozy.

    Well, until a scary thought enters my mind.

    Did I have so much trouble and have to go so far to get my skills to level 50 because I didn''t have the proper body upgrade? Did my body and mind fight the process because of the pressure the skills would put on me?

    There is no way, right? But it''s the cockroach we''re talking about; she¡¯s more than capable of setting such messed-up rules just to push me that much further.

    And another thing.

    Lissandra didn''t exin what ck mana is. Did she <em>"forget"</em> on purpose because I called her a cockroach or something? She wouldn''t be that petty, right? She was an Absolute; there must be some dignity in her, right?

    Knowing her, she probably wouldn''t have told me much anyway. I also decided not to use ck mana for a while, maybe until I get my skills to level 60. It¡¯s already been proven that I need to work on my basics and grow without sacrificing everything in pursuit of ck mana. It could be said that, at least for now, my ck mana has been sealed away. Perhaps I should wrap some bandages around my left arm and seal it there.

    Anyway, it all ended up fine. Training arc Nathaniel did pretty well, the scary jerk.

    Checking the timer again, I find that nearly 24 hours have passed. Once again I yawn again and stretch, finally opening my eyes.

    A few more thermal orbs float into the ce and light it up while I eat some of the food reserves and start actively using thermal energy to heal my body.

    Two evil orbs pop into existence over my shoulders, and I finally decide to use the token I wanted for a long time. I¡¯ve just been waiting for the title of Champion candidate which even now shows in my status. I was hoping that the title, the sheer ¡°achievement¡± of it, would improve the final offerings.

    <strong>Passive Skill Combination Token (Upper Epic) -</strong><em>Allows you tobine two passive skills up to upper epic rarity. The resultingbination will be a unique skill that cannot be obtained otherwise. Passive Skill Combination Tokens cannot be bought or sold in the system shop.</em>

    ¡°I want to sell Mana Overload Absorption.¡±

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 4220 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Mana Overload Absorption (low epic)</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    I confirm, then I spend 32,465 to buy an upper epic passive skill I''ve been eyeing for a while and I think it will be nice to use in a skillbination.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    <strong>Passive Skill: Adaptive Defense (Upper Epic) - </strong><em>The user¡¯s defensive capabilities automatically adjust to counter the nature of iing attacks, providing optimal resistance whether the threat is physical, magical, or elemental.</em>

    ¡°I want tobine Adaptive Defense and Mana Reservoir,¡± I say.

    A feeling of a request for confirmation hits me, and when I do so, they disappear from my list of passives.

    <strong>You have used your Passive skillbination token (Upper Epic) tobine Adaptive Defense (Upper Epic) and Mana Reservoir (Upper Epic).</strong>

    <strong>Analyzing passive skills used in thebination.</strong>

    <strong>Analyzing user performance up until now.</strong>

    <strong>Several options have been devised.</strong>

    <strong>Adjusting for Champion candidate status.</strong>

    <strong>Creating a passive skill for the user.</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions, you have obtained a Unique Epic passive skill!</strong>

    <strong>Mana-Kic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) </strong>

    <em>The user''s body passively channels mana from the reservoir into their kic responses, creating a feedback loop that adapts to physical impacts and nearby bursts of kic energy. When the user is struck or near a powerful energy source, their body can absorb the kic energy and store it as mana.</em>

    Okay, let''s breathe it out. And stop trying to use<strong> [Focus]</strong> for your emotions. You haven''t done it for over two weeks and you¡¯ve already decided to use it very sparingly. Things seem to be working better that way.

    Calmed down? Good, now read the description at least five times.

    I do just that after checking my ex-Mana Reservoir, but the original effect doesn''t seem to have been changed. It still can store three times my body¡¯s capacity for mana, but there is also something else like it¡¯s changed a bit.

    There is one sentence in the new description that I really, really like. <em>When the user is struck or near a powerful energy source, their body can absorb the kic energy and store it as mana.</em>

    There is, of course, something I don''t like. I can absorb kic energy on my own and store it as kic energy. I can use it for defenses, I can even counterattack. I¡¯ve even started actively training with it, and I''m getting a lot better. Just having some passive takeover for me, potentially with less efficiency, is just annoying, and I really don''t like the implications.

    However, there is that one thing that makes my frustrations disappear.

    The ability to turn kic energy into mana.

    I mean, the heck? Should I have that? Isn''t it illegal? Isn''t it too good?

    Of course, I need to get hit for the passive to activate, and the efficiency might be poor. I could find myself wasting a lot of mana to turn kic energy into mana to the point where it may not be worth it.

    I still wouldn''t care though.

    For the first time, I¡¯ve found a way to turn one of my primordial energies into mana.

    So far, I¡¯ve only been able to take my own mana, run it through my Thermokic Mana Heart, and convert it into one of my primordial energies with a little help from <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>.

    This is huge. I mean, really, really huge. Wasn''t Laten the Champion supposed to have been so strong because he could convert thermal energy into the mana they used to run the ignition station?

    Of course, I have no expectation that my thing is anywhere near as good, but I know for sure that if I¡¯m getting it now, there is a huge chance that it¡¯s going to influence my future ss options, traits, and passives. I may even get something better In the future. I''m only level 250 anyway, so it''s obvious it wouldn''t be Champion-level.

    But I also have to wonder if attaining the title of Champion candidate really helps all that much? Did having 5 skills at level 50 allow the system to improve what I got? Maybe my subss affected it. Maybe the cockroach knew that and... well, whatever. Good stuff.

    If the efficiency is any good I can probably overload my heart a bit, in much the same fashion that almost killed me on the third floor. That way maybe I could force my passive to work constantly and gain another source of mana.

    Wouldn''t that be perfect? There would be no damage, I could go more wild with that construct and would still get the bonus.

    For that, I will need to do some testing with efficiency. But first, I check the rest of the notifications from my deration of Championship.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have been dered Champion candidate by a person judged by the system to be capable of such a deration!</strong>

    <strong>You may now challenge beings with a simr rank to yours, beings such as Candidates, Disciples, Vessels, and more. </strong>

    <strong>The both sides can set wagers.</strong>

    <strong>The terms of any challenge shall be agreed upon by both parties, and there will be heavy penalties for breaking them. </strong>

    <strong>All wagers shall be overseen by the system itself.</strong>

    So I can engage in duels with other Candidates?

    I wonder if I can bet my stats and passives? It¡¯s an interesting thought in any case.

    But I can also see it being abused. Let''s say some dying Champion wants to pass on some skill or other to a son or daughter who was a Candidate. Would, in such a case, the Champion be able to throw a challenge after wagering his status to pass it along?

    It''s a very interesting thought and something I should consider more.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong> I¡¯m back <em>on the sixth floor.</em>

    <strong>Knight (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>wow, so you didn''t die in the end.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>weren¡¯t you trying to be my minion? Be nicer.</em>

    <strong>Knight (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>I gave up.</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>food!</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>hello bud! I hope you¡¯re eating well.</em>

    <strong>FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>food! Food!</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>I¡¯ll speak with them when we regroup.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>Hey! I bet you need healing.</em>

    I check my partially missing hands and some of the slower healing wounds. It doesn¡¯t seem all that bad, my passive is helping a lot now that it¡¯s actually working. Though I still remember Lissandra stabbing me with that dagger made of Saint''s arm and the champion¡¯s eye.

    Being the cockroach that she is, she didn''t heal me much, though she said it saved my life, something I strongly disagree with. Such wounds are barely worth mentioning.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>no healing needed. Sset, are you here?</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>yes. Are you at the spot we were when you left?</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>yes, exact same spot.</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><strong><em></em></strong><em>that''s perfect. Can you destroy a small fort for me? The highest level there should be close to 300.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Tell me where to go.</em>

    After finishing my conversation with Tess and others, I check the timer. I have two days to reach the ce.

    The n is simple. Tess and the others will attack the ck Tower where Dennis and Aaron are still being held. They will deal with the leader there. Abination of Tess, Lily, and Sophie should be able to do so quite easily. Their next step will be to deal with everyone else trying to get in their way.

    I know it''s not that simple, and Tess, Maya, and Sophie probably prepared some cool,plicated n to pull it off.

    Meanwhile, my job will be to take out a ce called the Bone Fortress. It¡¯s exactly what it sounds like, a fortress built around the rib cage of some giant, long-dead monster.

    The Bone Fortress and ck Tower tend to cooperate a lot, so Tess is worried they might send help through a portal or something. That''s where Ie in, to mess these guys up before they do.

    I will fly there as it''s in the opposite direction of the ck Tower. While flying, I will practice a bit and get used to some of my new skills. And I will open up some of the ¡°gifts¡± Lissandra gave me. Then, when I reach it, I will attack when Tess gives the signal. During my attack, I will test the new passive, the difference in handling my mana, and how much I¡¯ve grown. I certainly hope they have a strong guy or two.

    When it''s all done and the twins are free and group 4 is safe, I will go and do Beyond''s 3rd trial. I can sacrifice a day or two before going. That should also be enough time for my body to finish healing.

    My crown is already active and being filled with mana. It should be able to collect a decent amount before I reach the Bone Fortress.

 Chapter 407: Bone Fortress

    Chapter 407: Bone Fortress

    I don''t really have all that many items on me, I left most of them back in the hidey hole deep underground, I¡¯ve only kept the most valuable ones on my person. For example, the stones I was given by Lissandra. As I fly I study the improvements she made to Mana Cycling. At the same time, I also do the mana exercises she showed me, focusing on the evil orb that I''m currently maintaining.

    I thought of triggering the mana stone that would give me a Restrictive Training Emblem but knowing the cockroach queen it would immediately activate and nearly kill me. She wouldn''t be sox as to include an easy way to control it or change the difficulty. So I decide to use it after Beyond¡¯s 3rd trial.

    Going by my conversations with Lissandra, I have a strong suspicion that Beyond is an actual ce I go to before returning to Hell difficulty. It¡¯s an extremely dangerous ce, but it¡¯s also very rewarding, despite the fact that just being there takes a lot out of you. Well, I¡¯ll see very soon.

    Anyway, my flight passes quite nicely and I find the Bone Fortress right where Tess told me it would be.

    Ie upon dozens of buildings coiling around what seems to be the rib cage of some giant monster.

    It''s still night and the cold tears through me and in the sky offers the most beautiful starry view I ever saw, particrly with the purple neb covering a huge part of the sky. Holding to the same pattern as before, the monsters don''t seem toe out during the night so I don''t even meet any on my way to the fortress.

    As I close in on their fortifications I detect something that reminds me of a mana web enclosing their perimeter. A veritable mesh of weird threads allced together and marks left hanging in the air. The bulk of it seems to be sensor arrays set to trigger a host of nasty traps. Many of them are sensitive to mana, some are tailored to detect heat or movement, and some seem to work in more peculiar ways.

    My Mana Wavelength Irises activate and with a bit of help from <strong>[Resonance], </strong>I pass through the defenses andnd on the ground. I have to repeat these steps multiple times, finding it interesting to see how others set their defenses.

    In the end, they¡¯ll turn out to be nothing too special, just a first line of defense, not really meant to stop people from entering, just a measure for detectingrge groups and significant spikes of mana. Of course, as I move closer I sense more of them, some are hidden deep underground, and others are embedded in the boulders along the way.Several are connected to a set of rib bones that seem to be covered in thousands of inscriptions, seemingly serving as a jerry rigged core. The bones are just that conductive.

    Thanks to my efforts, I manage to enter the ce fairly easily without anyone seeming to care. At first, it confuses me a bit but soon I notice groups of people and individuals going in and out at all times.

    There isn''t a huge number of people here, a few hundred at most. Plenty of them are level 200 and higher and I notice a few with level over 250 too.

    ¡°Who are you and where are you from, human?¡± one man says, interrupting my musings with his hand on my arm, and the tips of his fingers burying themselves into my body in a clear attempt to hurt me.

    I look down at the stunningly short man and notice something strange about his legs, they¡¯re scaled.

    <strong>[Skybreaker - lvl ??]</strong>

    So around 270? And some races I haven¡¯t met till now. Did he sense me entering and took an interest?

    I move and he moves as well, desperately trying to react to my movement. Even so, I''m faster, and with my body boosted by kic energy, I grab his arm and twist it, dislocating it. I let his punch hit my chest and watch with interest, as the resulting kic energy is absorbed and turned into mana in some extremelyplicated fashion before flowing into my reservoir.

    The efficiency is much better than I expected. Though it didn''t absorb the full force of the blow and some percentage of the force still dealt damage, but it¡¯s still fascinating to watch. Other than giving me free mana, it seems to be really good passive protection against blunt physical attacks. Though I don¡¯t know how well it would fare against an edged weapon with a smaller point of impact.

    My attacker rouses his mana and I pull him closer, still holding his arm. Unable to resist, he staggers towards me and my left hand hits his chin, sending a burst of kic energy through his skull and he staggers back.

    Neither of us is using much mana in an effort to avoid affecting our surroundings.

    I let him hit me several times, observing my unique epic passive in action.

    It is fabulous, it is beautiful and I think I''m in love. It¡¯s amazing passive defense and it also allows me to gain more mana. If I can make my body stronger to endure physical damage I could manage to continue fighting entirely without mana, the passive restoring my reserves as I absorb blows.

    So I will try to mimic Potency with ck mana, mimic Regeneration with this passive, and have Amplification as my attribute upgrade.

    The system is indeed fair and beautiful.

    With another punch, I send the man staggering back with a bloodied face. Yet even so, he smiles.

    ¡°You¡¯re not bad, for a human,¡± he says, bearing his teeth.

    The atmosphere around him changes and I see him getting ready to kill. There is no hesitation on his face.

    Everyone in this ce is a murderer or something worse, this moon serving as a dumping ground for them. There is also an effect covering the entire moon making it impossible for anything other than monsters to be born here. It''s something I learned from the others.

    So there is no real reason to be hesitant.

    The man doesn''t say anything else and attacks, his body radiating some field that seems to have osciting effects. Anything that touches it gets destroyed. The stone under his feet starts crumbling, a wall of the building begins to crumble. Even some of the mana I left in the air crumbles and gets destroyed.

    My <strong>[Resonance]</strong> supported by my eyes sees through it and when he reaches me his field has no effect, my skill countering it easily, much to his surprise.

    If youe across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    His head gets separated from his body by a quickly forming long dagger.

    <strong>[You have defeated Skybreaker - lvl 273]</strong>

    When I look around there are a few people watching the fight but no one seems to mind. Many of them justugh and a small group even seem to exchange currency, seems like there were bets on the result of the fight.

    ¡°Mister, mister, are you going to take the body? If you don''t want to deal with it I can take it. I¡¯ll pay one small pouch of bone dust, there are even a few small pieces in it!¡± An older man chirps, rapidly approaching with long arms and legs. He¡¯s very thin and his long hair is messy. His eyes are nervously ticking from side to side.

    I remember the people grinding the bones of the giant serpent that were resting against the pyramid and to hear him tell it it might be the same here.

    ¡°Sure, why not.¡± I say, reaching out with my hand, and as the man shows his crooked smile and starts giving me the pouch I add, ¡°If the bone dust is fake I will find you. I¡¯ve already marked you.¡±

    That makes him stop and I can sense his heart beating widely.

    When I move my hand to grab the pouch he quickly pulls it back and giggles, ¡°My bad, mister! I was about to give you the wrong one!¡±

    The pouch he gives me this time is smaller and he watches as I take it. There is a dagger coated with poison strapped to his body and I see his hand twitching towards it.

    Before he grabs it his eyes meet mine and I return his gaze.

    Very slowly he lets his arms fall along his body. Instead, he turns to the corpse and goes through the pockets.

    ¡°Here, mister.¡± He gives me all of the things he finds in them and grabs the legs of the body, quickly pulling it away.

    I take a look at the items I received but most of them aren''t even worth mentioning. Only the bone dust seems somewhat interesting and I add it to my bag with the increasing number of curious things I can live without.

    There is also a bag with very valuable items such as the alloy from Nevan, mana stones from Lissandra, and some interesting pieces of metal. I also have mebearer strapped to my back. I thought of taking a voidsteel de with me as I still have a few of them I didn''t sell, but I decided against it and left them in the hidey hole for future experiments along with some of the other metals.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> I''m at the ce</em>

    <strong>Soph (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>Sset is busy. You¡¯re early. We¡¯re due to start in around 18 hours.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> I will locate the portal in the meantime and examine the ce.</em>

    <strong>Soph (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> good idea. But they might have a backup they can activate if the original one fails so please hold off on destroying it until we attack.</em>

    <strong>NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>fuck I can''t wait to deal with these shits.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> make sure to take as much revenge as you can. If they escape try to mark them for us to huntter.</em>

    <strong>Soph (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> as if they could ever escape Sset, she could snipe them from miles away. I will also try to find the ck Tower¡¯s portal and we destroy it in sync with you Noname. Not one of the fuckers will be escaping.</em>

    <strong>Izzy (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>nguage!</em>

    I ignore the rest of the conversation and turn off the Community. A small group of people has gathered before me, this time they¡¯re all human. All three of them.

    Their levels are lower than mine, but I sense five more signatures nearby. Most of them feel ready for a fight.

    I don''t know why but it feels weirdlyfortable. So far no one has shown me even a hint of goodwill and everyone I¡¯ve met has been dead set on robbing, killing, or scamming me. For some twisted reason, I can¡¯t help but enjoy that.

    I continue wordlessly on my way, without any concern for the trio blocking that direction. My mana rouses itself within my body along with the energies stored in my core.

    They just curse, jumping out of my way. Even so, none of them attack me, they even hold their mana secure inside of their bodies, as the ones trying to hide follow suit.

    Somehow I can¡¯t help but feel a bit disappointed but I continue to delve deeper into the Bone Fortress. At the same time, I carefully send my senses into the area. I can''t really attack the ce before I find the teleporting array. I don''t think I could quickly get rid of everyone without at least a few of them sensing me preparing to attack.

    If I were to try they would probably use the array and move to the ck Tower which would only cause trouble for the rest of my group.

    Sure, there are ways to deal with it. I could just use the array to follow them to the ck Tower but there¡¯s also a chance they would destroy it to keep me from doing so. It''s not much trouble so I can wait the 18 hours Sophie requested.

    And it''s interesting most of the people here don''t seem to mind my active <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong>. I get a few looks but it''s probably being thought of as a bluff, they probably don''t sense the amount of mana I¡¯ve already stored inside.

    There is also another reason I have it active though. I¡¯m hoping to fish out someone who knows what it is so I can ask questions and learn more about it. That would be nice.

    As I reach one of the taller rib bones, the one with the least buildings around I stop for a moment. A presence that¡¯s followed me ever since I entered the fortress is still there, following me while staying out of sight.

    The bone is white and the surface is extremely smooth, either it¡¯s always been like this, or every bone has been scraped of imperfections on the surface to be turned into that bone dust. I poke it a few times and send my senses inside, finding, to my surprise, that the bone is even more mana conductive than I expected.

    Estimating the level of the being it belonged to is difficult but I would say something akin to the remains of the snake resting on the pyramid.

    Creating a dagger out of my mana I make it very dense and as sharp as possible. The dagger ends up noticeably heavy and not far off from being turned into a tricolored bomb. Even so, I can¡¯t even slightly damage the bone. The dagger''s tip just grinds against the surface and there isn''t even a scratch left behind.

    That might be why it seems to be used as currency here. I wonder what they use it for.

    I activate my eyes and <strong>[Resonance]</strong> for a moment and create the sharpest edge I can on my dagger.

    It takes a decent chunk of my mana and even some kic energy but bit by bit I cut into the bone and after a few minutes cut off a piece as long as my finger. Quickly storing it away I rouse my mana again and reach to cut out more.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± the voice from behind me sounds, my creepy stalker.

    <strong>[Ember Knight - lvl ??]</strong>

    The man is short, barely reaching my chest. Interestingly though his legs aren''t human-like; they resemble those of a lizard, slim, nimble, and covered in ck scales. Otherwise, he seems fairly normal.

    When I do not answer he continues, ¡°I have been watching you ever since you came and have a few questions. Where are you from? Who sent you? What is your name, and position? Who are you looking for and how the hell did you manage to remove such a big piece of bone so quickly? Answer."

    Like the others before him, he¡¯s posturing rather aggressively. It''s not that he¡¯s underestimating me, instead, like the men before, he just feels wild, ready to attack even an enemy stronger than himself.

    Even so, I push my annoyance with the man away. Just for a few more hours or until I find the array. I''m searching for it even now.

    ¡°I''m from Ruminous Border. My name is Elydor,¡± I introduce myself.

 Chapter 408: Should it be so easy?

    Chapter 408: Should it be so easy?

    ¡°Good, so Elydor, are you going toe with me or do I have to make you?¡± he asks threateningly.

    He even releases a burst of heat into the air around him. Not unlike Isabe''s blue mes, though his have a hint of white at the center.

    It''s not bad at all. Laughable after what I just went through, but not bad. He even seems to have a trait or two supporting those mes.

    Curious to see where it takes me, I answer, ¡°I¡¯lle along peacefully.¡±

    ¡°Good, give me the bone you took first,¡± he says with a greedy look in his eyes as he reaches his hand towards me.

    Should I deal with him right now?

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Want to attack me?¡± he smirks. ¡°Do it and we¡¯ll see how you will deal with my mes and defensive enchantments. Now give me that bone and the pouch with the dust. The ax too.¡± His smile grows bigger with each word and I can see how much he hopes I snap and try to attack him.

    ¡°Sure, here,¡± I say as I ce an anchor on each of the items as I hand them over.

    I observe him but the man with lizard legs doesn''t even notice my anchors as he greedily takes it all. I watch as he swings mebearer and sends his blue mes through, extremely happy with the weapon.¡°You know what? I¡¯ve got an idea. Uros won''t mind if I¡¯m a bit slow in bringing you so why don''t you carve out a few more pieces of that bone, Elydor from Ruminous Border?¡± he snorts.

    ¡°Why not?¡± I shrug and get to it while he watches me.

    We then spend an hour doing just that.

    After a while, I find a better way to do it and my dagger cuts through much smoother. I don''t even use my eyes so he can''t see them now.

    The more time passes, the more his bearing changes from arrogant at the start to wary and arrogant at the end. The weirdo even seems to feel a sense of danger but enjoys the experience nheless.

    As he takes a few pieces of bone from me, I see his eye flicker to the crown over my head. There¡¯s a lot of mana collecting under his skin, as his skills prepare for instant activation.

    ¡°I could get a few more,¡± I offer.

    ¡°How do you still have mana, do you even¡­ forget about it. No word about this to Uros or I will fuck you up. And go first. I will point you where to go. If you try anything, I will kill you.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± I say and ask a question as I start walking where he pointed. ¡°So what are these bones and what do you use them for?¡±

    ¡°Obviously they came from a powerful monster. You''re asking very suspicious questions.¡±

    ¡°I''m new here and we didn''t hear about this ce, so I know barely anything. You¡¯re using it as currency though?¡±

    On our way, I take notice of a few more people of this man''s race. It seems like the only people around are them and the humans. The atmosphere feels cutthroat even though there seems to be some sort of organization, some acting as guards while others bustle about on their way out of the fortress on some errand or other.

    Often there are smaller fights where blood is drawn, and going by the reactions of the people around us, they seem to be amon thing.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a lot of questions for you,¡± heughs cruelly. ¡°These bones are from powerful monsters so of course they have many uses. For enchanting, for inscriptions, mana conductive paint, some junkies love to mix them with mana and snort them.¡±

    ¡°Seems like fun.¡±

    ¡°Sure, if you want to mess up your brain.¡±

    ¡°Got it, so who¡¯s Uros? The boss around here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, when you meet him, don''t ask questions and stay quiet. He¡¯ll probably beat you up a bit but if you y your cards well, he¡¯ll at least spare your life so you can continue to carve out bone pieces for us.¡±

    ¡°You don''t have enough people of your own?¡±

    That gets augh out of him, ¡°Most of the peeps can barely get bone dust out of them even with the items. For others, it would take weeks to get what you got in hours. You must be a crafter, right? We had a guy like you a while back, and he was also able to get a lot of bone quickly. For you it''s a shame you had to get caught by me, but it''s good for me. You¡¯re going to make me fucking rich.¡±

    I don''t even bother answering and scan further out instead.

    My senses have improved a lot, and it''s easier to detect mana without being noticed. Even my anchors confirm that given the way, this lizard-legged man didn''t notice them even while holding the items. But the system always likes to increase the difficulty, so I¡¯d rather not get too cocky.

    He kicks me from behind, ¡°Faster. You have long legs, so why are you so slow?¡±

    Does he really think so much of these defenses? Is he just provoking me to see my reaction? Is he dumb?

    My mind is then taken by something else. A dozen or so guards in front of the nicest-looking building around, its foundations resting against the bone with thergest inscriptions painted on the surface. It seems to be connected to most of the defenses he mentioned, and I wonder if the array is somewhere nearby.

    I should let them bring me inside, and I might be able to detect the array when I get closer.

    ¡°Ren, give him a suppression mark. No, give him two, just in case, and make sure they¡¯re well-ced. Then add a suppression bracelet,¡± the lizard-legged man barks at one of the guards, a woman of the same race.

    ¡°Are you sure? He doesn''t seem that strong.¡±

    ¡°Just fucking do it. This human creeps me out; he¡¯s barely changed his expression ever since I met him.¡±

    ¡°Aren''t all humans like that?¡± Ren asks, and followed by two men by her side, she reaches me.

    ¡°This one¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Ren nods and then turns to me. ¡°Your arms, human, and don''t fight it or it will hurt a lot.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, presenting my arms, and she takes some device from her pocket. A round piece of bone as big as my palm. Its entire surface is covered with dense inscriptions. It seems to be made from the bones surrounding us.

    As she puts it in the palm of my hand, I testingly create an anchor on its surface, and she doesn''t even seem to notice that.

    Right after, the item activates and sends a scorching pain through my body. It feels simr to the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions Lissandra created for me. But where I could use kic energy to move in her inscription, now I can''t do much.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Every time I want to use a bit of my mana, it feels like I have to fight against waves crashing onto my body.

    As annoying as the feeling is, I find it interesting as well. Maybe it could be used for training.

    ¡°Damn it, it took nearly all of my mana just to activate the mark and it''s still not enough. Who the hell did you bring us, Evvran?¡± Ren staggers back a bit, seeming lightheaded.

    In reaction to her statement, the others touch their weapons, and I guess only my calm behavior stops them from attacking.

    ¡°You¡¯re useless, Ren,¡± Evvran hisses, and still holding my mebearer, he kicks up my leg. ¡°This man is spineless. A coward, but a useful coward. Most likely some pampered weirdo with one or two useful skills. Lirim, Otek, you two go and use suppression marks and give them to me.¡±

    They do just as they are told, and soon a second and third waves wash over me. Even Lirim and Otek seem to have problems with their mana, barely able to ce their marks. Evvran then takes the three round pieces of bone and puts them into his pocket and examines me.

    Satisfied with the result, he puts bracelets on my wrists that add to the suppressing effect ced on me.

    Everyone seems to be a bit more relieved after that, and we head inside the building.

    The stone of the halls within is roughly hewn. But interestingly enough, the walls are painted with lines reminiscent of inscriptions. The lines are white, likely mixed with bone dust from the monster¡¯s bones.

    Their usage fascinates me. Are they doing it because it makes paint more effective, or is it cheaper than using ground mana stones? Are there different materials you could use?

    ¡°He keeps looking around, do you think he is a spy?¡± one of the men asks.

    ¡°If he is, then he really sucks at it. Evvran noticed him almost instantly,¡± with augh, another one answers.

    ¡°But he has to be decent, right? He even has a crown.¡±

    ¡°It might be fake or one of themon ones. Hey, you jerk, what is your crown called?¡±

    ¡°<strong>[Water Crown]</strong>,¡± I try. It¡¯s blue, so it should be able to trick them.

    To my surprise, it seems to shock some of them, and Evvran puts a hand on my shoulder. ¡°You said<strong> [Water Crown]</strong>?!¡± the greed in his eyes seems to be even bigger than before with bone pieces.

    Is water maybe very valuable here?

    ¡°I lied, it''s a <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong>,¡± I say instead.

    That gets me a round ofughter, and someone kicks at my legs from behind, copying Evvran.

    ¡°Fucking funny. Next time, pick something more reasonable. Phe! Some random guy with a crown for one of the attributes, sure.¡± Evvran continues tough. ¡°But don''t worry, we¡¯ll get our answers out of you.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Evvran? He seems too calm for my taste.¡± Ren says, seeming wary. ¡°It took a lot of effort to use the suppression bone on him. We should kill him while we can.¡±

    ¡°Even if he is dangerous, it''s toote now, isn''t it? Even the boss can''t handle three suppression bones, and we also gave him two bracelets.¡±

    Ren seems to be the smartest out of the bunch, so she tries again, ¡°There are people who could do that, Evvran. Don''t forget¡­.¡±

    ¡°None of them would let me do this,¡± Evvran smirks and kicks me again. ¡°And they are too important to visit rural ces like ours.¡±

    As if to confirm his statement, he kicks me again.

    That''s when we exit the hallway and enter the room, one side of which is entirely made out of bone. In the middle of that room, there is also an array, its design simr to the ones on the 4th floor. Looking at the inscriptions, I would say it''s a two-way array, simr to those I¡¯ve already seen. And from what Tess said, it probably leads to the ck Tower.

    Curious, I watch as Ren and Evvran split from the group and go talk to the man who has lizard-like legs as well and is of a simr height to the others. They wildly gesture something, and Evvran shows him a pouch with bone dust and the few pieces of bone I got. I notice that Evvran only shows part of what I cut off, the rest hidden in his pockets. I find it very amusing.

    Ren, on the other side, is probably trying to warn him as she gestures to me while handing the man three suppression bones and seeming to exin.

    The leader then takes mebearer from Evvran, greedy excitement creeping across his face, though in a much more controlled manner than his underling.

    When they are done talking and he moves closer to me, his expression is more careful.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asks a simple question.

    <strong>[ze Temr - lvl ??]</strong>

    This one feels closer to level 300 than Evvran.

    ¡°My name is Elydor, and I''m a Champion candidate from Ruminous Border,¡± I say, deciding to try a different approach.

    As I say these words, there is that weird feeling that''s hard to describe. As if the system reacts to my deration.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Evvran and others shout as they react, their mana firing up and weapons sliding out of their holsters.

    ¡°I see, it''s nice to meet you, Elydor. So, what the hell are you looking for here, and where are you from?¡± Uros says. I can see that he is nervous, but he is trying to act calm in front of his men.

    I guess showing weakness could end badly for him in a ce like this, but the mood is still very tense.

    Instead of answering, I ask, ¡°Why do you trust my im of being a Champion candidate?¡±

    For a moment, he looks confused but thenughs, a relievedughing from a few others as well.

    ¡°You must be a very new candidate. Did your master not teach you anything? Your body also smells weak,¡± he sniffs. ¡°Are you maybe an enchanter?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°Well then, Elydor. If you weren''t one, you wouldn''t be able to introduce yourself as a Candidate.¡± Even as he says this, I can feel multiple inscriptions activating all over the ce - the defenses they were talking about. All of the guards are also rousing their mana.

    ¡°I met a guy calling himself a Champion when he wasn¡¯t,¡± I mention.

    That gets anotherugh out of some of them. As if reacting to something dumb I said.

    ¡°He is so clueless it''s almost cute,¡± Evvran smirks, but as he tries to act tough, I can hear his voice shake, just a little bit

    ¡°To put it simply, there is a huge difference between a deration as you just did and spreading rumors. But enough of your questions. You will tell me what you are doing in my fortress.¡± his voice gradually bes louder, and with it, the feeling of pressure on me increases.

    ¡°Sure, but one more question. Should it be so easy to take these things off?¡± I ask showing him my hands, as the bracelets fall from my wrists.

    Instantly, screams erupt, and something holds me in ce - the Fortress''s defenses, activated by the people in the room.

    Blue mes with a white core surround me, Evvran pressing the attack first, the mes zing around him with impressive heat. Someone like Isabe would probably have trouble dealing with them.

    The suppression bones in the leader''s hands crack one after another, each one crumbling into dust, and with each one destroyed, his face bes paler and his red mes surround him defensively.

    My mana floods my body and then radiates out of it, epassing the entire room. A few of the weaker guards start vomiting, and the stronger ones move erratically, the attacks tearing chunks out of the ground as theynd all around me and tumble off the barrier I create.

    I use <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> and grab a hold of Evvran.

    My items and mebearer fly from his body, as I use<strong> [Tether]</strong> and my anchors left on the items to pull them.

    Unable to move at all, Evvran watches me with a horrified expression. His only defense the mes epassing his body.

    Thermal energy seeps out of me, golden mes meeting his blue and white ones. They barely sh, and my mes envelop them, pressure them, and dissipate them. My mes then surround him, and while he stands there, they start burning him.

    I watch as they melt his skin and flesh, and bite into bones while his mes keep firing up, trying to fight back only to be extinguished by my own.

    In the end, he is unable to do anything, and the golden mes devour him entirely.

    The annoying feeling I had is now gone, and I turn to the others in the room, my mana shing in the air as it shes with the attacks.

 Chapter 409: Start of the 3rd Trial

    Chapter 409: Start of the 3rd Trial

    <strong>POV ck Tower</strong>

    Something moves on the edge of our detection web and I quickly send a signal to the headquarters and reposition to another balcony with stronger defenses. Mieru¡¯s already waiting.

    ¡°What did you see?¡± he asks me quickly.

    ¡°I don''t know yet, but I asked the headquarters to check it.¡±

    After a while, a signales back with a deration of danger level 5, the lowest one. It seems they think it might be a monster.

    ¡°Did you get scared of a tiny little monster? Did you¡­¡± Mieru doesn''t finish his words and disappears from my sight.

    I turn to the right and find his body, head pierced through with a javelin and pinned deep into the reinforced wall.

    Something like this shouldn''t¡­

    Whistling noises pierce the air along with something like a crack of lightning and then the world turns ck. <strong>POV ck Tower</strong>

    The signal indicates a danger level 2, just a few seconds after it was dered level 5. Very serious, most likely another group attacking us.

    ¡°What the hell!¡± someone shouts pointing with a finger.

    I follow the direction of his gaze and there, suspended high in the air, are a multitude of huge stones. Each of them is as big as a building but they look as if they weigh nothing.

    Then they start falling at an ever-increasing speed.

    ¡°Barriers!¡±

    ¡°Someone shoot them!¡±

    ¡°Activate defenses!¡±

    Multiple orders are given at once, but it''s all for naught, because the sheer inertia and weight of the stones breaks through our hastily constructed defenses, breaking through multiple walls and buildings.

    Afterward, a rain of blue mes drops from the sky.

    The only thing they burn is people, causing no damage at all to anything else.

    ¡°Where are the guards? Why are barriers not in ce? Why¡­¡±

    From the rubble, steps a single woman. Her expression is unnervingly calm even as she strides through the destruction and mayhem.

    Beautiful blue armor envelops her body as a sword of radiant blue mana materializes in her hand. A few javelins hover just above her shoulders, while a small shield, also made of mana, rests in her other hand.

    A few guys work together in well practiced formation and a disrupting wave crashes against her to no avail. She just shakes it off.

    With the same expression on her face, the armor turns darker blue and she disappears from my sight, the floor cracking under her feet.

    The world around me spins and I watch as my headless body falls to the ground while the woman moves on to someone else.

    <strong>POV ck Tower</strong>

    ¡°What¡¯s happening here? Where are the barriers? Why¡­¡± I freeze and look around.

    The control room ispletely trashed, barely anything remains in one piece. It''s almost like something exploded in here and the bodies of the assholes that were supposed to be defending it have been scattered about in unceremonious heaps. Standing in the middle of the room is a single creature.

    It¡¯s small, barely reaching my knees, and is it wearing clothes?

    I manipte my mana, and spikes made from the densest earth I can muster pierce the ground. Behind me, I hear others rushing in, just as surprised as I am.

    Purple mana surrounds the creature and it turns to us.

    An astounding amount of mana radiates from it and moves to a single point where itpresses into an orb which quickly turns white. Thest thing I hear is someone calling me an asshole.

    <strong>POV ck Tower</strong>

    ¡°I would start running if I were you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah dickhead, run away.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, both of you!¡± I scream at the twins. Unlike our other prisoners, they can¡¯t seem to stop giggling while this chaos ensues.

    ¡°Oriel, what¡¯s happening?¡± asks one of the good-for-nothings I¡¯m working with.

    ¡°Fuck if I know, we¡¯re under attack. Danger level 1.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that fucking bad?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is, you dumb fuck, now shut¡­¡±

    The doors open and I redirect my weapon, but the neer is Kelen, who¡¯s supposed to be keeping guard just outside.

    ¡°What are you doing here? Any further orders?¡± I ask her.

    She shakes her head and nces over at the annoying twins. She even smiles for a moment and takes a few steps towards me.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± I ask, letting mana seep into my body.

    As she puts her hand on me I look down at her.

    Why are her eyes a different color than usual?

    Before I can react, gray mana shes out of her, and then, nothing.

    <strong>POV ck Tower</strong>

    The wave of mana epasses the entire building with a speed that surprises even me and it starts interfering with our defenses.

    Out of the windows, I see shes of lightning, and any one of our men who tries to escape finds themselves pinned by lightning-fast javelins. They move at such speed they break through any defense. They evene from so far and yet no one seems capable of detecting them.

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    The control room for the defensive array is destroyed, I''m getting no signal from guards on the walls. Everything is a fucking mess.

    ¡°Defend the entrance, I will activate the array and we¡¯ll escape. id, go and take the emergency rations and as much as you can from the treasury.¡±

    I turn away and start working on the array leading to Bone Fortress. Those scaly midgets will surely make me eat it, but it''s better than the other option.

    While I¡¯m working on that I notice that something seems to be wrong with the array. It still works and we can move to Bone Fortress but teleportation from the Bone Fortress to here seems to have been disabled on their end.

    Weird.

    ¡°Why are you not fucking moving¡­¡± I ask, turning back to the room realizing that I can¡¯t hear them working on the evacuation. Even the treasury and emergency rations are still locked.

    As if frozen in time, all of them stand with their eyes wide open. All ten of my strongest men.

    Then, one after another, they start killing themselves.

    One grabs a dagger and stabs it into his eye. Another one detonates a fire orb in his own face. Another starts tearing chunks out of his neck with his bare hands, blood flowing from the wounds like a waterfall.

    id seems to be trying to fight it but even he fails in this task and I watch as he grabs his head and starts twisting until he breaks his own neck.

    Then I feel the pressure reach toward me. I find myself unable to move, and at the same time, lightning pierces through one of the walls - something that shouldn¡¯t be possible.

    My skill activates, and dozens of my invisible mana arms move, slowing the lightning down and defending me against another attack from behind.

    I protect my mind and, with a lot of effort, push that presence away. What is a mind mage even doing here? I thought they were all locked in their own goddamn city in the central region.

    Ignoring the items or rations I jump through the active array and destroy it so they can¡¯t follow behind.

    Appearing in the Bone Fortress I stop in shock.

    Most of the room is melted and destroyed, there I find the remains of the scaly midgets I once knew, and all of them are very dead.

    My senses extend throughout the entire fortress, but only a few seem to be alive. Buildings all over the fortress have been destroyed, cut cleanly to pieces, and evaporated, and just these few presences remain, hiding in the city. And the kicker is that all of this seems to have been done with extreme cold-blooded efficiency.

    By the man in the room with me. A man standing with his back turned to me next to the rib bone that makes up an entire wall of the room.

    At his feet is a pile of bone shards. The amount of which would have taken the entire fortress weeks, maybe months to produce. An immense amount of wealth.

    And that man ignores me and continues to cut with a dagger made out of mana.

    ¡°Just a moment and I¡¯ll get to you.¡±

    Too shocked to react I continue building up my defenses.

    He has some sort of crown and I can''t identify which, but it doesn¡¯t matter. In one versus onebat against someone within my reach, I don''t think I will lose.

    ¡°Thanks for waiting,¡± he says, finally turning around.

    His eyes, one brown and the other gray, reflect a calm expression, barely showing any emotion.

    So, is he a concentration skill user as well?

    ¡°You know, it was rude of you to destroy the array right after you used it. I get that you did it to keep them from following, but it''s annoying nheless.¡±

    My attack crashes against his barrier and then another and another one. He blocks all of them while keeping that same calm expression on his face.

    His mana moves and crashes into my own barrier, immediately followed by the most powerful attempts to disrupt it I¡¯ve ever felt in my life. I barely manage to endure and face it with my own counterattack, contesting his attempts until they nullify each other.

    A dozen projectiles shoot away from his body and I weave the air around me, making them miss and crash right behind me.

    I reach for the amulet and break it, as an immense amount of mana I had stored floods the area around my body. I create a hundred invisible arms of mana and reach through the air. Some of them tear chunks from the ground and throw them at him, others attack him directly. The arms are impossible to see with the naked eye and I know how terrifying they are.

    I aim for the neck, some of the arms turning sharp and thrusting for the jugr, and others go to grab his limbs. They cannot be seen, they cannot be sensed and they cannot be disrupted.

    Golden circles appear in the man¡¯s eyes and in an instant, multipleyers of dark blue barriers surround him, creating a spherical defense.

    I create disrupting orbs and fire them off as well; they ssh against the barrier and stick to it, slowly corroding it. It¡¯s only a question of time as I get to him and my arms also pummel against the barrier.

    ¡°That¡¯s surprising, I can¡¯t even see or sense your attack. What¡¯s the name of that skill?¡± he asks.

    Ignoring him, I push further and break another amulet, more mana surrounding me and powering my arms.

    Good, in terms of mana, I should win. Just a bit longer and¡­

    The air shakes and reverberates. The barrier around him crumbles as if under immense pressure and the crown over his head disappears as well, causing even more mana to radiate from him.

    He lifts his hand and a small orb hovers over it, the amount of mana it contains sending a shiver down my spine. That mana is being quicklypressed with astonishing speed and control. The orb turns pitch ck and even from where I am, I feel my mana being pulled away. I find myself unable to move at all, held by some skill of his.

    My mana arms disappear at shocking speed, the mana they contain sucked into the orb as it hungrily devours everything in its reach. There is no stopping it.

    The barrier on my skin cracks and gets sucked in as well, the remaining amulets on my person breaking as the mana is torn free and absorbed.

    With a final surge of effort, I use what remains, trying to disrupt the orb, but it¡¯s futile. The orb absorbs everything, leaving me utterly depleted. My vision blurs, the edges darkening as thest of my mana leaves me, mere scraps remaining inside my body.

    He doesn¡¯t even look at me, instead observing the ck orb he made.

    I feel a thud in my chest and looking down, half my body is missing. Falling to the ground, my eyes stay on the ceiling until it cks out.

    <strong>Nathaniel¡¯s POV</strong>

    After dealing with the dude, I watch the array, but no onees through, which confirms my suspicion that he blocked it before he came here.

    He couldn¡¯t have been the leader of the ck Tower, could he? He was terribly weak and other than an invisible attack that would have made a nice party trick and the corrosive orbs he stuck to my barriers, he didn¡¯t show much.

    I open themunity.

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>you got him? The leader escaped and he destroyed the array.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>I got the guy, no problems here. Your side?</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>everything here is fine. NotAaron and NotDennis are safe, Knight and Grumpy are mopping up the rest. I had Soph check the array, but she doesn¡¯t think she could fix it.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>that¡¯s fine then. Say hello to the others, I¡¯ll be doing the 3rd trial as nned.</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>will do. Take care.</em>

    I close the Community and turn my attention to the ck orb. I still don¡¯t n to use it for a while, even though I¡¯vee to realize that I was relying on that ck mana too much. Even so, I wanted to test it before the 3rd trial to know what to expect in case I¡¯m forced to use it.

    And it exceeded expectations. I used a lot of mana to do it, even by my standards, but it was easier to create and control than before.

    It also dealt with that weak guy¡¯s mana in seconds, with no trouble at all, pulling it from a greater distance than before and even from the skin.

    Lissandra said that if I relied on ck mana then any mana user would be at a huge disadvantagepared to me, and it is getting more and more confirmed.

    When I nce at the corpse of the man, I can¡¯t help but feel disappointed.

    Wouldn''t Tess, Sophie, or Lily be capable of winning a 1v1 fight against someone of his level if they leveled up a bit more?

    Was he just that weak, or are they just strong?

    I move over to him and search his body.

    Finding a few epic items on him, I quickly sell them to the shop and then find a pocket very deep under the ground. There, I store all of my items with the exception of mebearer, some supplies, my epic water storage vial, and a few less valuable things.

    Waiting for a while, I let my mana fully replenish and then I use the token.

    The world around me spins until the surroundings change leaving me in a jungle-like area. The trees surrounding me towering high into the sky, their trunks as thick as buildings. The gravity around me increases, pressing me against the ground and the air is hot and humid, my body sweating immediately.

    I catch shes of flying monsters through the branches as their screeches echo from everywhere around me.

    <strong>Wee to thest trial, after which you will be able to enter Beyond.</strong>

    I check the quest and reward.

    <strong>Beyond¡¯s third trial quest:</strong><em>Hunt the king of the forest</em>

    <strong>Quest Rewards: </strong><em>Beyond Three-Day Stay Token</em>

 Chapter 410: Dangerous beauty

    Chapter 410: Dangerous beauty

    Once again, the system¡¯stest message only brings more questions to mind. The rewards forpleting a Beyond trial have always been very generous, so being able to enter Beyond for 3 days as a reward strikes me as odd. What kind of ce is Beyond?

    I let kic energy flood my body and boost my movements as I leap from branch to branch, climbing the tallest tree I can find, rising higher and higher until I reach the top.

    The jungle stretches on seemingly forever, and there¡¯s nothing but forest as far as I can see. No mountains,kes, or seas. Just one big never-ending forest. And high in the sky rests an orange sun that seems almost bigger than the one we have on Earth.

    I won¡¯t lie; the view is kind of alien, but it has a raw, dangerous beauty all its own.

    Moving a bit lower, I rest against the trunk and think, watching the back and forth sway of a leaf as big as I am tall.

    The King of the Forest is probably some big baddie here. I would be very surprised if it¡¯s lower than level 300. Hell, it might be as strong as the Gaiathra.

    The gravity pressing down on me provides its ownplications as well, but I¡¯m getting used to strengthening my body with kic energy, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I even feel like I¡¯m beingzy because I¡¯m not working on any of the mana shaping exercises Lissandra showed me, but first I need to assess the danger. I can y aroundter.

    As if on cue, I feel mana move nearby and the trunk of the tree below me explodes and the skyscraper sized behemoth begins to fall with a deafening crack.

    I move and the trunk explodes where I was resting, splitting the falling tree in two.Another attack crashes against my barrier and throws me to the side as I absorb my inertia and send another pulse of mana into the surroundings, trying to detect the attacker.

    Once again, an attacknds nearby and a second tree explodes and begins to fall down.

    The screeches of the monsters from further away be louder and more presences start moving in.

    My crown activates and the next barrier I create easily absorbs the attack as I boost my body heading back the way I came.

    The attacker decides to change its attack pattern andunches a multitude of smaller assaults my way, each one moving at insane speeds. One of which even manages to pierce my barrier before grazing my arm.

    Each strike isposed of extremelypressed air, and the smaller ones are sharper with a limited area of impact, while therger ones have an impact zone the size of a small building.

    I ce multiple anchors and teleport, avoiding the attacks while I trace their origin.

    As I do another monster jumps out of the foliage below me, Its yawning maw wide enough to swallow a car as it tries to snap me up.

    In response I send out a burst of kic energy sending the huge monster flying and crashing into the tree, leaving it scrambling to get its four legs beneath it as the beast howls in preparation to rush me again.

    It¡¯s then that I realize the creature may as well just be an oversized hairless wolf.

    <strong>[Pale Howler - lvl ??]</strong>

    I ignore it, leaving the beast to fade into the distance behind me along with the massive trees crashing down around us as I finally reach the primary attacker.

    <strong>[Galeprowler - lvl ???]</strong>

    Seeing me so close, the monster quickly moves. Its elongated and noble feathered form racing down the tree and coiling around its way down a branch before leaping through the air tond on another.

    It moves with an unearthly grace as it rushes about on its eight legs and its feathered, snake-like head watches me intently.

    This time I bombard it with attacks and my mana javelins, boosted with kic energy, tear chunks out of passing trees as I boost my body to follow it. A few of my attacks even manage tond, red blood staining the beast¡¯s white feathers.

    I dodge to the side as a burst ofpressed air tears into the Pale Howler behind me, who¡¯s somehow managed to keep pace, and next destroys the trunk of an adjacent tree.

    An anchor I ce explodes into golden mes and the Galeprowler coils into a ball, allowing itself to be pushed away by the immense burst of wind it creates before uncoiling tond on another tree and continuing to flee.

    I teleport through multiple anchors and just when I¡¯m about to grasp it with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, I stop. A barrier surrounds my body and I pump it with as much mana as I can as I find myself unable to teleport.

    Right after I find myself bombarded by dozens of attacks, cracking my barrier and almost breaking it as I¡¯m forced to support it more and more with increasinglypressed mana.

    When it finally gives, I boost my body with as much kic energy as I can handle, moving behind a tree that immediately explodes almost in its entirety, as it¡¯s peppered with attacks meant for me.

    My eyes activate and I disrupt another wave of attacks.

    <strong>[Galeprowler - lvl ???]</strong>

    <strong>[Galeprowler - lvl ???]</strong>

    <strong>[Galeprowler - lvl ???]</strong>

    <strong>[Galeprowler - lvl ???]</strong>

    <strong>¡­</strong>

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    A dozen monsters crawl from their hiding ces and out onto the trunks surrounding me, as the one I had been following up to this point almost seems to be staring at me with an annoyingly smug look on its face.

    <strong>[Focus]</strong> activates and <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> strengthened with Pride surrounds me, expanding further under the influence of my crown. The world loses some of its color and the noise fades into the distance, my only concern being the monsters surrounding me.

    I can run away, I know that.

    A suit of armor surrounds my body and I boost myself with kic energy, flying right into the middle of the group. A disruptive wave ripples out from me and <strong>[Redistribution] </strong>activates slowing the monster currently trying to flee.

    Ind on its back and mebearer roars with golden mes as I bury it into the monster¡¯s flesh, setting it aze.

    <strong>[You have defeated Galeprowler - lvl 311]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 250 > Lvl 251]</strong>

    I jump away, its body explodes into a cloud of bloody feathers and gore under the weight of my attack.

    The monsters try to mess with my <strong>[Tether] </strong>but with the help of my eyes, I still manage to ce a few and reach the next monster despite needing to tank another st ofpressed air. The bark of the tree under me explodes, shattering the huge branch and sending it crashing to the forest floor below.

    I hold myself in the air, sending a st of kic energy after the feathered serpent, and tearing through another st ofpressed air while gouging a huge hole in the monster''s side. Then the other monsters hit me with a barrage of attacks, sending me crashing into yet another tree. But I endure, using<strong> [Infusion] </strong>to bolster my armor as I do.

    I follow the freshlymed monster and skewer it with a javelin as long as I am tall, pinning it to the tree while the javelin explodes, tearing the monster in half with a st of kic energy.

    <strong>[You have defeated Galeprowler - lvl 309]</strong>

    The remaining monsters pick up speed as their attacks grow more and more dangerous. They¡¯re clearly beginning to improvise and change their strategy to deal with me.

    Long shing cuts, more effort into disrupting my anchors. They even try creating a few projections to confuse me. They go into overdrive and move faster, resorting to engaging me in melee, venom dripping from their fangs and corroding my barriers as it spreads through the air leaving me blind in one eye.

    Even so, I take them on, one after another, until only one remains standing resolute in the aftermath of our battle.

    The monster that first attacked me, and lured me here to die.

    It doesn¡¯t try to run away anymore, staying with its pack until the end, with a determined look in its eyes even as it dies, pierced by my javelins as I pin it against the tree.

    <strong>[You have defeated Galeprowler - lvl 314]</strong>

    After thoroughly checking my surroundings I let out a deep sigh and rest against the tree.

    My wildly beating heart begins to slow and I find that I¡¯ve burned through a sizable chunk of my mana, proof of my struggle. That and my freshly healing wounds, especially my newly blinded eye. It heals slower than usual, likely an aftereffect of the venom they used.

    I take a step and then stagger and fall to my knees.

    Confused, I look around and examine my body once again. It doesn¡¯t seem¡­ The world around me spins but I force myself to stop copsing, radiating as much mana as I can as whips of it tear the area apart.

    My sensestch onto something touching me and track it, leading me upwards, into the air.

    Releasing a st of kic energy, I boost my body away and crash into another tree and the ce I once stood explodes as the flying monster dives at me from high above.

    <strong>[Mesmerwing- lvl ???]</strong>

    I feel my body sway once more, about to lose consciousness, as the bird two times my size flies at me again.

    Golden mes surround me but a sweep of its wings disrupts them for a moment. The Mesmerwing reaches me, ws extended, coated in sickly looking yellow mana.

    A thin cone of kic energy reverberates through the air, gouging a hole in the monster''s chest, and tossing it aside.

    It tries to stun me again with its weird mental attack, but having finally found the right frequency, I disrupt the attempt. As I do so I ce an anchor, allowing me to reach the monster as it tries to take off.

    Another suit of armor surrounds my body, doubling my size as Itch onto the monster''s leg with no concern for the talons trying to tear me to shreds.

    Boosting my mana mech with kic energy, I pull the monster back and swing, smashing it against the side of the tree, bark, and wood exploding into the air.

    Then I send a burst of thermal energy through my arm enveloping the avian beast in my golden mes as I hold it in ce. The creature screeches in agony and tries to escape, breaking one of its wings in the process a constant stream of mental attacks tries to pierce my defenses but I hold steady and swing it again, crushing the monster once more against the tree.

    When its struggles finally ebb to a weak iling I put the beast down by stomping on its head.

    <strong>[You have defeated Mesmerwing - lvl 315]</strong>

    More presences appear on my radar, all monsters of simr strength to the ones I just killed.

    This ce is different from any other I¡¯ve visited before. The gravity here is much stronger, the air feels different, the flora is huge and the monsters are all high enough level to be considered Cmities on any of the prior floors.

    I boost my body and move by jumping instead of flying as flying requires more kic energy than normal just to fight against gravity. Monitoring the monsters around me I continue to think.

    How do The Living Tree, The First One, and the Fallen Hero of the 4th floorpare to the monsters I just killed? They¡¯re all about the same level, but in some ways, the Cmities from the 4th floor just feel stronger. Is it a difference in skill? What is the quality of their traits, passives, and activespared to ¡°normal¡± monsters around that level?

    Perhaps the system is skewing the levels of the monsters we meet. After all, they could always be much stronger in reality.

    I let another Pale Howler reach me, the monster in question still reminding me of a hairless wolf, as it pounces on me, activating my passive. The kic energy from its attack being absorbed and converted into mana which floods into my reservoir, already perfectly tailored to my needs.

    Dodging to the side, I avoid one attack and let the othernd while observing the effects. The passive is highly situational and it could even be said that it''s mostly useless at the moment. Sure, the insane defense against physical attacks is good but it¡¯s not really my thing.

    I¡¯m someone who likes to live dangerously. I think Tess called it being dumb. However, I don¡¯t mind my weird passive at all, no, in fact, I love the newest addition to my arsenal.

    It might take a while but I will do as Champion Laten did with thermal energy and the heat of a volcano, I will learn to actively turn my primordial energies into mana. And if I can do one I should be able to do the other, turning my mana into my primordial energies anytime I want without being limited by my heart.

    Kic energy reverberates through the air around me, turning the Pale Howler into a pincushion, and tearing chunks from its flesh as thest attack pierces its head.

    <strong>[You have defeated Pale Howler - lvl 301]</strong>

    The system didn¡¯t give me any limit to finish the Trial quest. So, let¡¯s see how long I can stay here and turn it into my own private leveling area.

 Chapter 411: 3rd Trial

    Chapter 411: 3rd Trial

    I¡¯m constantly being attacked by powerful monsters, and the king of the forest is lurking about somewhere - threatening to be even more dangerous an opponent than the others. Some of their attackse as a surprise to me even now, and that¡¯s not even counting the monsters attacking from the ground.

    Even so, for me, it may as well be a mere formality.

    I know the system has probably adapted the trial to my talents as it has with the others, but after all the training I did with Lissandra and the corresponding increase in my strength, I don''t think I will fail.

    Sure, the system is enough of an asshole to try and pull a fast one. There might even be some Rulers trying to mess with me here and there, but I still think my trial will be somewhat fair. The system won''t give me anything too absurd for my 3rd trial - something around the level of an ¡°average¡± Beyonder.

    Probably.

    A few wounds here and there are to be expected, but with my new passive I barely get any from physical attacks; instead, they literally make me stronger by replenishing my mana.

    Mana-based attacks can be handled with by disrupting their structure, and that¡¯s before I start teleporting and creating barriers, I can fly, and I can move quickly by flooding my body with kic energy.

    It could be said I''m a goddamn sneaky little jerk who¡¯s very hard to kill.

    I¡¯ve also discovered that the kic energy I absorb can¡¯t turn into mana and overfill my reservoir. If my reservoir is full, it just absorbs the damage and produces no mana.So I solve the issue by saving the mana in my body and relying on my reservoir, and by sending a constant stream of mana into my crown to keep my reservoir depleted by anywhere from 20-30%.

    In an attempt to deal with some of the more annoying monsters, I also try setting the forest on fire. Inspired by my Avatar from the third event of the tournament, I put in a lot of effort trying to burn the surrounding trees and vegetation. I even try setting them in different ces with bombs, mes, and by simply radiating as much heat as I can.

    In the end, I do manage to start a few small fires, but the extreme humidity quickly douses them once I stop feeding them mana.

    Currently, I''m surrounded by a massive suit of armor, allowing me to face the huge monster before me. It''s made out of earth covered in vegetation. Its figure is simr to a human''s, but there are no details, no fingers, no eyes, or other visible sensory organs.

    <strong>[Vine Golem - lvl ??]</strong>

    I¡¯m trying to expand my passive¡¯s effects to include the massive mana mech and use the absorbed strikes to generate more mana. If I can pull it off I should be able to keep the armor active almost indefinitely inbat. Of course, that would necessitate taking a constant stream of blows.

    So as I face the golem, I don¡¯t bother to dodge any of its attacks and keep trying even though it doesn¡¯t seem to be working. The passives just refuse to expand into the realm of more active skills. It seems like the only real control I have over them is my ability to deactivate them, while any other effects are restricted by the ¡°settings¡± of the passive in question.

    Disappointed, I destroy the golem and take a quick look around.

    Jungle and forest as far as the eye can see, and standing here on the ground makes me feel so small, even surrounded by massive armor. As I deactivate it andnd on the ground, I feel even smaller. It leaves me in awe. Struck by the overwhelming sensation of being surrounded by the scenery of such an alien ce.

    I take a deep breath in and then out. And another one.

    The trees creak as they sway in the wind, monsters scream somewhere in the distance, and I feel presences all around me. The flowers and nts around me tend to be colorful and taller than me, and a lot of them are poisonous.

    Some of the trees have a bark that secretes a white liquid that is extremely sticky, enough so to trap monsters from time to time. Some of the leaves currently swaying in the wind are very tough, a lot of attacks can¡¯t so much as pierce them. Others, upon taking damage, bleed an extremely potent mana-corrosive liquid.

    I etch the scene into my memory alongside many of the others I¡¯ve witnessed since this started.

    Then I head towards the next group of monsters.

    The system didn''t say how much time I have to hunt the king of the forest. So let''s try to sneak in a few extra levels.

    A day passes, and the crown already has a nice amount of mana in it. The passive is working amazingly well, though at the cost of taking a bit of damage. The bones will grow together, right, so why should I worry?

    I also learn more about the body upgrade I just went through, which almost seems to beplete.

    My bones are tougher than they were, it¡¯s not quite the same as getting free points in Constitution, but I would say the base is better.

    That also means the moment someone with a high Constitution gets this body upgrade their body will probably get a significant boost.

    The cellr regeneration part straight up means increased regeneration. It''s not up to the level of average healing skill, but my wounds will continue to regenerate even if I don¡¯t use my passive to do it.

    I wonder if it would be able to regrow my limbs. Probably not, but I could try cutting off a finger just to see.

    The muscle efficiency turns out to be the weirdest part, but I would say my mind-to-muscle connection is better while all effects of strengthening my body improve.

    Overall, this upgrade straight up seems to be a massive improvement for anyone who relies on high level physical stats. Tacitaes to mind.

    Still, there is a thing for me as well; when using my skills to a higher level, it''s easier, especially the ones over level 50 or very close to it.

    I also manage to confirm that bycking the proper body upgrade and having a level under 250 I made it much harder to get my skills to level 50. It seems I leveled them up way too quickly, and that they probably shouldn¡¯t be quite so high level.

    But that''s a good thing.

    <strong>[You have defeated Mesmerwing - lvl 306]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 251 > Lvl 252]</strong>

    It seems like my attack from earlier - with thepressed javelin, really hit that damned bird flying high in the air. Likely wounding it enough to kill it outright or to get it killed by something else.

    This ce can be quite unforgiving.

    Two more days pass, and I think I''ve located the king of the forest.

    I know of an area that no monster will enter; they just straight up refuse. There is no other information confirming it, but I think I''m on the right track.

    So I just turn around and head in the opposite direction.

    A few times I even allow myself to fall from great heights to see if I can get any mana out of it. I do, but the amount isn¡¯t really worth it, unfortunately.

    Other than that, most of my mana gets funneled into a thermal orb that hovers over my shoulder.

    Out of boredom, I¡¯ve even created a few evil orbs to train with.

    I can easily go a week or two without sleep, make preparations, and raise my level in the process. It''s simr to the strain I just went through, and I find it quite funny. I think if I hade here before training with Lissandra I would have been a lot more tense and cautious, but getting here stronger has its advantages.

    So I wonder.

    How much thermal energy do I need to store in my orb to be able to set the forest aze?

    A week has passed since I started the third trial.

    My ess to the Community has been cut off ever since the start, but I have leveled up twice. Some skills leveled as well, most notably<strong> [Mana Crown]</strong> by two levels.

    If youe across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I am also getting used to my unique passive, and it works really well, but it¡¯s better for meleebat and fighting huge monsters.

    A few times, I got into powerful storms, trying to absorb kic energy from the wind to store in the form of mana. It did work but not as well as I had hoped.

    As I¡¯m fighting the monsters, I continue to use Mana Cycling to keep my mana under control. At this point, that technique runs in the back of my mind nearly nonstop, a part of my mind constantly maintaining the flow.

    I think it¡¯s one of the main reasons my control over my mana keeps increasing and a big part of why my body hasn¡¯t been torn apart by my stat imbnce. I still remember what it was like before Lissandra taught me how. And now she¡¯s made improvements to it. These improvements make it more difficult to use, but at the same time, they were desperately needed,tely I¡¯ve been feeling that the original version has stopped being enough.

    The king of the forest is hunting me now as well. It''s a funny twist to my situation and my quest.

    I figure that the monster is either doing it it because the system¡¯s had enough of me using the 3rd trial as my private leveling grounds, or because the monster can sense my thermal orb and the terrifying amount of energy it contains.

    Somehow, it makes sense that the king of the forest would try to stop me from setting it aze.

    I can use that.

    Well, just a day or two, and we will see.

    Two dayster, I think I''m ready.

    I¡¯ve ced a number of anchors over as wide an area as I can manage. The limitation is in the <strong>[Tether]</strong>, I can¡¯t use the skill over too great a distance. The sites I ced anchors on are the driest I found in this goddamn excessively humid ce. I swear most of what I breathe is water rather than air.

    I also created as big a sprawling web as I could, the threads having been tuned for the delivery of thermal energy, nothing else.

    The king of the forest is somewhere far behind me, I used plenty of kic energy to put distance between us.

    <strong>[Focus] </strong>activates, and my mind splits into multiple parts, each managing a different task. Then I start using <strong>[Infusion]</strong> and <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> to send thermal energy through the web and through my anchors.

    The distance is so great that I can¡¯t even see some of the explosions, but I know they¡¯re going off.

    Five of my anchors receive a huge amount of golden thermal energy, and the mes explode into the skies, the heat drying out the air and setting the huge trees on fire.

    And more.

    The orb near me starts to deplete its stores at great speed as I channel all that thermal energy through my web in an attempt to dry out the area and through my anchors to keep feeding the fires.

    I also take the wind into consideration and time it so that it blows the fire in the direction of most monsters.

    And just like that, I deplete all of my thermal energy, leaving me waiting.

    Then the notificationse.

    <strong>[You have defeated Thornbeast - lvl 306]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Dreadroot - lvl 301]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Thornbeast - lvl 301]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Mosslurker - lvl 303]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Dreadroot - lvl 304]</strong>

    <strong>¡­</strong>

    It looks like there is any number of slow ntlike monsters that happen to be highly mmable. Just not as many as I would have liked.

    Someone¡ªthe king¡ªis fighting against the fires.

    Taking a step towards the beast I¡¯ve been running from, I form a javelin over my shoulder and extend it to twice my height. Then I start making it as dense as possible, the projectile gaining weight. My domain expands into the area, and the pressure that was about to disrupt my projectile shes against my domain reinforced by my subss.

    The king ising.

    I let kic energy flood into the javelin to give it more piercing force and store a huge chunk of power for theunch.

    And the forest keeps burning despite all attempts to stop it.

    <strong>[You have defeated Shadowvine - lvl 303]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Mireprowler - lvl 303]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Mireprowler - lvl 302]</strong>

    <strong>¡­</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 254 > Lvl 255]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 255 > Lvl 256]</strong>

    It took me days to level up once or twice and now I''m leveling up in a matter of minutes. Not bad at all.

    I boost my body away, and a stream of water as thin as my finger cleanly cuts through the tree I was standing on and several others as the beam follows me.

    The trees, as tall as skyscrapers, start falling, and I absorb their kic energy, slowing their falls until they seem almost suspended in the air.

    A lot of my mana disappears at that point, only to be reced by the absorbed kic energy which flows through my body and into my projectile.

    The king of the forest moves closer. It¡¯s not that big¡ªreally, an unassuming monster with three orbs of water trailing behind it. It seems distracted by the fires, trying to put them out even from this distance.

    I can sense how much effort it takes for the monster. It¡¯s an immense feat to weaken multiple massive fires over such a vast distance and without any preparation.

    Good, that should make it more difficult for the monster to face me, now that I¡¯ve managed to divide its attention.

    <strong>[Flood Tyrant - lvl ???]</strong>

    The creature has a streamlined, eel-like body covered in dark, wet scales and a sleek appearance with four nimble-looking legs.

    All three orbs fire at me at once, thin streams of water cutting through my barriers with ease, and I just manage to block one of the streams with mebearer, as the force makes the weapon vibrate in my hands.

    When another two streams reach me as well, I fight against the pressure trying to stop me and teleport to one of my anchors, my javelin moving with me.

    I keep dodging and avoiding its strikes as the notifications from the burning forest sound off, but after a few minutes, they slow down. The presences of the many monsters rushing closer.

    <strong>[Lvl 256 > Lvl 257]</strong>

    What a weak king, calling for help before we¡¯ve even gotten started.

    But the fight should be over before they can even get through what¡¯s left of the fire.

    The Flood Tyrant¡¯s three orbs of water fuse together andunch a stream of water at speeds too high to track, boring a hole as thick as a pencil in a damaged section of my ax.

    Another attack pierces me, streaming through the new hole in my ax and destroying my shoulder in the process.

    The monster shoots again, this time aiming for my heart, but the stream hits the undamaged part of the axe, and the immense energy contained within the attack throws me back.

    I return fire with a concentrated stream of thermal energy, lightly scorching the monster without truly damaging it. Instead of taking the brunt of the damage, the monster turns into water and quickly seeps into the ground.

    My senses shoot into the area to detect the monster, but another attack of concentrated water burrows into my chest and tries to move diagonally to cut me apart.

    I teleport before it happens and immediately after another attack cuts into my leg, trying to repeat the strategy. I burst into action, blocking the attack with my ax, and teleporting away as I lift the ax once more.

    As expected, the monster is tracking my anchors, and another attack crashes against my ax, following up with another and cleaving through the dense barriers I put in its way.

    I create as many anchors as I can, keeping my mind sharp and eyes peeled, looking for any trace of the monster. It¡¯s created multiple presences all over the forest, but only one of them is the real body.

    I receive more and more wounds, the creature¡¯s attacks moving at impossible speeds, and hitting too hard for me to deflect them with anything other than the ax.

    The forest and the giant trees around us fall apart, sliced by three streams ofpressed water as if they are nothing.

    My heart is beating wildly, the forest loses all color and sound, and everything is only ck and white as I slide into my skill. Mana alone retaining its beautiful vibrant hues.

    I fail to detect the original and am punished with another hole in my foot.

    My use of the anchor is too slow, and I lose a finger¡ªthankfully, only a finger.

    The ax in my hand moves too slowly, and a jet of water carves a deep wound in my side, nearly cutting me in half.

    Nothing I do can stop these attacks; they slice through my fires, my mana, and my body.

    But I detect the original.

    I block the first attack with my ax.

    I tilt my head to avoid the second stream and then duck under it when it swings back. The trees behind me fall down as they are cut cleanly in two, and I absorb a bit more kic energy, adding to my reserves.

    Before it canunch a third strike, I''ve readied my aim and release my javelin, boosting it with my heavily inted pool of kic energy in a single powerful push.

    The javelin disappears with a loud boom, piercing through everything in its way.

    I don¡¯t even see the path of its flight, and neither does the Flood Tyrant. The only visible result is a fist-sized perfectly round hole bored through the length of the monster¡¯s body and a simr hole behind it, who knows how deep.

    A powerful disrupting wave erupts from my body, directed at the monster and preventing it from turning into water like it did before. Looking through my enhanced eyes.

    I match its wavelength perfectly, nullifying the monster''s attempts at escape.

    Even so, the monster tries to move, as the flesh around the wound bubbles up and begins to regenerate. In response, I use <strong>[Tether]</strong> activating the anchor I left on the javelin and pulling it back.

    It flies back to me from a much deeper point in the ground than I expected, but it dislodges itself nheless, burrowing its way through the body of the monster. As it does, I release the stored kic energy, causing it to explode.

    The explosion cuts through the forest, the threads that made the javelin untangling and rapidly slicing through the surrounding trees, while the highlypressed kic energy tears through everything in its path as the shockwave expands through the area.

    <strong>[You have defeated Flood Tyrant - lvl 339]</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions, you have sessfullypleted Beyond¡¯s 3rd Trial and may now enter Beyond.</strong>

    <strong>You can now buy Beyond Stay Tokens from the system shop. They will also be included as rewards for certain floor and side quests. You may also earn Beyond Stay tokens within Beyond itself.</strong>

    <strong>After entering Beyond, you will receive more information and be assigned a handler.</strong>

    <strong>Well done!</strong>

 Chapter 412: Handler

    Chapter 412: Handler

    Okay, I''m getting more and more curious about what¡¯s waiting for me in Beyond.

    Before I can think about turning around and resuming my leveling, the scenery begins to fade, the system recognizing the King of the Forest¡¯s death and returning me to the sixth floor.

    Obviously, the system wasn¡¯t going to let me get away with it forever.

    Stepping out into the bleak wastes of the Astral Prison, I sense some weaker monsters nearby and release a bit of my mana, which scares them off. Their level is low anyway and I want some time to think. But before that, I send a message.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> 3rd trialpleted.</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> congrattions. I''m curious to hear more when we meet.</em>

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone) -</strong><em> took you a while.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> I took just the right amount of time. I''m surprised you didn''t forfeit your third trial.</em>

    <strong>Savant (Hell, Alone) - </strong><em>how many limbs did you lose this time?</em><strong>Tacita (Hell, Luce) - </strong><em>?????</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>wee to the 6th floor</em>

    <strong>Tacita (Hell, Luce) -</strong><em> |???)¨s</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> we have no idea when she got here before you ask.</em>

    <strong>NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>hell, she could have been here before us. She could have been trolling us during the tournament.</em>

    <strong>NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>are you dumb? There was no restriction during the duels.</em>

    <strong>NotDennis (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> are YOU dumb? There was no text showing the floor during the duels.</em>

    <strong>Tacita (Hell, Luce) - </strong><em>(? _ ?)</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> has everything been ok so far?</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>we took over the ce we attacked and started pumping the surviving natives for information. The system will censor most of the things I would like to write here so I will tell you more in person. But I can tell you this right now. This floor won''t be short.</em>

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> got it. I will continue dealing with my own stuff.</em>

    Closing the Community, I reach the ce where I hid my items. Standing there, I look over all of them and think about what I should take with me.

    The most valuable things are the mana stones containing the mana shaping exercises, improvements on Mana Cycling, and the Restrictive Training Emblem that I got from Lissandra.

    Then there are these items:

    <strong>Arcanite Alloy (Low Arcane) - </strong><em>Arcanite Alloy is a meticulously engineered blend of a dozen metals, each chosen for its unique resonance with arcane energies. This alloy was designed to amplify magical powers. Despite theplexity of its creation, items forged from Arcanite Alloy will be durable and capable of channeling immense magical forces.</em>

    <strong>mebearer (Low Arcane, Damaged) -</strong><em>mebearer held dominion over fire, with a mere swing capable of igniting the horizon. This ax¡¯s ze once burned with immense fury. Despite the damage and its weakened mes, moments of intense heat surge through its de, offering a glimpse into its fiery past.</em>

    Then there are any number of mana stones filled with information I¡¯ve collected from the floors, a big pile of metals I collected for experimenting. Pieces of bones from the bone fortress, pieces of bone from the snake that attacked the Veil ignition station no. 2, also known as the Cinder.

    Lily still has a finger bone from one of the Champions from the 5th floor. A few voidsteel des, an epic water bottle, a decent supply of clothes, food, water, and more. It''s a pretty big pile now that I look at it.

    In the end, I take some time to wash myself and put on clean clothes. I wear a ck shirt, rolling up the sleeves, and gray pants. I also put on shoes. Then I take all the things Lissandra gave me, I take mebearer and Arcanite Alloy as well, and a few of the smaller pieces of bones.

    Waiting for my body to fully heal and my mana to fully replenish, I sit and open the system shop and look for new additions.

    <strong>Beyond One-Day Stay Token - </strong><em>9,999 shards</em>

    <strong>Beyond Three-Day Stay Token - </strong><em>29,999 shards</em>

    <strong>Beyond Seven-Day Stay Token - </strong><em>69,999 shards</em>

    ¡­

    Firstly, what the actual hell is with the pricing? Is the system shop really trying to pull some cheap marketing pricing strategy? Second, what the actual hell is with the prices?

    Just the seven-day stay is worth almost as much as the cheapest arcane item. Actually, wouldn''t a 10-day stay token cost the same as the weakest arcane item? If I used all of my shards, it would give me just 13 days there, and I don''t think there are many people with half as many shards as I do.

    ¡°I want to sell Beyond Three-Day Stay Token,¡± I try.

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 1 shard?</strong>

    <strong>Beyond Three-Day Stay Token</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    Yeah, seems about right.

    ¡°No,¡± I say, and the window disappears.

    Anyway, it''s time to go, so I jump to my feet, sending an experimental burst of mana through my body as if I were stretching with my mana, and warming up in the process.

    As I have so many times before, I watch as the wounds decorating my body heal. It''s a slow process that I still can¡¯t help but find fascinating: the bones healing, muscles reconnecting, tendons reaching out from their severed ends.

    It takes a few more hours, even with as muchpressed thermal energy as I''m using. The entire time, I''m stuck impatiently waiting, my body urging me to move, and my mind already thinking of Beyond.

    Then when it''s done, with the ax on my back and mana ready to be activated, I use the token.

    The world around me twists and changes until I find myself standing in a different ce.

    ¡°Wee to Beyond,¡± a soft voice murmurs from somewhere nearby.

    It seems to be around midnight, and I find myself standing on a ne of polished and perfectly smooth ck stone that seems to stretch on forever. There is nothing as far as I can see. No hills, no trees, no mountains, no clouds. Just straight and perfectly polished ck stone flooring. The sky glimmers and sparkles with a vast array of beautiful stars and nebs. Easily making for the most amazing view of the night sky I¡¯ve ever seen in my life, even counting the pictures I once saw on Earth.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    Turning to the side, I find the woman who greeted me. She¡¯s currently seated behind an old wooden desk, heavilyden with stacks upon stacks of paperwork, mana stones, and a number of items I fail to identify.

    There is no text over her head.

    She is a bit older than me, her hair is ck with a bit of red mixed into it, and her eyes projecting a feeling of calm and curiosity, are brown in color.

    ¡°I''m your handler.¡± She says, introducing herself as she looks me over with her head tilted to the side.

    She then looks back to one of the papers in her hand and starts reading, ¡°Nathaniel Gwyn, 22 years old from Earth, 5th round of the tutorial. Completed all three trials and entered Beyond just one year and some weeks into the tutorial. You¡¯ve had a really good time, and you aren''t even the 1st one from Earth toe here. Your seems to be a nice addition to the system.¡±

    She leans back in her chair, her eyes moving on the paper, ¡°You already have a few really good skills, and a unique epic passive and an abundance of shards for someone of your level,¡± her eyes expand in surprise at that. ¡°Pride, Wavelength eye, winner of your 1st tournament. Good, it''s nice that I got you.¡±

    ¡°Why is it nice?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Oh, your handler gets a small percentage of all the shards you make in the dungeons and through any Beyond quests you receive and a few other benefits.¡±

    Great, so now I have this woman taking a cut as well.

    ¡°Would be good if you exined a bit more,¡± I note.

    Finally, she looks up from the paper and snorts, ¡°Don''t be impatient. You have potential, but you¡¯re still just a small fry here. And you should already know that the system limits what I can share with you. The system is just that way and its rules reach even to Beyond.¡±

    As she stands up, she walks around the table and looks me up and down, her eyesing to rest on my face.

    ¡°First, hide your Mana Wavelength Iris, second, hide one of your primordial energies. Just having one is rare enough so don''t walk around showing two until you are stronger. I mean, it could be fine to show it all, but as you are now, there is no point in bringing that much attention to yourself. Third, I essed some of your records and checked a few things, I rmend that you not use what you call ck mana.¡±

    ¡°Would be nice if you could tell me its real name.¡±

    ¡°Ten thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I will tell you for ten thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°Is it really such valuable information?¡±

    ¡°Not really, I just test to see how many shards I could make off you.¡± She seems to be serious.

    Looking at her, I answer, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Five thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Cheapskate, you have plenty of shards,¡± my handler sighs and then returns to her seat at the desk. She¡¯s entirely d in gray in a blend of formal and casual wear. ¡°Anyway, there are a few things I can tell you and some you need to discover on your own, so listen carefully but consider it on your own too. This advice is not something set in stone, and every handler has their own, so here is mine.¡±

    She makes sure I listen and continues, ¡°Beyond is on the edge between the real world and the tutorials. It was created a long time ago with the cooperation of multiple Rulers over a very special ce called the First Dungeon. Got everything so far?¡±

    ¡°I do, please continue.¡±

    ¡°You are from the 5th round, and your 1st tournament just ended, meaning your Earth¡äs tutorial''s rounds should be in the process of synchronization to prepare for the second tournament. The point is that after the synchronization you will be able to ept Beyond quests. You will learn more about themter.¡±

    ¡°How long will pass on Earthpared to the five in the tutorial?¡± I ask.

    She seems to be thinking for a while or checking something and answers, "Five years, but it''s not that simple."

    ¡°Got it. Another question, how many other people like me are you acting as a handler for?¡±

    ¡°Good question,¡± my handler smiles. ¡°Average for each handler would be a few dozen. To be a handler, you must have at least that much potential. Either by virtue of your own skills or by being able to use an item created by the Ruler of Diligence.¡±

    That sounds interesting. Are handlers all Absolutes or Champions? As I open my mouth to ask, I see her looking at me, and hold my tongue instead. Something in her eyes makes me think better of asking.

    ¡°Once we¡¯re done here you will appear on the surface of Beyond. Leave as quickly as possible and find an entrance to the First Dungeon. If you¡¯re unlucky with your spawn location, you will die. The surface is dangerous even to someone on the verge of bing a Champion, and it''s rmended that you only go there inrge groups. Got it?¡± she asks seriously.

    ¡°Yes. Any hints as to where I can find such an entrance?¡±

    ¡°Can''t say.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°After you enter the First Dungeon, you will find yourself on the Entrance floor. You only have three days, so just look around for now, maybe do some trading, and collect some information. Check the rankings as well. Try to avoid guilds and do not join any groups or expeditions. Do not enter the dungeon at any cost, and do not go to the surface. Take it slow, and after you get back to your floor, do some side quests to earn more Stay tokens. I would rmend at least a week''s stay so that you can start exploring what Beyond has to offer. Got it?¡± she asks again.

    ¡°Yes. How much more can I ask?¡±

    ¡°Not much, I told you most of the allowed information. The rest would be censored. The system wants you to discover it on your own. Where is the adventure and fun of exploration in having all information spoon fed you?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your name? That shouldn¡¯t be censored, right?¡±

    The woman lifts her eyebrow and looks somewhat amused. She then moves and sits back behind the table.

    ¡°I might tell you in the future. Also, I know you Pride guys tend to do things your own way but consider the advice I gave you.¡± She pauses and seems to be listening to something. ¡°Well, our time seems to be gone, so good luck. I will see you the next time you enter Beyond.¡±

    Before that feeling pulls me away, I think of grabbing some paper or mana stones from the table but decide against it. Doing so could end very badly for me.

    Appearing on what I guess is the surface of Beyond, I rouse the mana under my skin and redirect most of it to my defenses. My crown activates, and I slip into <strong>[Focus] </strong>to help me with skills and concentration.

    I do not take the warnings she gave me lightly; she didn''t seem prone to lies or exaggerations.

    The ce I¡¯ve appeared is eerily quiet, and there is no wind at all. It''s early morning, looking at it, but I can''t find any sun in the sky. Yet there is light, and the blue of the sky is mixed with the orange colors of dawn.

    The first difference is a huge increase in gravity pulling on me. Then another one is the constant pressure of something trying to take my mana. Only gradually do I realize it''s the doing it, trying to pull my mana and send it somewhere below.

    I then send my senses into the area around me and almost immediately feel something touch them. Some being senses my use of mana from what feels like miles away and immediately detect me, tracking my exact location.

    Without any hesitation, I release all the kic energy I can and start running, then flying away from the presence.

    I do not use my mana sense anymore; instead, I concentrate on keeping as much of my mana as I can inside my body while kic energy propels me forward.

    As I run, I hear a sound reminiscent of a series of small, consistent explosions.

    Just from that short touch of mana as it detected my senses, I know I have no chance at all.

    Even so, I''m getting ready for the worst option, mana collecting inside my body, as I prepare to activate all my trump cards.

    A constant wave of detection is being projected over the area, but the being seems to have trouble finding me now that I''ve stopped using my mana externally. It¡¯s still a mile or two away, a distant explosion erupting from its location as I run and fly, searching for an entrance to the dungeon.

    And the presence keepsing closer, and closer from the sound of it. At this rate, it¡¯ll find me in a few short moments.

    Ready for anything, I boost myself high into the air and send my senses as far as I can, immediately feeling that pressure on me again. The rest of my kic energy pushes my body towards a cave in the distance, which radiates a constant stream of mana.

    Already beginning to drain the kic energy in my core with my constant use, I start creating more with my heart as I use mana to boost my body and fire projectiles into the space behind me.

    The view around me disappears in a blur of motion, and the explosions behind me slow down. There are fewer of them now, but they¡¯re stronger, and the air reverberates even at this range.

    As the cavees into view, I rush inside, crashing into the walls and scrambling to rush further inside as I fail to slow down in time.

    Another explosion thunders in my ears, and I feel something hit me.

    The world spins, and a rush of different sounds fills my ears.

    There are cobblestones under my body, and I find myself surrounded by a group of surprised people and buildings. All located inside of a huge cave.

    I look down, and both of my legs are gone, ragged wounds covering what remains of my knees, pieces of bone and torn flesh exposing themselves to open air as I bleed profusely.

    Generating thermal energy inside my body, I let my passive close the wound and rece my missing limbs with prosthetics made of mana.

    Ignoring the looks I''m getting, I check my body and items and head somewhere more quiet.

 Chapter 413: Four Rankings

    Chapter 413: Four Rankings

    The Entrance floor of the Beyond dungeon is massive, and crowded with people. So far I¡¯ve seen humans, lynthari, demons, and more of those smaller humanoids with scaly legs; I don''t know what to call their race.

    And many more. The different races seem toe in all shapes and sizes, some are men and women with wings growing from their backs, another one with hair that keeps glowing and floating around their head, I even catch a glimpse of a man twice as tall as me, and too many others to count. Sitting on the ground with my back against the wall of a nearby building well out of the way, I observe each of them as they move about.

    None of them have text over their head. All of them are just as real as me, as real as Group 4, as real as Vega. Each one a person who managed toplete their Beyond trials to make it here.

    It makes sense. Our round has seven people in Beyond. Earth should have at least five rounds, and if each round has around, let''s say, an average of five people. That means there should be 25 from Earth alone, probably twice that if we have ten rounds. Even if some of them die, it means a decent number should manage to enter Beyond.

    Now multiply that by the hundreds, maybe thousands of tutorials running at the same time, and you should get an idea of the number of people here. Well, probably not exactly here; from what I''ve seen, this entrance floor is huge but it¡¯s probably not the only one. I would expect there to be a few more at least.

    It''s all so overwhelming and fascinating that I have to force myself to tone down my excitement.

    Beyond, ording to my handler, lies in between the real world and the tutorials. So what exactly does that mean? I want to know. I also want to know about Beyond quests. I want to know about the First Dungeon that Beyond is built on and the whole 1st floor I should enter for now.

    Guilds, rankings, trading, quests, a small possibility of meeting some Beyonder from Earth. Hell, I might be able to meet our round''s first Beyonder or even Victoria, I''m sure she would have found her way here.

    Another big question is, are all of these people part of the tutorial, or is it possible to enter from the outside world as well?¡°Hey,¡± my thoughts grind to a halt as a friendly-looking man stops in front of me.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I reply.

    Everyone here is a Beyonder. The same as me, Tacita, or Savant. None of these people can be underestimated.

    ¡°You are probably new here, so if you want, I can point you to a ce where they can restore your legs,¡± he offers.

    ¡°That would be nice,¡± I say, pretending to ept on the off chance he has some decent information.

    He nods quickly and points in one direction, ¡°If you go that way you¡¯ll find a branch of Serene Circle. For the right price, they can heal you.¡±

    ¡°Is it possible to trade shards?¡±

    The manughs, ¡°Yes, but only within Beyond, and the system always takes a 20% cut, so they generally prefer that you just buy items for them. Prices in the system shop are 10% higher here in Beyond, but it¡¯s a bit better than trading. I have to go, good luck, man.¡± He waves, cutting off furtherments as he leaves.

    I watch as he joins a small group of other people, and they disappear together around the corner.

    So the system takes 20% when you trade shards, and prices are 10% higher in the system shop.

    There¡¯s so much potential for abuse and every opportunity for someone very rich to make someone much stronger extremely quickly. Shards can be used for better passives, items, and information.

    But the more I think about it, the less worried I be. In the end, it¡¯s all about the user, and active skills are the most important.

    I then make an experimental attempt to open the Community interface, but it seems to be impossible here, the same goes for the Beyond Community. Checking the other notifications, there are no quests or other information.

    So I decide to check the Rankings as my handler rmended and find myself confronted with a number of categories.

    <strong>Guild Rankings</strong>

    <strong>Exploration Leaders</strong>

    <strong>Individual Rankings</strong>

    <strong>Crafting Rankings</strong>

    The first one seems obvious, and I open it and check the first few guilds.

    <strong>Guild Rankings</strong>

    <em>1. Bloodline</em>

    <em>2. Frontier</em>

    <em>3. Primordial Knights</em>

    <em>4. Crimson Forge</em>

    <em>5. Astral Brotherhood</em>

    <em>...</em>

    The list goes on, showing hundreds of guilds, but these five seem to be the top ranked. There is no information regarding how the rankings are calcted.

    Then I open another list.

    <strong>Exploration Leaders</strong>

    <em>1. Adrian (6th Floor)</em>

    <em>2. Voss (5th Floor)</em>

    <em>3. Nyssa Vre (5th Floor)</em>

    <em>4. Orion (5th Floor)</em>

    <em>5. Zenith (5th Floor)</em>

    <em>...</em>

    Looking at them, I guess the floor shows the First Dungeon''s floor and not the tutorial¡¯s. And there sure seems to be a big difference between 1st and 2nd ce.

    Is it possible to enter Beyond after the tutorial? Are these rankings limited to those set during the five years of the tutorial? There¡¯s so much I need to ask. I¡¯ll need to find someone to question. Hell, I can probably offer an item or two.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the vition.

    Onto another ranking then.

    <strong>Individual Rankings</strong>

    <em>1. Adrian (Ivory Tower)</em>

    <em>2. Lyraen (The Silent Veil)</em>

    <em>3. Se M¡¯Karn (Bloodline)</em>

    <em>4. Zarith K¡¯Traal (The Darkmoon Collective)</em>

    <em>5. Nyssa Vre (Primordial Knights)</em>

    <em>¡­</em>

    This list also continues on listing hundreds of individuals up to one thousand. This raises still more questions: Are all the people listed in the rankings currently active in Beyond, or are they historical rankings updated over millennia or greater scales?

    The more questions I have, the more shards I''m willing to pay. I really need to grab someone on the weaker end of things and try to bully them into answering.

    Andstly, there are

    <strong>Crafting Rankings</strong>

    <em>1. Eldrin (Crimson Forge)</em>

    <em>2. Isolde (Crimson Forge)</em>

    <em>3. Silverweave (Crimson Forge)</em>

    <em>4. Vaelith (Frontier)</em>

    <em>5. Orin (Stormrider Company)</em>

    <em>¡­</em>

    Well, here it seems like Crimson Forge is kind of obliterating the rankings.

    After closing the windows, I nce at my still recovering legs and send a bit more mana into my mana recements, and stand up. It''s a bit more difficult to keep my bnce without any feeling in my feet, but it¡¯s nothing I haven''t dealt with before.

    Walking on the cobblestone, I look around, examining people around me.

    So far, no one tried to use mana to examine me, so I do the same. It was considered rude on the floors I¡¯ve already visited, so it''s probably the same here.

    Most people seem to gather in groups, moving in the direction of what I assume is an entrance to the dungeon or a path to the surface. Each of these groups is bigger, often over 20 people, sometimes even 50.

    There are also smaller groups of less than 10 people, but they seem very strong. It''s hard to estimate just by looking, but they¡¯re surely in their 300s, likely years into their tutorial.

    I wonder how many of these weapons are arcane, how many of these people have arcane passives, and what level are their skills. It frustrates me to not know, I have so many questions. Was Savant right when he said that arcane was the limit of rarity in the tutorial? Could I fight some of the 3rd, 4th, or 5th year Beyonders? How many shards do they have?

    As I stand there, I notice someone from the crowd move closer, a man dressed in simple clothes and a big bag on his back.

    ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re new here,¡± he says with a smile that immediately betrays him as an extrovert ss.

    ¡°Did my looking around give me away?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yeah, I passed by three times and here you are, standing in the same ce, looking around while trying not to stand out.¡± He smiles, ¡°My name''s Duncan, I''m one of the locals.¡±

    ¡°Locals?¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course, you don''t know. To say it simply, the earlier generations of tutorial attendees came to Beyond. Some of them had kids and they¡­ Well, they left them here. So a few of the Rulers twisted the rules a bit and since then there have been locals. Would you like to know more?¡±

    It''s all interesting stuff so I nod. Maybe I¡¯ve really found myself a truly informed guy.

    I nod in answer.

    ¡°One epic item and I¡¯ll be d to answer your questions for an hour or two. Not all of them of course, that would cost a lot more, but some basic information should be fine. Things that everyone should know.¡±

    I''m not even surprised.

    ¡°No, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Got it! I have to go but this one is free, beware the guilds. They generally like to make a push to reel in newbies with terrible contracts so don''t sign anything yet. See you around.¡±

    And with that, Duncan leaves.

    For now, I will follow the advice my handler gave me, at least until my legs regrow. With the amount of concentrated thermal energy I¡¯m feeding my passive and my body upgrade, it should only take a day or two.

    In that time, I should be able to glean a bit more information for free, so there should be no need to waste 4 thousand shards or more.

    As I walk through the crowd, everyone else seems capable, that''s the word I would use. They often have an abundance of nice equipment and I even recognize a few voidsteel des, the Housekeeper¡¯s rapier, some of the items from the 3rd Floor, equipment from the 2nd floor though it¡¯s higher quality than anything I was able to get.

    Plenty of these people have stuff I do not recognize. Maybe even from the 6th, 7th, and higher floors of Hell difficulty.

    It makes me feel like a rookie again, someone who just found themselves somewhere new, and I have to wonder if, in a few years, some new Beyonder will look at me the same way I look at these people.

    Rather than demoralizing me, it fuels mypetitive spirit. There are multiple rankings I can get onto. The surface and the dungeon to explore and all the information I can collect about the system, others, and any number of other things.

    And there is hope the difficulty here is higher. Other than the "bosses" of the floors, I don¡¯t really have much to worry about in Hell difficulty - well, maybe only if I decide to make things harder on purpose. Of course, I¡¯m certain the higher floors of the tutorial will be much more difficult and dangerous.

    As I walk into an area that reminds me of a town square surrounding a central fountain, I nce at the ceiling of the cave. There are dozens of crystal-like stones, radiating a light reminiscent of sunlight. There are probably inscriptions on them, but I do not send my senses towards them. Forcing myself not to use them feels like I¡¯ve lost half my sight.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re a Pride subss, right? I recognize your clothes, they are 5th floor style, right?¡± A womanes closer to me.

    She is surprisingly friendly.

    As an answer, I nod but she doesn''t seem to be bothered.

    ¡°I''m Pride as well, I reached Adept not long ago so I could sense¡­¡±

    She bbers away and I listen with one ear, waiting for a catch.

    ¡°So, me and a few of my friends have this guild. We just started, but our guild master has huge ns. He is on the 8th floor of Hell difficulty you know. 8th already, just three years into the tutorial!¡±

    ¡°He must be really strong,¡± I say.

    ¡°Yes, he is and¡­¡±

    ¡°Listen, by any chance, do you know more about rankings and would you answer some of my questions?¡± I ask, trying to get some answers before she tries to scam me into anything.

    With a sigh, her expression goes from cheery to neutral and she turns to leave.

    ¡°Fucking smartass rookies,¡± I hear her mumble under her breath before she disappears into the crowd.

    Shrugging my shoulders, I continue to walk around, looking for answers. I locate a few buildings with guards in front of them, smithies, ces for enchanters, and even a few inns. There are gardens, there is trading and a great number of exchanges.

    Everyone seems to be energetic and rushed, and remembering the prices of Stay Tokens, it all makes sense.

    In the end, I get invited to two more guilds. Someone offers to buy my ax. Another person tries to sell me a damaged epic item they say will have the performance of arcane when fixed.

    A bunch of people as confused as me try to invite me on an expedition into the dungeons. I refuse and watch them leave.

    And no one answers my questions. Most people just ignore me. It''s something I''m really not used to, it''s like they¡¯ve pushed me aside as if I weren¡¯t worth their time.

    So when a few hours pass and I see Duncan passing by, I stop him. I don''t even have to say anything as he smiles brightly at me, fixing his huge bag on his back.

    Then he asks for the payment first, his price for answering my questions increasing from 1 epic item to 1 epic item and 1 rare item.

 Chapter 414: Duncan

    Chapter 414: Duncan

    Duncan puts away the items I bought ording to his requirements and turns back to me.

    We sit opposite each other with a table in between us. It''s a small but cozy-looking restaurant owned by one of the locals. The prices are ridiculously high, so I just order the cheapest drink and take some food from my bag, and nom on it while we wait for Duncan''s order.

    ¡°Damn, I haven''t eaten in over a day,¡± he says in between bites of some mystery meat. Turning to me, he asks, ¡°What''s your name?¡±

    ¡°Can you pick a name to register in rankings here?¡± I ask instead.

    ¡°Nope, the system will use the name you picked for the Community.¡±

    ¡°In that case, it''s Noname. By the way, why are there aliases for the Community? Is there a reason to hide your real name?¡±

    ¡°You don''t have to if you don''t want to, but some people prefer to hide it, and the system gives you the option. Your world is already changing, and it will change more after the tutorial, so there¡¯s not really much point.¡± Duncan shrugs and takes another bite.

    As he chews I continue asking questions, ¡°You said the world will change, tell me more.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say much because of the system¡¯s censorship. You know about the First Generation?¡± He watches my reaction and continues before I answer, ¡°Good, you seem to have heard about it, and the system didn''t censor it, so I can tell you a bit more than normal.¡±He talks with a full mouth and even calls the waiter to order more.

    Turning back to me, he exins, ¡°There are 10 rounds of the tutorial. Each round gets 2 thousand people in Easy, 1 thousand in Normal, 500 in Hard, and 250 in Hell, and 10 of those can enter Beyond. You guys will be the First Generation of your with ess to the system. While you¡¯re gone, your world is awakening, and there will be changes. The changes are very individual, and I don''t know anything about your. When you return and the first person of the First Generation steps back onto the surface of your, the system will slowly awaken for the others. I don''t think I can say more than that.¡±

    ¡°Got it. About Beyond¡­¡±

    He lifts his finger, ¡°This kind of information is even more restricted and expensive, and your handler probably told you most of what I can.¡±

    ¡°I was curious about rankings, guilds, trading, dungeon, surface, and simr stuff.¡±

    ¡°Huh, your handler didn''t tell you? Who did you get? What do they look like?¡±

    ¡°Humanoid, woman. Pale skin, ck hair with bits of red mixed in. Pale brown eyes. Gray clothes.¡±

    ¡°I haven''t heard of her. But it''s not like I know every handler there is. I could answer these questions, so what would you like to know first?¡±

    ¡°Guilds.¡±

    ¡°Got it! Guild rankings are one of the live rankings. Before you ask, there are rankings that change over time and some that are static. For example, guild rankings update once a year ording to the performance of guilds. Currently, first ce is held by Bloodline, they¡¯re one of the oldest guilds, at least a few hundred years old? Some say they¡¯re older than that. They have rules they follow and always find a powerful Beyonder to lead it for the duration of the tutorial, and before they leave, they find a good recement. Things have been that way for a long time.¡±

    I lean closer, carefully listening to Duncan¡¯s words, and when he finishes the sentence, I ask, ¡°Is there any sense in joining one of the guilds or keeping them up for so long?¡±

    ¡°There are some advantages to being in a guild. Even more, if they¡¯re one of the higher ranked groups. From what I know, they¡¯re used to cultivate rtionships that endure beyond the tutorial. If you want, I can go deeper into this, but I will ask for another epic item.¡±

    ¡°That should be enough for now,¡± I say, quickly refusing his offer. What is this guy? Third stage Greed sub ss, Master of Greed?

    Actually, could he be?

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Duncan asks, confused.

    ¡°Nothing, so what about other guilds in the top 5?¡±

    ¡°Primordial Knights some say they¡¯re even older than Bloodline. You need to have primordial energy to join. Lately, they¡¯ve been hit with a rough patch, and they¡¯ve gradually lost their 1st ce spot over the past hundred years or so. They¡¯ll probably drop out of the top 5 the next time the rank resets. Where Primordial Knights look for people with primordial energies, Bloodline cares more about powerful traits. I would like to point out how rare it is for a guild to stay at the top of the rankings for so long. Just imagine how many hundreds of guild leaders must have put forth a massive amount of effort to keep them there. Bloodline and Primordial Knights are the only two I know out of the top ten. Frontier is a group of rising stars focused on exploring the dungeons and surface. Crimson Forge got three amazing crafters recently, Eldrin, Isolde, and Silverweave, so they jumped a lot. No one knows where they came from. Thest one in the top 5 is Astral Brotherhood, and their guild master has been using Beyond to create alliances to reel in powerful people. He is very rich too.¡±

    I make sure to remember most of the things he said.

    My unreliable handler can stay right where I found her. Explore on your own and enjoy the adventure, she said. Where the hell is the adventure in paying for information?

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°I want to ask more about some guilds, is that within my budget?¡±

    ¡°You are surprisingly polite for a rookie, they tend to be cockier after clearing the 3rd trial,¡± Duncan smiles. ¡°But sorry, I¡¯ve already said a lot, and I don''t want to go into details. Let''s just say you can learn more at the guild branches, and they hold tests and scouting events to find new members. Any guild within the top 10 would be great to join for the bonuses, but I personally don''t know much about them and they are extremely picky so there is a low chance to get in. Anything between the top ten and the top fifty could also be a good choice, but some can be very¡­ well¡­ predatory.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Well, that shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem.

    The question is if I want to make my own guild or join an already existing one. Would a guild try to restrict my freedom? If so, would the bonuses be worth it? What are these bonuses?

    ¡°What do you need to create a guild?¡±

    ¡°I think it''s currently 10 thousand shards for a few people, and the price goes up the more members you want to have in your guild. There are also restrictions on who can be a guild master, but I don''t know. Listen, Noname, I need to deliver another item. Would you mind if I go? We can meet back here in two hours and continue. I still owe you some answers.¡±

    At this I look him over, he doesn''t seem like a scammer. Though, if he is, I will find him.

    ¡°Works for me, two hours?¡±

    Duncan seems a bit surprised at first but then smiles brightly, ¡°Thanks. I won¡¯t take long!¡±

    He then takes the rest of the food with him and after checking over his items, rushes away.

    I remain seated, watching the other Beyonders move around and wonder, is there anyone here keeping order? I expected it to be more cutthroat, but so far I haven''t seen any fighting, which could imply strict consequences. Maybe I''m just overthinking it.

    I also decide that the next time I see my handler I¡¯m going to steal some of the stuff on that table. She gave me just a few small pieces of advice and I don''t even know how useful they are. Don''t go to the surface, don''t go into the dungeon, don''t join any guilds.

    Sure, Mom.

    Even though I''m nowhere near the top of the pack here, I don''t think I''m the weakest either, and my curiosity is already killing me.

    Just a short expedition should be fine. I can even try to find one that starts just before my Stay token wears off so that I get sent back to the 6th floor in the middle of it.

    A familiar sight catches my attention, and I nce to the left. There, surrounded by a group of people, is a man with a crown floating above his head. The crown glows yellow, its edges flickering like tongues of me,zily licking the air.

    More than ever before, I want to send my senses to it, to examine it, and to learn more about it. Maybe I could go to the guy and ask, if he refuses and decides to be a huge dick about it, I can beat him up and ask again. There is no need to hurt him too much, just a surface wound or something.

    Maybe I could even provoke him into attack... I pause my train of thought and force myself to remain seated. I guess this is why Tess had so much more sess dealing with Miwa in my stead.

    Patience, I need a bit more patience, I just have to channel my inner Savant. Not too much, though, I wouldn''t want to start forfeiting.

    I''m still new here and don''t know the rules. People here can''t be underestimated, and if I end up getting killed by some weakling''s more powerful older brother, it would be truly shameful.

    So, I watch as the man with the crown leaves.

    Another person catches my interest as he does, a beautiful woman with blonde hair hanging just over her shoulders. She¡¯s dressed in simple armor and has a sleek bow with a string made of mana. Her eyes are dark green.

    What catches most of my interest is neither of these things. It is the mantle she¡¯s wearing if you could call it that. The mantle is made out of mana or something close to it and moves like it''s alive or caught in an unpredictable gust of wind. The mantle is pale blue with a gradient, darker at the top. It also looks like tiny purple stars shine inside of it. Some are bigger, others smaller, and some are of darker purple while others are of lighter color.

    Out of everyone I saw here, I''m sure she is the strongest by far. It feels odd that I would even see her here, and the people around her seem to be of much the same opinion. It''s as if a noble knight decided to visit a rural vige too small for visitors.

    But that mantle of hers, is it like a crown? Is there an entire "equipment" ss of skill? Are there skills like a fire sword? At this point, I wouldn''t be surprised, and I would even wee it. I will always prefer my own power over equipment that could be taken away, and my<strong> [Mana Crown]</strong> and <strong>[Regalia]</strong> confirm this sentiment.

    She must have sensed my gaze, as her eyes turn to me as I meet her stare.

    As quickly as she finds my gaze, she looks away. I''m immediately discounted as anything resembling a threat and I¡¯m apparently too boring for her to stay any longer.

    Just that single interaction irks me to a surprising degree, and with some amusement, I observe my own feelings. I¡¯ve found that I can enjoy the process now that I¡¯m not using <strong>[Focus]</strong> to push my feelings away.

    How bold of me, present Nathaniel is angry he isn''t the top dog in the room, and that also means he isn''t safe - he¡¯s at the mercy of more powerful people. Yet, he wants to activate his trait, release his mana and skills, and he wants to fight these people.

    There will be time for that, no worries. We¡¯ll see what we can do about the rankings over the next few years.

    An hourter, Duncan returns totally breathless, sweat beading on his face.

    "Sorry, Noname! I tried to return as fast as I could. You know how it is, a man has to make his living and I need to save up for something. I hope you weren¡¯t waiting for too long."

    "It''s fine."

    He is here half an hour earlier than he said he would be, and in that time, I haven''t been annoyed by waiting not even once. Just watching passersby made it fun. Observing people here, their equipment, bearings, and the size of their groups, I¡¯ve learned from the experience as well.

    And Duncan, bless him, orders a drink and drinks it all down in one gulp, clearly tired from his hasty return. It almost makes me feel bad for the tiny anchor I left on him so I could track him if he tried to scam me.

    "I still have a lot of questions, but the most important one is: Do you know about any expeditions into the dungeon in the next 2-3 days?" I ask after he finishes his drink.

    There¡¯s no way I¡¯m wasting a 3-day Stay token to sit around collecting information.

 Chapter 415: Melee fighter Noname

    Chapter 415: Melee fighter Noname

    Duncan, having given me all the information I need, points me in the direction of a popr recruitment center for expeditions.

    Such ces tend to be more popr with the smaller guilds, as therger ones generally have no shortage of their own members. They also have ways tomunicate with each other in case they need help from a member of a more specialized guild, for example, a healer.

    The information I got from Duncan is a lot to process, and I¡¯m still sorting it out in my mind. He told me a lot about everything from the rankings to guilds, trading, Beyonders, and Beyond itself. All in one big info dump. It was certainly costly but it was well worth it.

    I check my timer, only a few hours have passed, but figure I may as well not waste time heading for the ce Duncan mentioned.

    As I pass between buildings, I watch the people around me. This time, it¡¯s a demon that catches my interest. He looks almost human, though his eyes are red, and he has horns growing from his forehead curling backward until the tips point at the back of his head. They¡¯re jet ck and probably as long as my forearm.

    What I find curious is that the demons I saw in the crowd before had different types of horns. Some demons have shorter ones, some have one horn longer than the other. Even the bends and lengths differ without any obvious connection to their rtive strength.

    And the demon I see right now doesn¡¯t care. He bears that confident, crazed expression on his face, and lines trace his body like tattoos pulsing in time to his heart as red light flows through them. These lines pulse in sync with his heart.

    The demon¡¯s movements are nimble, each step measured, like those of a predator. He wears no armor, but there is a hilt hanging from his hip. Though nothing extends from it.

    His senses don¡¯t touch me, otherwise, he could probably have felt my heart. Demons seem to be good at that even with all my attempts at camouge.ording to Duncan, this is one of the smaller outposts on the Entrance floor. There are dozens of outposts, and it¡¯s possible to travel between them. It¡¯s just that doing so tends to be expensive given the fees charged by the guild charged with keeping up the arrays.

    Obviously.

    Some of the biggest outposts have headquarters for the top guilds, granting one the chance to meet with some of the oldest and most powerful locals around, and sometimes, very rarely, you can even run into the handlers that seem to be the one of top dogs in the Beyond.

    Following Duncan¡¯s instructions, I reach the building he rmended as a starting point. It¡¯s a white building, on the smaller side, made out of stone. It isn¡¯t guarded, and the big doors in front are wide open. Entering, I see a group of people seemingly in the same boat as me. Newbies, just entering Beyond.

    It¡¯s funny when I think about it. Each of us represents the top 100 members of the first generation of our, yet here we are - no better thanmon newbs.

    There¡¯s a hungry look in their eyes, though some of them seem nervous. Nobody came here to stay at the bottom.

    I find a spot in the corner and sit there. In an attempt to avoid wasting time, I devote more of my attention to focusing on my improved method of Mana Cycling to better hide my mana and keep it from seeping into the area.

    Gradually, each of the people around me enters one of the small rooms, only to exit the building upon their return. When it¡¯s my turn, I follow instructions given to me by one of the locals and enter a room.

    It¡¯s a simple room, with a red carpet spread out on the ground and two seats ced opposite each other and separated by a small table. A window offers a view of a small garden at the back of the building.

    A woman who¡¯s clearly been waiting patiently gestures for me to take a seat, and when I do, sheunches into a well rehearsed exnation.

    ¡°As you know, you will be able to visit and explore Beyond until the end of your tutorial. Your handler will be there to help, but as always, the results will depend on you and your decisions. There are a lot of dangers and opportunities to match.¡±

    At this point, I decide to keep quiet and listen to her before asking anything.

    She seems to take notice, humming in satisfaction, ¡°One thing I can tell you though is that the surface is usually much more dangerous than the 1st and 2nd floors of the First Dungeon, so take that into consideration.¡±

    I nod to acknowledge her, and she continues, ¡°Beyond explorers are separated into five ranks, D, C, B, A, and S, with S being the highest. These rankings only serve a purpose here in Beyond and will have no effect on your stats. They serve to ease guild recruitment and the formation of expeditionary parties, and some groups will only ept people of a specific rank. You will be given an identification emblem that will contain information about your Beyond rank. It was created by one of the Rulers, and will update as you improve, your rank will be calcted based solely on your performance in Beyond.¡±

    ¡°Sounds clear so far.¡±

    ¡°Good. You can hide your emblem or disy it at will. With a bit of practice, you may learn how to share select information about your status through your emblem. Lying is not possible with this method, so I¡¯m sure you can imagine how that might be useful. That¡¯s all for the most part. Any questions?¡±

    ¡°How many people have S rank emblems, and what year of tutorial is usually what rank?¡±

    ¡°Typical,¡± she smiles, ¡°most attendees ask about the S rank. For now, don¡¯t let it bother you. There are usually only around ten S ranks at a time. It¡¯s not a limited ranking, but that¡¯s the average. They are the most talented of all attendees, each of them is almost certain to be an Absolute or a very powerful Champion in the future. And it¡¯s with that that I would like to remind you that these ranks are only relevant in Beyond and aren¡¯t a clear indication of a person¡¯s talent. Plenty of A ranks go on to be Absolutes or Champions. So I can¡¯t really answer your other question.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense. Then what is the average level of attendees before they leave the tutorial and Beyond? Any Champions?¡±

    ¡°This will be thest one I answer. And no, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of anyone bing a Champion within the tutorial. It is a rank not to be taken lightly and not something one can reach within a mere 5 years. Now, show me the back of your hand.¡± She demands, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a small item that resembles a stamp.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the vition.

    I offer her my pale left hand, and she stamps the back of it, leaving a ck circle on my skin.

    The circle quickly starts to fade, but I send a bit of my mana into it, which brings it back into stark relief, and a simple but beautifully illuminated letter D appears in the middle of the circle.

    ¡°Obsidian ck for D rank, Ivory White for C rank, Royal Blue for B rank, Shimmering Silver for A rank, and Radiant Gold for S rank. There will be a surcharge of a thousand shards for the identification emblem.¡±

    That sounds cool, but what was thatst sentence?

    The woman gives a quick gesture, and a notification pops up.

    <strong>Request to transfer -1000 shards. Confirm?</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    Yo, what the fuck.

    I hesitate, my eyes flicking between the window and the woman in front of me. Should I run? Is this ce full of scammers? Would they try to hunt me for a measly thousand shards?

    ¡°Is there any problem? If you don¡¯t have enough shards, I will have to ask you to wait so I can remove the identification emblem.¡±

    Damn it.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I answer and confirm the trade, ¡°but can you answer any more questions?¡±

    The woman leans back in her chair, ¡°I don¡¯t mind answering some within the limit allowed by the system. What would you like to know?¡±

    ¡°Before I ask my questions, will you charge me for the answers?¡±

    She tilts her head in a confused manner, ¡°Obviously, I will.¡±

    Maybe my handler wasn¡¯t that bad after all. Maybe she was right too and I probably should be more adventurous and make more of an effort to learn the answers on my own.

    With as polite a goodbye as I can muster, I quickly leave the ce behind.

    A few minutester, I''m in a massive room at the very heart of the outpost. There are hundreds of people rushing in and out, and I can already feel the energy being drained from my body just by sheer proximity to such arge crowd.

    Most of the people here seem to be fairly new to Beyond, going by the number of active identification emblems I see, their obsidian ck lines standing out on their owner¡¯s hands.

    I follow their example and move from bulletin board to bulletin board.

    There are boards for the 2nd and 3rd floors of Beyond, though they don¡¯t have many requests posted on them. The most upied is the board for the 1st floor of the First Dungeon, with hundreds of fliers covering every inch of the surface.

    Before checking it, I move around, taking notice of the other boards, loaded with requests for crafting, training, and information. There are jobs listed for almost any task with contacts listed on the relevant fliers. Some direct people to inns, others ask to meet at specific times and ces to discuss details.

    I also notice that every once in a while, a flier will burn and disappear.

    Perhaps the listings time out and disappear to avoid cluttering the boards.

    It¡¯s kinda interesting and cool. It makes me think of the inscriptions I could use to duplicate the effect, and Ie to the realization that I should be able to do it.

    Another thing I find fascinating is that some of the listings are seeking people from specifics. Aetherion, Grimhold, Orynthia, Pyronix, Eldros¡­ and many more. Likely attempts to find people in other rounds that they can¡¯tmunicate with through their Community tab.

    I spend the next 30 minutes going through all the papers, searching for something simr for Earth, but in the end, find nothing. Either no one from Earth has had the idea yet or no one is in this outpost. It¡¯s highly possible that others have appeared somewhere else.

    In the end, I just pick a flier posted by a group seeking additional members for an expedition to the 1st floor of the dungeon in 2 days. Out of all the offers I went through, this one seems to fit best with my timing.

    The only problem is they need a melee attacker capable of resisting disruption and reaching and disposing of ranged attackers.

    Well, it¡¯s not too big of a problem, and I shift mebearer on my back. Having this weapon should give me something of an advantage, you can tell just by looking that it¡¯s a high rarity piece of equipment, even in its damaged state.

    Then I change some settings and shift my focus to better manage my kic energy which I allow to radiate from my body in a small area around me while keeping my thermal energy safely tucked away in my core.

    None of these people can be trusted, so I¡¯ll lie low for now, though I¡¯ll need to bnce that with being enough of an asset to find a group. Skilled, but not too much. I got plenty of warnings before.

    Until I be stronger and more confident in my ce here, I¡¯m Noname, a melee fighter with a damaged arcane ax. No shards in the bank and one of 5 well-known primordial energies, kic energy. And an asshole for a handler.

    And like that, I arrive an hourter, approaching the group I picked out for myself, at the ce and time of their choosing. There are a few more people looking to join the group, and they take some and send others on their way.

    The core of that group seems to be a party of 7 people and an additional 13 to be chosen from the mass of hopefuls before me.

    When it¡¯s my turn, they ask a few simple questions by a woman who seems to be their second inmand, wearing the armor of the Fallen Hero from the 4th floor.

    ¡°Do you have experience with the 1st floor?¡±

    ¡°No experience. This is my second time in Beyond, and I spent my first token on a 3-day Stay to collect information and learn about the ce.¡±

    The woman nods, ¡°Smart. Plenty of rookies are overconfident and die on their first expedition. How much time do you have currently left?¡±

    ¡°Two days and 14 hours.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s not a lot but it should be long enough for us to reach a safe zone where we won¡¯t need you anymore. Abilities?¡±

    ¡°Primordial kic energy and a lot of experience with close-rangebat, and this is a damaged arcane ax from the 5th floor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what caught my interest. mebearer is extremely rare, barely anyone has managed to get a hold of it. You must have some skill or luck. Okay, go and talk to that man over there; he¡¯ll have more questions for you.¡± She decisively points at a scrawny man who holds a number of items and talks to other people and calls, ¡°Next! Hurry up!¡±

    I quickly leave and start heading towards him.

    Well, that was simple. Simpler than I thought and quicker than it should be.

    Someone¡¯s in too much of a hurry.

    This expedition smells, it stinks to high heaven, and everyone here seems to know it. The new recruits, the core seven, both. The neers are already making smaller groups and other deals. If ites to it, I¡¯m sure the newbies are going to be ready to fight the core group.

    Yet no one seems to be backing out, and as dumb as it is, it also makes sense. You won¡¯t get into Beyond without being daring and confident in your abilities.

    And then, while I wait for the scrawny man to deal with a woman with small wings on her back and color changing hair, I think about the name of Beyond¡¯s 1st floor dungeon.

    The floor attendees call The Corpseyard.

 Chapter 416: Eugan, Shayna, Roculus, and Rat

    Chapter 416: Eugan, Shayna, Roculus, and Rat

    I still don''t know how to clear the first floor - the information regarding that is apparently a valuedmodity, despite being the kind of thing one could easily learn on their own

    However, I don¡¯t really need to worry about that at the moment. My only goal right now is to experience the floor, just to see how itpares to Hell difficulty. I¡¯m also eager to see the other attendees in action. These people should be at least as strong as Tess, Savant, Lily, Tacita, and Gareth. There is a lot I could learn from them too.

    I fully intend topare myself to them as well. How do I stack up? Against those who¡¯ve been here a while and those on the higher floors of Hell? That''s why I¡¯m keeping such close tabs on the other 4 members of my unit. Our entire 20-man group is being led by a single man after being split into 4 smaller units, with a squad leader for each.

    Each of these squad leaders is a member of the core 7 who arranged our little expedition.

    So to make things easier, we find ourselves seated around a table in a nearby inn, owned by one of the locals. The leader of our small group is a woman called Eugan. Then there are Shayna, Roculus, and Rat.

    Eugan is on the quieter side and has a sort of confident aura around her. She is a mage and seems to have a decent pool of Mana. She specializes in barriers and wide-range attacks. Out of all of us here, she has the most experience.

    Of course, she doesn''t share her level, subss, or the floor she¡¯s on. The identification emblem could be used that way, but without trust or a good reason, no one will do that.

    The next member of our group is Shayna, and she isn''t human. Her hair and eyes change color in sync with each other, and I''m currently in the process of discerning what color is for what emotion. However I suspect that she can hide and manipte it to her advantage, so I''m trying to be careful about making assumptions.

    There are small wings on her back too, and her race seems to match the description of Lily¡¯s disciple, whose name I¡¯ve already forgotten.Shayna can use a mental variation of a stun attack, and even that gets her a few surprised looks when she reveals it. Mental abilities seem to be rare in much the same way as healers.

    I wonder how these people would look at Sophie.

    Other than that, the winged woman is good at single-target disruption and doesn''t volunteer anything further.

    Roculus is a close-range fighter. He wears no armor and relies on his natural durability and regeneration. I even suspect that he might be putting less than 10% of his stats into mana.

    That makes me wonder how much it would show. Would he still be able to use skills? Are there skills that only need mana for the activation process, drawing on the body¡¯s reserves of energy to maintain their effects? There must be something to it, seeing how far the man had gotten.

    His preferred weapon is abination of dagger and mace, both weapons upper epic if I had to guess. Dagger, some kind of poison effect? I couldn''t examine them much after he started giving me annoyed looks. Asshole.

    Anyway, thest one is Rat. Just Rat. He is an older man who hasn''t said a word other than to introduce himself, and apparently, he¡¯s going to be our scout. He isn''t human either; both of his arms are too long, and his skin color is grayish. I bet his figure cuts an intimidating image in a dark alley.

    Rat can create¡­ well, rats out of some weird substance he produces. They¡¯re extremely quick, and he can use them to scout.

    I suspect he can do much more, but much like everyone else here, he doesn''t reveal much.

    Andstly, there is me, Noname. A kic energy bearer, which does get me a few curious look, but nothing more. Primordial energies seem to be rare, but not on the same level as a healer or a mind mage. It should garner just enough attention to make me interesting without inviting more pointed questions.

    How¡¯s that for a secret identity arc? Future Nathaniel is going to have a st with the setup I''m making here. Screw that weirdo too.

    So yeah, kic energy, a decent weapon as a cover should I need to use a bit of fire here and there, and a reliance on kic energy to strengthen my body. And just to seal the deal I pretend to have most of my points invested in my physical stats instead of revealing the degree to which I use kic energy for strengthening.

    And that''s all, I have no more information to offer this squad of mine.

    No one seems to want to talk much, Though Eugan tries to learn a bit more about our abilities and create a more cooperative atmosphere.

    ¡°Shayna, I really must insist that you only use your mental attacks on weaker opponents. It''s not worth using on anything on the stronger end of the scale. If we do end up in a situation like that, just go for single-target disruption,¡± Eugan pleads, gesturing impatiently at the stubborn woman.

    Shayna smiles and her eyes and hair change color to orange, then white and blue. ¡°I''m sure I know more about my abilities than you.¡±

    She¡¯s totally ying with us by changing the color of her eyes and hair. She¡¯d have to be crazy for her mood to swing so quickly.

    Of course, it could be a bit of both.

    ¡°You know what we¡¯re up against, and trust me, mental attacks are nearly useless until you¡¯re way over-leveled. So tell me, can you control them or make them attack each other?¡±

    ¡°As if I would have such a disgusting ability.¡±

    ¡°They seem rather useful, I would like a few myself,¡± Roculus says, smiling brightly as he sips on his third ss of some weird alcohol he¡¯s bought. Though I suppose It could just be poison. It sure smells bad enough.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°I don''t know how it is for you humans, but I despise abilities like that.¡± Shayna answers.

    ¡°Did someone give you a bit of?¡± Roculus asks, seeming curious.

    ¡°On the second floor, one of us had a skill that caught the interest of the mind mage emperor. We had to kill them after we got to the third floor, and he took a few of us with him when he died,¡± Her hair and eyes change color again, shing red before staying that way. This time I don''t think she is pretending.

    ¡°To your friends, may they rest in peace,¡± Roculus toasts, lifting his ss and knocking back the rest of his drink.

    Shayna smiles wryly in response and her hair settles, shifting to a pale yellow.

    ¡°And you, Roculus, have you had any trouble?¡± she asks.

    ¡°A bit, but such is life,¡± he smirks, a hint of cruelty revealing itself in his expression.

    I wonder if he was the cause.

    ¡°Are any of you Champion candidates? Eugan? Roculus? Rat? What about you, Noname you said?¡± Shayna asks, looking around.

    ¡°You can be a Candidate in the tutorial?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Maaaan,¡± Roculusughs loudly.

    Shayna frowns, ¡°If you¡¯re talented enough and recognized by a Champion. You¡¯ve heard of Champions, right?¡± she teases.

    ¡°Who didn''t, but I would have thought you¡¯d need a real Champion, not someone from the tutorial, to make the deration,¡± I say,ying back and taking a sip of my drink while returning their gaze.

    ¡°Apparently, you don''t. It''s rare, but you can be dered one. Hey Eugan, you¡¯ve been here the longest, how many of the attendees in Beyond are Candidates as well?¡± Shayna asks, her eyes and hair turning pink.

    Roculus and Rat also turn towards our leader.

    She seems to think for a bit before answering, ¡°Here in the starting outposts I would say 5-10%, the further you get the bigger that percentage is.¡±

    ¡°I heard you need level 400 to be a Champion,¡± I lie.

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Shayna shouts, erupting in a fit of giggles and shaking her head, ¡°It''s probably closer to 450 or 500. You¡¯re not very well informed.¡±

    I shrug, ¡°My group leader usually takes care of those things, I just fight. He also said you get a Primary ss upgrade at level 250.¡±

    This time Roculus joins with an even louderugh, ¡°He¡¯s bullshitting you, man, listen, and this is for free. Body upgrade at 250 and I heard from an older Beyonder that you get a Primary ss upgrade at 300.¡±

    I nod and make a thankful gesture, ¡°Yeah, my leader could be lying. Not like I like him very much anyway. His name is Savant so if you meet him here in Beyond avoid him. He¡¯s a notorious coward too and tends to run away when things get even slightly dangerous.¡±

    Satisfied with the conversation thus far, I take another sip.

    Indeed, the best way to make people talk is to say something stupid and watch as they jump at the opportunity to correct you.

    ¡°So should we take that to mean you¡¯re all brawn and no brain, Noname?¡± Eugan asks, nodding at my ax, ¡°mebearer, kic energy, some kind of regeneration trait or passive more likely than not, looking at how nicely your legs areing in, and what seems like a decent mastery of mana.¡±

    Hmm, maybe I did show too much?

    ¡°I find internal maniption of abilities easiest, so strengthening it is. Are we sharing our abilities now? Can I ask you to tell us more about yours, Eugan?¡± I reply, staring her down.

    Roculus, Shayna, and even Rat turn to her, curious, at which point the woman smiles and lifts her hands in a cating gesture.

    ¡°I just got curious. Of course, you don''t have to answer if you don''t want to.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± I nod and let them get into the conversation again. The same as me, Rat sits there and observes the others. And unlike me, he hasn¡¯t said a single word, he¡¯s just sitting there watching, unblinking, and sniffing at the air.

    What a creepy guy.

    An hourter and everyone goes their own way, our next meeting being scheduled a few hours before the expedition itself. And as I leave they also give me a pamphlet with some useful information.

    The location of the entrance to the 1st floor of the dungeon, our meeting time, and a list of rmended supplies.

    Interestingly, one of those rmendations is an item to preserve food and water against the influence of the floor itself. The items in question apparentlye in a range of forms, a bag, assorted packing materials, and more besides.

    Apparently, the floor has an aura that makes food spoil faster while fouling any poorly stored water, rendering both toxic, even for superhumans like us.

    Of course, these protective items have to be bought.

    I also get a contract, a piece of paper with a stamp that glows in a pale blue color to check before signing.

    Contracts, apparently, can be written on nearly any material, while stamps can be bought from a specialized institution for the purpose of confirming said contract.

    Once applied, the stamp ensures that the contract is recognized by Beyond''s system. That means if one side decides to vite the contract, there will be consequences. And it seems like there¡¯s a group of Enforcers for the sole purpose of doling out said consequences.

    There are also different tiers of stamps and the highest one ensures that the contract is upheld by the System itself or its Handlers, who are the top dogs here. Most of the Handlers themselves are located in outposts deep within the dungeon.

    Each new piece of information makes my cold heart beat with excitement.

    My handler mentioned something about adventure and fun, and I agree with her. When I think about it, I realize, This ce isn''t really all that different from the floors, but there is one huge difference.

    Everyone here is real.

    It''s a new kind of fun for me, and it helps that I can actually enjoy it without walling off my emotions. But I also prepare in the back of my mind. As far as I can tell currently, we neers might well find ourselves as pawns to be sacrificed in an effort to preserve the core group.

    Eugan did strike me as the type, and I did notice her putting some sort of mark on each of us with an item when she thought we weren¡¯t looking.

    So far, I haven¡¯t removed it, opting instead to examine it. It seems to have three functions: something like a locator, a single pulse of disruption directed at me, and a single use pulse of mana into my surroundings. Probably a means of drawing attention to me while they run.

    It doesn¡¯t contain much mana, so each function is restricted to a single use and only one of them can be activated without reapplying. It''s amusing, but I¡¯m disappointed that the others didn''t seem to notice.

    Or maybe they did and decided to stay quiet.

    Well, in the end, even if they are real, it doesn''t matter. I will treat them the same way they treat me, and if they decide to betray me or use me, I might add some extra.

 Chapter 417: Important. Consequential.

    Chapter 417: Important. Consequential.

    I take full advantage of my remaining time hereby pestering every crafter I meet for as much free information as I can get.

    My D-rank Obsidian ck identification emblem may not be worthy of note, but having a damaged arcane ax helps. Some of the crafters definitely seem to be intrigued by it.

    I also have the mana stones with Lissandra¡¯s three mana exercises, her improvements on mana cycling, and a Restrictive Training Emblem. I''m sure they are worth a lot.

    Like, a lot a lot.

    So they stay as hidden as possible. Otherwise, I''m sure I would find an ¡°ident¡±ing my way. The same goes for the arcane-grade alloy Nevan left me with.

    That''s why I¡¯m only using the ax, and even that seems to be pushing the bounds of whatever unspoken rules guide this ce, at some point I just be a newbie with some cool stuff worth enough to justify the consequences.

    These unspoken rules seem to be the only reason this ce isn¡¯tpletelywless. However, I fully expect this to change from outpost to outpost, especially in the dungeon. There, you can find better facilities and stuff, but it''s also more dangerous, and the guilds made most of the rules.

    Of course, if you were to kill an attendee, you¡¯d risk angering their handler. Handlers often saw their ¡°person¡± as an investment. A talent they intended to grow. There was apparently a whole field of politics around the rtionships between handlers, the forming of contracts, the trading of talent, and more besides. It''s like we¡¯re football stars and our handlers are ying the role of managers while the guilds act as their personal football teams.

    Some of the higher-ranked attendees even get contracts from guilds and receive monthly or yearly sries. The higher ranking guilds can even double the duration of your stay tokens. And if one did well they could even gain ess to their facilities, contacts, and information.There is so much, and I¡¯m only scratching the surface.

    Clearing my mind, I turn my attention back to the man who¡¯s examining my mebearer.

    ¡°I can''t fix it.¡± He says, shaking his head.

    ¡°Yeah, I expected that.¡±

    ¡°Listen here, you brat, it''s not¡­¡±

    I quickly interrupt him, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, I didn''t mean it that way. It''s just that I know how difficult it is to work with these items, and after months of trying, I didn''t expect it to be as simple as finding someone on the entrance floor to help.¡±

    His eyes squint, but in the end, he epts my exnation.

    Damn, dealing with people sure is difficult. Tess, please help.

    ¡°Got it, so what do you want?¡±

    ¡°I got curious if it would be possible to change its shape. I would prefer a sword or maybe a javelin over the current one.¡±

    That makes himugh, and he returns the ax, the fires of his smithy burning behind him.

    ¡°What you want would be more work than just fixing the weapon. You would need to redo everything while adapting it to the new shape. In the end, you would only recycle the material the ax is made of, and everything else would be new.¡±

    I tilt my head in surprise, ¡°What if I melted the weapon just enough to change its shape while removing the damaged parts and repositioning the working ones?¡±

    ¡°Do you even realize how crazy something like that would be? With an arcane weapon? You could end up dropping the rarity, you could ruin the inscriptions, you could screw up the weapon¡¯s bnce. Not to mention the level of heat you would need to melt a weapon of this grade while retaining enough raw power to work the inscriptions and the skills to do so.¡±

    ¡°So it would be possible?¡±

    ¡°Did you hear anything I just said?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    He sighs but thinks of it, ¡°You would need someone with a fragment of eternal fire, primordial thermal energy of high level, or a high-tier fire skill, over level 60 most likely. Then someone who could work on the weapon in all that heat or a way to iste it. It would take a lot of mana just to keep the inscriptions from melting much less to be able to work with them; an inscriber would be able to tell you more.¡±

    ¡°If you seeded in all that, could you repair the weapon and revert it to its arcane status?¡±

    ¡°Probably? It could end up a weaker arcane than it was before. It''s currently low tier but it¡¯s pushing mid arcane - without damage, of course. Decreasing its size and reforging it could leave it on the weaker end of low arcane or drop it as far as strong upper epic.¡±

    I hand him the ax as he gestures to request another look, and ask, ¡°How about adding some additional inscriptions or some other metals to improve on it or add another function?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm,¡± he murmurs, flicking the de with his fingernail and seems to think for a moment. ¡°That could work, but it would increase the difficulty even further. I''m sure there are people capable of doing so, deep in the dungeon, but they would want so much money it would be easier just to buy a new weapon.¡±

    This cksmith in front of me is one of the locals, probably one of the best in the outpost. It''s amusing to watch the excitement blossom in his eyes whenever he gets the opportunity to talk about his thoughts on the subject.

    ¡°Weapons don''t matter much. It''s not like you get the opportunity to work on an arcane item all that often, and the things you could learn would help a lot more than the item itself,¡± I say.

    And I mean it. Even as I am now, I can buy the cheapest arcane items, and if I were to wait a bit longer and save my funds until I had around 150 thousand, I could buy an arcane weapon of low grade that could be probablyparable to mebearer. A bit longer, and somewhere around 200k, you can buy low arcane weapons that would be equal to or stronger than mebearer when it wasn''t damaged.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The prices are just crazy like that.

    Even so, I think of this damaged arcane ax as an opportunity for me to learn and improve. It''s a fun side project I could work on and maybe, sometime in the future, I¡¯ll be able to use the alloy left to me, and inbination with mebearer, create something of a mid arcane rarity. And sell it. If it were my own work, I would get 50% of its system shop value instead of getting the 10-20% I do for the items I find on the floors.

    And that would mean a lot of cool stuff for me. Mid arcane weapons in the system move around 300-500 thousand shards, with upper arcane being from 500 thousand up to a million shards.

    However, in the end, I still strongly prefer to buy passives, and my current goal is to grow my shards again to buy one. I could even try to make some shards here in Beyond.

    There is no system-managed shop for me to sell through as I did during the tournament, but there are shops I could sell to, and interestingly, there are auction houses. There¡¯s a whole economy at work down here.

    The smith nods at that and breaks into a smile, ¡°Maybe I judged you too harshly, young man. I''m willing to pay 25 thousand shards for that damaged arcane weapon.¡±

    ¡°No, thank you.¡±

    ¡°What is a few thousand shards among people like us? 26 thousand.¡±

    ¡°I have to go now,¡± I say, quickly leaving and ignoring the pleas of the man behind me, as I turn my mind to other things.

    I still have a few more hours, and my legs have regrown, so that''s good. At this point, I don''t bother looking for shoes and instead find myself a dark alley where I can sit for a moment. Lifting my sleeves, I start painting on my skin with mana conductive paint I bought. It might be a good idea to go fully prepared like that. I also have a small mana orb inside my body that I''ve been feeding with my mana for the past day.

    It is not as good as the crown, but it''s the second-best option without bringing undue attention to me. Besides, I¡¯ve begun to find a kind of beauty in the way others seem to underestimate me without giving me a second look.

    I prepare my mind. I know I will probably be forced to kill or use those who n to betray me. This time they won''t be fakes, shadows of people, destined to die when the floor ends. No, they will be real people. Attendees from their own tutorials with their own hopes and goals for the future.

    Even so, it doesn''t matter. I have goals and hopes of my own, and mine are more important than theirs, for me at least. My sister, my mother on Earth left to endure 5 years of Earth''s awakening and who knows what kind of changes brought about by the system.

    Then there is also that group of mine.

    I want to live, I want to master my abilities, I want to explore what the system has to offer. I want to see how high I can climb before my pride crumbles and my body turns breaks.

    So as much as I''m trying to change bit by bit, I won''t hesitate if anyone tries to abuse me.

    Out of curiosity and because I don''t have much more time left, I seek out the anchor I left on Duncan.

    Locals, the descendants of people who got into Beyond. The most talented members of their tutorials - rounds of people chosen from millions, billions of people on the. Do their efforts leave a mark on their descendants? Are the locals more talented than normal people?

    So far, from most of what I''ve seen, they don''t seem all that strong, at least not here. But I know you can hire them for expeditions to the dungeons. As guild attendants mainly, but sometimes they will help you.

    I don''t think it''s that simple though, and they probablye at a high price. But unlike those of us from the tutorial, the locals could spend tens, hundreds of years in Beyond. The amount of information they¡¯ve collected in all that time cannot be underestimated, and neither can their value.

    That''s what makes me so curious about them.

    Duncan is a year or two younger than me, at least that¡¯s how he looks and feels, and upon reaching his anchor, I hide my presence as much as possible.

    It''s in the poorer-looking part of the outpost, even though it''s still nice.

    I train, shaping the mana inside my body, as I watch the timer tick down and observe the locals and attendees rushing about on their business. This time, I''m trying to count each of the different races I see while waiting to see if Duncan will leave the house he just entered.

    When I count over 20 races, I stop.

    There seem to be a lot of humans and other races with weird eyes, oddly colored skin, or any number of other small changes. Then there are the lynthari who have a pretty decent representation. There aren¡¯t many demons, though each one feels more dangerous than the average attendee. Each has red eyes and horns.

    The time we arranged for our meeting is growing close, and I nce at my feet and I wiggle my toes. Some time ago, I joked that I had probably lost enough limbs for Lily to build a Nathaniel or two. The thought of that is still as amusing as it is scary.

    The flesh is weak, embrace the sanctity of blessed mana, Is that how it goes?

    I lift my fingers and touch my lips, noticing the corner of my mouth twitch into the barest hint of a smile.

    I¡¯ve been having a lot of funtely, haven¡¯t I? As dangerous and dirty as this all feels sometimes, it also feels so beautifully real. Important. Consequential. I make mistakes, and I have to deal with them.

    I do not regret making these mistakes. Because every time I correct one, there is that clear feeling of progression.

    It''s hard to properly exin. At least it is for me. But that''s what makes it fun, the slow process of discovery.

    The door of the house finally opens, and Duncan steps out, still chewing his food. His huge bag rests on his back, and he smiles brightly, turning back to the people inside the room.

    There is a boy and a girl, both children about the same age as Isabe and Vega. Each wearing a clean set of hand-me-down clothes. There is a clear resemnce in the cast of their faces which all but confirms their status as siblings.

    The way they look up to him reminds me of something.

    Duncan says something, and with a serious nod, the kids close the door, and Duncan checks to make sure it''s locked. Only then does he rush away.

    I observe that house for a while and then, with a sigh, ce an anchor inside, the house bare of protections against it.

    Inside, the house is clean but mostly empty. Sending my senses through it, I avoid the children who are upstairs and seek out the kitchen.

    The fridge-like appliance is broken, and there is just enough food for a few days. The water tank is running low as well and getting close to kicking the bucket, as is the stove whose mana stone might explode soon if not handled carefully. It''s so simple to fix, it''s not even a bother.

    Quickly, within a few seconds, I find each non-working appliance and fix it, putting all of the food I have on me in the fridge and refilling the water tank with water from my vial.

    I know how expensive the food and water are here in Beyond, and Duncan, even though he¡¯s earning some shards, seems to need them for something else. After all, I can''t sense the items I bought for him anywhere in the entire house.

    Everyone has their problems, I guess, and he said as much, and it''s not like I need food or water. I¡¯ll be leaving Beyond soon, and I canst a day or two without it. It would just be too annoying to carry it all with me.

    Teleporting away, I make my way to our meeting spot.

 Chapter 418: So thatâ€™s how it is

    Chapter 418: So that¡¯s how it is

    Eugan leads Shayna, Roculus, Rat and I to the side. Most of the expedition has already arrived, we¡¯ve gathered in a small clearing speckled with trees near the edge of the outpost. A short distance from the path leading to the entrance of the first floor.

    ¡°Have you checked your contracts?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Yes, I have a question." Roculus says. "What the fuck does ¡®Loot will be split ording to performance¡¯ mean?¡±.

    ¡°It means what it says. When everything¡¯s said and done, we¡¯ll sit down and split everything. If you¡¯re worried about the core group taking everything, it shouldn¡¯t be possible, given that there are twice as many neers. That¡¯s why thenguage is so open.¡±

    ¡°What if some jackass thinks he did better than he actually did?¡±

    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll put it to a vote. If that doesn¡¯t work, we can elect a mediator. Someone we will all trust. Worst case, we sell it all and split the shards evenly.¡±

    Roculus still doesn¡¯t seem to be satisfied, but he stays quiet.

    ¡°The other contracts I¡¯ve seen usually had more details, this one¡¯s kinda vague,¡± Shayna mentions. ¡°It just says that we split the rewards, we¡¯re not allowed to attack each other, and that the main objective is to reach the first safe zone on the 1st floor as quickly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a simple contract. But plenty of expeditions make do without contracts at all, so this is just a bit of insurance on our part.¡±¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡±

    Rat and I remain silent, and I can¡¯t help but think. This smells.

    Well, at least I have plenty of mana stored away and a few surprises I could use.

    I read over the contract a few times myself, but our only true assurance is the section prohibiting direct attack. With this level of contract, only an enforcer could even try to impose sanctions. But that would mean nothing if no one survived to report the breach of contact.

    That piece clearly helps the core 7, who know and trust each other. If even one of them survived, they would try to inform the enforcers, which would probably lead to an investigation. If that¡¯s even how it works.

    As far as I can tell such a thing would be almost beneath the attention of the higher-ups and handlers. The system doesn¡¯t hold hands, so it¡¯s unlikely that anyone else would do anything either. They would probably justugh. My handler would be among the first, I bet. I need to find out if I can get a new handler. The current one seems to be the type to throw people into theke, just to see if they drown or learn to swim.

    I observe as Shayna signs her contract, and then do the same. My identification emblem activates for a moment, and I put my thumbprint on the paper when the circle appears.

    Then, in ordance with the conditions of the contract, enforcement doesn¡¯t begin until all twenty people sign it. There is no change or effect on me, but I take it as my introduction to contracts. Such a low-levelpact won¡¯t do much and could be easily abused, but the higher-level ones will certainly be more interesting.

    Everyone gets ready, and finally, the leader of our small expedition steps up. And engraved on his right arm is a Ivory White C rank emblem, on prominent disy.

    ¡°As we said before, our goal is to reach the safe zone as quickly as possible. My group has been there before, so listen to the instructions of your sub-leader, it will be their job to help you with anything outside the scope of the information we¡¯ve already given you. We will be staggering our departure to avoid bringing undue attention to the group as a whole. Should anything happen, your subleader will contact me through ourmunication channel, and we will decide our next step from there.¡±

    He is looking around. The armor he is wearing looks old, and battered, but it still reeks of quality. Considering the fact that he¡¯s held on to it even in that state, it''s probably very good. His weapon is a simple-looking spear made out of a single piece of crystal, with blue mana swirling inside, likely fed by his own reserves.

    It looks like it may be as much a mana battery as a weapon.

    ¡°Noname,¡± Eugan interrupts my observation.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask back.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be relying on you to keep enemies away so Shaya and I can do our stuff.¡±

    ¡°Not Roculus?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine, but he looks like the type to run after his opponents. You seem more reasonable.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    The leader continues with his small speech, making sure everyone sees his rank, so instead of listening, I turn to Eugan. The woman is quietly listening and seems to be talking to someone I can¡¯t hear. Probably through themunication channel for the core group.

    It reminds me of Sophie and the twins, and I know how useful it can be.

    Just for fun, I try to read the conversation from her lips but give up just as quickly and wait in silence.

    Finally, the big group splits into four, and we start heading for the entrance. As we discussed, the groups enter 5 minutes apart, with our group goingst.

    When our turnes, I stop in front of the entrance to the first dungeon.

    It¡¯s two pirs carved into the stone, with a simple door made of wood between them.

    There is a pathway leading to the door, made out of worn cobblestone with bits of grass growing through the cracks. There are also lights on the walls, providing just enough illumination to cast a myriad of creepy shadows.

    As we approach, the door opens on its own with a loud creak and admits us to the first floor.

    As we step through we find ourselves in a sickly-looking area, full of fallen trees, dried-up grass, water so stagnant that it may as well just be poison, and a few old buildings made of crumbling stone bricks.

    There are craters and other signs of damage everywhere we look. Mountains stripped of material, sprawling fields pocked with craters, and the drooping edges of melted buildings, with their stone facades crumbling to dust.

    And just to cap everything off, I look up to find myself staring at a ceiling. A great overhanging rock face, not unlike the walls of the cave, exactly the same as the entrance. The first dungeon floors aren¡¯t their instances like the floors of Hell difficulty.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    No, here you go underground. Deeper and deeper with each floor in an effort to reach whatever awaits us at the bottom. Whatever brought the first dungeon into existence for the Rulers to build Beyond over it.

    I follow the others, and we pass through the entrance. When I look back, it¡¯s gone, leaving us adrift in this ce.

    <strong>Wee to the 1st floor of the First Dungeon!</strong>

    <strong>You may exit the 1st floor in designated safe zones spread across the floor. After reaching a safe zone, you will be able to use the array to teleport there from the Entrance Floor.</strong>

    <strong>1st floor quest:</strong><em>???</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>7-day Stay Token</em>

    <em>???</em>

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Eugan says decisively and starts running, leaving the rest of us to follow. ¡°Rat, start scouting, please.¡±

    The creepy gray man does as requested and a dozen rats made out of an unidentified ck substance pour into the area, scouting every nook and cranny.

    We¡¯re barely a minute into the dungeon when Rat decides to speak for the first time, ¡°Two presences to our right. Not very strong.¡±

    His voice is raspy and quiet. And going by Shayna¡¯s expression, I can only assume it¡¯s unusual to encounter enemies so quickly after entering.

    ¡°We shouldn''t be meeting any so soon. Roculus, block them for a moment! I need to connect with the main group!¡± Eugan shouts, confirming the abnormality of the situation, and I can sense hermunicating with the others.

    Without skipping a beat, Roculus heads towards the approaching enemies, jumping over a deep crater to cut off any attackers trying to reach our backline.

    I move to the front as well, holding back a bit as we nned. And just a few secondster, the presences appear before us.

    Two men in matching armor. One wielding a sword, and the other a staff. Neither says anything.

    Well, they can¡¯t. They¡¯re dead.

    Their skin¡¯s a pale shade of white and has shriveled with age, while their eyes though clouded with decay, still shine with a strange form of intelligence. Their movements are twitchy and unnerving while still being decisive. They just don''t feel like living beings.

    <strong>[Reanimated Corpse - lvl ??]</strong>

    <strong>[Reanimated Corpse - lvl ??]</strong>

    This floor got its nickname Graveyard for a simple reason. If the locals or attendees die here, they will be forever condemned to attack future expeditions, respawning in an endless cycle of undeath.

    ¡°Description doesn¡¯t fit any known named ones,¡± Eugan hisses, while I notice hermunicating with someone else through their link. She is also doing something with the marks she left on us.

    Roculus attacks the corpses, mace, and dagger in hand. He moves quite a bit quicker than I would expect, propelling himself forward with small explosions of mana from his feet.

    The corpse with the staff lights it up, sending a stream of lightning streaming after Roculus and tracking his movements, while he avoids it nheless. The other corpse charges the man, sword in hand and coated in resonating mana. The warrior and Roculus sh, and when the mage tries to join, abined attack from Eugan and Shayna collides with him. A barrage of projectiles and a disrupting wave from Shayna.

    Attention now turned to us, the mage disappears, mes zing into existence at our backline, allowing him to step forth from the congration.

    I let kic energy burst through my body, and the earth cracks under my feet as I reach the mage before he can even attack.

    He quickly turns his attention to me, his zing staff swinging around to meet my ax.

    mebearer starts devouring his mes, as I jump back with a burst of kic energy, the warrior striking the ce I once stood.

    Roculus crashes into the wall of an old stone building, having been thrown by the warrior just before it attacked me. It happens too easily, and Roculus should be able to hold on a bit longer.

    So that¡¯s how it is.

    I dodge the warrior¡¯s next swing and block a burst of mes with my ax, the mes burning the side of my arm when I refuse to absorb them fully, the ax moving to block another sword strike. Boosting myself a few more times, I dodge another attack. Mana covering the sword changes its length and oscites. As I dodge, the monster follows its strike with a kick which connects with my chest.

    It¡¯s at this point that the fire mage lifts his staff, waves of heat pouring into the area, scorching the air and igniting the dried wood of his weapon.

    There are fewer of us facing the corpses than there were a moment ago.

    Roculus and Eugan are both gone, having used some sort of teleportation, Rat is running somewhere into the distance, and Shayna stands confused, frantically looking around.

    I see her gaze tick between the corpses and me, as she curses, quicklying to a decision. A wave of her mental attack disrupts the fire mage''s skill.

    The warrior charges her immediately, and Shayna flies into the air, her small wings creating an odd effect that supports her weight. Even so, the warrior bends his knees and jumps, shooting up like a bullet.

    With a sigh, I strengthen my body and throw the ax at the mage, boosting it with kic energy. The ax hits him in the chest, sending him flying in a burst of mes.

    There is no notification about the kill.

    I activate the anchor I left on Shayna and others just in case and teleport in front of her, right into the attacking warrior.

    Quickly creating a sword made of mana, I coat it in <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, our des meeting as my sword cuts through his.

    A high-pitched sound and a st of kic energy sends the corpse crashing into the ground, his limbs breaking and bending as he collides with the unforgiving stone.

    I send another weaker burst at Shayna, moving her away, and a ze of fire attacks crashes through the space she upied.

    She reacts quickly, forming a barrier around herself, her attention turning to the fire mage.

    I lift my hand, and using <strong>[Tether]</strong>, mebearer flies back into my hand, pulled by the anchor I ced on it as I boost myself downwards, following the warrior and cleaving into his forearm.

    His body is already healed, the broken limbs fixed. Most likely a skill he possessed when he was alive. All the mana he was releasing up until now is gone, glowing white tattoos blooming across his shriveled skin, and his dead eyes beginning to glow white.

    The first attack crashes into my chest, most of it absorbed and turned into mana, but even then it¡¯s enough to send me staggering. Another one aims to kick my legs out from under me, adding more mana to my reservoir as I stumble. The third one collides with my face, repeating the process.

    Blunt attacks of this level won¡¯t work against me, I guess, and hees to the same conclusion.

    As quick and strong as he is, he extends three fingers of his hand into something resembling a de and tries to stab me. Smart.

    A st of kic energy sends him staggering before he can reach me, and then I strengthen my body with it and thrust at him with my sword, extending the de of mana and easily piercing into his chest, It¡¯s path eased by the resonating mana coating the surface.

    With a kick, he breaks my de to my sheer surprise, and grabbing a piece of it, he tries to jam it into my eyes. Just in time, I make it disappear, dispersing it into a field of particles. His fist hits my head instead.

    He then grabs my hand and tries to pull me into a stranglehold and take advantage of his strength, but I send a disrupting wave through his body, giving it a big thump. It''s much more difficult than I expected though, given that the people here tend to have good defenses against disruption. But I push through with an overwhelming flood of mana, and by activating my eyes for the slightest of moments.

    The tattoos deactivate, and before he can do anything else, I pull him closer, and crack the side of his head with a swing of my elbow, sending him to the ground.

    He tries to stand up and reactivate his mana, but another disrupting wave hits him. A javelin with a t head pins him to the ground until I step on his head, sttering it, as the corpse finally stops moving.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 278]</strong>

 Chapter 419: Lurkers

    Chapter 419: Lurkers

    Using my anchor once again, I teleport back over to Shayna, who¡¯s standing, rooted in ce and breathless, feet nted on the ground. She cradles her scorched limb, as her barriers flicker around her.

    She¡¯spletely focused on warding off her opponent''s mes, precisely timing waves of disruptive mana towards that end. The mes explode lighting up the space around them and turning the battlefield into a scorched hellscape.

    I stop myself from helping and watch as the reanimated corpse of an attendee pulls all these mes towards him,pressing them into an orb as big as my fingernail, making it float over the staff.

    Shayna curses, but she doesn¡¯t give up. Her hair and eyes taking on a pure white sheen.

    Just for the shortest moment, the fire mage nks out, just before heunches his attack, and Shayna pushes through her limits, subjecting the orb to a massive wave of disruption. Though on second thought it may be something a bit different. The orb destabilizes, and the mage, upon recovering his senses, tries to pull it back under his control, as the heat starts to burn his skin and the trees around him begin to crumble into heaps of ash.

    The hand holding the staff burns, melting until only the bones remain, clinging to the staff in their tenacity, and finally, the orb expands more, clearly about to explode, as the mage casts it aside.

    It¡¯s at that point that the ming orb explodes, etching a ss crater the size of a house into the hill nearby, the edges glowing red with the heat.

    Before the mage can repeat his attack, Shaynaunches a projectile that buries itself in his head. Even I have trouble sensing this new attack. It''s extremely fast, quiet, and even manages to pierce through the barrier and heat around the fire mage.

    Finally, Shayna falls to her knees, turning her head to me, ¡°Fuck, you could have helped.¡±¡°I wanted to see how you would fight,¡± I reply.

    Boosting my body, I reach the corpse and quickly go through the pockets, not finding anything useful. So I just grab the staff.

    <strong>Emberme Staff (Upper Epic)</strong>: <em>Crafted from volcanic ss, the staff ignites producing a fierce congration. By channeling mana through this staff, one may unleash a barrage of mes to devastate the battlefield. The Emberme Staff also enhances fire abilities, making them more potent and all consuming.</em>

    Not bad.

    Blowing off the corpse of the fire mage, I move back to Shayna.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that be mine?¡± she asks, her hair and eyes turning ck with bits of white.

    ¡°Think of it as payment for saving your life,¡± I say.

    ¡°Fucking hell, just take it. We¡¯re dead anyway. We¡¯re never going to reach the safe zone by ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think they did it?¡± I ask, wanting to hear her opinion despite my own theories.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Roculus was part of the core group, he was just pretending to be one of us. They¡¯ve probably nted more people like him in the other groups.¡±

    ¡°And Rat?¡±

    ¡°He just ran away, and we should too before more lurkerse. It¡¯s probably toote already.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, continue.¡±

    ¡°We should¡­¡±

    ¡°I said continue.¡±

    She looks up at me, and a bit more white appears in her hair.

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, they were either after our items or using us as bait to lure away lurkers. The more lurkers you kill, the more others are attracted to you. I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯t leave any marks behind. There are frequencies of mana that attract lurkers.¡±

    ¡°Oh, they did. Eugan left a mark on each of us. I just removed yours and blocked mine. I think she activated Rat¡¯s, so he might be in trouble.¡±

    I still have a mark on me and I have fun watching Eugan¡¯s constant attempts to activate it. So they did it to avoid killing lurkers while forcing us to kill them instead¡­ which draws more lurkers to us?

    While Shayna watches with a nk expression, I coat the tip of my finger with resonating mana and cut into my belly, pulling out the mana orb I¡¯ve been feeding all this time. As the wound starts slowly closing, I look at the orb and the amount of mana contained within.

    It should be enough.

    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± I tell her.

    I use another of my anchors, this time the one I left on Roculus. The man is not good with detection, so he¡¯ll be a safer choice than Eugan.

    Teleporting through, I appear next to the two of them, both of them turned to me with weapons already in their hands.

    Of course, they noticed the activation.

    The orb in my hand starts shining with blindingly white light as I throw it to the ground, before pushing through Eugan¡¯s attempts at disrupting my escape and teleport back to Shayna.

    Even where we stand, I feel a strong pulse of mana ripples out from my exploding orb.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    Before Shayna can finish her question, I teleport again, returning to the scene of my attack and finding little more than rubble in the ce of the buildings that once popted the area, the shockwave throwing them all over the ce. The heat is still in the air.

    Roculus is a bit further away, crawling along and leaving a trail of blood behind him. Both of his legs are gone, and one of his arms is missing as well. Even so, they are regenerating fairly quickly, as is the missing half of his face.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    He spots me, emotion flickering in his eyes, ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­ I¡­¡±

    I lift my finger, and he stops talking. Then I send a probing wave of mana into the area and fail to find Eugan.

    Did she run away? Teleportation again?

    Looking around, I find and pick up the weapons Roculus had, a mace and a dagger.

    <strong>Serpent¡¯s Fang (Upper Epic)</strong>: <em>Forged from the fangs of an ancient serpent, this dagger¡¯s de is perpetually coated with a venom that induces severe hallucinations. The Serpent¡¯s Fang also allows the wielder tounch the dagger at distant foes, releasing a toxic mist upon impact with the potential to affect multiple enemies.</em>

    The mace seems to be heavily damaged. Did he use it to block the attack?

    <strong>Impact Mace (Upper Epic, Damaged)</strong>: <em>Designed for delivering punishing strikes with precision. The Impact Mace features a bnced design that allows for swift, powerful swings. Each hit generates a localized shockwave.</em>

    ¡°You cheap fucker, attacking like that,¡± Roculus hisses.

    Turning around, I see him standing, his limbs regrown and body healed. Even so, it must have taken a toll on him, especially after blocking my previous attack. I''m still surprised he was able to survive it; the power contained in that orb would have even given Gareth trouble. The ruins left behind after the explosion confirm that.

    Still, Roculus charges me, muscles bulging through his skin as a skin tight barrier forms around his body.

    The anchor I left on him while he was regenerating activates as I send a big part of my stored kic energy through, and both of his legs explode again as he falls to the ground.

    With a hateful expression, he stands up, not hesitating to run on the ragged remains of his shattered limbs.

    I modify my attack a bit and st him away with kic energy, the area around us clearing from debris and some mes dying off.

    Then I track Eugan¡¯s position through the mark she left on me as she struggles to activate it, and when I focus my senses in that direction, I feel fighting going on there as well, most likely lurkers that found the group. The waves of mana radiating from the area seeming to confirm it.

    With great interest I watch as the mark on Roculus activates, the same one Eugan put on me. It vibrates with a frequency of mana that I find unusual to grasp and spreads into the surrounding area.

    Roculus seems to sense it as well as he stops, his face turning pale white.

    Multiple presences approach from the area where Eugan and her group were fighting, seeking the source of the strange frequency.

    Couldn''t she put it on the ground or an item? Does it need to be applied to a living being to work?

    ¡°N-no,¡± Roculus whispers.

    Waving to him, I activate my anchor and teleport away. I immediately cleanse the remaining mana in the area and turn to Shayna.

    ¡°How much if I help you to survive?¡± I ask.

    She quickly grasps it, and it takes only a moment, ¡°15 thousand shards.¡±

    ¡°Twenty.¡±

    A few more seconds of her gaze.

    ¡°Fine,¡± she says, finally giving in.

    Maybe I should ask for more, but even though she has been in Beyond longer than me, I don¡¯t think she would have much more.

    <strong>Iing transfer of 20,000 shards. Confirm?</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    I confirm.

    <strong>Shards: </strong><em>148,648</em>

    ¡°Let¡¯s go this way,¡± I say, choosing a direction.

    Rat is to our right, Roculus and the group to our left, so it¡¯s probably better to avoid them both.

    With both of them grabbing the attention of lurkers, it might even work better than with the group before. The question is, for how long.

    Seeing Shayna moving slowly, I walk over and pull her into my arms before continuing down the chosen path, using kic energy to boost our speed along the way. At the same time, I create a field around us to camouge our position. I also keep an eye on Shayna. It would be unfortunate if she tried to attack me and I died just like that.

    Lurkers may be the true danger of the 1st floor, but they probably aren¡¯t the original danger. I know that much from the information I¡¯ve managed to collect.

    The first floor is special. If you die here, your body will be revived and controlled by something that¡¯s constantly seeking out attendees to kill.

    If you die as a lurker, it will usually take around 1 year for you to respawn, along with your items.

    From one point of view, it could be abused as a constant farm of equipment. But someone powerful enough to do so probably wouldn¡¯t have a need for these kinds of items. Beginner attendees usually have upper epic items at most, very rarely do they even have a damaged arcane.

    The danger here is also huge. The problem is the so-called named ones. Lurkers of powerful attendees who died here through some form of fuckery. Either murdered by their guild or party, perhaps even through a mistake on their part. People who reached the deeper floors of the dungeon but decided to return to the 1st floor for some reason.

    There are a few dozen named ones on the first floor who keep respawning even if they get killed, most of them receiving nicknames like Rookie Killer, Whitey, Specter, Sly Fox, and that¡¯s only the beginning.

    My problem at the moment is all the lurkers moving around at the moment, each one representing a person capable of clearing Beyond¡¯s trials. And the fact that their corpses retain most of their abilities.

    Then there is also our group who never so much as hesitated to kill. Everything they did reeks of desperation, and that makes me wonder what their real objective is.

    Sure, I nearly killed Roculus, but that wasrgely through trickery. If we fought one versus one, it would be a much more difficult fight. And if I had to fight Eugan as well, it would have been even worse. Sure, I¡¯m still sure I would probably be able to win or run away, but it¡¯s risky.

    Even then, I don¡¯t put them on the level of Savant, Tacita, Lily, or Tess. So far, I¡¯m sure each of them has more potential.

    Good. Go Earth go.

    <strong>[You have defeated Blood Ravager - lvl 279]</strong>

    It''s surprising Roculus was able to hold on for so long. The presences moving towards him were powerful. He was quite strong after all.

    Well, rest in peace, Roculus. It¡¯s a shame I couldn¡¯t get any shards off you.

    A bitter and much further we find Rat, or what remains of him at least. Only half his head is intact, its dead eye staring at the stone ceiling of this ce.

    Just like that.

    Killed by who knows what, deep underground in a ce so infinitely distant from his home.

    One of the chosen from his entire poption. Someone talented enough to be the top of their First Generation. Nothing but a chunk of skull and flesh with nothing to show for it. No amazingst stand for the world to witness, no great goals. Condemned to a fate of being used and hunted down as he did everything in his power to survive.

    There¡¯s a strange feeling of mncholy to it.

    Pushing it to the back of my mind, I boost my body with even more kic energy and continue to run with Shayna in my arms. I modify our course and rely on the woman in my arms who apparently memorized our map better than I.

    And as I do so I check my timer, finding that I still have more than 20 hours remaining on my Stay Token.

 Chapter 420: We donâ€™t want to go there

    Chapter 420: We don¡¯t want to go there

    The first floor thus far has failed to present any greater danger than the lurkers.

    Sure, the gravity here is much stronger than it was on any of the floors in Hell difficulty, requiring the constant expenditure of kic energy from me. Higher physical stats could probably deal with it easily enough, but that would mean less mana.

    We can''t have that.

    I¡¯ve also noticed a sensation that I recognize from the surface, there is also a pull on my mana, trying to drain it away and send it into the ground below me. So far, my Mantle¡¯s dealt with that quite easily, though it still makes any external use of mana more difficult. It isn¡¯t all bad either, if only because it keeps focused and drives me to improve.

    Shayna and I are currently holed up in what appears to be an old cathedral, hiding our mana signatures, and working to maintain the barrier around us.

    Three lurkers detected us a while back and immediately started heading our way.

    Shayna said the more lurkers we kill, the more the others can sense us. It¡¯s odd too because I can¡¯t figure out how it works, meaning it¡¯s either directly set by the system, leaving me with no way to deal with it. The second option is that the lurkers and everything about them are just the side effects of the settings on this floor.

    It makes me curious and excited to explore the options it presents me with. With a good group, this ce could be an amazing spot for farming items. Every one of the lurkers is a Beyonder, meaning they have items fitting their status and with a bit of luck, some of them may even be damaged arcane.

    Could I go out on my own and do it?Not currently; I¡¯m just not strong enough. Well, maybe it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not strong, but that the lurkers are powerful in their own right, and the more you kill, the easier you are to find, and more hunt you, which adds an element of difficulty to the process.

    Both the warrior and mage from before were powerful. Not as much as me, but as the winner of our round¡¯s tournament, I should be above average. But with Tess and Lily, we would bulldoze through groups with more than three members.

    That is also where the problem lies - bigger groups. The deeper we delve and the closer we get to the safe zone, the more lurkers... well... lurk around.

    Currently, it¡¯s limited to groups of 2-5 members, but ording to Shayna, there are groups of 10, and as much as I hate having to ept that, it would be too much even for me. I¡¯m not even sure I could handle a group of 5.

    I always look at it from the angle of whether or not I would be able to defeat specific Beyonders. Gareth? Tess? Savant? Lily? For sure. Tacita? Probably yes, but I have a lot of respect for her as my archenemy, plus, after her loss against Savant, there is no way she doesn¡¯t go full training arc and power up like crazy.

    So, could I defeat Lily and Tess attacking me at once? Probably. Savant and Tess? There I¡¯m not so sure.

    Even though our Beyonders seem to be above average, a group of 3 of them would probably be enough for the fight to be dangerous. The difference between sess and failure would be my chances of pulling off some sneaky attack.

    That¡¯s why my crown is active, and I¡¯m not trying to my abilities, and why Shayna¡¯s not asking about it.

    ¡°In a few more minutes I¡¯m going to send out a probe,¡± she whispers.

    ¡°Let¡¯s give it five minutes to be sure,¡± I reply.

    She nods. This time her hair is blue, and her eyes are as well. And there¡¯s a bit of white mixed in. Meanwhile, I can sense her heart beating wildly through my use of kic energy.

    Is this a normal reaction? Sure, we are close to a group of 3 lurkers, and killing them would make the process of survival more difficult given our position hours away from the safe zone.

    Yet, even though I feel the same kind of fear, it¡¯s not as bad as hers. It makes me feel lightheaded, and my arms and legs are cold, sweat runs down my back. With some curiosity, I lift my hand and look at it.

    It¡¯s trembling, and my fingers are twitching. As I close it into a fist, I take note of the chill and take a deep breath.

    My mind feels so sharp, and my body is tensed for the attack, ready to respond to the slightest of movements. I even catch myself subconsciously running mana through my body.

    I love it. I love the feeling of tension and fear washing over my mind.

    ¡°Careful with your mana,¡± Shayna whispers.

    I check it, and she turns out to be right; there¡¯s a bit of leakage, my excitement is getting the better of me. I quickly pull it back under my control and force it into my body and check the barrier around it.

    As I make these changes, I turn up the power on<strong> [Resonance]</strong>, disrupting any excess mana that leaves our bodies. The skill disperses it into tiny particles that should be more difficult to notice In any scans for mana.

    I¡¯m also using thermal energy and<strong> [Redistribution]</strong> in an attempt to hide the heat of our bodies.

    Shayna is lowering the presence of our minds and maintaining a field that nullifies the sound of our movements, and heartbeats.

    There are so many ways to detect someone. Heat, mana, movement, sound, emotions, sheer presence; there are even monsters that can feel the weight of your gaze.

    Hell, at higher levels, you start being able to hear people breathing, through walls and across great distances. Sometimes the mere presence of one¡¯s mind can give them away.

    As much power as lurkers lose when they die, they doe fairly close to the genuine articles. I would say they operate at anywhere from 90-95% power, at least from what I heard. They¡¯re generally pretty good with their abilities too. So that¡¯s why we are hiding, I don¡¯t even find the prospect insulting. I just know that sooner orter I wille back here, and on that day, explosions will thunder through the floor, and dozens of lurkers will die, condemned to respawn in a year.

    ¡°Sending probe,¡± Shayna announces.

    She then uses her mental skill, trait, or whatever it is. I can¡¯t sense much about it given that that¡¯s not where my talent lies, but she waits tensely nheless.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    We wait a few more seconds, and she breathes out, a small smile appearing on her face.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± is the only word she says.

    Immediately I extend my domain and ce an anchor, grabbing her hand, and she lets me as I teleport us both away.

    Appearing high in the air, I watch as the building we were hiding in gets bombarded by attacks, Crumbling the stone into dust.

    I form a dense barrier around us and infuse kic energy throughout the surface, just in time for a dozen metal projectiles to crash into it, the kic energy and <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> absorbing most of the impact.

    Someone tries to put a mark on us, and Shayna disrupts it while sending a counterattack in its wake.

    Boosting us with kic energy, I fly at full speed, constantly adding to it.

    Shayna uses the weird field created by her wings, and it bes easier.

    Much further away, Ind, and a mana javelin appears over my shoulder. I start adding more and more mana to it until it grows much denser and heavier, and then I start channeling kic energy. Shayna does some preparation of her own.

    ¡°Stun one of them. Just a second should be enough,¡± I say, starting off in the direction we came from.

    ¡°One of them is protecting their minds; I won¡¯t be able to.¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡±

    ¡°Lynthari woman; the human in the blue shirt is using<strong> [Metal Maniption]</strong> and a feylith man is using some kind of wide range bombardment skill.¡±

    The feylith man turns out to be the same race as Shayna, meaning they¡¯re called feyliths. Nice find.

    ¡°I will disrupt Lynthari¡¯s mana for a moment; try to stun her then,¡± I respond.

    As I speak I create another javelin, thinner this time, and infuse it with the disrupting effect of <strong>[Resonance]</strong>. I do not save my mana, more interested In making sure it has the intended effect. Then I add some more.

    <strong>[Infusion - lvl 33 > Infusion - lvl 34]</strong>

    It¡¯s manageable despite being more difficult to keep both of them at once, mainly because of how much I¡¯m packing into them.

    They don¡¯t give me any more time, two figures reach us, a feylith and a human with a blue shirt.

    The blue shirt has pieces of metal following him - an iron door, an anvil, an old sword, and more besides. These pieces are bending and changing their shape as if they were made out of y. He quicklyunches these projectiles at us, adding to my workload, as I use <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> to absorb their kic energy, adding it to the mass waiting tounch mypressed javelin.

    The feylith flies into the air, shining orbs of blinding light forming around him. Meanwhile, the lynthari is hiding.

    Shayna grabs my arm and points.

    Extending my domain, I ce an anchor and teleport, repeating the process two more times until they seed in disrupting my anchor; before flying the remaining distance.

    ¡°She¡¯s in the house with the red roof.¡±

    A mental attack crashes against us, only to be blocked by Shayna, as Iunch the disrupting javelin. It pierces into the house, and a strong wave of disrupting mana floods the area. It can be felt even up here though it¡¯s much weaker.

    Shayna reaches down, and the lynthari, caught in the process of her escape, freezes in ce, and I release my other javelin. It disappears with a loud boom, leaving no trail behind and no explosion as it hits. It just burrows deep into the ground, piercing through everything in its way.

    The lynthari happens to be one of these things, the sheer impact nearly evaporating the entirety of her chest.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 269]</strong>

    I grab Shayna¡¯s arm and boost us to the side, dodging a barrage of metal projectiles and the slower feylith bombardier, bringing me into reach of the blue-shirt human.

    ¡°We should run; killing more will only attract others,¡± I hear.

    Why worry so much? Such useless thoughts? I¡¯ll just kill them all. I haven¡¯t even gotten warmed up yet. Bombardment? I¡¯ll show you a bombardment. And that human with<strong> [Metal Maniption]</strong>? Let¡¯s see how well he deals with my <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>.

    As much as this has strained my mind, it¡¯s far from enough. I will¡­

    Then I feel a presence. The single beat of a heart far, far away. Followed by another, and I feel the presence reaching for me, seeking my strongly beating heart and the kic energy within.

    Then the presence disappears.

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± I agree, blocking another barrage of projectiles before shooting off a few of my own to keep the flying feylith busy before flying in the opposite direction.

    ¡°Wrong direction, you should¡­¡±

    ¡°Trust me, we don¡¯t want to go there.¡±

    The presence appears again with another powerful heartbeat, this time much closer.

    I change direction and head for the traitorous group that brought us out on this expedition, and I give it everything I¡¯ve got, not caring about leaving tracks in our way.

    ¡°What are you doing, we should¡­¡± Shayna keeps talking, but I ignore her.

    She doesn¡¯t seem to be feeling that presence at the moment, but soon she will, and then she¡¯ll understand.

    Once we¡¯re far enough away from the duo, Ind on the ground and stop using kic energy, going so far as to stop my heart from generating it. Instead, I change it to thermal and manually bolster my Mantle. Not skipping a beat, I boost my body this time with mana, and though I haven¡¯t done so in weeks I quickly get back into the rhythm.

    Shayna runs by my side as quickly as, and probably even faster than, me, passing under the trees, across a huge broken bridge and a destroyed city that must have been glorious once, left as a stone-cold reminder of older times.

    ¡°Are there any powerful named ones with kic energy?¡± I ask as we run. I don¡¯t know how far away the presence is anymore, and it¡¯s probably having a more difficult time tracking me right now.

    ¡°Two or three, but none that should be so close to this area; they tend to be a lot further in.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°Metal Bitch, Owl, and Whitey, those are the three I know of.¡±

    ¡°Which ones do we want to avoid?¡±

    ¡°Fucking all of them. Any one of them could kill us both and another 10 like us with ease.¡±

    ¡°Which one do we really, really want to avoid?¡±

    ¡°Is it," she pauses, the gears in her head spinning, "¡­ fuck. Please don¡¯t tell me...¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°Damn it¡­,¡± she jumps nimbly over a crater and onto the roof of a nearby house which cracks under the force of her feet as she runs.

    I increase my speed as well, sensing she is using her abilities to find the group as well. She might not be as good as Rat, but she¡¯s probably decent over small distances.

    ¡°If it¡¯s a male demon with long white hair, then we need to start hoping we, by some miracle, meet a freakishly powerful C rank or rogue B rank who¡¯s decided to visit this goddamned ce.¡±

    I have nothing to say in response to her tant jinx and check the timer instead.

    18 hours remaining.

 Chapter 421: That place

    Chapter 421: That ce

    "Calm your heart and do not move," I whisper to Shayna, both of us are in a hole deep underground where I teleported us.

    "It''s not that easy."

    No matter how hard she tries, I can sense it, and if I sense it, there is a chance that presence will sense it as well.

    "Shayna, you either calm that heart down, or I will give you back your shards and send you back to the surface."

    I haven''t seen that presence so far, but I felt it. Even from a big distance, it sensed my kic energy and was even able to touch on it. A feeling as if it would be able to take over.

    It must be one of the named ones and probably a powerful one.

    With clenched teeth, the feylith woman forces her body under her control using some skill, and her heartbeat slows. It''s to the point where it beats only once every few seconds, matching the rhythm of my own.

    And so we are hiding. Not moving to not send vibrations through the ce, not talking, and with our mana suppressed. Slowly like that, we also breathe all the air trapped here, and soon there won''t be any. I wonder, could we suffocate? How long can I hold my breath now after body upgrades?

    Time passes like that, neither of us moving or talking.Only hourster do we leave, reappearing on the surface where I take a deep breath, my heart starting to beat in its normal calm rhythm.

    Nice, another asshole to be added to my "to beatter" list. Well, only if we survive until the end of my stay token. I have a feeling that presence is not that far away.

    We don''t exchange any words and start running towards where the traitorous group is. The idea is simple. If that presence finds us, we will use the group to slow it down while we run.

    <strong>POV Shayna</strong>

    Noname is terrifying.

    It''s not just his skill that is obvious, an amazing versatility of his abilities even though with clear weak spots.

    No, it''s his bearing.

    I have met plenty of people with concentration-type skills, and even though Noname might have one, I know he is not using it.

    No, even deep underground, hiding from the enemy that could end us anytime, he forced himself to be calm. That much is fine, I can do that even without a concentration type skill. The worst part was that a side of him seemed to hope for us to be found out.

    And now, running by my side, his face bears a simple neutral expression as his eyes tick all over the ce. Not like he was looking for danger to avoid it, but like he is the hunter.

    He is very careful as well and doesn''t trust me at all. His guard is up and strong. But I think I have seen it. An opportunity and a bit of his real self.

    <strong>POV Nathaniel</strong>

    A group of five lurkers pops out on the edge of our detection, and this time it''s Shayna who finds them through her mental abilities.

    I''m more than sure she isn''t at the level of Sophie, but her ability seems to be simr to Isabe''s <strong>[Empathy]</strong>, just sensing minds and being able to stun them. She might be able to sense emotions just a little bit but I''m not sure of that.

    Well, there could be more, and she is just hiding it, so I keep my guard up in case she tries some bullshit.

    Thankfully, it seems there is no lurker in that group able to sense her gentle mind probing, so we avoid them quite easily as they pass by. We don''t even see them, the group of five being a few stadium lengths away from us. A thoughtes to me, at a higher level, you might be able to sense people on the different side of the country or even continents. I don''t know why and for what but I want to know how to do that.

    While we wait, I look around the cathedral-like building where we are.

    As with every building on this floor, it''s very old and made mostly of stone. Even in the state it is in now, it''s still very grand. It''s easy to imagine how beautiful the cities and buildings used to be.

    Did locals build them long ago? Is it some setting of the system? Beyond is abination of the real world and tutorial, so I wouldn''t say it''s part of the tutorial and instead something more real?

    Taking a few steps, I touch the stone wall, and it still feels smooth and powerful. There is that sad mncholy to it. A feeling akin to a dying world. It''s sad but also a beautiful feeling.

    Am I weird?

    Maybe, but I can''t be weirder than past Nathaniel or the future one.

    I was always fascinated by this kind of stuff. As much as I prefer to spend time alone, it''s fun to think of all the people passing by and using this ce in times long ago.

    There is a scratch on the wall. I like to think it was maybe caused by some young, careless man who was shouted at by the administrator of this ce. Both of them used to be main characters in their own stories, going about their lives in a simr way to how I am now.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Are you really that calm, or are you using a concentration skill?" Shayna asks me out of nowhere in a whisper. The question sounds like it''s something she thought of for a while.

    "I don''t use it for emotions anymore," I decide to answer honestly.

    Looking at her, I also wonder why I helped her back then and why there are two of us. Sure, she helps, but it''s not something I usually do. At least I''m sure she is not manipting my emotions; it''s something I''m very careful about and constantly check.

    The most likely reason seems to be that moment when Roculus and Eugan disappeared, Rat ran, and she decided to stay and attack one of the lurkers. Just that short moment made me have a better opinion of her and turned into all of this.

    It could be just pragmatic thinking from her side, it could be her real personality, it could be a shortsighted dumb decision or pure desperation on her part.

    Even so, here we are.

    "What are you thinking of?" she whispers again.

    "Emotions are dumb," I dere.

    "Fucking tell me about it," sheughs shortly and points at her hair, which constantly changes color along with her eyes.

    "Do you regreting to Beyond?" I ask her.

    She answers right away without hesitation, "No, not even once." At that moment, her eyes are light blue, and so is her hair. She has a nice expression on her face too.

    "I see."

    "And you?" Shayna asks.

    "No regrets here so far, just a fewints."

    "Only a few?" another smile, and then her attention moves somewhere else only for her to turn back to me again. "They are out of my range, we can go."

    <strong>POV Eugan</strong>

    "So?" Misk turns to me.

    "We can''t be that far away, it should be near here."

    "Eugan, if you fail to lead us to the ce, this is all for nothing. You realize that?" Misk looms over me. His armor, which permanently looks damaged, is covered in blood that seems to seep into cracks in it and sticks to the surface even though it should fall down.

    Out of damaged arcane items, I saw, that armor sure is the creepiest.

    "I told you already, we saw that ce while running away, and plenty of us died. I remember it only in shes!"

    "I know, Eugan, you have told me already. But try harder." Saying that he turns to the man on his left. "Waul, how are¡­ our new friends?"

    Waul has no emotion on his face, and I don''t think I ever saw him showing any. It''s a clear sign of the concentration-type skill he has constantly running.

    "We have two more we can use to take attention off us if we activate the marks. I also think Somir is going to die, he got wounded really bad at the start when Eugan and Roculus screwed up their job." even his voice bears no emotion and is t.

    "It''s okay, Waul," Misk says calmly. "We couldn''t have known there would be that many so soon. Roculus paid for that, and we didn''t have to kill any lurker."

    "Understood," Waul nods. "Should I prepare the sacrifice? We will get to the zone where more lurkers move around soon."

    Misk nods, "Eugan, help him, and just in case, ce one more mark. We don''t want the situation from before to repeat, and while you do so, <em>please</em> try harder to remember."

    There is no "or" in his words, but the look I get from him is obvious.

    We must find that ce.

    <strong>POV Nathaniel</strong>

    "What is this ce?" Shayna says what I have on my mind.

    Even from as far as we are, I can sense lingering bits of mana in the air. It doesn''t even feel new, just remains of a fight that happened days, weeks, hell, maybe even months ago.

    From the top of the hill where we are standing and looking down, I can say that it''s the most damaged area I''ve seen so far.

    A crack in the ground spanning over arge distance, extremely smooth-edged holes the size of houses made all over. Signs of a skill that left a smooth surface over a big patch of the area, reminding of polished stone.

    There are also spikes piercing through the ground, all of them made of the same material they are piercing through, but at the same time, they are much tougher as ifpressed. And much more. A clear sign of a fight that happened here and the usage of powerful skills.

    I risk it and send my senses into the area, but nothinges back. At least for now, no lurker is moving around. Shayna also confirmed it just a few seconds before we walked here.

    "We should avoid it," the scaredy-cat of a feylith says.

    I ignore her and what she says after that, and instead continue to scan the area. There is something I have sensed down there. Something familiar.

    "How far do you think we are from the group?" I ask, interrupting Shayna''s monologue.

    "At this point, I have no idea. We tried to follow their direction and even found their steps, but this isn''t even in the direction of the safe zone, so I have no idea where they are heading."

    "We might have found that ce," I note and, jumping from the hill, head down towards the battlefield.

    On our way here, we have found a few more members of the group, all of them very dead and with signs of that frequency that seems to attract lurkers.

    Following them gave us a bit of an advantage, as therge group seems to attract more lurkers, even though we killed some. They are now only throwing sacrifices. It all smells of desperation and hurry.

    They are not heading towards the safe zone where they would be able to find a portal out of the 1st floor to the entrance floor.

    So what would make a group of 12-15 people hurry so much? What would make them try to get 8-5 more members to be used as sacrifices so they can delve deep into the area where plenty of lurkers are?

    Walking through the battlefield, I touch the smooth edges of the house-sized holes, the impressively tough spikes, and I squat and tap with the tip of my finger the smooth area left behind by another attack.

    There, a bit further, a first corpse lies. From the looks of it, it''s a Beyonder killed by a lurker, as the corpse of a lynthari isn''t shivered nor has that deadly pale color. And a bit further, another one, a corpse of a demon with half of his chest missing, dead eyes staring towards the ceiling. Another lynthari with limbs torn off. A demon with his chest exploded from a powerful attack. A feylith with wings pulled off and head as well, missing somewhere.

    Two dozen corpses as far as I can see and probably even more out of my sight.

    It doesn''t even look like they died fighting each other. It more feels as if they were killed one by one by a single powerful opponent. An expedition of Beyonders meeting a very powerful lurker.

    The reason why I think it''s by a lurker is simple.

    They still have all of their equipment.

    The reason why I think it''s by a very powerful lurker is also very simple.

    Some of these people have damaged arcane items that are still here.

 Chapter 422: A lot of items

    Chapter 422: A lot of items

    Is this the ce our precious group of traitors have been trying to reach? Hurrying, desperate to find it. Scared to let someone else find it first or the corpses turn into lurkers, which would probably render the area impossible to scavenge? They might be dead, but going by their equipment, they must have been powerful, a group like Eugan''s would have never been able to take them.

    Hell, that they might not even know how long the corpses have been lying there since they must have spotted them and been unable to retrieve the equipment. These corpses in front of me could probably turn into lurkers at any moment. The lurkers respawn after a year anyway.

    Moving from corpse to corpse, I use my senses and quickly collect the items. There is a pile of upper epic ones, armor, some orbs, and more. There are even plenty of materials and mana stones with ciphered information.

    There are also some interesting clothes in the bags, with threads spun from a range of different materials, allowing them to fit normally while retaining the durability of upper rare armor. Not to mention the variety of metals stowed with them.

    And these are just the items they had on them while traveling. They¡¯re not going to be on par with my arcane alloy, but they¡¯re not far off either. I do wonder if they had anything more valuable stashed away somewhere, maybe something they left with their guild?

    Of course, the most valuable are the three items. Likely the things Eugan and her group were after. Items they were willing to kill for. Three damaged arcane items.

    <strong>Bloodthirst (Arcane, Damaged)</strong> - <em>Bloodthirst once thrived on the essence of life, growing stronger with each battle. Its hunger for blood has lessened, but it still sporadically draws strength from fresh wounds, offering glimpses of its once insatiable power.</em>

    <strong>Echo Gauntlet (Arcane, Damaged)</strong> - <em>The Echo Gauntlet was once capable of replicating any spell or ability it encountered, up to a certain level. Though its power has waned, it can mimic nearby magical effects with unpredictable precision.</em>

    <strong>Golem Heart (Arcane, Damaged)</strong> - The <em>Golem Heart could animate stone and metal, bringing golems to life. Now, its core is cracked, but it sporadically imbues nearby objects with a flicker of life, allowing them to move and respond tomands for short periods of time, echoing its once grand animating power.</em>Bloodthirst is an interesting one, if only because of its description. It Grows stronger with each battle and has a thirst for blood? What does that even mean, what are the effects? As it is now, it is a ymore with a heavily chipped de and damaged inscriptions. Its de is made out of a white metal with an eerie blood-red shine to it.

    The Echo gauntlet, already on my right hand, looks more like a glove and covers everything up to a point slightly above my wrist. It''s made out of smooth and supple light brown leather, and the inside is covered with myriad threads of material woven into inscriptions. The back of the glove is covered with a few damaged strips of ck metal etched with inscriptions of their own, protecting the back of the hand.

    The effect sounds way too powerful, so I''m already curious about its limitations. I expect the effect to be limited by level, amount of uses, or excessive mana costs.

    It''s interesting anyway.

    The Golem Heart on the other hand is a piece of y-like material that seems a lot tougher than it should be while hiding secrets all its own. It''s light brown and smooth. However, it seems to be missing a small piece as well.

    These items are amazing, even now I could sell the whole lot of them for a nice sum of shards, despite any reduction in payout from the damage.

    mebearer alone has given me an idea just how powerful arcane weapons, even damaged ones, can be.

    So now I have these three, a staff from the mage lurker we met at the start, a dagger and mace from Roculus, and a pile of upper epic weapons.

    It''s quite a lot and theye from a group that was probably pushing elite status. The higher end epic items alone would have been a nice addition for any group. Not to mention the materials. There¡¯s so much at this point that I¡¯m starting to wonder if there are storage items avable. Soon I won''t be able to carry it all.

    Surprisingly, Shayna isn''t trying anything. Despite my apparent distraction and relentless hoarding of items, she doesn''t attack. There isn''t a single attempt from her, nor is she acting strange. Sure, there is a hint of greed in her eyes, but that''s it, she doesn''t ask for weapons or offer anyints.

    "Do you think there might be a good reason for the lurkers to be avoiding this area? Even ounting for the ones the group lured away, we should have more on our trail given the ones we killed. This is too unnerving," Shayna says while looking around.

    "Isn''t it obvious?¡± I ask. ¡°We¡¯ve probably entered the territory of a powerful named lurker. More likely than not the guy who did this," I rify, gesturing at the corpses.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the vition.

    As we speak, I keep an eye on the area, scanning our surroundings and Shayna with my mana. Watching for any signal she might try to send the group. Roculus was one of them, so why the hell wouldn''t she be? Sure, it would be weird for her to stay with me, but who the hell knows how these people think.

    "So why aren''t you taking any of the items?" I ask, taking a more direct approach.

    "Because we¡¯re probably going to die anyway. Just take them if you want, I don''t want to die carrying all those bags on my back." Despite her words, she seems calm. Determined even.

    There is some truth to her words but I don¡¯t n on dying.

    "So what kind of item do you want? You should take something." It pains me, but I offer nheless. Without her, I would have been in a lot more trouble. I''m not stubborn enough to deny her that.

    Out of nowhere Shayna smiles, almost shyly, "I already took one when you weren''t looking. I found a ring on one of the corpses," she admits.

    Okay, give me back my feelings and take back what you just said.

    "Show me," I challenge, and she does so right away.

    <strong>Phantom Ring (Arcane, Damaged)</strong> - This <em>Phantom Ring once provided unparalleled stealth and silent movement. It now intermittently bestows the wearer with heightened stealth, making them nearly undetectable for short periods of time.</em>

    Such a cursed object, it even has a phantom in its name. It should be destroyed.

    Checking the timer, I confirm that I have less than an hour until my Stay Token wears off. Hopefully, when it does, I find myself back on the 6th floor. It wouldn''t make much sense for the system to keep me here. I hope... It would also mean I wouldn''t have to reach the safe zone, unlike Shayna.

    Looking at Shayna, I sigh. I must be getting soft.

    "Use the ring and run away."

    My answer seems to surprise her, her eyes and hair changing color and taking on a pink hue, "It clearly didn''t help its previous owner."

    "Just slow down your heartbeat as much as possible, and if you think there¡¯s someone tracking you, stop and don''t move. You should be fine otherwise. I don''t even think I would be able to detect you if you were using a damaged arcane item to hide. And I''m quite good at detection."

    For a moment, she just stares at me, blinking slowly and hesitating, "Are you sure? You seem to have a n, but..."

    "Go before I take that ring."

    That brings a thankful smile to her face, her hair color changing to bright yellow. "I guess you have a n. Okay then, I¡¯ll see you, Noname. You know my name, so look for me the next time youe to Beyond. Good luck," she says briefly.

    Everyone is on their own here, their life has to take priority, so she doesn''t hesitate much. It''spletely reasonable, and the short time we¡¯ve survived here together can''t be valued over your own life. It''s as simple as that.

    I watch as she jumps over a few craters and stops at the top of one of the hills, waving back to me for thest time before putting the ring on. She slowly disappears from my sight, her smile thest thing I see.

    Then I''m left alone and spend a short time examining the corpses, looking for anything useful. I go through their pockets, and clothes, and find a few more further away. They all seem to have been destroyed in the same way - an explosion of raw force from a very powerful body. It even seems like some of them got stuck in ce, unable to move under the force that eventually tore them apart.

    Well, it seems to be about time, I need to start getting ready.

    I turn around, take a step, my arm moves swiftly, and I reach into the air to grab an invisible wrist. Osciting mana coats my free hand, and I sh the air in front of me.

    Shayna slowly appears, materializing from the air, her severed arm falling to the ground with the ring on her finger as blood sprays from her shoulder.

    I¡¯ve got her other arm now, held by the wrist, in her hand is a dagger made of that transparent, difficult-to-sense mana of hers. Pointed at my eye in an attempt to prate my brain.

    She tries to attack me again, but I bury my hand into her leg and tear off a chunk of flesh, disrupting her concentration with the pain. I add an extra punch to her chest for good measure, breaking a few ribs in the process.

    Even in this state, her disruption crashes into me along with a barrage of projectiles created from her mana.

    I block it off easily and then fire off a disruption of my own, causing her to lose control of her skills.

    Shayna then stands there, missing an arm and bleeding from her leg.

    "I thought you had finally let your guard down around me," she says simply.

    <em>Finally, let your guard down,</em> she says. There are no excuses, nome exnations. She just breathes heavily, staring into my eyes with a determined gaze, constantly trying to retake control of her mana.

    In the end, These arcane items really seem to be worth that much to some people. Enough to risk their lives for, enough to cloud their thinking. Just a hint of opportunity I given her was enough.

    If she asked, I would have split the items with her evenly. I feel like that would have been fair after what we¡¯d been through. I would have never betrayed her over a few measly items. But she had a different opinion; she wanted it all, even if it meant killing me. As of this moment, all the good feelings she had fostered in me are gone.

    I let thermal energy coat my hand and touch the stump where I severed her arm, causing the wound to sizzle, her flesh burning as my heat cauterizes the wound and stops the bleeding. Then I do the same for her leg where I tore a piece off. The air fills the disgusting smell of burned flesh, and sweat beads on her forehead, as her hair starts turning gray. I think it''s the first time they are showing real emotion instead of those she wanted to show.

    ¡°Noname, listen, I¡­¡± she starts, but before she can finish, I coat my finger in osciting mana and stab it into her side.

    Then I send thermal energy through.

    When she opens her mouth to scream, I use <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> to hold her movement, and only her eyes show the pain.

 Chapter 423: Named lurker

    Chapter 423: Named lurker

    Shayna died.

    At some point, she tried to use a store of mana she had secreted away in her body. She used it to create a projectile, the same one she used to kill that fire mage lurker. Extremely durable, and nearly invisible. It¡¯s clearly a better version of Brainiac¡¯s skill.

    It¡¯s nothing short of crazy that she was able to create it without me sensing it under active interrogation. I gained some valuable information about Beyond, the guilds, and the 1st floor, but I wasn''t able to ask as much as I wanted or get any more shards out of her.

    Shayna acted quickly and decisively. She wasn''t in Beyond for nothing.

    That projectile of hers tore a hole through her chest, she must have been using the beating of her heart and the mana it generated to mask her work. The projectile pierced through the side of my neck, curving into one of the big veins. It was headed for my brain, but I still managed to tilt my head back and to the side, avoiding a mortal wound.

    Almost by reflex, I killed her, a hand coated in osciting mana cleaving into the center of her skull, as the notification rang.

    Then I forced thermal energy to the injured area while manipting my mana in an effort to seal off the vein and staunch the flow of blood.

    So now I''m standing here, a bloodied neck and clothes. Hand on my neck as I watch her projectile explode high in the air, erupting into a wide-range burst of mana. Onest spiteful gift, a re to everyone and everything in the area.

    Thirty minutes remain, and I only have two options. Either run away or try to make my stand here and try to hold out for the next thirty minutes. There¡¯s a high probability I get ejected from Beyond after that. It''s not quite a sure thing, but I''m willing to bet on it.Now that I don¡¯t need to hide, I send my senses as far as I can, searching for the enemy.

    There are a few options for who I might meet. If I''m unlucky, it will be the named lurker, and in that case, I might die. If I am lucky though, it will be a group of Beyonders followed by lurkers, leading to a bloody melee.

    I still keep my heart beating slowly and avoid using any kic energy; instead, I hold the Emberme Staff I got from the first lurker we met. Thermal energy trickles out of my core and flows through the weapon, gathering into a golden orb just over the tip of the weapon. I stab the staff into the ground and adjust the arcane glove on my right hand, ready to activate it.

    I have the damaged arcane ring Shayna took in my pocket; Ast ditch option for when everything goes to shit. Sure, I could use it right away, but I can¡¯t say I''m thinking too logically right now.

    In my other pocket, I have the Golem Heart, which should be something I can use as a distraction should I need to run away. In the worst case, I can sacrifice the item to slow my enemies. The problem is I don''t know how to use it yet, and relying on it to slow down enemies could hurt more than it helps, given that it would mean expending a lot of effort trying to activate it rather than focusing on the skills I already have.

    Lastly, the dagger I took from Roculus is charged and ready to be thrown, at which point it should release a poisonous mist upon impact.

    mebearer is on my back, it can be used as a shield, and the Bloodthirst ymore has been nted in the ground next to the Emberme Staff.

    The other items are tied together and stowed in my bag, stashed away in a hole I found deep underground, and ced there through an anchor. They can stay here or be teleported to me should I feel the need to use them.

    And so I wait, the minutes passing slowly and presences gradually appearing at the edge of my radar. Multiple waves of detection-type skills wash over me, and I take note of a number of fights. As the expedition members move to engage a few lurkers that must have gotten too close.

    The smaller groups of lurkers quickly disappear, steamrolled by the 12-member group of Beyonders who, upon finding their target, do not hesitate in their rush to secure the site.

    Once in a while, my eyes nce at the corpse of the feylith on the ground, and each time they do, The pain res up in my neck. My wound has mostly healed, but the reminder remains.

    When the first attacknds at my feet, I stop holding my heart back; instead, I start generating as much kic energy as it can handle. At the same time, that presence senses it far away and starts rushing here. The feeling alone makes me think it fully intends to crush anyone who would dare use the same energy as it.

    Pulling the staff into my left hand and the ymore into my right, I lift the de of the ymore and intercept an arrow aimed at me, absorbing the inertia of its movement. However, the power contained within still pushes me back, and mana seeps out of the ground attempting to disrupt my hold on my mana.

    Rather than letting it, I counter with a skill of my own and block another attack, and shield my mind against the influence of hostile mental abilities.

    Spikes shoot up from the ground, so I stomp, releasing a st of kic energy, cracking the ground around me and disarming the attack.

    ming blue projectiles shoot past me, sailing by on either side, before reversing course and targeting my back as I reposition and let mebearer absorb the blow while blocking an arrow with a new frequency of disruption.

    The presence keepsing closer, and soon the group will be able to feel it as well.

    Multiple attacks connect high in the air, and bolts of lightningnce out at me, followed by primordial energy I haven¡¯t had the opportunity to face yet. The lightning crashes against a hastily constructed barrier, and my Mana Wavelength Iris activates as well as I fight off their attacks.

    Mana seeps out of me in waves,pressing and strengthening my defenses until that primordial energy hits my barrier. The disruption it causes is so very different from any I''ve felt until now, and part of my barrier disappears as if it had been eaten by the attack.

    Void primordial energy, if I had to guess, with a dark purple hue and bits of white sparkling through at the corners.

    For the first time, I reposition, boosting my body with the kic energy I¡¯ve collected so far.

    Then I sense Eugan''s mana gathering for some wide-range attack.

    Locating her position, I boost myself into the air, and creating an arm out of mana, I grab Roculus'' dagger and boost it with kic energy, flinging it at the group where it collides with their barrier, spreading a toxic mist into the air.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    One of my orbs shoots ahead, and as it collides with the barrier, it sends a powerful disrupting wave into the area. Then I focus on thepressed orb of thermal energy, and all of it shoots ahead in a finger-thin stream of golden me.

    It pierces through their first barrier and another more hastily created version. It rushes forth at a speed they couldn¡¯t have anticipated and causes the staff in my hands to crack as I abuse it, forcing it into overdrive without any care for the item itself.

    The golden stream hits,nding in the middle of Eugan''s chest, and I swing my left arm, bringing the mes with it, slicing through her along the vertical in and splitting her head in half.

    <strong>[You have defeated Manaflow Shaper - lvl 268]</strong>

    I move the stream towards the leader of the group, but he just lifts an armored glove from his damaged suit of rusty armor and meets the me with ease. Before I can move it again, he reaches towards Eugan''s body, and her blood floats into the air, seeping into him.

    Listening to my instincts, I lift the Bloodthirst and cover my face and body in the de¡¯s winds, as I stack a Multitude of barriers in front of me.

    It''s all for nothing.

    I find myself thrown into the air once again, with my left arm severed from my body and still holding the staff, and I watch it fly through the air in my peripheral vision, moments before it gets evaporated by a barrage of attacks, and the newly-destroyed staff falls to the ground.

    mming into the hills nearby, I let out a groan and teleport towards one of my anchors just as the attacks reach me.

    Before I can even check my wounds, a trap lying in wait explodes, sending me crashing through a number of buildings nearby, adding to the wounds I¡¯ve already rued.

    Seizing on the opportunity, a man reaches me, swinging a hammer imbued with mana and hitting my right arm as I lift it to guard my head.

    My unique passive absorbs the impact, and a noticeable amount of mana seeps into my reservoir. I use the surprise and boost my body with kic energy as I swing the ymore in my hand.

    I don¡¯t get the opportunity to finish my attack though. I wind up having to absorb my own inertia, stopping mid-swing and boosting my body once again to deflect the three arrows that rush after me in quick session, only to ping off my de.

    Each with its own unique disrupting effect.

    I seed in shaking off the fields, but the force of the attackunches me into the air anyway, and mid-air, I boost myself with kic energy, avoiding a burst of mes.

    A lightning attack crashes against the mebearer on my back, and void energy disrupts one of my barriers, and the leader''s blood projectiles pierce my body again, leaving more wounds in their wake.

    I take a step and stumble, noticing a piece of my leg missing.

    My mana res up, a mana prosthesis quickly reces it, while I dash to the side.

    Multiple attacks surround me, heading towards my body, and after a long while, my mind and eyes feel like they¡¯re burning as I disrupt the attacks.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 50 > Resonance - lvl 51]</strong>

    The reward for that is a sword to the belly and a blow from a hammer that sends me rolling again, with a big part of the impact absorbed by my unique passive.

    I use another of my anchors, and as another trap explodes in front of me, I cover my body with mana, enduring it all, and quickly recing the damaged parts with mana from my reserves.

    More mana seeps out of my body and reservoir, creating armor around me that bes denser and slightly bigger. For the first time, I activate my domain, instantly feeling a range of attempts to destroy it and fight against it, several people joining forces to that end. Their rapid reaction makes me note in the back of my mind that negating domains appears to be a regr aspect of the fight.

    I grab the ymore with a new left arm made of mana, and using the glove, I touch the blood on my clothes. Then I activate the damaged arcane glove, and projectiles made of my blood, not unlike the leader''s, shoot through the air, targeting the archer.

    They pierce through barriers, armor, and anything else in their way. A shower of bloody projectiles tearing the archer apart.

    <strong>[You have defeated Nullshot Ranger - lvl 261]</strong>

    Bitch.

    Then they tear my domain apart, with the three much weaker domains attacking me all at once.

    My armor cracks under their attacks. Disruptive waves hit my body, making the armor flicker, and more bloody projectiles manage to pierce me.

    It''s difficult to even stand now, thermal energy working on overdrive, In an effort to power my poor epic healing passive.

    The leader appears in front of me. I can''t even see his movement, and I''m sent flying, more bloody projectiles piercing my body as I scramble to protect my vitals.

    And then they finally feel it, that presence with its terrifying mastery over kic energy finallying to their range with incredible speed.

    A spear made of blood forms in the leader''s hand, and it pierces through my armor, and the arm I ce in its way, before continuing halfway into my chest.

    I hate to ept it, but it''s obvious.

    I''m not strong enough yet.

    I release all of the kic energy I had stored, but the leader endures it all, though I do break the spear in his hand. Reforming the mana around me, I shape it andpress it into a javelin which I shoot at him. The javelin turns bright white, and I teleport away.

    Only to find another trap waiting for me as I proceed to be thrown against the wall, even though I block most of the explosion with an orb that I manage to surround the disk with, taking inspiration from Gareth. The orb just bursts open and part of the explosion burns my side.

    Then there are no further attacks. In the distance, I can see the leader standing where my javelin hit him. There is no damage on his body, but he is looking between me and the new fight. The rest of the group faces the powerful enemy. There are no other lurkers nearby, just the one.

    A tall male demon with long white hair and short ck horns. Even though he¡¯s dead, reduced to a lurker, his face is beautiful, his pale red eyes retaining that hint of craziness all demons seem to possess.

    I''m not using any senses, all of my kic energy is gone, I¡¯ve even emptied my core. My heart is beating as slowly as I can make it. Even then, I can see the demon¡¯s mastery of kic energy for what it is.

    His movements are incredibly quick and twitchy, with bursts of kic energy propelling him forward and allowing him to move at incredible speeds.

    He has no weapons, and he¡¯s tearing the group apart one after another with nothing but his own two arms. There seems to be a sadistic kind of entertainment to it all, and anyone who tries to run away freezes on the spot, as the kic energy of their movement is absorbed.

    Debris freezes in the air, weapons stop moving, severed limbs and spurting blood, everything floats in ce as if the scene had been frozen in time, and the demon alone moves through it all, allowing his targets to move only as he attacks them.

    The remaining half of the group faces him like that, while more people are already running away, each in a different direction.

    It takes just a single nce, but the leader starts running as well, and I do the same, putting the damaged arcane ring on my finger.

    I don¡¯t even try to retrieve the equipment I left underground. Instead, I sit quietly on the ground. Gradually, I feel the ring hiding me and my heartbeat slows, I have the thermokic construct turned off. I don¡¯t even move my fingers, as I focus on slowing my breathing and trying to limit my production of kic energy.

    Closing my eyes to avoid blinking, I sit there and wait.

 Chapter 424: Need some healing?

    Chapter 424: Need some healing?

    I don''t see anything, nor do I send my senses into the area. I just sit on the ground, still down an arm and a leg, as blood seeps from my many wounds.

    I¡¯m not even using thermal energy to power my passive, the only thing I can do is listen to the sounds of the battle nearby and feel the vibrations in the air. The white-haired demon tears through the group, but the pointes where all the sounds and screams stop, while the air fills with the heavy scent of blood.

    Something explodes nearby, Whitey most likely leaving to hunt the fleeing members, their movements giving them away. It''s a sort of detection that tends to be difficult to trick, even more than using mana. He can just sense your movements, down to the beating of your heart.

    He passes through the area around me multiple times, and I refuse to move even as he gets further and further away. Just a trickle of my mana seeping into the ring to power its effects. The least amount possible; I''m trying to hide as much as I can, focusing my entire being on said task.

    It gains me a few notifications as the skills level up, but I won¡¯t let them distract me. I don''t even check the timer to see the amount of time remaining. Even my thoughts feel sluggish from the state I''m trying to force myself into. My own heart beats very, very slowly, and I feel cold in my remaining limbs as it fails to supply enough blood.

    The passage of time is hard to estimate, but after what feels like forever, I hear steps approaching me, the slow, confident steps of someone who¡¯s found their prey.

    It seems like the group¡¯s been wiped out already.

    I can''t stop my heart fully, no matter how much I try. I''m sure Lily could pull it off, but that¡¯s not where my talents lie.

    And even that little is enough for it to detect me, and the presence stops right in front of me. Proving all my efforts useless, as my own heart reveals my location, even in its heavily suppressed state.I use <strong>[Tether]</strong>, teleporting to my final anchor, one that I ced further away than the others. My mana starts radiating from my body, the entirety of my reservoir and body mana seeping out gradually as I use it to stackyer afteryer of barriers.

    The timer shows 10 seconds left till my stay token expires.

    I direct my thermal energy outwards, using the mes to infuse my barriers rather than trying to heal.

    I don¡¯t want to do it but given no other option, I create an orb of ck mana and allow it to seep into my body and mind, strengthening both for the first time in a while. It''s easier than I remember, and I find myself reminded of the addictive power it holds.

    Another ck orb forms nearby ready to be used.

    Eight seconds remain, and a building explodes nearby. Another the size of a small apartmentplex is thrown into the air, before being reduced to a cloud of debris hanging in the air as if frozen in time. The demon moves through it all, his long white hair trailing through the air behind him while his red eyes remain glued on me.

    Seven seconds remain, and he stands in front of me.

    I use the arcane glove, blood projectiles erupting forth from my body in an even more powerful copy of the skill the leader used before.

    They seemughable, failing to so much as pierce the demon¡¯s skin.

    Six seconds remain, and he breaks all of my barriers with a single strike, the whole stack crumbling under the sheer physical force he brings to bear. No mana, no skills, just a powerful body, and kic energy.

    Five seconds remain, and my mes are blown away, with a single wave of his arm. It looks so slim, and even so, his simple application of kic energy extinguishes my mes like a child blowing out his birthday candles.

    I try to move, but I freeze on the spot. My heart stops, my lungs stop, not a single hair on my skin moves, and it bes so eerily quiet.

    The demon surrounded by all this debris frozen in time takes a step towards me.

    Using my mind, Iunch the orb of ck mana at him, the orb elongating and speeding towards his head.

    He tries and fails to freeze it in the air much the same way he has with everything else, and the projectile embeds itself in his arm as he raises it to protect his head.

    Four seconds remain, and I extend my domain as far as possible and ce another anchor, teleporting away.

    Four seconds remain, and he is in front of me once again.

    The mana impaling his arm is already gone, thrown somewhere far away and he grabs my arm and pulls it, tearing it from my shoulder.

    At least it¡¯s just the mana prosthesis.

    I teleport again.

    Three seconds remain, and my heart still hasn''t beaten nor have I been able to move since he found me, that¡¯s just how big the area his skill covers when he decides to stop everything around him from moving. Everything other than ck mana and the mana I use to power my skills.

    Three projectiles made of ck mana shoot at him, and this time he dodges each one with an air of extreme ease, but it does slow him down, at least a little. I teleport again, and before I can do so again, a stone crashes into my body, breaking the bones in my back, and sending my body crashing into the wall of a building.

    Unable to move or even groan in pain, I teleport.

    Two seconds remain when he reaches me again.

    I strengthen my body with as much ck mana as possible, my mind straining despite its reinforced state. My unique passive activates, <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> activates as well, and I even manage to lift the damaged arcane ymore to block it. Just for that split second, I move my body against the hold, using all the power I have at my disposal.

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    The punch breaks my arm, and shoulder as my sword gets pushed aside, mming into my body and causing even more damage. The amount of mana that flows into my reservoir as the kic energy is transformed into mana exceeds anything I''ve felt so far.

    It''s not enough though, it''s so far from being enough to face him.

    One second remains when I use <strong>[Tether]</strong> for thest time.

    I once again find myself unable to move as he changes his approach to my immobilization. I watch as Whitey moves towards me. He bulldozes through buildings, trees, and anything else in his way. Every time he does so, the debris rockets into the air before being stopped in ce.

    His steps don¡¯t even seem to touch the ground, they seem so smooth, almost as if he¡¯s running on air. None of his kic energy seems wasted, damaging only what he wants to damage.

    The way he uses kic energy is beautiful.

    <strong>You have no time left on your Stay Token. You will now be removed from Beyond.</strong>

    <strong>You have failed to reach the 1st floor safe zone, the next time you enter Beyond, you will appear on the Entrance Floor.</strong>

    Before Whitey reaches me, the area around me changes, and I find myself returning to the familiar cold air of the 6th floor, the beautiful stars and nebs swirling in the sky.

    I can move again, but as the ck mana strengthening my body wears off, the pain intensifies. So many wounds mark my body that I just continue to lie there, keeping myself conscious and feeding thermal energy to my passive, just to get that little bit of healing.

    As far as I can sense, there is only one presence nearby. She isn''t even trying to hide, and upon detecting me, it takes her a scant few minutes to reach my location. She drops from her run into a slow walk when she spots me lying on the ground and slowly approaches me.

    Lily squats by my side with her knees pulled to her chest and looks at me, curiosity burning in her eyes, ¡°Bad day?¡±

    ¡°It could be worse.¡±

    ¡°I see. Need some healing?¡±

    ¡°Not really, just a few flesh wounds, nothing worth mentioning.¡±

    ¡°That''s true, you¡¯re missing an arm and a leg, you¡¯ve broken most of your ribs, you have three holes piercingpletely through your chest, and missing a chunk of your other leg, one of your ears is also gone, taking a decent chunk of the skin on your face with it. Plus a bit of internal bleeding, and a strained brain. Did I miss anything?¡±

    ¡°A broken fingernail.¡±

    ¡°That''s true, I¡¯ll add one broken nail to the tally,¡± Lily says, nodding seriously.

    ¡°My passive will take care of that.¡±

    ¡°Your passive sucks, Nat.¡±

    ¡°It does well for being only epic grade.¡±

    ¡°I could heal better on the 1st floor.¡±

    ¡°Show off. So what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Just hunting. Tess said this would probably be the ce you entered Beyond and that you would probably end up here when you returned, so I¡¯ve been hunting in the area from time to time,¡± she says, reaching out and poking my body with her finger, and through that, I feel her warm mana flood my body.

    I let it happen, and I soak in the feeling as she starts healing me, starting with my internal injuries and the more serious wounds.

    ¡°Any trouble?¡± I ask.

    Lily shakes her head, ¡°Everything¡¯s been going well, Tess and Sophie decided to take over the remnants of ck Tower, and Tess has kind of be the new leader. She¡¯s already started threatening the other groups around us. Sophie¡¯s basically vice captain, and sometimes she takes over so Tess can go out to level.¡±

    ¡°Sounds boring.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re all fairly strong, so Tess only ever needs to spend a few hours at a time to manage things. Most of the time, we level and train. We¡¯ve even started using the information they¡¯ve collected to locate powerful monsters and good hunting spots.¡±

    ¡°Still boring,¡± I say, continuing to lie on the ground and observe my wounds as they heal and my limbs regrow.

    It still annoys me that I can¡¯t replicate it, even after all this time.

    ¡°How was Beyond?¡± Lily asks.

    ¡°Different than I expected but not in a bad way. It''s just another challenge, and I think you, Tess, and I should be able to find each other.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to tell me everything. It shouldn¡¯t take long, and I¡¯ll be able to do my 3rd trial within the next few months.¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    At that, Lily smiles and pokes me again, flooding me with another wave of her healing mana.

    The atmosphere between us is so much different from what I had with Shayna. With Lily, I notice myself dropping my guard, and there is a realization that if she really wanted, she could kill me with ease. I wouldn''t even know it had happened, just a short burst of that gray mana in ce of her healing. It would be enough to destroy my chest and my heart with it.

    ¡°I got four damaged arcane items,¡± I note and watch her reaction.

    Lily giggles, ¡°Maya¡¯s going to be all over you when she finds out, and if you mention it in the Community, Tess Is going to be hoping for a javelin.¡±

    She then looks at the ymore on the ground and reads the description, and I show her the ring, glove, and piece of y.

    None of them seems to catch her interest, and she returns them to me. Instead, she pulls a finger bone from her pocket, the one that came from the Champion on the 5th floor. Nevan''s father, who was easily one of the most durable people in that world.

    ¡°I think I came up with a way to make my bones stronger. I¡¯m testing it now, and if I seed, I should be able to do the same with yours. Of course, it hurts terribly, and blocking pain receptors is difficult, but you can do it! The stone we got from Savant and Champion Tristan''s disciple He certainly helps. Oh, and I might havee up with a way to put a mark on you. It could store some of my healing mana, and help you out when activated. It might take a few months to make it work, though, and I¡¯ll definitely need your help with that. Oh, and¡­¡± Lily continues to babble on excitedly like she does every time she gets a chance to talk about her experiments, and I listen to her.

    With another piece of my mind, I check on the notifications I got from thatst fight:

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 51 > Mana Maniption - lvl 52]</strong>

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 50 > Focus - lvl 51]</strong>

    Not as many as I would like, but at least I got a hold of some items to experiment with. Together with mebearer, that makes 5 damaged arcane items. It''s a scary amount, enough to convince a group of more experienced attendees to risk their lives. Even a single damaged arcane item makes you significantly more interesting to the right people.

    However, I can¡¯t bring myself to care too much. Sure, my inner loot goblin would like to have more of them. Arcane, epic, all the items. Mostly so I can use them to improve my abilities. mebearer, for example, even now, is a font of inspiration, helping me improve my use of thermal energy.

    I just don''t want to be reliant on items, so no matter how happy I am when I find one, it can''tpare to learning something new.

    Pushing these thoughts away, I continue to listen to Lily, who has already started talking about the prospect of growing wings and an extra set of arms.

 Chapter 425: An Offer

    Chapter 425: An Offer

    As we pass through the area, I take a moment to think and begin to suspect that Lily wasn''t so much hunting here as she was lurking around in the hope that she would meet me upon my return.

    When Ie out and ask, she doesn''t even lie, stating, without a hint of shame, that she expected me to return half dead. And, to my slight annoyance, I can¡¯t refute her logic.

    I find it refreshing, especially after experiencing themunity in Beyond, where everyone seemed like they were willing to betray theirrades just for an opportunity to betray somebody else harder. Even though I know she probably still has a crush on me, she¡¯s not pushing quite as hard as before. Now Lily just feels like a naive young girl looking for any excuse to be around the person she likes.

    I¡¯ve already rejected her though, so I won¡¯t mention it again. I''m sure she will get over it soon enough. Or hell, maybe she¡¯ll stop being like that and, like a normal person, like me, push those emotions to the side. Maybe her subss really is Lust.

    My mood has improved since I returned, part of it is the trust I¡¯ve found myself having in this girl and the rest of Group 4. It''s a surprisingly warm feeling.

    Then there is also all the loot and other items I have stowed away in various holes in the ground, set in ce before leaving for the Beyond. Mana stones, weapons, materials, weird leathers, shards of bone from powerful monsters, alloys, mana stones dense with information, and more.

    ording to Tess, this floor¡¯s going to take a while, so I probably have at least a few months to experiment properly. Heck, I still have a mana stone with that Restrictive Training Emblem from LissLiss.

    Three mana shaping exercises.

    Arcane items to examine.Materials to work on smelting.

    Quests toplete in the name of earning Beyond Stay Tokens.

    Any number of things to learn about this floor.

    An idea for my first own technique and so much more.

    The grind never stops, indeed, and I wouldn''t want it any other way. No matter how powerful I am now, I''m still just a speck of nothing in the eyes of the right people. The other rounds of Earth''s tutorial, the other attendees in Beyond, and that¡¯s not even getting into everything waiting to happen after we finish the tutorial.

    Champion rank, Absolute rank, Ruler rank, maybe something beyond that? That reminds me, I need to find another Champion candidate and see if I can¡¯t test out that challenge thing.

    ¡°Lily, even after a year in the tutorial, we know shit all.¡±

    She slows down her run to match mine and tilts her head, ¡°We know a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Nah, we know nothing.¡±

    ¡°Why do you sound happy about that?¡±

    ¡°Because I am. Group of five monsters, off to the right, the ones that pop from the ground.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡± Lily shouts as she changes direction and charges the monsters. Before we regroup with others, we can try to score a few levels.

    Stopping in ce, I watch as she sets our stuff on the ground and charges them. Not even using her skills, just the pure strength of her body, she starts annihting the monsters. It might be me, but it looks like she¡¯s using less mana than before. It seems to stem from her duel with Tess back in the tournament.

    At the time Her impatience and inexperience led to her being almost toyed with as she was forced to waste her terribly low mana reserves.

    Now though, faced with these leech-like monsters piercing through the ground, she falls back on the tactic of boosting her body with short bursts of mana instead of relying on <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong>.

    Taking the time to truly grasp her strengths will make her more efficient, and ensure that she doesn¡¯t have to waste <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong> on every little thing. There¡¯s probably more to it though, I''m sure Tess and others cooperate with suggestions for their training regimens.

    ¡°Is Sophie still refusing to go to Beyond?¡± I ask as Lily returns.

    She moves a lock of her hair from her face and looks at me, ¡°Izzy keeps telling her to go, and I think Sophie will do it soon. She is probably just waiting for you to tell her what¡¯s waiting for her after the Trials. Learning that it''s just another ce she can go with Stay Tokens and that she can return to Izzy might finally make her go.¡±

    ¡°I think she would do well there.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, her skill is scary. But it¡¯s going to take her months to get through her Beyond trials when she goes with that time limit. Have you thought of trying to meet up with Savant, Gareth, or Tacita?¡±

    I hesitate for a moment before responding to her question. Should I try to contact the others in an attempt to meet up in Beyond when they get there? Should I try to find people from Earth other than Victoria?They would probably be more trustworthy than the others, as most of the attendees seem inclined to stick with others from their.

    It makes sense that in such a new environment, their petty resentments for each other get pushed away. In Beyond, it''s us versus them, the ce just seems too dangerous to explore on your own.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,ter,¡± I answer, deciding to push the decision onto future Nathaniel.

    It takes another day to reach the rest of Group 4. At this point, Lily''s initial excuse of hunting nearby is thoroughly destroyed. So she just stays quiet, and I decide to ignore it in exchange for her help carrying my stuff.

    We meet the others at the small outpost that apparently once belonged to ck Tower, a smaller one, but it¡¯s apparently better than the main base which took too much damage for quick repair. It makes me wonder how exactly they got the twins out and how much damage they caused. Even though they have pathetic mana reserves, Group 4 can be scary at times.

    Well, not Biscuit, he is perfect as he is. He¡¯s also the first one to wee me, our future animal Archmage and overlord of Earth and best doggo of the 6th floor floats towards me. Something has changed, and it seems like he can¡¯t wait to show me.

    Of course, I noticed right away. Biscuit''s movement speed while floating has increased by around 6%. It¡¯s still much slower than his walking speed and it¡¯s barely noticeable, but I can certainly tell!

    ¡°You are moving much faster now, Biscuit,¡± I note.

    My suspicion is quickly confirmed by the excited wagging of his short tail.

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    ¡°Yes, you are!¡±

    His tail wiggles even faster at my praise, and I let him float in front of my face and boop my nose with his front right paw. I mirror his action, booping his nose in return, which our future overlord gracefully allows.

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    ¡°Stupid Tentaniel!¡± Izzy shouts, rushing closer as she pulls me into a hug, while her skill attempts to connect to my feelings only for me to block it.

    It''s scary enough that she can sense them on the surface, even a little bit. Maybe there is some sort of social norm regarding the use of such skills, simr to social norms on when it''s fine to teleport away from a conversation. Something tells me we may as well be behaving like brutes when ites to our skills and the way we use them in certain situations.

    ¡°You are not allowed to call me that,¡± I chastise, flicking her in the head.

    ¡°Stupidthaniel?¡±

    ¡°Also no.¡±

    ¡°Tent Cr¡­¡±

    I flick her in the head again before she can finish.

    Meanwhile, Noodle, who I can always count on to be present somewhere, coiled around her arm, looks at me and nods. I return the gesture and send a whiff of my mana his way, which he gratefully noms on. I also notice him looking over the items we brought here, especially the pouches of bones I took from Bone Fortress, though he seems even more interested in the pieces I got from the remains of the monster that was resting against Veil Ignition Station No. 2.

    Interesting, maybe I need to spend a bit more time with Noodle. His ability to eat mana always fascinated me.

    ¡°Listen, can I keep that ymore?¡± The one saying that is, of course, Maya. She¡¯s already taken up a spot next to Lily, who carried the damaged arcane weapon on the way here.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You have that ax already, you don''t need a ymore. You don''t even like using long swords, you prefer short swords, javelins, and nuking the area.¡±

    ¡°I n to examine it to see if it can do something cool. I might try to smelt it and the ax to create an undamaged arcane weapon if it fits.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s such a waste,¡± Maya moans, shaking her head. ¡°Still, wee back. Tess, Sophie, and the twins are dealing with some shit. There is a small group trying to mess with the web Sophie¡¯s set up. Kim is hunting somewhere outside.¡±

    ¡°That''s fine, we can talkter,¡± I say, sending my senses through the area.

    There are a few people who notice my wave, but I mostly ignore them after failing to find anyone decently powerful.

    What I do find is our new underlings, taken from the survivors of the ck Tower raid, and Tess and the others in the process of dealing with them. As always, I''m thankful for the extrovert gang taking care of business.

    ¡°Want to know what ck Tower¡¯s new name is?¡± Maya asks with a smile as she lets go of the ymore.

    ¡°No, I don''t,¡± I reply, already having a strong suspicion.

    ¡°Tell him anyway!¡± Izzy crows in challenge, as she dodges under my attempt to flick her nose.

    With a smile broadening on her face, Maya continues, ¡°Wee to the group known as Angry Kittens.¡±

    I knew it.

    Hourster I''m sitting in one of the rooms in the main building, I find myself a spot close to the window. The view is absolute shit, and I''m not sitting in afy armchair, rather I find myself in some abominable variation made out of cold stone.

    Of course, the nebs in the starry sky are nice, I have to give the 6th floor at least that much, but otherwise, there isn''t much to look at. It could work better if the window was bigger and the view wasn''t so swamped by the small outpost below.

    And there, wandering through the backdrop of the outpost, are a few dozen of the surviving members of ck Tower going about their tasks.

    So far, it seems like a person¡¯s strength is the most important consideration here, and killing most of the previous regime proved our strength. Sophie''s ability probably helped quite a bit as well.

    Sure, from what I¡¯ve heard, the old ck Tower members still fight from time to time or just leave, but most of them have decided to stay. The concept of strength in numbers thrives even here, and camping outside on your own doesn''t seem to be a good option.

    ¡°I would rather ditch them and do our own thing,¡± I tell Tess once again.

    This time, even Sophie breaks down in a sigh making a wild gesture at Tess. It¡¯s just the three of us in the room at the moment, nning our next steps.

    Tess, more patient than Sophie, just nods, ¡°I know what you mean, but I want to learn more about the central region, the monsters in the area, and the other groups. So far, it seems like escaping is going to be a task in and of itself, and collecting more information can only make it much faster. You want to get to the next floor as fast as possible, right?¡±

    ¡°Don''t treat me like a child, waving the next floor in front of me just to get me to cooperate. Sure, it''s working, but don''t do it.¡±

    ¡°Sure, Nat,¡± Tess says, smiling. ¡°Don''t worry, it might seem like a lot, but we spend most of our time training and hunting. Between me and Sophie, this barely takes any time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better be if you want to survive in Beyond,¡± I repeat.

    I have already told her and others all I could about Beyond, and after that, everyone else other than Sophie and Tess left the room. To give us, the adults, the opportunity to talk, apparently.

    ¡°Just give me a bit more time and I¡¯ll be ready to join you there and don''t worry, I¡¯ll try to set something up with Gareth and the others from Beyond. From the looks of it, we could have a big advantage if we went as a group.¡±

    ¡°Others I met there thought the same.¡±

    ¡°That''s true, but we are different, are we not?¡±

    ¡°We are,¡± I agree.

    Earth''s Beyonders seem to be above average so far.

    Tess has her crown over her head, actively storing lightning. Apparently, she is keeping it up almost constantly to fill it up, and it''s still not full yet. It''s an example I¡¯ve already chosen to follow with my own crown as it floats over my head.

    Taking a few steps, Tess puts her hand on Sophie''s shoulder, who seems to be caught deep in thought, before asking ¡°What do you think?¡±.

    ¡°I need a day or two to decide if I want to start my Beyond trials.¡±

    ¡°Have you already fulfilled all the requirements?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did some time ago. I¡¯ll speak with Izzy, soter, Tess, Nathaniel.¡± Sophie states, waving as she leaves the room, leaving the two of us by ourselves.

    ¡°So what''s the n? Do you want to continue on your own or wait for, at least, Lily and I?¡± Tess asks after Sophie leaves.

    I return Tess'' gaze, ¡°I think I¡¯ll go back before you and Lily enter. I¡¯ll be more careful and only go for a few days, we¡¯ll see if I can make some money with my crafting and get some more information. I might try to look for the others from Earth. Maybe even look into changing my handler. That way when I enter Beyond for the third time I¡¯ll be able to save some time, and we can form a party if you make it there by then.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a nicepromise. One more thing though. There is something I wanted to tell you about the twins¡­¡± she continues to talk and I listen.

    Some timeter the twins and I go out to hunt, just the three of us. Some of the monsters tend to be strong so I enjoy the fight, but I don''t forget to watch the twins fight and slowly confirm Tess¡¯ concerns.

    So when we finally take a break I address them without dancing around the issue, "Tess wants you two to switch difficulty to Hard if you don''t manage to get any stronger than you are now."

    "I knew it," Aaron sighs, and Dennis just nods solemnly.

    "So why are you telling us?" Dennis asks.

    "Oh, I¡¯m not finished," I say, lifting a finger. "You two are weaker than even Isabe. Even Min-Jae could take you on. Maya would wipe the floor with you. You would barely be a challenge for Sophie and Biscuit already kicked your ass during the tournament."

    They stare at me, blinking.

    "Together you might manage to pull some fuckery given the way your skills make you stronger as a pair, but that''s it. Currently, you¡¯re the weakest link in group 4."

    I can see they don¡¯t want to hear it, but I think it needs to be said.

    "But?" Aaron asks.

    "But you two have a skill called<strong> [Connection]</strong> and I''m sure I could make use of it to improve one of my skills, maybe evolve it or make improvements. It¡¯s also probably much stronger than your use of it would imply."

    "Great. Just great."

    "Of course, I don¡¯t expect you to teach me for free, so this is my offer. We¡¯re going to work as a group for another 2 weeks and do our stuff. After that, we¡¯re going to split into two groups. Mine will be Biscuit, Lily, and the two of you," I say.

    I¡¯ve been thinking and I think it¡¯s going to be worth it. I believe I can make my<strong> [Resonance]</strong> stronger by observing <strong>[Connection]</strong>. During that time we can also work on body modifications with Lily. It''s a good n if I do say so myself.

    "I will help you train and teach you how to handle your skills. I will also teach you Coordinates so you can improve your<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong> and get some shards. Of course, don''t expect it to be easy. I might even throw in some extra tasks, just to make things more difficult for you."

    They seem to be getting worried but I can tell they¡¯re interested. They must have noticed it themselves. All the ways they¡¯reckingpared to the rest of the group. Maybe, on some level, they¡¯ve been hoping for this.

    "There will be some rules of course, but the main one is this: If, over the course of these next few months you fail to meet my expectations, you will use the difficulty change token when I ask."

 Chapter 426: A lot to do

    Chapter 426: A lot to do

    I leave Dennis and Aaron so they can decide. We still have 2 weeks until we need to know, so they have time to think about it. It¡¯s not an easy decision, so it will probably take a while.

    <em>(Yo, we ept,)</em> Dennis says through group 4¡¯s connection.

    <em>(We know the training will be hellish, and we¡¯ll trash-talk you behind your back as a result, but we don¡¯t want to be left behind,)</em> Aaron adds.

    <em>(We have some pride of our own as well and we¡¯d be lying if we said we didn¡¯t appreciate the opportunity. We also know Tess probably had something to do with it, but still, thank you.)</em>

    <em>(Yeah, thanks. We¡¯ll show you we aren¡¯t as weak as you think.)</em>

    <em>(Do you think he called us weak on purpose to fire us up? Comparing us to Izzy like that?)</em>

    <em>(Maybe, we¡­)</em>

    <em>(Okay then, no taking back. If you fail, you will switch to Hard Difficulty even if I have to force you.)</em> I say, speaking through the link before disconnecting from the conversation.

    Weirdos, at least take some time to think about it. But, they are in Hell difficulty, so I probably could have expected that. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re actually weak.Sitting in my room, like a true leech, I let extroverts deal with stuff outside and finally get around to crushing the mana stone containing the Restrictive Training Emblem. The one the Cockroach made for me. Back then, she said it was invented by some new Champion with powerful mana so that she could train her body while continuing to invest in her mana stat.

    A kindred spirit. A genius. I would love to speak with her as a fellow mana enjoyer and shake her hand.

    The moment I break the stone I received from Cockroach-Sandra a web of inscriptions begins seeping into my body and covering my skin, almost in its entirety. It¡¯s extremely dense and delicate. At some points, it may as well be microscopic, difficult to even observe, even with my eye trait activated.

    It serves as a good reminder that I will always have a long way to go as if I needed one.

    Thenes the part I¡¯ve been waiting for.

    Immediately after the web covers my body, an emblem etches itself in the skin of my chest reminding me of a tattoo, positioned right over my heart, a dense web of circuits that serve to create some sort of circr and pleasing if functional design.

    Upon taking a closer look I find an option that should allow me to strengthen and tune its effects. And of course, the results speak for themselves, resulting in an instant bacsh that sends spasms through my muscles. Very painful ones.

    I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t use it in Beyond.

    A decent chunk of my mana gets pulled away, tying up nearly half of my generated mana, seeping into the emblem now covering my heart and flowing into the web behind it, and dispersing throughout my body. The effect is immediate, the immense pressure applying itself evenly across my body. Unlike the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions that rendered me incapable of moving without the use of kic energy, this one does multiple things.

    It makes my body feel heavier while putting a lot of strain on it. It¡¯s almost like Active Tempering on a lower level and left run at all times. The strain forcing my body to adapt, as it takes damage and recovers, making me stronger in the process.

    The extremely delicate and microscopic web of inscriptions connected to the emblem forces my body to fight me, applying constant pressure with my own mana. There is even a ¡°switch¡± that I can use to decide how much mana I want to feed the Emblem.

    As I examine it more, I think about the difference between inscriptions and emblems. As far as I can tell, emblems seem to be more permanent when applied to the body, while inscriptions have always felt like temporary measures. The emblem just seems connected to me on a deeper level.

    Maybe I¡¯m wrong. The emblem might be a higher level of inscriptions, or inscriptions work better for items while emblems work best with the body.

    I still remember the Emblems Nevan had, the ones that allowed him to create his amazing mes - a gift from his Absolute. I totally want to dabble in the process sometime in the future, and I think that my constructs might be the first step toward an emblem. Or maybe They¡¯re all just constructs, emblems, and inscriptions. I don¡¯t know, and the system won¡¯t tell me. And who cares anyway.

    I wait for a bit, but there are no notifications miraculously offering information.

    Well, fine, I¡¯ll just have to learn on my own.

    For now, I let it set at a 50% rate of mana consumption, even though I notice my body starting to hurt as I¡¯ve just finished a long workout. And I¡¯m only a few minutes in. How crazy is that, but I bet it¡¯s effective so I take note of my current stats topare themter.

    <strong>Lvl 258</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Strength: 123</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 116</em><em></em>

    <em>Constitution: 274</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1078 + 1078</em>

    I lovingly examine the emblem currently torturing me. The Champion who made it was truly a kindred spirit.

    Next, I have three mana exercises. They are as follows:

    Evil orb - an orb with ever changing frequency and mana requirements to keep it from popping or disappearing. I already have three floating at my side.

    The next is the infinity orb, an orb with another orb inside and another inside of that and another, and so on, continuing for as far as you can. Each one, growing progressively smaller. The exercise promotes control and delicate maniptions, the goal being to see how small an object one can create while maintaining the proper shapes. The third one is the Spinning Orbs. I¡¯ve given each their own fancy name. I can''t be bothered to remember their original names.

    Thest exercise involves making two spinning orbs with separate, intersecting orbits. The goal is to make them both spin as quickly as possible without crashing. At some point, even the slightest mistake will cause them to collide, and I can¡¯t find any reason not to add more orbs as I go, all with their own orbits, connecting at one point, though that would increase the difficulty by a lot.

    For a moment, I stop looking over the mana shaping exercises and close my eyes.

    Holy hell, that emblem is evil. I feel like I can barely breathe, and it¡¯s been a long time since I felt my muscles burn like this. Even lifting my arm is getting pretty tough, and the Restrictive Training Emblem, or RTE for short, isn¡¯t even working to its fullest.

    Just out of curiosity, I change the setting, and it takes another chunk out of my mana regen.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Yup, totally evil.

    Just that short test tore some muscles.

    I kind of like it. Of course, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a masochist, but it uses plenty of mana that I don¡¯t have to cycle now and spends it inside of my body. It¡¯s almost like some sort of limiter, a weight I can cast off to reveal my true power. Or something like that. Maybe I¡¯m just a tiny bit childish when ites to that sort of thing.

    After a long while, I decide to check my quests.

    <strong>Floor Quest:</strong><strong><em></em></strong>

    <em>Escape the Astral Prison</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>???</em>

    <em>Epic grade passive skill</em>

    <em>5000 Shards</em>

    <em>Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes</em>

    <em>Send a single item to your disciple (up to rare rarity)</em>

    <em>Increased daily Community limit</em>

    I already know from my conversation with Tess that escaping this ce won¡¯t be a simple matter. The moon we find ourselves on has some sort of protection against just that, the kind of stuff that prevents people with spatial skills from teleporting out of here. Even flying too high is discouraged on ount of a range of defenses that are rumored to be capable of killing level 400s with ease.

    Building an array to try to connect it to somewhere outside doesn¡¯t work either.

    We don¡¯t know much more than that, to be honest. Apparently, we¡¯re in one of the more rural areas of this prison, which fits with the system¡¯s tendencies, with the floors gradually increasing in difficulty. Central regions tend to have more and stronger people with a better knowledge base.

    So far, it¡¯s been interesting to see so many people from differents, and there are more arriving all the time. Almost as if there were scheduled dropoff times.

    There¡¯s also been talk of a coalition, powerful monsters, and the remains of some kind of ancient civilization. What interests me more is the regions no one dares to enter, chock full of powerful sleeping monsters. I even hear the word Cmity from time to time.

    As much as Iin about dealing with other people, Tess was able to collect quite the hoard of information, and she¡¯s nning to scout out the central region sometime in the next two weeks, force a few more answers from some of the other groups, and then we¡¯ll go our separate ways. And I don¡¯t mind doing it.

    Coming back to side quests, I find some new ones as well.

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em>Get all skills over level 40</em>

    <strong><em>Reward:</em></strong><em>Beyond 1 day stay token</em>

    <strong>Side quest: </strong><em>Get all skills over level 50</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><em>Trait strengthening token (1st stage)</em>

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em>Reach level 275</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><em>Beyond 1 day stay token</em>

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em>Defeat 1000 monsters over level 200</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><em>Beyond 1 day stay token</em>

    They go on and on too. I almost ran out of side quests before, but now there are dozens. Some offer food and water, others offer epic passives and items. A number of them offer beyond stay tokens too, but only for a day at a time.

    None of the quests happen to be anything simple either, except, perhaps killing 1000 monsters over level 200. Kaboom, am I right?

    It just seems like ess to Beyond is purposefully limited, at least currently, almost as if the system¡¯s forcing us to keep climbing the floors here in Hell difficulty.

    Is there more the system wants to show us?

    While examining the effect my new RTE has been having on me, I stand up and nearly fall, barely managing to catch myself. The inscriptions before didn¡¯t allow me to move at all. It¡¯s like they turned off my body and kic energy was the only thing that would make it move.

    This emblem feels like I¡¯ve been covered in weights, weights that have the sole purpose of damaging my body with a single objective: force it to adapt to the strain and grow stronger in the process.

    Curious, I use kic energy to support my movement, but the moment I do, the emblem stops working.

    Well, that¡¯s straight-up evil. Nice one, Cockroach-Sandra.

    I stop using kic energy and let part of my mind focus on the inscriptions Lissandra used back then. I can mimic them and use them to train my kic energy, switching between that and my new RTE.

    Plus Lissandra¡¯s mana shaping exercises. Then throw in the stuff Miwa left to help me work on damaged arcane items. Plus the body modifications I¡¯ve been nning with Lily. Plus my ns to improve my current constructs. Plus my efforts to level my other skills, and using the twins'' skills to improve my own. Plus¡­ more, just more.

    But first, I want to see Noodle, and so I start heading for the ce I sense his presence, I grab a few of the bone shards I¡¯ve acquired. One from the Bone Fortress here on the 6th floor and the other one from the snake skeleton next to the pyramid.

    I find myself in a smaller room, facing Izzy who has her arms crossed against her chest, ¡°I won¡¯t let you feed Noodle weird stuff!¡±

    Noodle is next to her, looking between her, me, and Biscuit, who is currently sitting on myp, with curiosity in his eyes.

    Sophie ignores all of us, focusing instead on some weird mana construct floating in front of her as she practices. I notice myself starting to examine it, but I force myself to stop and turn back to Izzy.

    ¡°Look, he kept staring at me and drooling over it. I¡¯m just curious. Also, why the hell is he still the same size?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Noodle can¡¯t drool! And he¡¯s stayed this size because I asked him to; he¡¯s just cuter that way.¡±

    In answer, I lift a piece of bone from the 5th floor and wave it.

    Noodle follows the bone from side to side as if hypnotized.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t prove anything,¡± Izzy nods seriously.

    I move it up and down, and Noodle continues to track it perfectly. He keeps it up too, even as I start zig-zagging.

    At this point, I start to wonder if I can make the pearl-white snake dizzy, so I start moving faster, spinning the fragment in circles.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it,¡± Izzy sighs.

    It might just be me, but Noodle seems to perk up at that, turning to her, ignoring the fragment of bone for the first time since I brought it here. He slithers closer, lovingly coiling around her arm and licking her cheek.

    What a tricky little creature. Snakes use their tongues to smell as far as I know. They do not, however, lick. It must be something he picked up from Biscuit.

    Indeed, our future overlord is great to affect others so profoundly.

    I reach down and pet Biscuit who looks up to me and yawns slightly. Using that opportunity, I put a finger into his open mouth, and when he closes it, he bites my finger gently.

    His expression is confused, as always when I do it, but he then pulls away and licks my hand beforeying back down on my leg, his intelligent eyes focused on the duo in front of us.

 Chapter 427: Knight

    Chapter 427: Knight

    ¡°So what can Noodle do? You spend the most time with him,¡± I ask Izzy.

    Meanwhile, said white snake is coiled around the shard of bone I gave him from Veil Ignition Station no. 2. He straight-up ignores the second one from the Bone Fortress. So far, he hasn¡¯t eaten or absorbed it. He just keeps flicking his tongue towards it and touching it with his scaly body. He is emitting a small amount of mana though, and I observe the process, even activating my trait to do so.

    Izzy watches as well. ¡°Noodle can eat mana from the air. He can also perfectly store and digest until he can¡¯t be felt at all.¡±

    That seems somewhat simr to Biscuit¡¯s primordial energy and a tiny bit to my ck mana. The difference is that Biscuit seems to be able to¡­ well, who the hell knows. He just does a bunch of weird stuff that scares some people a lot.

    My ck mana is an extremely dense form of mana that tries to absorb and dominate any mana in reach. Meanwhile, Noodle actively eats it, and then it¡­ it disappears or gets used for something.

    ¡°Can Noodle grow bigger or make use of that mana?¡± I ask.

    ¡°He¡­¡± Izzy hesitates as if there is something she is hiding. Her eyes nce at me, Biscuit, and Noodle. ¡°He can grow bigger if he wants to. And I think he needs a lot of time to slowly digest that mana and use it to be stronger. He can absorb a lot, but then it takes even longer.¡±

    So he pretty much has his own reservoir where he can store absorbed mana, changing and transforming it into something he can use.

    From my own testing, I know that using mana you¡¯ve taken from someone else is extremely difficult. Each person has a slightly different kind of mana. Part of that can be mitigated by changing the frequencies, but it¡¯s not quite as simple as that. It¡¯s very difficult, and the results of using someone else¡¯s mana can turn out catastrophic. Of course, that¡¯s assuming you aren¡¯t a monster like Lissandra.That¡¯s one of the reasons I want to improve my <strong>[Resonance]</strong> and master my eyes more. My skill set and <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> should help me pull it off. Maybe not now, but sometime in the future. I have a very situational and extremely powerful build in mind.

    A set of skills I believe should mess up anyone trying to use mana in the presence of my Pride enhanced domain.

    Oh boy, this is going to be scary in a year or two.

    ¡°Noodle also seems to be registered as Isabe¡¯s pet or something,¡± Sophie adds, lifting her head from the construct she is working on. ¡°His growth is being influenced by Isabe¡¯s, and we think some of his abilities might transfer over to her at some point. Noodle can even resist her mes now, they don¡¯t even damage him anymore, and he seems to have a knack for reading people, not unlike Izzy.¡±

    At that point, the three of us turn to the snake, who continues to ignore us. I¡¯m absolutely sure he heard and probably understood what we were talking about.

    Yet he pretends not to hear and continues to snuggle up to the bone.

    ¡°This one¡¯s for free, but you¡¯ll have to work for the others,¡± I tell the snake, before grabbing Biscuit and standing with him in my arms.

    Noodle looks at me and then moves his head just a tiny bit, in a tiny imitation of a nod.

    There are still some things I want to examine about his skill, and a few pieces of bone aren¡¯t exactly a high price to pay.

    Lily¡¯s already got a few for the purpose of researching new ways to modify our bodies.

    Later that day, I meet with Maya, as she returns from her hunt with Tess and Lily. She is holding Bloodthirst. I¡¯ve decided to let her borrow the weapon and examine its effects while I work on other stuff. She agreed readily, unable to contain her excitement at getting to try out a new weapon.

    ¡°So?¡± I ask. ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°Well, we almost died. A strong three question mark monster popped up out of nowhere and nearly ate Tess. It even resisted Lily¡¯s<strong> [Disintegration]</strong> a few times through sheer size.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Were there supposed to be monsters that strong here?¡±

    ¡°Yup, they¡¯re all over the ce, mostly sleeping or hibernating or something like that. You generally find them marked on maps as ces to avoid, but we started checking them out. The one we met escaped, but Tess left a mark on it, dered it her prey or something, so we¡¯re going after it again tomorrow.¡±

    It almost makes me want to grab that map and go out on my own, but I push those thoughts away. I have to stick to the n.

    Maya seems to notice that and smiles, lifting the sword with its white, red tinged, de. ¡°As for the ymore, it¡¯s very sharp and it gets even sharper when you cut anything that could be counted among the living. I think the moment it ¡®tastes¡¯ the blood of a target, it bes more dangerous against that target. And there might be some kind of weird debuff at work too?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± I ask, taking the ymore from her, and examining it.

    <strong>Bloodthirst (Arcane, Damaged) -</strong><em> Bloodthirst once thrived on the essence of life, growing stronger with each battle. Its hunger for blood has lessened, but it still draws sporadic strength from fresh wounds, offering glimpses of its once insatiable power.</em>

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s also absorbing some of the blood, but I haven¡¯t noticed much of a difference. Maybe it needs to absorb more to reach its full potential¡±

    The de, despite its sharpness, has been clearly damaged in multiple ces, a piece of the hilt is missing and broken as well. It looks like the weapon was chipped away piece by piece by some powerful force. Maybe it was damaged by contact with another weapon or skill. Hell, maybe it was a full fledged arcane item before Whitey destroyed it.

    Thinking of it, there isn¡¯t anything of much use for me to learn from studying it at the moment. At least not anything more useful than my current projects.

    ¡°You can keep it for another week or two if you want,¡± I offer it back to Maya, who takes it without any hesitation.

    I pause for a moment and give her a look. She¡¯s dark-skinned and probably the oldest person here, not that I¡¯m going to say that out loud. She was 28 or something, I think. A professional trainer in her past¡­ I pause with a feeling of amusement. In her past life is what I was about to think. It¡¯s only been a year and already I¡¯m thinking of our time before this as a past life.

    ¡°You are not going to sell these items for a better passive?¡± she asks, after a moment.

    ¡°I was thinking about it, but¡­ they are damaged, and I didn¡¯t make them. Arcane items start at 100,000 shards, so assuming I found one undamaged on the floor I would get anywhere between 10-20k shards. If I were to make one, it would jump to 50k. So a damaged arcane item like this would probably fetch anywhere from 5-10k shards. It does make for a nice chunk of change, but it would still leave me a ways off from what I¡¯d need. For now, I¡¯m just going to examine them, maybe use their materials to make something elseter.¡±

    ¡°Anything for me?¡± she jokes, spinning the ymore in her hand.

    ¡°You go by Knight in the Community, right? We also share some of the same skills, so I may as well throw you a bone." I say, trying to act pompous, "How about you be my knight, call me ''Lord'', and handle the asional annoyance on my behalf? I¡¯ll throw in some perks if you like, I could even get you an item or two.¡± I joke, riding my good mood over my recent progress.

    Surprisingly, Maya seems to take it seriously and appears to think it over.

    In the end, she answers with a smile that seems to imply that she¡¯s only half joking, ¡°Sounds better than being a minion. So as your knight, I would be responsible for killing your enemies, leading your forces, and collecting taxes, right? I could do that.¡±

    My knight... It sounds weird, but it makes a certain kind of sense that things might slide in that direction with the way events have progressed. With everything we¡¯ve seen across all these floors, It¡¯ll only be a matter of time before things like that start happening on Earth. Maya, despite deciding not to enter Beyond, is strong evenpared to the other Hell difficulty attendees we met in the tournament. She doesn¡¯tck much of the skill she¡¯d need to enter Beyond.

    However, the seriousness of her deration surprises me even now.

    Not wanting to deal with it now, I don¡¯t reject her, but push it into the future, ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound too unreasonable.¡±

    ¡°Got it, my <em>Lord,</em>¡± she says courteously before bowing gracefully. Then, with a wave of her hand and a cheeky smile that breaks the immersion, leaves, heading for the area she uses for her sparring matches with Lily.

    I Boost myself to the top of the tower our group has taken for our new headquarters, I stare down at the fort stretched out below me. It¡¯s the former secondary base of the ck Tower after their HQ was mostly destroyed, but it¡¯s still somewhat impressive.

    I watch mana moving in the air as it powers the web stretching across the area containing our base and its surroundings. It¡¯s an improvement on a system the former owners already had in ce, courtesy of Sophie. She is getting quite good at it too, she¡¯s visibly improving as I watch the changes.

    As for the prisoners, there are a few dozen of them, mostly using this ce as a safe haven against the monsters. There is power in numbers, as they say. They are mostly brutes, not unlike those I¡¯ve already met. It¡¯s not even like all of them are powerful. In this ce and other ¡°rural¡± areas, they tend to be weaker than our group.

    It seems like the closer one gets to the ¡°central¡± area, the better the prospects are, with the prisoners there even managing to create something like normal cities if you want to call it that. Or maybe they truly are.

    This moon seems to have been used as a prison for hundreds of years, maybe even longer. With the way people at higher levels tend to live for centuries, some of them have more than enough time to set something up for themselves.

    There are rumors about multiple Champion candidates; there are even rumors that most people think of as more of a legend, whispers that an Absolute candidate may have been thrown in here, wounded, and left to die, betrayed by the people of his.

    Information tends to be very sparse and hard toe by, most of these people are fully upied with their survival, deprived of the luxury of caring about things like this. There have already been a few attempts to kill our members when they went out to hunt. One group tried to kidnap Sophie, another tried to force Min-Jae into betraying us, and more besides.

    All of these people were dealt with quickly, cleanly, and with prejudice, showing the others that we are not to be messed with, because that¡¯s the only thing people in this ce seem to understand.

    Joining me at the top of the tower is Izzy. She¡¯se alone this time and doesn¡¯t bother trying to connect to my emotions, sitting next to me instead and joining me in admiring the view.

    I still remember the way she was when we appeared on the 3rd floor when she was still under Sophie¡¯s <strong>[Geas]</strong>. The current Izzy seems more mature. She¡¯s still only 11 years old, a young girl who''s been forced to spend the next 4 years here in this tutorial. Forced to kill to survive, forced to make hard decisions. She might be childish at times, but sometimes she feels like the most mature of all of us. So I have to wonder if she¡¯s not allowing herself to be childish from time to time as a method of coping with everything she¡¯s been forced to go through.

    ¡°Sophie decided to go to Beyond,¡± she says, looking at me with her green eyes. ¡°She¡¯s strong, so she will do well, but she can be dumb sometimes, so will you help her? For me?¡±

    In response, I poke her side, ¡°We¡¯re in the same group, so I will. Why so serious?¡±

    ¡°You can be hard to read sometimes, so I want to be sure.¡±

    With a sigh, I allow her to connect to my emotions, and she does so very gently. Lately, she seems to be getting nervous whenever she finds herself unable to sense the emotions of those around her as if she had grown overdependent. I wonder if it''s anything like my overreliance on <strong>[Focus]</strong>.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t using that skill to block your emotions anymore,¡± she states, sounding happy to say it.

    ¡°It had to happen somehow,¡± I shrug.

    ¡°Maybe you aren¡¯t as dumb as I thought,¡± she deres.

    At that, I decide to stay quiet, and Isabe giggles quietly, sensing my emotions.

 Chapter 428: Another one

    Chapter 428: Another one

    I watch as the twins and Min-Jae fight the golem I made with one of my new damaged arcane items.

    <strong>Golem Heart (Arcane, Damaged) - </strong>The <em>Golem Heart could once animate stone and metal, bringing golems to life. Now, its core is cracked, but it may sporadically imbue nearby objects with a flicker of life, making them move or respond for short durations, echoing its once grand animating power.</em>

    I made it entirely out of hardened dirt, and it wasn¡¯t even that difficult to make. It¡¯s just difficult to control, and the only orders the golem can process are very restrictive. I suspect that with a bit more practice, I should be able to improve my control and maybe even get it to change its shape.

    But for now, the moment I send mana into it, it moves the earth in front of me, causing it to bulge and lift up, creating a simple humanoid shape. Very simple, as if a child had made it out of y. On the other hand, it is twice my height and could kill said kid easily. It could easily take down anyone from Normal difficulty, and it would take dozens of people from Hard difficulty to reliably bring the golem down.

    So we put it through its paces while Min-Jae and the twins fight the result, sweating, rolling on the ground, and screaming at me. Something rude, I¡¯m sure, but I filter it out.

    Maya is nearby, sitting on the ground with Bloodthirst in her hand as she proceeds to clean and oil the weapon.

    The golem is a rusty shade of light brown. It moves fairly quickly for its size, but the only advantage it has is its durability. It¡¯s way too slow to catch up to any of the three boys, and the only reason they¡¯re taking damage is because we¡¯ve decided to test out the golem¡¯s damage output, and that they let it happen.

    Holding the heart in my hand, I send my mana through its circuits, trying to parse the delicate inscriptions within. Activating some switch, the golem falters and falls to the ground.

    I get a few weird looks, but I quickly alter my approach, and the golem slowly stands up again, packing more dirt around the heart, taking more of my mana as the dirtpresses.The resulting golem winds up even slower than before.

    Another attempt a bitter, and the golem loses half of its material, moving faster, until I mess something up, breaking its leg in the process and watching it fall.

    Then I start to think I¡¯vee up with a new idea to change its shape, but instead, the golem stands up without its left arm.

    For some reason, that makes Mayaugh - a lot.

    For a moment I want to take my weapon back, though I settle for sending the golem after her instead, in all its clunky glory.

    She jumps to her feet, excitement in her eyes, as blue armor surrounds her. Then, powering it with a few of her mana batteries and supplementing it with her own mana, the armor grows bigger and bigger until it matches the golem¡¯s size.

    Left arm or no, the brown stone figure attacks Maya in her oversized mana armor engaging her in a punching match, neither side bothering to avoid the iing blows.

    I start getting into it, and it feels fun, so I start funneling more mana into the heart, making the golem tougher and stronger but unfortunately not faster, which Maya uses to her advantage.

    The cheating fox of a woman is even using Bloodthirst, the otherwise sizable ymore now looking almost like a dagger in the hand of the blue armor.

    As much as I¡¯m focused on the golem, I also take a moment to observe Maya, and I find myself surprised by what I see. I knew she was quite talented, especially with the skills she got. The mecha-like suit of armor always was her idea and I shamelessly ripped it off. However, she seems to have invested a few more points into mana now. She still has high physical stats, especially dexterity, but mana has clearly been getting a bit more love.

    <strong>[Armament]</strong> still works much the same as it did before, and I think my <strong>[Regalia]</strong> was stronger while I had it, but she¡¯s clearly put a few more levels into it, and when she uses it inbination with her <strong>[Boost]</strong>, it truly begins to show some real potential, Incorporating spikes in the speed, strength, and durability of the construct. And she hasn¡¯t skimped out on the mana batteries either, filling them to the brim with her mana.

    However many times she destroys the golem¡¯s legs, I restore them, and the golem keepsing back.

    With amusement, I watch as her reserves dwindle, and she decides to bow out in the name of conserving her mana batteries for something more useful.

    More mana wins again.

    As I direct the golem to fight Min-Jae, who alternates between slowing it down with his skill and bombarding it from afar, Mayaes closer.

    ¡°In a real fight, I would go after you as the controller,¡± she states, sulking like a true loser, not seeing the value of the best stat.

    ¡°Sure.¡± I nod.

    ¡°Also can you please recreate that orb for me? It burst again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called the evil orb.¡±

    ¡°... <em>sure</em>.¡±

    I do as she asks and create another one of the constructs with its ever-changing demands.

    It truly is an evil orb. Yup.

    Much like Lissandra did for me, I hand the slightly modified orb to Maya, who immediately shuts up devoting all of her focus to the exercise. She doesn¡¯t even bother to move aside, even that little distraction would be too much.

    Then, with great satisfaction, I watch as the orb bursts open, as Maya uses too much mana.

    Without another word, I create another one and three more for myself which I disy over my head.

    Maya nces at them and then at me, her eyes seeming to tell me that she knows exactly what I¡¯m doing. She then quickly turns all attention to her orb.

    It dissipates this time.

    This narrative has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    So I create another one.

    After 30 seconds, it bursts open.

    Another one.

    She fails to follow the frequency, and it disappears.

    Another one.

    It bursts open.

    Another one.

    Fail.

    Another one.

    Burst open.

    Another one.

    Too slow to adapt to the frequency.

    I add one more, bringing the total number of evil orbs floating over my head to four as I continue to keep the golem somewhat under my control. This is fun.

    At this point, Maya looks like she wants to stab that ymore through my chest.

    Is this what people mean when they talk about having friends? This isn¡¯t bad at all. I could get used to it. I¡­

    ¡°Nat¡­¡± Tess shouts from somewhere behind me.

    Maya immediately rushes to her toin while pointing her finger at me.

    Has she no dignity in her body? So weak.

    ¡°I¡¯m helping,¡± I note, nodding over at Tess.

    ¡°I saw you <em>helping</em>. Mind creating one for me?¡± Her voice clearly implies a challenge.

    ¡°Very well,¡± I say, creating another orb before sending it over to her. I maintain its frequencies until Tess takes over, and then I stop.

    As expected, Tess does even better than Maya. She manages to keep up with the orb for a bit before it bursts open as well.

    Instead of surprise or disappointment, her gray eyes shine with interest, and I create another one.

    And another.

    Then another.

    After each one bursts open, Tess seems to improve, if only slightly. I¡¯m honestly tempted to create the original version I learned from Cockroach-Sandra for her instead of the simpler version of the orb I created for group 4.

    Even though this orb is easier to work with, much easier, than the original non-adapted version by Liss, it annoys me that Tess is improving so quickly.

    It¡¯s not envy talking or my pride, but I know I¡¯m better at it than her. All my skills, traits, passives, and talents, which have served to bring me this far. All my experience and hard work. Even so, a genius like Tess disying the full breadth of her talent reminds me that I can never stop pushing ahead. If I do, people like her and the cowardly Savant will take over. And we can¡¯t have that.

    ¡°Help me with this one,¡± the blonde says, nudging Maya, who quickly reaches for the orb and starts helping as well.

    The work seems to grow much easier, split between two people.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat something,¡± Tess tells Maya, who silently grabs the ymore and follows behind Tess, both of them working on the orb. I even get a short wave as they leave.

    Then, once again, I send mana through the golem heart, the humanoid figure made of stones and dirt reforming.

    ¡°Try ranged attacks now,¡± I shout to the boys, as we get back to testing.

    The 6th floor monsters usually appear during the day and rarely do anything during the night. They only ever leave their hidey holes when it''s scorching hot outside and they attack anything that moves when they do, sometimes moving even in groups.

    We have difficulties finding drinkable water and food. Plenty of monsters cannot be eaten either because they taste too disgusting or turn out to be poisonous.

    Sure, I bet you could eat an insectoid monster if you had to. Your body should be able to digest it all after all the changes it went through.

    But would you want to?

    So, theck of water and food seems to be a major feature of this floor, and buying them in the system shop turns out to be no more possible than it was on the third floor.

    That''s the system we know. Ah, good old times when I flipped the system window every few hours. I do it even now and then turn to Min-Jae, who looks at me with surprise in his eyes.

    ¡°So you will be getting bulli¡­ trained by Tess?¡± I ask him.

    ¡°Yes, she said it might be better to separate me and the twins.¡±

    ¡°Have you been acting like a bully again?¡±

    ¡°I have not.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Instead of shouting back at me, he seems to dete, ¡°Look, Nat, I know my behavior in the tournament was pathetic. I¡¯ve already been shit on by everyone in the group over that. I¡­ it just felt¡­¡±

    ¡°Three monsters at eleven o¡¯clock,¡± I announce, interrupting him.

    With a practiced motion he moves his hand, sending five pieces ofpressed metal flying through the air as they hurtle towards the monsters.

    They whistle as they pierce the air. Each one the size of a human head, making for an ugly amalgamation of metals squeezed into a lumpy round mass. There is rust covering them in ces, and their shapes resemble crumpled paper more than they do true orbs or anything else. But they are effective.

    The five chunks of metal m into the monsters at a speed too fast to dodge.

    The monsters in question remind me of bugs with their wide heads, mandibles, and four long legs.

    Green blood sshes into the air, but the monsters don¡¯t make so much of a sound as theye rushing towards us.

    <strong>[Venomw - lvl 202]</strong>

    <strong>[Venomw - lvl 203]</strong>

    <strong>[Venomw - lvl 201]</strong>

    Min-Jae moves his hand, and the chunks of metale flying back, but the monsters are faster.

    They move very quickly on their long legs, each movement replete with an uncanny twitching, as their hard skeletons tter against the rocky ground. Mana seeps out of them, reaching towards us as it rises up in a poisonous aura, like a cheap imitation of a domain.

    Venomws like to move in groups, each one having its own knock-off domain with poisonous mana in it. And they like tobine them to put more pressure on their opponents.

    When there are only a few of them, it isn''t a problem. But when you have dozens of thembining their efforts¡­ Well, it could end up interesting.

    But much as I had expected, Min-Jae moves the orbs he had made out of mana-conductive metal. These do a better job of epting the effects of his gravity skill and are easier to manipte for it. And much, much quicker. A barrage of two hundred or so orbs shoots ahead; more than orbs, they look like bullets. In this moment he¡¯s like a minigun spitting out projectiles at immense speed.

    They pierce through the monsters and then fly back, piercing them again and again until the Venomws fall down with their bodies heavily perforated.

    Before stowing his orbs, Min-Jae spins them around in a quick orbit to remove any remaining blood and pieces of the monsters'' bodies and then returns them to his backpack.

    Each of these orbs is about half the size of a golf ball, we had them made for him on the 4th floor. And they¡¯re heavy enough that he shouldn''t be able to move them at all, though he can always alter their weight, so it''s not a problem.

    ¡°We should leave; there will be more of them once they smell the blood of the others.¡±

    ¡°Nah, we¡¯re staying.¡±

    Min-Jae looks at me only once and gulps.

    The day¡¯s just getting started, I wonder how many of these things we can lure here for Min-Jae to kill before they go to sleep for the night.

 Chapter 429: What do you think it is?

    Chapter 429: What do you think it is?

    I''ve been on the 6th floor for a few days already, and even since the start, I have my <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong> activated and fill it with mana whenever I''m not using my mana to train with RTE or something else. After a few days, it¡¯s nicely filled, not even mentioning my reservoir, my core with kic and thermal energy, and my own body containing its mana.

    A few creepy horse-sized insects with their knock-off domain cannotpare, right?

    ¡°Try saving your mana a bit and be more urate; plenty more wille,¡± I throw toward Min-Jae, who keeps shooting his hundreds of orbs at the monsters.

    ¡°I¡¯m already trying to!¡±

    ¡°But you are missing a lot.¡±

    ¡°There are too many orbs,¡± he gestures wildly.

    ¡°So use fewer of them.¡±

    ¡°But in that case, I won¡¯t deal enough damage to kill them...¡± he says and sends another barrage, this time towards five venomws heading at us.

    ¡°Howe? Just aim for their vitals.¡±His orbs whistle through the air, and he uses them only as it''s probably the most mana-effective and deadly attack he can use currently. Under the barrage, the heads of the monsters explode, but that makes Min-Jae push more with his <strong>[Telekinesis]</strong> as the heads are more durable.

    ¡°I¡¯m aiming at their heads already.¡±

    ¡°Did you try any other parts? What did you guys even do here on the floor? Did you not dissect at least a few of them to find their weak spots?¡±

    Just for a moment, he stops looking at the monsters and looks at me instead.

    What.

    Then he turns back, another barrage sent at them, this time until they die.

    In addition to these five, close to two dozen venomws now lie all around. Probably a nice amount to get more of them here.

    The area in front of us is rocky, as is the rest of the 6th floor, a never-ending stretch of gray country with a few spiky mountains in between. Instead of nebs in the sky and bright stars, now during the day, there is something akin to a dust cloud covering it entirely. That cloud must be really high in the sky.

    Maybe a storm? Maybe set by the system? Who knows. That dust is letting through a very orange light that colors everything into that hue. The temperature is also much higher now.

    Something tells me if I were here as a human from before the tutorial, I would die quite quickly just because of the environment.

    ¡°Nat.¡±

    I thought of it multiple times, but am I considered human? And if I go further, will I stop being one? Someone smarter might have asked <em>What is to be human</em>?

    ¡°Nat!¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    ¡°There are thirty of them now.¡±

    I answer even without looking at the monsters, ¡°Thirty-two. Just go all out, and if they get too close, I will kill them. Don¡¯t worry about their pathetic knock-off domain. Oh, and make sure you don¡¯t waste all of your mana. That would be disappointing.¡±

    Min-Jae mumbles something, and I sit on the ground to let my legs rest. Actually, my entire body hurts like hell because of the emblem. But so far, I refuse to look at my stats to check the improvement. Something tells me this kind of stuff works best over weeks and months, and seeing just two or three stats up will piss me off.

    Sitting down, I look at the boy in front of me.

    Min-Jae used to be much scrawnier, but he is now packing a bit more muscle. He still likes to rock that messy haircut and likes to wear nice clothes - as much as the situation offers - and even now, he sports an outfit he got from the 4th floor. Somehow it even survived the 5th floor, the tournament, and the 6th floor so far.

    His movements also feel a bit more dangerous? I don¡¯t know a better way to say it. I know he practices with the others and also physically like everyone else here. He is also using his <strong>[Telekinesis]</strong> and some trait to be able to move his body better, levitate, and stuff.

    Everyone here prefers to be at least a bit versatile, so basics of meleebat are a must, and some way to strengthen the body as well.

    His <strong>[Gravity Well]</strong> messes up with the orbs and the five chunks of metal. Dust and smaller stones around him float into the air under the effect of his concentration, and even his yellow left eye activates.

    All of the projectiles shoot ahead at a much higher speed than before, bulldozing through the monsters in front of him with ease. Plenty of them fall dead immediately.

    The projectiles move back, taking a few more, and then fly high into the air, where they continue to rain down.

    Watching this, I think single-use projectiles would be best for him. With thousands of them, he would be quite dangerous against bigger groups of certain enemies. Right now, he has to grab the orbs and pull them back, extracting them from the corpses of the monsters, from deep underground where they get stuck, and sometimes over quite big distances.

    Something like that must be much more mana-intensive than just shooting them and forgetting about them. But he has to recycle for now. I¡¯m also sure Tess already knows about that weakness, as she is simr, so they mighte up with something interesting.

    This novel is published on a different tform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    As the monsters get closer, Min-Jae expands his<strong> [Gravity Well]</strong>, and the monsters slow down. Smartly, he doesn¡¯t affect big areas with his skill, just smaller spots, enough to take the monster off bnce, break its leg, or make it fall entirely. Just to get enough time to get his orbs or throw a chunk of stone at them.

    And the entire time, I have my <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> to face the pressure from the monsters. At this number, the pressure is noticeable, but even theirbined effort cannot push through my domain, strengthened by my Pride. Not even close to it.

    Know your ce, trash.

    Satisfied, I observe my domain, and then Min-Jae, who plops onto the ground next to me, breathing heavily after dealing with all the monsters. I check his mana reserves, and there is still a decent amount remaining.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± I say.

    As always, when getting apliment, he perks up and nods, straightening his posture.

    Damn, he is 16 years old already, so why is he so happy about simplepliments? People are weird.

    ¡°Your domain is amazing, Nat. I want my own in the future.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡± I sit up and look at him. ¡°Lately, I have been experimenting with it a lot. Really a lot. You remember that cowardly guy?¡±

    ¡°Uh? Do you... do you mean Savant?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so he had a domain with that weird poisoning,¡± I shoot off excitedly. ¡°I tried to duplicate it by just pumping more mana into my domain, but it isn¡¯t that easy. So I tried topress my mana before feeding it into my domain, and it also didn¡¯t work that well. Sure, some weaker monsters here on the 6th floor die just from that, but that is quite useless against stronger ones. Using <strong>[Infusion]</strong> on my domain also works nicely. Kic energy to slow people in a bigger field, maybe Whitey was using something simr. Or I can fill it with thermal and cook anything inside of my domain, but that¡¯s quite wasteful when ites to thermal energy, and I have better ways of killing with it. I also like using the domain on my body, you know, dering my body my domain. Inbination with using my pride effect on my domain, it works really well. It might be even better than my Mantle, even though it uses quite a bit of my mana. You know, making my body my domain - for some reason, it sounds super useful. I bet there will be some assholes trying to disrupt my mana, so this could give them quite a surprise, even if they are much stronger than me. I also found that after using Pride on the domain, its quality feels higher, almost as if the skill semi-evolved or became just a bit higher tier, and¡­ oh, give me a moment.¡±

    I stand up, and fifty or so venomws are heading this way. They are not that far from each other, their crappy domainsbining and shooting toward us as they try to pressure us, poison us with that aura.

    This time I feel it a bit, and with a huff, I feed more mana to my skill until their attack just slides by.

    The area around us, outside of the perfect circle of my domain, starts to sizzle a bit, bits of the ground melting as greenish mana corrodes and poisons the ce. I observe it just for a moment, and having nothing to learn, I create a single javelin,press it, and shoot ahead where it stabs into the ground in the middle of the group.

    It contains a decent chunk of my mana, so as it explodes, I do a little test. Instead of a barrier, I use my domain to try to fight against the effect of the explosion.

    <strong>[You have defeated Venomw - lvl 103]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Venomw - lvl 112]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Venomw - lvl 108]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Venomw - lvl 105]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Venomw - lvl 106]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Venomw - lvl 104]</strong>

    <strong>¡­</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 258 > Lvl 259]</strong>

    More mana!

    <strong>[You have defeated Venomw - lvl 107]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Venomw - lvl 107]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Venomw - lvl 101]</strong>

    <strong>¡­</strong>

    My domain blocks the effects that are just raw mana, and it does so quite easily. It just doesn¡¯t allow itself to be overpowered by some remains of a random attack.

    The heat, shockwave, and pressure are another thing, and they pierce through. At thest moment, I create a dome-shaped barrier around us.

    As Min-Jae takes a step back, his own barrier surrounding him, I take a step closer to my barrier. Did he really think I would let it hit us? Maybe I waited ¡®till thest possible moment, but he is too much. Tsk.

    As for my barrier, it¡¯s pale blue, and ripples are sent through as the effects of my explosion crash against it.

    It cannot even bepared to my early barriers which used to be very rigid. This one is slightly flexible and absorbs some of the attack by allowing itself to be pushed at ces. Ripples like stones thrown into calm water are sent through.

    It¡¯s pretty.

    When all the monsters are all dead, I notice more of them collecting much further and turn to Min-Jae, ¡°This time use just two orbs.¡±

    I think I will always love observing people trying to improve and ovee their weaknesses. I find that during such observations, I tend toe up with a lot of good ideas to apply to my own growth.

    So, I like to nudge others, just pointing out their weaknesses and throwing ideas at them. In reaction to that, they oftene up with solutions I did not think of on my own.

    <strong>POV Beyond, 1st floor</strong>

    ¡°What do you think it is?¡± a short man with a shaved head squats and pokes a small ck orb on the ground.

    The woman next to him shrugs her shoulders, ¡°I have a suspicion, but I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±

    Both of them are dressed simrly. Simple uniform-like clothes that are abination of white and pale blue. It doesn¡¯t seem too formal, just like clothes members of the same group would wear to show their belonging.

    ¡°Is it a secret I can¡¯t be told?¡± the man asks and this time sends a bit of his mana toward the ck orb. As he does so, the orb absorbs it even as he tries to stop it from happening. It does seem to fascinate him.

    ¡°More like I don¡¯t want toe to premature conclusions. Take it and hurry up. Whitey must be nearby.¡±

    ¡°I could probably take Whitey on. I have long since wanted to test myself against him,¡± the man grumbles but still takes the orb. For a while, he holds it, an expression of deep concentration on his face.

    ¡°Fuck, this thing is scary,¡± he curses in the end. ¡°Even with void energy and my defenses, I cannot fully stop it from taking my mana.¡±

    ¡°I see, in such a case we will skip the vice guild master and go straight to Nyssa. She will want to know. Can you hold on until then?¡±

    ¡°For a while, yes. I managed to slow it down, and it will take a while to empty my mana reserves, but I¡¯m not sure if we can get it through the arrays and you probably don''t want others to see it. Nyssa might have toe to us instead.¡±

    ¡°We will decide what to do closer to the safe zone, Whitey ising closer already. Damn, if he wasn¡¯t a lurker, I would say he feels pissed off.¡±

    After that, they leave, both moving at incredible speed. The few lurkers that get in their way die nearly instantly under their attacks.

 Chapter 430: Mana Desert

    Chapter 430: Mana Desert

    Dealing with the venomws has gained me another level and a few for Min-Jae, who I had to carry back, thrown over my shoulder.

    Even though all of my stat investment is in the best stat, my body is quite powerful, so I barely feel his weight. I wonder how much I could bench or deadlift right now. Maybe I should test it one day just for fun. A ton? Half a ton? Probably more?

    During the tournament, I noticed a number of people from Hard difficulty having trouble getting used to their bodies. They kept hurting the much weaker residents of Easy Difficulty by mistake, for example, by nudging them with an elbow. There were quite a few broken limbs and the like. Some kept constantly destroying things like doors and cars; while some of the people from Easy had to get used to taking a beating.

    Most of the things we find on the floors are made from tougher materials, or there happened to be ways to make them stronger. Alloys, trees that tend to be tougher when they grow in a world where ambient mana exists.

    It could be said the worlds we visited probably went through hundreds of years of having mana, so it''s different.

    Meanwhile, Earth''s stuff is just weak.

    Another difference is control. I barely noticed anyone from Hell Difficulty having trouble. Maybe a bit here or there because of the surprising situation. Otherwise, people from Hell Difficulty tended to have much better control over their strength. They did not bend spoons like some of the other attendees did, and they didn¡¯t usually tend to hurt those weaker than themselves.

    It''s a difference in talent and maybe in us as well. It¡¯s probably just one more reason we ended where we did, our bodies and minds quickly adapting to our new abilities and increased stats. I can¡¯t help but find the idea fascinating and worthy of study.

    That''s why it''s fun when I lift Min-Jae and proceed to carry him like a little kitten. Some might say an Angry Kitten because of our group name...He finally regains consciousness when I throw him onto the couch, which is a stone b with a few furs and pieces of cloth covering it.

    ¡°Fuck...¡± he mutters, his very first word after awakening.

    ¡°It was fine,¡± I deflect with a wave of my hand.

    ¡°Did you kill all of them after I passed out? There were thousands.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s such a dumb question. And no, I left a few alive to track with my anchors. I¡¯ll check on themter, just in case they have some hidey hole with more of them.¡±

    He slowly sits up, taking care with every movement, as if he were getting over a hangover. Amon side effect of mana depletion and overuse.

    Before he can speak, I ask, ¡°Tell me, has Tess mentioned anything about a difficulty change to you?¡±

    He freezes at that but shakes his head, ¡°She just told me she was going to take a more active role in my training because she thinks she can get more out of me. But I heard about your deal with Dennis and Aaron. Would you really make them change difficulties?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Just like that?¡±

    ¡°Would you prefer them dying here if we were to be separated again?¡± I ask curiously.

    ¡°What? No. Hell no! I like both of them. I just thought there would be a different way. You, Tess, and Lily are all very strong. We could¡­¡±

    ¡°Probably. Any of the three of us could help a few people survive but then woulde to the next floor, maybe the system will split us up again, just like it did this time. What do you think would happen to them if they were left here alone?¡±

    ¡°I know. I just don¡¯t like it.¡±

    I¡¯ve noticed the way some people, especially those from the lower difficulties, tend to romanticize the tutorial and the system. It''s not necessarily bad to have fun with it and everyone has to find their own way through it, but they still shouldn¡¯t underestimate the system and the sheer level of fuckery that can take ce on any of the floors. And they should definitely throw out the rose tinted sses.

    We still have several years left, so they¡¯ll see when the other tournamentse around.

    And it¡¯s on that note that I give Min-Jae my response, ¡°Then you need to get stronger so you can do whatever you want. This isn¡¯t Earth, you have the option.¡±

    Silence ensues for a while as I begin my training with the orbs ording to my schedule, and he watches me.

    After half an hour, he asks the question I¡¯m sure he¡¯s been pondering for a while, ¡°Aren''t you worried about your sister?¡±

    It''s one of the dumbest things he¡¯s ever said, I¡¯d bet. Me? Worry about Vic? That¡¯s a joke.

    ¡°You saw her fighting Lily,¡± I tell him instead.

    ¡°I did, but anything can happen.¡±

    ¡°Yup, but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    In my mind, I realize my trust in that fact has probably been highly influenced by the way I grew up, looking up to her for such a long time. It''s probably illogical and childish. Like Min-Jae said, anything can happen, even to the most powerful of people. Lissandra and Whiteye to mind as examples. They were both very powerful, and yet they both failed: Lissandra, by not bing the Ruler, and Whitey, by dying on the 1st floor, even though he probably reached deeper parts of the Beyond dungeon.

    But Vic is different.

    ¡°You said you have siblings; what difficulty do you think they¡¯d get?¡± I ask.

    The boy hesitates for a moment, ¡°If you asked me before, I would have said Hard difficulty, but I don¡¯t know now. I would never have expected to end up in Hell.¡±

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Your parents would probably be disappointed in them if they failed to get into Hell difficulty and progress to Beyond. Just imagine if they wound up in Easy,¡± I prod.

    The joke doesn¡¯t seem tond though, and he just nods with a weak smile. The room bes awkwardly quiet.

    Tess, help.

    The other day, I let Tess¡¯s lightning hit me. It''s not enough to cause any serious damage, it¡¯s just enough to make the experiment work. I feed the glove on my right hand with mana and let myself be led by the item as before in the fight against Whitey.

    Yup, It was definitely a fight.

    I fought. I didn¡¯t get steamrolled.

    The glove activates, and I return fire with a simr bolt of lightning.

    ¡°So what do you think?¡± I ask.

    ¡°It''s not Primordial lightning for sure. It''s weaker too; we still need to test it a few more times, just to see just how much weaker it is. And though I feel like it¡¯s trying to mimic Primordial lightning it can¡¯t quite pull it off. Did it have the same problem with Isabe¡¯s mes?¡±

    ¡°No, it copied them just fine. They were weaker of course, but her mes aren¡¯t Primordial energy either. I just don''t think it can replicate Primordial energies and does the next closest thing instead.¡±

    ¡°That leads us back to the twin questions of what these primordial energies even are and how they happen to be different from simr abilities.¡±

    ¡°Please let me know when the system tells you.¡±

    ¡°Will do, Nat. So do you think you can make the counterattack stronger than the attack that you¡¯re trying to copy?¡±

    I check the description once again.

    <strong>Echo Gauntlet (Arcane, Damaged) - </strong><em>The Echo Gauntlet could once replicate any spell or ability it encountered, up to a certain level. Though its power has waned, it can still mimic nearby magical effects with unpredictable precision.</em>

    ¡°I think in its current state it can at most equal the power I¡¯m trying to replicate, maybe not even that given the extent of the damage.¡±

    ¡°Any progress on fixing it?¡±

    ¡°No chance. I never worked with the materials involved. I think I can fix or reforge mebearer, and I suspect that given enough blood, Bloodthirst can fix itself. But that might require a lot. As for the ring, I don¡¯t think I can do it. I¡¯m not even interested in such cursed abilities.¡±

    ¡°And the golem heart?¡±

    ¡°That thing is weird. I had Sophie test it, and she does so much better with it. She already asked me if she could buy it on credit; she also liked the ring.¡±

    ¡°Imagine Sophie, with her <strong>[Maniption]</strong>, moving around invisible and attacking out of nowhere.¡±

    ¡°I fucking know, right?! Scary stuff.¡±

    ¡°Please, find some javelins next time you decide to risk your life, Nat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to look for some. Any preferences for color?¡±

    ¡°Not really, but it should be conducive to lightning and something durable would be nice. Maybe something made from very pure endurium? If you can, try to find a set. Singles aren¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Pink. Low durability and lightning resistance.¡±

    I let the small lightning bolt she sends my way crash into my forearm and then replicate the ability using my glove.

    ¡°So what''s the n for the current items?¡± she asks.

    "I¡¯ll keep mebearer and Bloodthirst to either fix or resmelt them into new items. I intend to sell the golem heart to Sophie or exchange it for her assistance in the future. I want to experiment with the glove for a bit before I decide. As for the ring, I¡¯m not sure yet. Either I sell it or pass it on to someone in our group in exchange for something.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a good n, but Maya will be sad. She quite likes the ymore.¡±

    I shrug, ¡°I¡¯ve sparred with her. She¡¯s much more dangerous when she uses her mana weapons and alters their shapes converting them into a wide variety of weapons. Maybe there¡¯s some kind of conductive metal that she could use to allow forplex changes in shape. Or maybe she can get a skill to help her with that.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you on that one. Still, you can¡¯t me the girl for liking nice weapons. If you¡¯re ever out on a treasure hunt again, please add some shape-changing weapons to your list along with a pair of javelins for me. Low arcane would be nice, but I won¡¯tin about mid arcane.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± I let a bit of silence build up then, and Tess doesn¡¯t seem to mind, letting it slide for the moment.

    Out of everyone here, she still knows me the best.

    ¡°Are you worried about what¡¯sing when we split into two groups?¡± She asks after a while.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I was worried. I just know that there are any number of things that could go wrong.¡±

    ¡°Mind exining?¡±

    ¡°Usually, you¡¯re the one dealing with them, and sometimes it¡¯s Izzy acting like a knockoff psychiatrist. Dennis, Aaron, and Lily all clearly look up to me and they probably think of me as the leader of our group.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t like that? You don''t like the responsibility. Preferring to act like an eminence in the shadows, right?¡±

    ¡°Totally.¡±

    ¡°I think you have a bad tendency to overthink some things, Nat. You always were a pessimist.¡±

    ¡°For a good reason.¡±

    ¡°Yes, for good reason,¡± Tess agrees. ¡°The idea of you spending the next few months as the leader of a small group sounds scary, to be honest.¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°But I think it¡¯ll work out just fine.¡± She says, smiling.

    ¡°Well, I still have two weeks before I need to worry about it. So what¡¯s the next n?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving in three days and taking everything we can use with us, after getting all the information we can. As we move towards the central region, we intend to awaken a few powerful hibernating monsters for the purpose of gaining some experience, while doing most of our movement in the day to take out some of the weaker ones.¡±

    ¡°What about after that?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a ce called The Last Rest, thest ¡®safe¡¯ ce before we enter the Mana Desert.¡±

    ¡°Huh, what¡¯s with the name? Does that mean that there¡¯s a desert filled with ambient mana?¡±

    ¡°Quite the opposite. It''s a in that stretches for days, where you can''t regenerate your mana due to some strange phenomenon caused by an unknown force. The mostmon theory is that there was a sh between Absolutes before this ce was turned into a Prison, or an experiment went awry, or some powerful group was trying to escape this ce when something went very wrong, and that¡¯s without mentioning the powerful monster that¡¯s supposedly keeping people away.¡±

    My imagination starts going wild right away.

    ¡°I knew it would catch your interest,¡± Tess smiles. ¡°So yes, fill your crown. We¡¯ve already started filling all the mana batteries we have so we can explore for a bit. A week from now, a caravan is supposed to pass through there, made up of people trying to reach the central region. So be on the lookout for a bunch of dangerous and treacherous people.¡±

 Chapter 431: Deathtrap

    Chapter 431: Deathtrap

    A week passes. A quite nice week full of training and ideas.

    We also got to fight a few monsters with levels over 300, often ending in a group effort.

    Of course, I took some of them on my own to not be too rusty. An earthworm that kept burying underground.

    Letting it swallow me while in my mana armor and burning it from the inside proved to be a good strategy.

    I''m normal here.

    Or that huge bug with its extremely durable shell that I couldn''t pierce without using too much mana that I was saving.

    Letting it swallow me while in my mana armor and burning it from the inside proved to be a good strategy.

    A great strategy even. Greatest strategy of all time.

    I''m normal here.Group 4 also got to show off against simr monsters, often trying new formations when attempting to fight strategically. Sometimes they just went after monsters 1v1, with someone else jumping in when it seemed dangerous.

    Putting people into life-and-death danger is something I think is a must, and Tess agrees.

    We could fight weaker monsters and level easily. We could do it in groups. But sooner orter, humans tend to be confident, used to that, forgetting where we are. Reminding them is a good thing.

    Even if you get hurt and bleed. Even if Lily has to literally put your guts back into your belly or regrow your limbs. Even if Izzy then nicely sits next to you and pats your back while you sit there in shock. Even if Biscuit lets you pet him to calm your shaking arm.

    Tess doesn¡¯t want anyone to die. She hates the thought of it the most out of the entire group. If someone said Group 4 is her group, I wouldn''t argue. Tess did more than anyone else to keep all these people together, and the strain it puts on her is something everyone can see.

    So how can you then go to her andin? How can you sit down, cry, and refuse to fight when you see her doing the same things?

    Over and over again, Tess pushes herself to the limit. She bleeds, she suffers but she clenches her teeth and pushes through and grows, her talent tied together with strong determination.

    She expects a lot, but she offers more, and when she deres she is willing to die for this group, everyone trusts her.

    People like Tess will be worshipped on Earth. Millions will look up to her and others. I¡¯m sure of that.

    The tall blonde with a crown of lightning floating over her head, forcing her will onto the world. Discovering the road she wants to take and then having enough confidence to think it¡¯s the correct one.

    We stop at the pce called the Last Rest. It¡¯s an outpost without any walls, just a few dozen simple stone buildings made without a single brick. All the surfaces are smooth, the buildings likely made with a skill or with the help of a skill. That ce is overseen by a man called Ottis.

    Ottis is someone from the central region who stays in the Last Rest to organize caravans heading there. It¡¯s something he takes very seriously.

    There is a rumor he tortured a few guides for over 10 years, keeping them alive just to cause them more pain until they went crazy. He did that because these guides led a caravan the wrong way, causing the death of all the people in it. All in order to get the items and other things from the bodies.

    Why Ottis did it is still a bit of a mystery. Like everyone else here, he is a criminal thrown onto this moon.

    That also makes an interesting point. Why are these people ending up here instead of being killed? There is no way this is simpler than a swift death.

    Rules? Traditions? Something we don¡¯t know yet? It¡¯s something I¡¯m sure we will discoverter as we progress through this floor.

    Passing through the ce, we aren¡¯t annoyed too much, something I think is caused by the crowns over my head and Tess¡¯s. Some people notice them; the skills must be rare enough to not make us look like just some random guys.

    Of course, a few assholes try to put marks on us or do some other bullshit, but it¡¯s something either I or Sophie detect quickly, attacking back.

    Where I just reach that person and break a few bones, Sophieshes back with something that feels like the result of our defenses instead of a mind attack. But she makes sure it is painful.

    It¡¯s fascinating to see so many people moving around, and plenty of them of different races. From some point of view, it reminds me of the Entrance Floor of Beyond. Just with weaker people.

    Hmm, maybe weaker wouldn¡¯t be the correct word. Some of these people probably have higher levels than plenty of people I met in Beyond. The difference is the quality.

    Even so, we don¡¯t meet anyone over 300; the highest levels feel around 280.

    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised with such a setup and system if there are more powerful people in the central region. Even so, most of them here are at around level 200. I think level 200 is somewhere around the average the attendee should be after reaching the 6th floor. Some a bit lower, some with a bit higher level.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    My level of 260 is a rarity, but it¡¯s something I can thank my skillset for. Large-scale powerful explosions. As my minion would say, Kaboom.

    There are advantages to it, as shown by my level, but disadvantages as well. I still do not have a single-target, very powerful attack. Lily and her <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> is something I can¡¯tpare to. I also think Tess, with her potent mana and primordial lightning, could cause more damage to a single target if she tried.

    It¡¯s fine by me. I can causerge-scale damage; I just need topress it more. Even more than the tricolored orb,pressed thermal energy, or kic energy. I think it¡¯s difficult for Tess and Lily to ¡°upress¡± their single-target damage and turn it intorge-scale.

    Future Nathaniel will appreciate all the work I put into all of that. Avoiding falling into the trap of quick returns and focusing on future growth instead. It got beaten into me by Lissandra as well, the reason why I decided to not use ck mana as long as I can. All out of worry that if I did, I would only end up as a very powerful Champion or a weak Absolute, unable to go higher.

    I detect another touch in our group. This one feels more disgusting. An attempt to put marks that would mess with our mana, causing bacsh or something more sinister.

    The target of that is Isabe, Biscuit, and the twins.

    <em>(I got it,)</em> I send to Sophie.

    cing an anchor, I reach the man and woman on top of the roof of a smaller house near the street.

    I stop them from moving with <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> and constantly disrupt their mana, making them stay there, halfway to standing up as they felt my presence. They weren¡¯t even given enough time to fully react, resulting in a strange, halfway expression on their faces.

    The reason why this is happening is quite simple. All these people are to join the caravan and are already attempting to weaken groups that will go there. It likely serves as improving the safety of their group, or more likely to make us weaker and hope we die so they can take our equipment.

    Even though there are guides who won¡¯t do that for fear of being tortured, there is nothing like that for people passing through. No one wouldin if most of the groups die, just keeping enough to stave off the dangers of the Mana Desert is enough.

    ¡°I think it was quite a dick move to focus on our youngest,¡± I mention to the two unmoving people. ¡°Did they seem like an easy target? Did you think them dying would cause distress to some of us and make it easier for you? Maybe you liked the items you saw on us and didn¡¯t think much.¡±

    I take Bloodthirst off my back and stab it into the belly of the man who even now doesn¡¯t move.

    As always, the de absorbs the blood of its target, none of it seeping from the wound.

    The woman¡¯s eyes tick from side to side, the only part of her body I¡¯m not blocking. They try to gesture something to me, they plead, they nce at the man and then away.

    ¡°You should have thought of that before touching them.¡±

    Pulling Bloodthirst from the now-dead man, I sh it towards the woman.

    Sophie and I monitor people around us and our group while Tess and Lily head toward the guides who organize the caravan. Other than little fights here and there and some backstabbing, there isn¡¯t much annoying stuff happening.

    All of it is overseen by the presence I can feel even now. Just like everyone else, as that presence lets itself be known. The Guardian of Last Rest, Ottis, does so, and to be honest, he feels strong. I mean really strong.

    My suspicion is he¡¯s over level 300, but not seeing him around, I can¡¯t confirm. That would mean he got his Primary ss upgrade/change, and who knows what else.

    <em>(I don¡¯t like it,)</em> Sophie mentions, and even now she keeps strengthening the web around our group.

    Together with me and the twins, we make sure to keep up the link between our group members. There, I find out that if I were a bit better, I should be able to do very, very interesting things through that connection.

    For example, if set properly, I should be able to use <strong>[Tether]</strong> and teleport Group 4 around in a simr way Gareth did with his group. That and some more interesting things. But that¡¯s what I n to work out when we split, so I push it to the back to not distract me.

    <em>(Luck favors the brave or something like that?)</em> I send to Sophie.

    <em>(Or they are not asking for any payment for joining the caravan because we will go to the central region to be ves or something worse. A few hundred dumb dickheads crawling over each other just to get there.)</em>

    <em>(For someone who already passed through the 1st Beyond trial, I would expect you to be more daring.)</em>

    <em>(I know, I know, just this smells so bad.)</em>

    <em>(Now you make me feel d¨¦j¨¤ vu.)</em> I shake my head. <em>(Just continue with the n and save your mana as much as you can. Your mindblender stuff will be good against people if they decide to do some crap. Even in Beyond, not many of them had good defenses against it.)</em>

    I then listen as she talks about being worried about Isabe, as the true siscon she is. But I ignore it so far and continue to look towards where the Mana Desert is.

    A never-ending stretch of dunes. The sand is white and not orange, brown, or yellow.

    It isn¡¯t simple sand either. There isn¡¯t any other ce on this moon from what we¡¯ve heard. Those dunes are made of something entirely different from simple sand.

    Ground bones of giant Champion or Absolute rank monsters. Remains of giant cities turned into tiny white particles. Mountains destroyed and turned into this after millennia. Something left behind by one of the Rulers. Remains of a powerful attack by the Absolute.

    No one knows.

    And there, a clear line between where the Mana Desert starts and where the Last Rest is. An impossibly straight line as if someone drew it in the air and made it be. Not a single speck of that white sand crosses beyond that line, and the grayish stone surface of the barren world contrasts with it.

    There¡¯s also a giant vehicle forck of a better word. It¡¯s abination of a giant ship and a train.

    It¡¯s entirely made of thick metal. There are scratches, there are holes, there is a lot of rust, and some parts are missing. The metal tes are interwoven with inscriptions, offering it more defenses.

    And it floats, currently just slightly in the air, all of it reminding me of Skyhold Bastions from the 5th floor. Just more rough and insane-looking.

    I think it has some fancy name, but everyone here, even the guides, calls it simply Deathtrap.

    There is also a new side quest:

    <strong>Side quest: </strong><em>Reach Central Region</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>5000 shards</em><em></em>

    <em>Food and water supplies</em>

    The system really wants us to go there.

 Chapter 432: White dunes

    Chapter 432: White dunes

    Deathtrap is old, rusty, smells, and lets out constant annoying noises, and I can feel the heat from it as we approach. Even so, I can''t take my eyes off it.

    It''s beautiful.

    A giant transportation vehicle floating just a bit in the air, with an intricate set of crystals at its bottom and rough inscriptions.

    Deathtrap is also tilted slightly to the side, and the damage is obvious. You can feel the history of that thing.

    The defenses it has are mainly the metal tes that frame it. A defense against monsters that live there, defenses against sand itself that is extremely sharp and pierces through the bodies of even high-level people and mana barriers.

    So the seemingly only somewhat safe way to cross Mana Desert is in this beautiful rusty thing that seems like it''s about to fall apart.

    There are barely any windows, just thin visors on the sides, and then there is an upper deck with some railings. At the top of it, there are things needed to fly this thing, some weird pir, and even more inscriptions protecting the deck. Otherwise, all of the living quarters are inside that iron thing.

    How crazy it is that I''m about to enter it and head to the godforsaken ce where mana can''t regenerate. Moments like this always make me thankful for the abilities I got and awaken that sense like I''m heading on an adventure.

    It''s something I thought of more after I met with my assholish wannabe handler.I believe ''adventure'' is the correct word.

    So as we head onto the tform and then inside, I enjoy those feelings.

    A few hundred people head in as well, all moving in groups big and small. Unlike in Beyond, there aren''t that many races. Mostly human, the tiny ones with scaly legs, and the ones with bluish skin and four arms.

    We find ourselves a big room near the top of the Deathtrap. It requires just a bit of fighting against a few other groups that try to push us away. Neither side uses too much mana or damages the ce, but the sh is short and violent.

    The insides of the transport are even hotter than the outside. Its thick metal walls absorb the heat and radiate it inside. Itbines with a thick smell of something like hot oil, rust, and old house. That and a constant hum of what I guess are engines or devices keeping us afloat.

    There seem to be ways they tried to mitigate it: a cooling system, dampening, and some other stuff. But it''s all either damaged or pieces of it are gone.

    I let Isabe take care of the heat for now and observe as she absorbs that heat into her blue me orb that floats near her.

    That part of her ability is simr to mine, just in her case she can do it with "natural" heat, and if she wants to do it with skills, it requires much more effort and mana than when I do it. But for natural sources, she might be even more mana-efficient than me.

    It might be her connection with Noodle causing it, her trait Burning Blood, maybe her skill is good at that? Maybe her other trait? Or maybe I''m only better at manipting mes and heat that came into existence from mana, unlike her natural source?

    I could ask her, and I think she would tell me, but I find it interesting to think about it instead of having the answer handed to me.

    Tess and Lilye back to our "room," opening the rusty door and then closing it, letting Sophie reactivate the defenses we put there.

    The room is circr without any furniture, just our baggage thrown in the corner and some hides used to sit on the floor. On the side of the room, there are metal tes, one of them with a three-finger-thick gap I use instead of my usual windows for a view.

    I sit in a simple chair made of mana. To amuse myself, I even made the design exactly like a monobloc stic chair. The only difference is that mine is made of transparent pale blue mana. The amount I''m using is as little as possible to save it.

    Tess seems to be taken aback for a moment and keeps ncing between me and my monobloc mana chair. She then shakes her head and looks away.

    <em>(We will head out soon, apparently. As they said before, there is no payment, and when I tried to dig in, it looks like it''s all organized by powerful groups from the central region. Ottis might be from one of them,)</em> Tess says through our link.

    It''s the best way to avoid curious listeners.

    <em>(I would ask why they do that, but they most likely wouldn''t tell you,)</em> Sophie mentions.

    <em>(No mention, but no matter what it is, it''s survivable. The system wouldn''t give us a quest just for us to die there. Plus, we are stronger than average Hell attendees, with a few of us in Beyond, so that''s something to consider.)</em>

    <em>(Maybe they will send us to the mines. Maybe they will use us for target practice. Or maybe they pick stronger people out of the onesing for their groups,) </em>Dennis tries to guess.

    <em>(Maybe they are nice and will offer us a big house near the sea,)</em> Aaron nods.

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    <em>(And food, of course,)</em> Aaron adds.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    <em>(Whatever it is, don''t forget that everyone we meet got thrown here for a reason. There are people who murdered entire cities of "civilians," there are ones who were experimenting on people, some traitors during their Pairing,) </em>Tess interjects.<em> (But a good part of them are ones who gained powers quickly and abused them, killing dozens of weaker humans in their wake.)</em>

    It''s easy to imagine what Tess says. Just imagine a level 50 Hell difficulty person entering a city with normal civilians on Earth. If such a person decided to do so, the damage would be immense.

    <em>(Are you sure they are all criminals? Not people the powers that be wanted to get rid of? Apetition to some rich dude or someone pissing off a noble?)</em> I ask.

    <em>(We did check what we could with Izzy and Sophie, and it doesn''t seem to be the case. As far as we could find, from all the attempts to kill us, a brutal majority of the people are just that, criminals. There might be some system they have in ce to not get innocent people inside. Sure, some people here could be tens or hundreds of years old and could change, regret their past actions. But none of us should hesitate when ites to it.)</em>

    <em>(That much is obvious. I will go out to check out the ce,)</em> I say as I stand up.

    I do so slowly as my body hurts and burns. RTE activated. I continue using the emblem for training, even now that I can''t regenerate my mana. I simply draw the necessary mana from my crown, where a vast reserve is stored, and reduce the training time to an hour or two per day.

    Even I wouldn''t be so foolish as to spend all my mana on training while heading into this Mana Desert. Yup.

    Activating my emblem, I could swear I feel the inscriptions burning through my body like a red-hot wire.

    A truly evil thing.

    "I will join!" Lily jumps on her feet nimbly. "You walk like a grandpa, so you might need some healing."

    "Don''t you have anything else to do?" I answer out loud, "Maybe growing wings or bigger muscles."

    "The only thing she is growing bigger is her ass," Aaron shamelessly adds with a wide smirk.

    That seems to shock even his brother, but quickly Dennis startsughing out loud. Gradually heughs even louder and louder.

    So brave, yet so foolish.

    Min-Jae, smarter because of previous experience,ughs quietly and only after making sure Lily doesn''t see him.

    Lily, changing aggro to the twins, turns to them with a dark expression, and I use the opportunity to escape on my own.

    The hallway of Deathtrap is as hot as the rest of the rooms, and without Izzy here, I start absorbing some of that heat on my own to keep the air around me cool.

    I catch one interesting inscription and follow it along the wall where it coils over the doors into rooms where other passengers are.

    That inscription seems to be of sets that spread power from the core through the Deathtrap and power the inscriptions. So I examine it a bit more, I still have something to learn about moving mana for inscriptions in massive creations like that.

    At some point, I''m in front of one of the doors and then it opens energetically, nearly mming against my head. I barely grab it with my hand.

    Annoyed because of the interruption, I kick it, adding kic energy into the mix and mming it against whoever opened it.

    Someone screams in pain, and I hear a body crash against the wall inside of the room as I return to what I was doing.

    The door, held by my<strong> [Redistribution]</strong>, tries to open, but I keep it at bay until I''m done and disrupt the mana that tries to perceive what''s happening.

    I let it feel a part of my mana pool that I release just for a moment, and all the attempts stop.

    Kudos to Lissandra. If it wasn''t for her, I would probably be using <strong>[Focus]</strong> and dealing with it more peacefully.

    Or maybe not. I was always a bit of an asshole. Just the right amount.

    Continuing my walk, I head upstairs, walking onto a set of rusty stairs made of metal that creak under me, bits of dust falling off.

    Even more than on the outside, there are holes all over the ce, damages as well. The vibrations can be felt gradually increasing as the engines "heat up¡± and we are slowly lifting.

    By the time I reach the deck, we are floating higher in the air. Not too high, probably just a few stories high. Just the process of that is somewhat impressive, considering what we stand on.

    I really want to examine the core and power source, control room, and other interesting rooms of this ce, but through sheer will, I hold myself back.

    Proud of my progress, I look around. Even though we are not that high in the air, the view is quite nice.

    On one side, rocky ins full of hills with the Last Rest nearby.

    On the other side, white sand dunes stretching on forever, the air shimmering over them because of the heat.

    I might risk a bit, but I need some samples of that sand, even though like 20 times the guides told us to never do that or we will all die.

    Lastly, I still feel that presence from the Last Rest. The man who makes sure things run smoothly and people reach the central region. I''m sure that man has sensed me examining him multiple times, yet he humors me, perhaps out of some sort of cold amusement.

    Maybe I should really send a few tricolored orbs through the anchor I left in the Last Rest.

    Reaching the railing, I rest against it and watch people moving all around. There are a few groups present at all times. A schedule was decided, and Group 4 is part of it as well.

    At all times, there are multiple groups defending the Deathtrap in case of an attack. To not use all the mana, a frequent change of guard is set.

    When we finally start moving, the inscriptions on the metal tes covering Deathtrap activate. A strange, very specialized field surrounds us. It just seems to be tailored for Mana Desert and it''s white sand and useless for anything else.

    Then, the moment we pass that line separating the desert from the ins, my mana stops regenerating.

    It happens immediately as if someone turned off the switch. My heart keeps beating, and it even feels like nothing changed. The only difference is that the mana is gone.

    I examine it, trying to identify the part of the process where it gets cut off. The moment it leaves my heart? The moment it enters the rest of the body? Maybe it is still here but I can''t use it? Is something taking it away? Is it some kind of specialized disruption?

    I try and try, but I fail to locate the source. Even so, I delegate part of my mind through <strong>[Focus]</strong> to continue inspecting while I lean against the railing, studying the white dunes.

 Chapter 433: Man overboard

    Chapter 433: Man overboard

    Everyone on the flying ship/train thing seems to have mana batteries on them. Some just have a few of lower quality, others have dozens of them woven into their clothes.

    Most of them don¡¯t like me looking at them, counting the mana stones, but mostly just a nce at my crown is enough to convince them to leave me alone. I don¡¯t think they know it¡¯s a <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong>, but crowns seem to be rare enough for them to avoid messing with me. Especially now that they can¡¯t regenerate their mana the moment they spend it.

    I¡¯ve been saving my mana as well, even though I have plenty. My crown, my reservoir, and my body. I would be very surprised if there is anyone on the flying ship/train thing with more mana than me. Plus, after my training with Liss, I¡¯m constantly working to improve my efficiency. It still pisses me off that I haven¡¯t made any progress during these two weeks, so I¡¯ve been training constantly to make up for it.

    It is a shame how much rarer it¡¯s gotten for me to use all of my mana, but at the same time, it could be said that increased efficiency means more mana? And more mana is good. So I may as well start taking efficiency more seriously.

    Just a few hours ago, my efforts gained me a level of <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>, and the crown not long after.

    When I feel a presence moving closer to me, I let it approach, revealing itself to be a man around my age with a nk expression, long brown wavy hair, and blue eyes.

    He has two short swords strapped to his waist, and his movements are nimble and well practiced. In particr, the way he leads each step with the tips of his toes before resting on the entire foot.

    Unlike most of the others, he has a single mana battery, of high quality. A big blue mana stone embedded in the middle of his ck chainmail shirt. His movements disying aplete disregard for the weight.

    ¡°<strong>[Mana Crown]</strong>?¡± he asks,ing to a rest against the railing, looking out over the Mana Desert we fly over.¡°<strong>[Notyourfuckingproblem Crown]</strong>,¡± I correct.

    ¡°I see,¡± he answers.

    Unwilling to leave first, especially since I got here first, I continue to look at the desert as well while continuing my attempts to trace the thing that dares to mess with my mana.

    So far, my Mantle construct doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting the process at all, and neither does using my <strong>[Mana Domain] </strong>and concentrating it in my body. The effect creating the Mana Desert is either that powerful or that tricky.

    ¡°If things go to shit, would your group be willing to work with mine? I¡¯ve already been going around to ask a few of the more powerful groups. There¡¯s already four others working with us, and yours would be fifth andst.¡±

    ¡°Because of my <strong>[Notyourfuckingproblem Crown]</strong>?¡±

    ¡°That and your friend¡¯s <strong>[Lightning Crown]</strong>.¡±

    I examine him again. He seems like he¡¯s on the stronger side, taking the rest of the passengers into consideration.

    <em>(Tess, some guy wants us to join their secret 5 group super secret alliance. To stick together if things go to shit,)</em> I send through the link.

    <em>(Is he strong?)</em>

    I nce at the man again.

    <strong>[Dawnyer - lvl 265]</strong>

    <em>(I like his ss name. It¡¯s Dawnyer, and he is level 265, decent equipment as well. A few upper epic pieces.)</em>

    <em>(I think I saw him already. You can agree for now and tell him to meet me on the deck in around 30 minutes.)</em>

    <em>(Will do.)</em>

    ¡°Sure, our group leader will be here in thirty minutes so you guys can talk. The blonde with the crown.¡±

    He looks at me, his nk expression unmoving, and tilts his head to the side a bit as if something surprised him.

    ¡°I will do that,¡± he says.

    After that, I let him be and leave. Once on the stairs, I slow down and reduce the effects of my Restrictive Training Emblem just a little bit and rest against the wall for a moment.

    Damn, that thing is evil.

    Still, I refuse to look at my stats for fear of disappointment, and after a while, I head back down and allow myself to lower my guard a bit as I enter our room.

    My monobloc mana chair¡­ no, my manabloc chair is still there, with Biscuitying on it.

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    ¡°I didn¡¯t find any.¡±

    <em>(Gone?)</em>

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    <em>(Sustenance?)</em>

    ¡°Probably a week.¡±

    The next message doesn¡¯te, Biscuit looking too shocked to say anything. Reaching my manabloc chair, I lift him, sit down, and put him on myp. As he turns around, I meet his eyes, and they are wide open.

    ¡°It will be fine,¡± I say, petting him and ruffling the top of his head, even giving him some scratches until he calms down slightly.

    ¡°You promised me, so don¡¯t eat people, okay?¡±

    <em>(Food!) </em>heins, how could I even allow myself to entertain such a dumb idea.

    ¡°Just making sure,¡± I say, pulling him closer and leaning back.

    ¡°We should be able to talk out loud now. Sophie improved her web, and I don¡¯t think anyone will be able to listen in, but can you check just in case?¡± Tess asks me.

    I do that, and it seems like it should work the way she said. The web was made to detect eavesdropping and block the sound from passing through.

    After making a few quick changes here and there, I nod at Tess, and even she seems satisfied with that.

    ¡°Are you not ashamed, leaving all the annoying stuff to Tess all the time?¡± Maya turns to me.

    ¡°Would you like me to deal with these people instead?¡±

    That makes Maya pause, and after a moment of thinking, she seems to change her stance. Even so, to my satisfaction, she doesn¡¯t say anything, and on some level, she must know how I feel, and that seems to annoy her.

    ¡°Evil orb?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Evil orb,¡± Maya sighs.

    I create an orb I modified especially for her. The idea is to help her improve <strong>[Armament] </strong>with the goal of making her mana creations stronger.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    I had plenty of fun working on it, and I believe this will help me with crafting and, surprisingly, to increase the efficiency with which I use my mana.

    ¡°You two too,¡± I say, turning to the twins and sending one orb to each of them.

    Theirs are slightly different, more focused on pure <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>. No changing frequencies, just an ever changing hunger for mana.

    They grab them already knowing the drill.

    ¡°Here Nat goes again, making us y with his balls,¡± Dennis sighs.

    ¡°Two of them even,¡± Aaron replies, nodding seriously.

    ¡°Sophie, do you remember when they said that¡­¡±

    ¡°I fucking remember that, Nat, you don¡¯t have to bring me into¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, they said a bit more, but I understand if you don¡¯t want to hear.¡±

    That makes Sophie pause, and she nces at the twins whose orbs shrink¡­ ehm¡­ disappear. Heh.

    Their expressions have gone a bit pale, and I sense them trying to open a private link to talk with me through <strong>[Connection]</strong>, but I resist the effort.

    In the end, Sophie just shakes her head and turns to Tess, ¡°Want me to go with you to talk to the guy?¡±

    The blonde, already on her feet, nods, ¡°Why not. Nat, please don¡¯t bully the boys.¡±

    ¡°Want to hear what they said about you? It¡¯s¡­¡± I lift my hand and block the bolt of lightning she sends my way, and then another one.

    She adds a dozen more, each small as a pinkie, flying my way in quick session, even forcing me to use kic energy to boost my movement. Even so, it¡¯s just yful prodding at this point. It¡¯s probably about as dangerous as a pistol round, but yful nheless.

    As Sophie and Tess head towards the door, Biscuit jumps from myp and wobbles quickly after them.

    <em>(Food!)</em> he shouts as he joins the group.

    ¡°Please make sure he doesn¡¯t eat people. They¡¯re dirty,¡± I call to Tess.

    <em>(Asshole!)</em> Biscuit shouts, turning to me before following them out as they leave.

    The door closes, and the defenses reactivate, leaving me in the room with our two youngest and Maya.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of young people in the tutorial, don¡¯t you think?¡± I ask Maya while creating orbs for her and the twins, the first ones I made having already disappeared.

    ¡°Young people are quicker to adapt, that could be the reason,¡± she shrugs furrowing her brow and focusing on her orb.

    Knowing how annoying it is when someone interrupts your training, I leave her be and turn to my experiments. My never-ending pursuit of mastering mana and as ofte increased efficiency.

    Not needing to move or walk, I increase the setting on my Restrictive Training Emblem and feel my muscles burn. A constant painful reminder in the back of my mind. No pain, no gain, right? Some people would kill me knowing that I can train my muscles just by sitting, but sooner orter, I will need Lily and her modifications.

    I¡¯ve started to delve deeper into the circuits of the Restrictive Training Emblem, and the thing is more interesting than I thought. There are multiple parts to it. Some focus more on dexterity, others on strength, and some focus on constitution.

    Currently, if I¡¯m correct, it seems like the main objective is my strength, followed by dexterity and constitution.

    Following this path, history will repeat itself, my constitution rapidly growing less capable of handling my other stats. It¡¯s already gotten used to mana, and there are multiple ways I help it along, but strength and dexterity are different things.

    Body modification seems like the way to go. That and modifying the emblem a bit, but I¡¯m still a long way off from being able to do that.

    Part of me wonders if Sandra the Cockroach did this on purpose.

    Hah.

    Who am I kidding? Of course, she did.

    The emblem is exactly as evil as I thought.

    <strong>POV Dennis Dalton</strong>

    Nathaniel just sits there. Menacingly.

    For some reason, even that sitting seems to cause him trouble, and once in a while, tears appear on his skin, blood flowing through the cracks. At some point, one of his fingers twitches and then bends with an audible crack.

    That makes him open his eyes and nce at the wound for barely a second before closing them again.

    Whatever he¡¯s doing, I don¡¯t want it. I also don¡¯t want four of these orbs floating over my head like they do his. Just one of them is scary enough.

    Then a few hourster, he stands up, clearly moving with extreme difficulty. He calls it a Burden Enhancement Inscription and says it¡¯s for his kic energy training. Over and over again, he repeats a simple set of movements and mumbles things like, ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right,¡± ¡°She did it differently,¡± and then proceeds to curse someone called Sandra.

    <em>(Who the fuck is Sandra?)</em> I can hear Aaron.

    <em>(I don¡¯t want to know. Do you think he will make us do that too?)</em>

    <em>(Most likely. You heard the way Kim spoke about Nat¡¯s training.)</em>

    <em>(Fuck.)</em>

    <em>(Yea, fuck...)</em>

    A few hourster, our group is at the deck meeting up with a few of the other groups. ording to the schedule, it¡¯s our shift on defense, but up until now, no one¡¯s bothered to attack the creepy ship we find ourselves on.

    Bored, suicidal, or straight-up dumb, two smaller groups, ten peoplebined, start trying to antagonize our group.

    At first, they, sure of their numbers, make fun of Nat, who falls down a few times as a result of the training he¡¯s doing even now. His expression is even more empty than usual as he focuses on his training, and he seems straight-up unaware or weak. Even so, he nces at the group,pletely unbothered and choosing to return to his training instead.

    Kim is the first one to push for a fight with these people, to defend Nat, but he is stopped by Tess.

    Our Korean friend just doesn¡¯t seem to understand why Nat just lets it pass. He never does, but he should know by now. Izzy and Tess already told us, plenty of times. Nat tends to beid back and patient, especially when harm is done to him. He seems to be more at ease when people treat him like that as if he were used to it. Of course, there is a line you pass, and when you do, you¡¯re done, but that line is usually very broad.

    That all changes very quickly when Nat stops being the target of these attacks.

    The group harassing us, made up of three different races, notices Kim itching for a fight. They start mocking him, even activating some of their skills and drawing weapons. Do we really seem like such easy targets, or is the system deliberately making the natives antagonize us for the sake of the tutorial?

    Tess sighs, knowing what is toe, and holds back, gesturing for us to do the same.

    Galvanized by our reaction, which they interpret as fear, they shove Nat away and start poking at Kim, who holds back, following his orders from Tess.

    Nat opens his eyes and watches, his gaze cold and deeply curious. Often so unfriendly, but with surprising moments of kindness.

    Unlike us, Nat has a lot of mana, so Tess lets him deal with it.

    A severed arm flies into the air, and the ex-owner looks down at his shoulder and then at Nat, who already stands at his side. Before the man can even scream, another punch sends him flying across the deck. Nat moves again, in a way that can only be called creepy - with rapid bursts of incredible speed, each one ending in a powerful, fluid attack.

    <em>(W-wasn¡¯t he mostly a ranged, bombardment fighter?)</em> I Aaron shouts in my head.

    Nat moves from person to person, his movements unpredictable. Sometimes he stops mid-attack as if he¡¯spletely unbothered by the inertia of his movements, so even I can¡¯t predict where he will move.

    One after another, he beats the other group in a span of a few seconds, without using a single external skill. Just his body and who knows what else. Not a whiff of mana can be felt from him, and he acts with extreme efficiency.

    The guy we rarely see engaged in melees is now tearing through a group of 10 people with levels over 200 as if it were nothing.

    Finally, he grabs the man who appears to be the leader by the neck and throws him over the railing. The rest of the members scattered across the deck, bones broken, limbs missing, holes punched through their bodies, but still alive. Their only casualty, their leader crashing into the white sands below. No one calls for the ship to stop, no one tries to help him. And Nathaniel stands there, watching with the same curiosity as he watches events go by.

    The man starts screaming and running, trying to catch up to the ship. Bursts of mana erupt under his feet, as he tries to climb a set of his barriers.

    But it¡¯s all useless. Each step causes the white sand to fly into the air and pierce through the barriers with ease, and just as easily, it does the same to his legs. It peels away his skin like some kind of nightmare sandpaper, tearing away his flesh, and bones as he runs.

    Just a few momentster, the only thing left below his knees are scraps of flesh and bone as the man falls to the sand, his blood seeping out around him.

    We¡¯re a lot farther away now, and Nat moves to the back of the ship to watch longer, golden circles enclosing his pupils.

    The wind outside blows into the white sand which even now moves across the tall dunes, and its waves crash against the dying body. Each pass takes more and more of him until there is barely anything left, and then, even that disappears.

 Chapter 434: Guides

    Chapter 434: Guides

    A day passes, and we¡¯re still flying. The rusty thing we are trapped in has not fallen.

    There were some incidents where guides had to rush towards somewhere in the center of the Deathtrap as we started losing altitude.

    It looks like it''s fixed now as we fly at the height from before.

    I wonder what would have happened if we had crashed. Just how long would the power sourcest maintaining the inscriptions on the metal tes and the field around the deck? How long would it take for the white sand to grind us to nothing without it?

    As pretty as the sand looks now, we also know how deadly it is.

    A day goes by, and as we make our way deeper into the Mana Desert, the attacks start.

    Huge swarms of insects. Scarab-like monsters, each one as big as a human head. There are dozens of them, each around level 150.

    As far as I notice, they never touch the ground, and their chitin armor seems to have no trouble handling the white sand for some reason.

    They attempt tond on the side of the Deathtrap and bite through the armor or otherwise damage it, but so far they¡¯ve failed to do so. All the groups currently on deck start a barrage of attacks, and they even call in a few support groups.Most of the scarab-like monsters die even before fully approaching us, their bodies ground to dust as they fall to the white sands after being hit by our attacks.

    But what''s surprising is that there are monsters down in the sand, their heads and tails poking out as they shoot projectilesced with acid and poison, literallyunching pieces of their bodies at us. For some reason, these monsters aren¡¯t affected by the white sand.

    The mood had been starting to get better but this has thoroughly soured it, and it shows in the eyes of everyone aboard.

    It''s our turn on the deck, along with a few of the other groups.

    I approach a tall man with four arms and bluish skin. His clothes have clearly been tailored for his anatomy, and each of his arms is covered in a dense set of white paintings, some of them having been traced out with mana-conductive paint.

    I wanted to ask, what does your race call themselves?¡± I say as I approach.

    At first, he seemed to have his guard up, but hearing my question, he smiles, ncing towards his group, who chuckle as well.

    ¡°Crazed human, who walks like a drunk and throws people overboard, why should I answer?¡±

    I throw him a small pouch which he catches, ncing at me, as he uses his senses to examine it. Only then does he open the pouch to find the mana batteries inside.

    ¡°Crazed human, my race is called thrin.¡±

    ¡°And the little ones with scaly legs?¡±

    ¡°They are called vyssari.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Anything else?¡±

    ¡°I will need more¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push it.¡±

    His eyes meet mine, and I can see him thinking about it. His group even moves to get ready behind his back. For a long moment, I return his gaze and wait. I don¡¯t even bother to move kic energy or mana, knowing I can activate it quickly enough to deal with them.

    ¡°I was joking, joking with you, human,¡± he smiles in the end, waving his four arms defensively. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you much about thrin, as one of them, I won¡¯t share information that could give me a disadvantage. But I can say that vyssari are said to be a result of experimentation by a Ruler that has long since been forgotten and reced. They have a talent for elemental magic and don¡¯t tend to be very smart if I have to say so myself.¡±

    To that, the group behind him, most of them thrin,ugh. This group doesn¡¯t seem to be very smart either.

    ¡°Got it. Onest thing.¡±

    ¡°What is it, crazed human?¡±

    ¡°A few hours ago, two of your group members left an item near our room. It was well hidden and contained a mix of sleeping and poisonous gas. I got curious so I tested it a bit. It hurt a lot, even for someone like me.¡±

    The mood immediately turns quiet, and silence epasses the deck.

    ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t know, human. I¡­¡±

    After I lift my finger, he shuts his mouth, and I observe him.

    <em>(Is he lying?)</em> I ask through the link.

    <em>(He is not.)</em> Izzy confirms.

    ¡°I trust you,¡± I tell the thrin man, ¡°but I also believe you can imagine how unhappy I am.¡±

    ¡°Yes, human, yes¡­ here, take your mana batteries back. It will never happen again, I swear.¡±

    I take the pouch and gesture, ¡°You can throw in that pouch on your waist as well. Not the one with stones, but the one with the mana-conductive paint and ground mana stones.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Sure sure, here, take it all.¡± he babbles, hurrying to hand them over.

    I do just that and nod, ¡°Good. Now throw this and this thrin overboard. They¡¯re the ones who nted the bomb.¡±

    The tall thrin stares at me for a moment, and I gradually start releasing my mana. Bit by bit, I loosen my hold over my Mana Cycling, and it starts seeping out. It feelsfortable as my mana surrounds me, but I can see their reactions as I do.

    At first, he seems calm, but when I fail to stop and my mana continues to increase without any attempts on my part to hide it, his demeanor changes.

    He quickly shouts something, and the other members of his group jump on the two thrin I pointed out.

    There is a little bit of fighting, and mana explodes into the air, but the two are quickly subdued by the others before they can cause any real damage or engage any of their more powerful attacks.

    Both of them are thrown overboard, and I watch as theynd in the sand below, their bodies instantly pierced through by the white sand washing over them. Even falling from this height doesn¡¯t seem to have harmed them, but the sand did. They try to crawl on top of each other, even as their bodies get ground to dust by the sand caught in the wind.

    They seem to be more durable than the other man, given that they survive a bit longer, but they have no chance at all. Even as they struggle in vain to jump high into the air, theirndings inevitably cause the sand to explode beneath them and cause more damage.

    And just like before, their bodies disintegrate into the dunes.

    As the time passes a small group ends up picking a fight with Maya, Izzy, and Sophie, who delved into another part of the Deathtrap, seeking out a ce Izzy wanted to explore, having grown bored with shuttling herself between our room and the deck.

    The attacking group was dealt with in short order.

    Tensions are high and there¡¯s not much to be done, as Izzy confirmster. Our group isn¡¯t the only one getting into fights like this.

    The deeper into Mana Desert we delve, the stronger the monsters are, and the less mana remains after their shifts at the deck for defense. Some groups try to refuse to take these shifts or choose not to fight and waste their mana, but they quickly find themselves threatened by the others.

    In these situations, the guides speak to the more powerful groups and make threats of their own, and the smaller groups are quickly dealt with and forced to cooperate.

    There is another smaller group who still refuses to cooperate no matter what, most of their members were unlucky and had to rebuff monster attacks twice in a row while they were on shifts. Their mana reserves have noticeably dwindled.

    The other groups can see that, and that group is bullied like sheep surrounded by wolves, cornered deep in the ship as their possessions are slowly taken away, knowing they cannot dare to waste mana.

    So that group refuses to go to the deck.

    They are thrown overboard, without mercy, down to a man.

    One of their members is capable of levitating and slowly flies after us, screaming in desperation as the rest of his group gets ground down by the white sand. Even as he flies, small particles of sand pierce his body. A single speck every few seconds, sometimes more.

    It takes minutes, but gradually he stops and falls into the sand, the damage umting until he can no longer maintain his flight. The grains having burrowed through his head, brain, and heart as if they were never there, and that damage umted.

    <em>(What do you think?)</em> I ask Sophie, who is standing next to me, watching this go down over the railing of the deck.

    <em>(I think you may be right. It really felt just like you said. But I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s going to help. Even you wouldn¡¯t be so crazy.)</em>

    <em>(Anything can happen. Just think about it and tell the others.)</em>

    <em>(Other than you and me, there¡¯s no one even close to being able to do that. It would take them months, probably years to pull it off. Even you would probably fail.)</em>

    I just shrug my shoulders, and as she leaves, I stay and stare deep into the never-ending desert. It¡¯s night again, the nebs hanging in the sky as the cold air fights the heat rising from the white sands below.

    The monsters here in the desert attack both day and night, unlike the ones outside. And I can sense another grouping. They¡¯re stronger than the ones we encountered before.

    I give them one more look and leave the deck, letting the scheduled group deal with them.

    The hours stretch into another day. The monsters are getting closer and closer to level 200 and we even see a few stronger than that, and 4 more days remain. This time even our group got to fight during our time on deck.

    I make the others hang back and save their mana, as I take on the monsters with the other groups on deck. I even do well enough that no one dared to say a thing about the rest of group 4 hanging back to watch.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 53 > Mana Maniption - lvl 54]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Crown - lvl 35 > Mana Crown - lvl 36]</strong>

    It¡¯s almostughable how much mana there is still stored in my crown. Even with all this fighting, my training, and using it for the emblem, there is so much remaining.

    The monsters die, killed by mana arrows as long as my finger. Each of the arrows having been boosted by a bit of kic energy and infused with a little extra to increase the piercing and impact damage as it hits the monsters.

    A few hourster, one of the guides dies.

    There were 7 guides when we started, now we¡¯re down to 6. Each one is over level 200, wearing thick robes even in this heat, their faces covered by simple white masks.

    I watch with interest as panic ensues, as people push and shove to stand over the guide¡¯s corpse. There is no mana hanging around the body, there are no wounds. The only damage we find is his broken mask, revealing the face of a human with a terrified expression even in death. The corpse is unusually pale. Extremely pale, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just from theck of sun.

    Izzy shares the emotions of the crowd with me, and I let them flow through.

    Fear, a hint of panic, distrust, anger, opportunity, hunger. It¡¯s overwhelming, so I cut it off, and so does the 11-year-old girl.

    There is no mana anywhere near the body that I could examine. No matter how much I try, I can¡¯t detect anything.

    I nce at the guides who are speaking to each other in frantic whispers. Three of them clustered together, examining the scene, while the remaining three focus on controlling the Deathtrap, and that seems to be the bare minimum. They cover most of their body, and I can¡¯t see their faces, so it¡¯s hard to guess what they¡¯re feeling, and Izzy says they¡¯re protected well enough that she can¡¯t either. But they still seem a bit panicked.

    There shouldn¡¯t be anyone on this ship willing to risk their own lives by killing them. It¡¯s strange.

    The proximity of that many people and all the shouting gets the better of me, and I use my anchor, reappearing in our room.

    I get back to my training and wait for the others to return, which happens a few minutester.

    Tess confirms that I don¡¯t have to do anything at the moment, so I continue and let them talk it out.

    Some hours down the line, another guide dies, along with the group of three men assigned to his protection after the first guide died.

    We still have almost four days until we reach our destination.

 Chapter 435: Fucked-up situation

    Chapter 435: Fucked-up situation

    <em>(We need at least 3 guides to stay afloat. In that number won¡¯t be able to change shifts, or for that matter, sleep or rest, but it¡¯s something they would be able to deal with,)</em> Tess says.

    <em>(Wouldn¡¯t one or two be enough?) </em>Sophie asks.

    Tess shakes her head and continues to talk through the link, <em>(I spoke with them and some of the others, and they said it¡¯s impossible to manage over any significant period of time. The protective enchantments seem to be special. They also refuse to let us help control the ship. I think they might have something like your </em><strong><em>[Geas] </em></strong><em>on them that won¡¯t allow them to share the knowledge involved. Some of the groups said they heard rumors of guides exploding when they tried.)</em>

    <em>(Aren¡¯t they getting a little too cocky? We can just have Nat take over the controls after they die. Vega said he and ¡°uncle¡± managed to pilot a Skyhold Bastion,)</em> Lily joins in.

    <em>(I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple,) </em>Sophie disagrees. <em>(The alloy that makes up the metal tes, the defensive field, and the inscriptions all seem to be something the people of the central region want to keep to themselves, even at the cost of all the lives aboard.)</em>

    <em>(Like Sophie said,)</em> I confirm.

    So far, I haven¡¯t gotten anything from the metal tes I¡¯ve been examining, nor have I deciphered the field. Not even with my Irises and senses. Well, maybe "nothing" isn¡¯t the right word for it. "Nothing useful" would be more urate.

    I can now guess how it all works and see parts of it, but whoever made all this is operating on a higher level than me. So there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.

    Tess stands up and gestures to Sophie and the twins, who rise as well, <em>(For now, we¡¯ll set up a secondary web for the others tomunicate, for everyone who will be protecting the guides. The guides refuse to join, and there is nothing we can do about that, but at least their bodyguards should. Nat has already ced anchors on some of the bodyguards so we can rush in if anything happens.)</em>Group 4 looks up to Tess, who seems to have taken control of the situation. I take notice of the way some of them seem to be relieved at the thought of being told what to do and not being responsible for the result.

    <em>(Starting now, we try to stay together as much as possible. If we ever split, then we limit ourselves to two groups, one with me and the other with Nat.)</em>

    <em>(Can¡¯t Sophie control the guides?)</em> Maya asks.

    <em>(I can¡¯t. I tried, but they are protected. I could probably breakthrough, but I don¡¯t know how much damage it would cause. You know... they could go boom,)</em> the mind maniptor shrugs.

    <em>(The same goes for my anchors; I can¡¯t ce any on the guides. Someone from the central region did some interesting stuff to them,)</em> I note.

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    I shake my head, <em>(I don¡¯t think so.)</em>

    <em>(What did he say?)</em> Maya asks curiously.

    <em>(He said someone is killing the guides because they¡¯ve been hoarding all the best food for themselves,)</em> I exin.

    <em>(Oh¡­)</em>

    <em>(Food! Food!)</em>

    <em>(I told you already, that¡¯s not it.)</em>

    <em>(Anyway,)</em> Tess says, jumping back into the conversation, <em>(we have a n, so let¡¯s stick to it.)</em>

    Another day passes, and everything goes well. There is no trouble, not a single attempt on the life of a guide. There are stronger monsters attacking, and I¡¯m forced to use a bit more mana to create bigger projectiles to take out the flying scarab-like monsters.

    I kill one of them and make sure that his corpse falls to the deck so I can examine it, and Sophie joins in as I start cutting it apart while using my eyes.

    The Dawnyer stands nearby, his group having been scheduled alongside us.

    ¡°What?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯ve killed plenty, more than the other two groupsbined, so you guys can pick up the ck for a moment while I examine it.¡±

    He doesn¡¯t voice anyints and returns to his group instead.

    <em>(What do you think?)</em> I ask Sophie as we drop into a squat over the corpse of the scarab.

    She sighs, <em>(I think you¡¯re right. It also exins why they use poison and physical attacks instead of skills and the like.)</em>

    <em>(Yes, and all the monsters who attacked us were the same.)</em>

    <em>(You¡¯re crazy if you try this.)</em>

    <em>(You could join me,)</em> I note.

    She stares at me, blinking slowly, <em>(Are you an exhibitionist?)</em>

    <em>(Huh, that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering you? What is there to be so shy about?)</em>

    <em>(Whatever, I knew you were crazy, but don¡¯t count me in. And focus on the guides.)</em>

    <em>(Wanna bet another one of them dies soon?)</em>

    <em>(Why do you sound so eerily happy about it?)</em>

    <em>(Things have been going way too smoothly, and the system is an asshole. This might even be another setup to weed out attendees. As for being happy, I don¡¯t know. I just know something will go wrong, so instead of being worried, I may as well enjoy the ride.)</em>

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    <em>(Someone could die. You, me, it could be anyone from our group if that happens.)</em>

    <em>(No one will. I¡¯m here.)</em>

    <em>(You and your hubristic pride. Hasn¡¯t anyone ever told you that pride goeth before the fall?)</em>

    <em>(Funny you say that. I have been told that my pride will make me stronger, but once I fail, it will destroy me. Even as far back as the 2nd floor, I was told, and I paraphrase here, that I will either go big or screw up so badly that gods will shit thunder and fart storms.)</em>

    Now that I think about it, It was Ruby who told me that only for her master to repeat the sentiment a few weeks ago.

    Sophie pokes the scarab again, and I notice her smiling, <em>(That sounds very much like something that would happen to you. Also, gods, any idea why natives on the 2nd floor had anything to say about gods?)</em>

    <em>(The 2nd floor was special, and the natives were more ¡°modified¡± than the ones we met on the other floors, I think. It¡¯s possible they reced the word ¡°Rulers¡± with ¡°gods¡± for some reason. Or maybe most people even think of them as gods outside of the tutorial. Maybe the natives weren¡¯t as restricted as we thought, perhaps the 2nd floor was one of the oldest, maybe the Rulers were called gods back then.)</em>

    <em>(You¡¯re always thinking about this, aren¡¯t you?)</em>

    I take a moment to think about it, and then I grab the scarab and throw it off the deck. Watching as the corpse falls down to the sand I turn back to Sophie, who is still seated on the ground. Around us, the monsters¡¯ attacks have begun to weaken.

    <em>(There were times when I couldn¡¯t ask questions when I couldn¡¯t go where I wanted and do what I wanted. I couldn¡¯t be curious back then. Do you think I¡¯mpensating for it now?)</em>

    <em>(I don¡¯t know.)</em>

    <em>(I see. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore, it¡¯s all in the past.)</em>

    As expected, a few hourster, another guide dies. We get no message through the secondary web the twins and Sophie set up. My anchors also disappear before the attack happens.

    The five people guarding the guide are dead as well. The same terrified expressions, pale skin, and not a single speck of mana on their bodies.

    Four guides remain, and we still have three days until we reach our destination.

    The panic among the other passengers is readily apparent at this point and this time we allocate 50 guards to each guide. This time our group goes on shift as well, and we ditch the secondary web.

    Every group is allowed a bit of rest once in a while from guarding the guides to sleep and eat. When we get back to our shift, we get to follow one of the guides as they control the ship. It¡¯s something I¡¯m excited for.

    But the mood in our room is different now than it was before, and now everyone sits in a manabloc chair of my creation. I even added a circr manabloc table seated in the middle of the room.

    Honestly, I kind of did it on purpose. Maybe this wasteful use of mana will calm the others, showing them myck of fear and my confidence in our ability to get through this situation.

    Surprisingly, it doesn¡¯t seem to work all that well. I don¡¯t know why.

    Tess opens the conversation, <em>(We have a few options. The most ruthless and simplest tactic would probably be to kill everyone aboard, given that the killer is almost certainly one of the passengers. It could also force their hand.)</em>

    <em>(Simplest¡­)</em> Mayaughs wryly.

    <em>(Yes. Nat, could you do it quickly, without damaging the ship?) </em>Tess asks as multiple eyes turn to me.

    <em>(I think so? If I got a bit of help from Sophie to mask my behavior and a bit of healing from Lily, I wouldn¡¯t even have to use much mana.)</em>

    <em>(That¡¯s not what I meant!)</em> Maya ms her hand against the chair I made. <em>(There are close to 300 passengers on the ship. You know I would do it too if I had to. But just going and ughtering so many people, so many of them so much weaker than us, just feels wrong¡­ so wrong.)</em>

    As she speaks her voice bes weaker and weaker.

    <em>(I know, Maya,)</em> Tess says, smiling gently and taking a moment to squeeze Maya¡¯s hand. <em>(But before we think of the others, we have to think of our group first. As this situation has shown, we aren¡¯t strong or skilled enough to do it the way we would like to.)</em>

    <em>(They are fakes,)</em> Sophie adds.

    <em>(I fucking know that,)</em> Maya sighs, leaning back in her chair.

    Izzy nces rapidly between Maya, Sophie, and Tess, the stress clear on her face. And Noodle coils his way up to her face and rubs his head against her cheek in response.

    I let go of Biscuit, who proceeds to approach Izzy and nudge her shin until she lifts him into herp.

    <em>(What if, while we¡¯re looking for the murderer, it turns out to be one of the guides?) </em>Min-Jae asks, finally joining in the conversation.<em> (Some people here have nice items, so maybe a guide decided to risk it, kill the other guides. Have the ship fail while everyone dies. All you¡¯d have to do is survive somehow and run away with the items. Nat alone has plenty of good ones, they might decide it was worth the risk of punishment by that man from the Last Rest.)</em>

    Huh, maybe Min-Jae does have a good head on his shoulders.

    He continues, <em>(Or maybe a powerful monster managed to sneak onto the ship. I think either one would be more usible than one of the passengers doing it. Though that still doesn¡¯t rule out one of the passengers.)</em>

    Dennis looks at me, <em>(Nat, you¡¯re the highest level out of all of us. Are there any passengers here stronger than you?)</em>

    <em>(Nope.)</em>

    <em>(So you can see everyone¡¯s levels?)</em>

    <em>(Nope, there are a few who show to me as two question marks.)</em>

    Dennis looks at his brother, probably intending to exchange some rude message, but he doesn¡¯t go through with it in the end. He knows I would sense it.

    Amused, I answer, <em>(There are a few that are more than 20 levels higher than me, so they show as question marks, but none of them are stronger than me.)</em>

    <em>(How do you¡­)</em> Dennis pauses mid-sentence as Aaron shoves his rib with his elbow.

    <em>(There are three. Two thrin and one vyssari.)</em> I see confusion in their expressions, and continue, <em>(Thrin are tall, and blue, with four arms. vyssari are the shorties with elemental skills and scaly legs.)</em>

    <em>(Oh¡­)</em>

    <em>(The thrin are a Manashroud Shaper and a Manabreaker. The vyssari is an Ashenfoot Shaman.)</em>

    This information starts another round of conversation, and I watch with interest, as they theorize about what each ss should be capable of, and what the potential is for said ss to cause any degree of significant damage.

    Some shade gets thrown my way for not sharing this information sooner, a criticism for which I have no answer.

    The danger might be real, to me and to my group, but I already have my own ideas on how to deal with the current situation. I even have ns in ce just in case all the guides die and we find ourselves having to control the ship. I know if I needed to I could do it. I could even power the ship on my own for a while with the amount of mana I have.

    It might not look like it, but I take the task of keeping the members of group 4 alive very seriously. I also know group 4 isn¡¯t going to be easy to kill. Split into two groups, there is no way for someone to kill them before I rush to their aid. They even have a good chance of taking out the killer before I can join them. If the enemy was truly all that powerful, there wouldn¡¯t have been any need to be so covert.

    So the question remains, do I enjoy the mystery and watch things unfold while trying to solve the problem on my own? Or do I just¡­ who am I kidding, of course I do.

    I enjoy this fucked-up situation way more than I should.

 Chapter 436: Storm approaching

    Chapter 436: Storm approaching

    I observe the guide¡¯s movements while he works. There are twenty of us inside the room and thirty more outside. The entirety of group 4 is also present, along with one of three passengers ranked at 2 question marks.

    <strong>[Ashenfoot Shaman - lvl ??]</strong>

    Today it¡¯s the vyssari, and like the rest of his brethren, he¡¯s a short scale legged humanoid. Otherwise, there doesn''t seem to be anything special about him. I could probably probe for more information, but he might take offense, or see it as a challenge almost like a p to the face or drawing a weapon. But he isn''t all that important right now, so I let Sophie keep an eye on him and asionally check in on him.

    I continue to work on moving my mana. Currently, I''m working on transferring all the mana from my reservoir into the crown, and When I¡¯m done with that, I¡¯ll do the same with my body¡¯s reserves.

    <strong>[Mana Crown - lvl 36 > Mana Crown - lvl 37]</strong>

    <strong>[Infusion - lvl 34 > Infusion - lvl 35]</strong>

    And on that note, I¡¯m working on a new kind of training, I got the idea a while back and I still don''t know much, so it''s slow going, but my intentions are clear in my mind.

    It will work, I''m sure.

    You could easily say that I shouldn¡¯t be wasting mana like that in this situation, or that I should keep my attention on the surroundings. I am though, Part of my mind is constantly focused on checking the area. And as for the training¡­ it''s more of a variation on something I¡¯m already used to. Mana Cycling has started to feel like the kind of thing I can just keep running in the background, almost without thought. After all, I¡¯ve been doing it constantly for almost a year and nearly nonstop. Sooner orter my body will get used to it, and at that point, it should be as simple as breathing. At least that¡¯s what I¡¯m hoping. Who knows how mana affects our bodies? It could easily happen.Bringing myself back to reality, I take a moment to look over at the guide.

    This one wears the same thick robe as the others, with a deep cowl to cover his head, and a white mask covering his face. There are only 4 of them remaining now, so he seems fairly busy, moving from control panel to control panel while remaining in constantmunication with the others.

    From what I''ve seen, he seems to be in the process of controlling the defensive tes and fields that surround the deck. Another one takes care of the movement, and the third one handles the distribution of power. And yet it seems like any of the three stations could be used to control any of these functions, and that even if the guide in front of me were to die right now, it would still take a few minutes before anything got out of control.

    Sophie seems to take some joy in our current application of mana, and out of our whole group, her skill at<strong> [Maniption]</strong> is second only to me. I might even be able to convince her to put more stats into mana. I have a feeling that even some of the others are starting to open up to the idea after seeing my sess.

    Surely.

    "You¡¯re watching me. Why?" says a voice next to me. Originating from presence I felt approach before they ever made a sound. It¡¯s the vyssari with two question marks over his head, meaning he is between 281 - 299 in level. If he was over 300, he would have three question marks instead.

    "I''m bored," I answer.

    "Maybe I''m bored as well, maybe I¡¯ll be inspired to gouge out those eyes of yours."

    "Sure. Why don''t you try?"

    "Your <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong> doesn''t scare me."

    "It''s <strong>[Notyourfuckingproblem Crown]</strong>, and how exactly did you recognize it? Aren''t they supposed to be rare?"

    "You have one of the 4 attribute crowns and know nothing about it?"

    "The people around me are jerks who like to withhold information," I shrug.

    "Human, I don''t know if I shouldugh or go through with gouging your eyes out."

    "I will give you a pair of mana batteries and some upper rare items if you¡¯d be willing to answer a question or two."

    "Screw off."

    And on that note, my fact finding mission ends. The more time passes, the more I find myself appreciating Tess and the others for being so willing to deal with people and collect information. Some time ago, I even dared to be a bit disappointed that they didn''t find out much about the 6th floor when I was gone. But now?

    What legends. Absolute gigachads, or at least I think that''s how the twins would say it?

    Damn, if the twins and Min-Jae ever get to spend some time with Myrra, they will ruin her.

    A few hourster, our group ends up on the deck, having been sent to deal with the most recent swarm of monsters. And once again, it''s me sniping them down while the rest of group 4 acts like a hoard of ckers.

    It¡¯s beginning to cause noticeable levels of difort in the groups tasked with defending alongside us. So far, they haven''t seen anyone from group 4 attack, just me. To their apparent surprise, I fail to show any sign of stopping, and my attacks are just as powerful as before and have in fact gotten stronger at a simr rate to the monsters.

    <strong>[You have defeated sswing Moth - lvl 235]</strong>

    These ones are quick and nimble but prefer to move alone, preferring to attack from below. The best way to deal with them seems to be creating a small orb infused with a bit of thermal energy andunching it at the wings.

    After crashing, with bits of mana from the orb still lingering on them, the white sand takes care of the rest.

    <strong>[You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 245]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 235]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 226]</strong>

    <strong>¡­</strong>

    These ones are smaller and much quicker, but at the same time, they¡¯re much more vulnerable.

    For them, the best approach tends to be attaching an anchor to an orb andunching it into the group before releasing a burst resonating mana as the orb enters their range. A second burst of osciting mana takes care of the rest,cerating and lingering on the monsters as they fall to the sands below.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Thest type of monsters we encounter rarely shows up and they tend to have extremely powerful bodies.

    They¡¯re the size of a small car, and have the capacity to cause a lot of damage. But thankfully they¡¯re slowpared to the others.

    It actually turns out to be pretty simple, and I keep learning new things about the white sand and the Mana Desert, so dealing with the monsters is barely an inconvenience for me.

    Of course, it''s not the kind of information I¡¯d freely share; though the rest of group 4 already knows since we confirmed it with Sophie.

    I''m almost sure the guides have to know as well. Though I don''t have proof just yet; it''s just the feel, and I would be very surprised if they didn''t.

    So my orb ms into the Boned Scarab and moves just the way I programmed it to. The dark blue orb collides with the beast as tendrils extend from thepact form, surrounding the scarab with threads of mana that quickly shrink around it, sealing its wings shut.

    It certainly has a pretty decent amount of mana in it, so of course it works exactly as I intended, and just like the monsters before, the scarab falls to its doom in the white sand. And just like all the times before, the white sand grinds the monster to nothing.

    <strong>[You have defeated Boned Scarab - lvl 291]</strong>

    Hunting them like this is boring.

    The monsters also seem to realize this weakness, at least the ones who seem to have been tracking us for thest few days have. Their heads poke from under the white sand as theyunchpressed acid and poison at us.

    These attacks often hit the metal ting of the flying train/ship and sizzle on the surface as they melting away a thinyer of the thick te beneath.

    It''s definitely the kind of attack the Deathtrap has survived dozens of times over, and the inscriptions have been carved deep into the metal, alleviating any fear that they might be destroyed by mere surface damage.

    I enjoy sniping these monsters the most. I just shoot a few orbs in their direction and let the sand take care of the rest.

    Even so, there are so many more to take their ce. It''s not something I got from my senses, as they are unreliable outside of the field of Deathtrap. No, I just need to look out over the desert, and I can see it for myself.

    The desert monsters really don''t like us.

    They don''t like our mana.

    Another day passes, and no guides die, surprisingly. Everything is going smoothly for once, and that makes the passengers even more pissed off.

    A constant stream of noise rises up from the engines. The ship has taken on a tilt and shudders through the air as it moves, its constant vibration rattling throughout. The heat persists inside the ship, even through the cold nights, as the metal tes release all the heat they¡¯ve collected during the day. I¡¯m starved for sleep, now that I¡¯m practically forced to guard our guides, and the deck at all times, except for the odd moment here or there to rest and eat.

    <em>(So, have you made any progress?)</em> Sophie asks as we guard on top of the deck.

    <em>(I don''t think I can do anything about our clothes and equipment. It''s much more difficult than working on my body.)</em>

    <em>(Do you think the white sand would be able to destroy damaged arcane items?)</em>

    <em>(Given enough mana, probably. What about you, any progress on replicating the Deathtrap¡äs inscriptions or the field around the deck?)</em>

    <em>(No progress, but I¡¯ve got some ideas. You?)</em>

    <em>(None, the material and the inscriptions must be working together in a way I just can''t replicate yet.)</em>

    <em>(Yet?)</em>

    <em>(Yes, yet. But I don''t think I will be able to do it in a few days. Given a few months though, probably, even without the alloy that makes up the tes.)</em>

    ¡°Storm,¡± Tess says calmly out of nowhere.

    She doesn''t even bother using our link, speaking out loud while pointing in the relevant direction.

    I look and see nothing, no matter how I strain my eyes, and it''s way too far to feel anything with my senses. But it''s no surprise Tess might see something with her <strong>[Farsight]</strong>.

    ¡°Are you sure? Really sure?¡± asks the man in the bejeweled ck chainmail from before. The one with whom we made our unreliable 5 way pact.

    ¡°Absolutely sure,¡± Tess answers.

    ¡°If it''s a white dust storm, we might be royally fucked. Will youe with me? We need to talk to the guides in case they haven¡¯t noticed.¡± Despite his cursing, he manages to speak with a calm expression.

    ¡°Sure. Nat, will you be ok staying here with Kim?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. Let''s go.¡± She takes the lead and followed by the rest of group 4 and a few of the other members of the man¡äs group, they head down the ship.

    ¡°Min-Jae, can you keep talking with the twins, Constantly? And let me know immediately if it cuts off?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    This time no attacks seem imminent, but arge number of monsters are assembling rather close to the ship. As if greater numbers would change anything. Min-Jae even seems to enjoy sniping them, and he¡¯s actually doing a good job - using tiny orbs that drain as little mana as possible.

    For now, I clear my mind and prepare to use my skills. A few slow breaths in and out to calm my heart, as I wait for the inevitable fuck-up.

    ¡°Nat!¡± Min-Jae barely finishes saying my name, and I move.

    I try to teleport to the anchor I left on Izzy, but it''s gone. Immediately I switch the target, trying to pull myself to the anchor closest to where they should be.

    Mid teleport something feels wrong, very wrong. The space around me twists in a way that it shouldn''t, and I find myself unable to do anything about it as I spin and the unstable attempt at teleportation damages my body. When it finally stops, I find myself outside of the ship. My feet touching the white sand.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 51 > Focus - lvl 52]</strong>

    The world around me loses most of its color, and everything goes quiet as a range of scenarios filter their way through my mind in a fraction of a second.

    Even that seems to be too much, and because of the amount of mana In my body, the white sand grinds at me, piercing my body.

    It gets pulled towards me.

    There is no resistance from my body at all as my feet grind to nothing and the floating grains pierce through my chest, neck, and hands, drilling holes fine as sand through every part of me.

    I use my anchor again, sharpening my focus. I bend it to my will, despite the resistance. I grab the remains of it and force it back together and teleport away from the sand at the cost of even more wounds.

    Then I take damage from the teleport. My body twists and cracks, there are tears. I feel like I''m about to fall apart under the pressure I strain to endure. Even so, I refuse to use the ck mana.

    I do not fail, and I teleport through the ring of skill notifications as they ping in the back of my mind.

    Back on the ship, I reform my missing feet with mana prostheses, disregarding the rest of the damage.

    I feel a smile crawl onto my face as I once again use my anchor, the same one that sent me into white dunes.

    Despite the damage to my body and the pain ringing through my head, I refuse to fail, breaking through sessfully even as interference tries to shunt me from the ship.

    Appearing on the other side, I boost my body with kic energy and move quickly through the hallways and rooms until I reach the others.

    The barrier tries to stop me from getting in, and someoneunches a mental attack on me.

    Activating my eyes and checking the barrier''s fluctuations, I resonate mana across my skin, pass through the barrier, and shake off the mental attack.

    In the same control room as before, two guides stand along with a powerful monster with three question marks over its head. A few groups are with them, led by the two thrin with two question marks over their heads.

    All of these stand arrayed against group 4, who are fighting back, corpses piling up at their feet.

    Good, I like mysteries, but I much prefer it when things are simple like that.

 Chapter 437: On the sand

    Chapter 437: On the sand

    A burst of mana surges from me and crashes into the barrier. For a moment, they collide like a tidal wave crashing into a jetty. My mana constantly shifts frequency, and in the end, it overwhelms the barrier.

    The barrier bursts like a bubble, and tiny particles of blue mana fall from the air around us.

    Sensing the broken barrier, the fight stops for a brief moment, and all eyes turn to me.

    Blood drips from my body due to the wounds and damage caused by the interrupted teleportation and white sand, while golden mes flicker around, fueling my passive and healing me.

    Even the monster, from which I can''t sense any mana at all, stops, its piercing eyes turning away from Maya to me. Some sort of mental attack crashes against me but with a burst of mana, I shake it off.

    <strong>[Sandwraith Marauder - lvl ???]</strong>

    The monster even seems as if it repels mana. Not with the help of a skill or trait, but just because of theposition of its body.

    The Marauder is humanoid and very thin, white tes cover its body like armor covered in spikes. It¡¯s currently facing Maya, while the twins provide support nearby. Sophie is helping them too and I can sense the way she¡¯s defending the group against some weird attack. Tess is fighting against two thrin with two question marks, and Lily faces the rest of the people with the help of the rest of Group 4.

    ¡°You should be dead,¡± one of the thrin calls with surprise."We made sure of that," the other one adds.

    ¡°If you think you can help the remaining two guides control the ship, deal with these two guides, maybe leave one for Sophie. We will take care of the rest,¡± Tess says calmly, interrupting them. Then rather than using her javelins, she surrounds her body with red and white lightning.

    She crashes into the thrin, and the fight starts anew.

    I dodge a rapid stream of attacks thrown my way and blow the head off one of the random guys trying to block my path. The monster tries to charge me, but Maya grabs its arm and pulls it back, followed by the use of <strong>[Boost]</strong> to strengthen her armor against the monster¡¯sing attack.

    The monster tries to use its strange mental attack again, but Sophie counters it, protecting the group.

    Blue mes burn through the terrain, scorching our enemies around us while group 4 remains untouched by the heat.

    It looks enjoyable, and I want to join the fight, but it seems like Tess did something to force these people out. Would it really be fair for me to interrupt their fun just like that? I know how annoying it is when someone does that to me.

    Well, just for once, I''ll let them be.

    My mana activates around me and deflects multiple attacks heading my way, some of them really nasty. A burst of mes infused with disrupting mana burns through the body barrier of the nearest melee chump, and I boost my body toward the guides.

    Seeing that I ignore the monster and am about to reach them, the two guides quickly reconsider the situation and disappear, their figures passing through the wall as if it wasn¡¯t there.

    The remaining people panic, and the two thrin with question marks over their heads start searching for an escape route. The monster, on the other hand, now free of the guides'' control, either as a direct result of Sophie¡¯s actions or because the guides decided to let it go when they escaped, begins attacking anyone in its path.

    I let the others deal with it and send my senses through the ship like a wave, before cing a few anchors and teleporting until I catch up to the guides.

    The defenses of the ship, which seem to have dissipated for the most part, still seem to work in the ce I find myself, and a rough set of vibrations starts shaking their way through my wounded body as if they were trying to tear me apart.

    I strengthen my body and shake off the strangely awkward attempts at disruption thrown my way. And it¡¯s then, after teleporting onest time, that I reach them.

    The guide, sensing my anchor behind him, waits for me to appear and tries to stab me, but I just move to the side with a short burst of kic energy.

    Swinging my arm, coated in osciting mana, I pierce through his defenses, and his head flies away from his body, and a notification rings.

    The second guide tries to pass through the wall again, but I disrupt his mana, and instead of passing through, he crashes into it.

    ¡°No, no, no, listen, if you kill me here¡­¡± I burrow my knee into hisher region and then smash the side of his head.

    Then I do it again, put some mana threads around him, and kick his crotch once again.

    Sending his location to Sophie, I then cut off his legs just in case and burn the wound closed so he doesn''t bleed out.

    At that moment, the Deathtrap shakes, and I can feel it start to drop out of the sky. An explosion sounds somewhere nearby, and a burst of powerful mana washes over the ship. An immense amount is released at once, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the ship from what I can sense.

    Teleporting a few more times, I reach the location of the tear, before quickly being joined by the two remaining guides as they pass through the wall. Each of us stopping to stare at the giant hole in the wall of the ship, and the Mana Desert looming outside. There are tiny particles of white sand already crashing into the field covering the hole, the same as on the deck.

    The guides are still wearing their signature white masks, so I can¡¯t see their expressions, but I would say they seem scared.

    ¡°Backup source won''t be able to handle it for longer than a few hours¡­¡±

    ¡°...wall, we need to move the tes to defend it¡­¡±

    ¡°...Just two of us¡­¡±

    ¡°Should we run? But how?¡±

    ¡°...don¡¯t know what happened.¡±

    There is a conversation going on quickly between them, their movements taking on an increasing sense of panic.

    ¡°The two guides I just took care of were the ones killing the other guides. They even brought a monster onto the ship and were cooperating with some of the passengers. Why?¡±

    That makes them stop, and they turn to me.

    ¡°What makes you think I would know?! He and I are the rookies! The two you just killed were among the longest-serving guides around so why the fuck would they care one whit about us!.. But if you stop interrupting us, we will decide what to do to keep us all alive. We need to¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help, just tell me where the backup core is and I will give it some mana,¡± I say gesturing at my crown.

    ¡°<strong>[Mana Crown]</strong>?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

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    ¡°Do you even realize how much mana you would need to¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my problem. Plus, we saw a storm heading this way; it¡¯s still far away in this direction,¡± I say, pointing in the direction of the threat.

    That seems to scare them even more than the broken core.

    ¡°Take him to the backup core; I will check the sensors to confirm.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to change direction as quickly as possible. If it¡¯s the big one, it will¡­¡±

    ¡°I fucking know! Now go.¡± With that, the guide enters the wall and disappears.

    This time I observe the process, and it seems like he is using some minuscule inscriptions left on the metal of the wall, in concert with a skill or item to do it.

    I gesture to the second guide to wait a moment and teleport, going through the pockets of the guides I neutralized to take a few items and mana stones. Though I don¡¯t find anything too interesting. That done, I follow the man to a well isted and thoroughly hidden room. Given a bit of effort, I¡¯m sure would probably have found it myself.

    ¡°You can go,¡± I say, gesturing dismissively, and he leaves withoutment.

    I enter and find a small room with a single pir in the corner and a control panel directly attached to the crystal.

    And yet, despite the amazing design of the ship, the equipment looks old, damaged, and somehow even the goddamned crystal manages to look rusty.

    And to top it all off it only seems to be 20% full, and it¡¯s depleting rapidly.

    I spend a few minutes figuring out the rate of depletion, and when the ship starts shaking and lifting itself higher into the air, that rate increases. And then it speeds up even more as I sense the field around the ship change.

    There is a control system to join in, and it only takes me a few minutes to realize that the hole in the side of the ship is eating through a lot of mana to block out the white sand. Without those metal tes, it¡¯s going to be much hungrier than usual.

    I think we still have somewhere around 2 days before we reach the central region. At this point, it¡¯s a very rough estimate. Who knows what they did to sabotage us.

    The crystal seems to be able tost for a day at most, probably even less.

    Well, time to get to it.

    I activate my skills and traits and start modifying the crystal.

    Lily and Biscuit find me ten minutester.

    I get healed against my will and almost fall as my mana feet get reced by new ones. As the wounds close, only then do I realize how much damage I actually took and register the presence of a small pool of blood at my feet.

    ¡°So?¡± I ask to take my mind away from it.

    ¡°A few got hurt, but nothing I couldn¡¯t fix,¡± Lily says. ¡°We killed the monster, but it deleted the web, so Sophie is rebuilding it and needs a meeting with you to add you in. I already let them know you are fine.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    ¡°A few more groups joined the attack, and we had to kill them, but it was doable. Tess also caught two of the 4-armed men. Sophie is trying to get into their minds, but it¡¯s difficult. She¡¯s just learned that there seems to be something very special in the direction we were heading.¡±

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not it, Biscuit. Lily, the guide is on his way, so don¡¯t be surprised, and don¡¯t kill him.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    And right at that moment, the guide appears with a lovely new message, ¡°We are fucked.¡±

    Just like me, he quickly checks the remaining mana reserves, and his shoulders immediately drop, as if all the hope were leaving his body.

    ¡°Mind exining?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re way off course; they must have messed with the navigation. It¡¯s going to take at least a week to reach the central region. But that doesn¡¯t matter because we can¡¯t change our direction - they¡¯ve locked it. The storm is one of the biggest I¡¯ve ever seen, and we¡¯re heading straight into it. We have enough mana for one more day, but not enough to oust that.¡±

    He crumples to the ground, sliding down the wall, and finally removes his mask, throwing it away and revealing the unshaven, tired face of an otherwise normal-looking man.

    Looking at my preparations and the designs I¡¯ve painted on the pir in mana conductive paint and the inscriptions I¡¯ve scratched on the surface, he sighs, ¡°It could work, but even if you do have enough mana, we are screwed.¡±

    ¡°Can you pass it along to the others? Sophie might be able to get some information.¡±

    Lily nods energetically, ¡°I¡¯m doing it already.¡±

    ¡°How long until the storm hits?¡± I ask, turning to the guide.

    ¡°Two to six hours; it¡¯s hard to estimate, with how unpredictable they tend to be.¡±

    ¡°Is it so dangerous because it has the potential to overwhelm the field and defenses in metal tes?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes, plus the wind there is very powerful, it will¡­¡±

    ¡°Nat, the two blue men escaped. They... they are out in the desert?!¡± Lily has her eyes wide open as she processes the information she¡¯s getting over the new link.

    ¡°Deck?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she nods, and I put my hand on her shoulder and Biscuit, teleporting us to the top.

    This time there are no interruptions to my teleport, and here I find the rest of group 4. All of them are ring down at the two thrin walking through the white sand.

    There is no damage caused to their bodies.

    ¡°They had some kind of weird teleportation skill that let them get to the deck before they jumped down,¡± Sophie notes.

    ¡°Why are you not killing them?¡± I ask her.

    ¡°We need them,¡± Tess answers for her. ¡°The guide you kept, Sophie couldn¡¯t get any info out of him. Even as she pierced through his defenses, something the people from the central region put on him killed him.¡±

    ¡°So, you want me to get them? That¡¯s so cruel of you; I might die, you know?¡± I say as I observe the fleeing thrin.

    They aren¡¯t using any skills or mana, and just with the power of their bodies, they¡¯re trying to run away. Right towards the storm, in the same direction as the ship.

    It would be very simple to kill them, and they seem to realize it, but just that small chance of escape is probably better than if they had stayed on the ship.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m asking you to do. Can you get them?¡± Tess says without hesitation.

    ¡°Yeah, I can get them,¡± I say, nodding as I do.

    Then I hand Maya all my weapons and equipment, which she epts with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

    After that, I unbutton my shirt and pull it over my head before handing it to her.

    ¡°Yooo,¡± Maya mumbles, and the other members mutter their reactions.

    Some shamelessly stare; some seem to be a bit embarrassed.

    I¡¯ve been getting ready for this for the past few days. My constructs, my unique passive, and all my other passives have been turned off for a while. All of my mana is also stored in the crown.

    Currently, there is almost no mana in my body at all. I went through a lot of effort, going through multiple rounds of testing, and checks with Sophie just to be sure of it.

    The only things inside my body are thermal and kic energy along with whatever tiny bits of mana I couldn¡¯t get rid of.

    Then I get to my pants, pull them down, and take a quick nce at Group 4, before turning around to remove my underwear and the rest of my clothes.

    The only problem is my clothes and gear. I just found myself unable to get rid of all the mana clinging to them. There was always some remaining. And just that little bit would have been enough to doom me. As I¡¯ve learned, the white sand only really bes dangerous when it absorbs or detects mana or whatever it does. Then it grinds you into nothing, no matter your defenses.

    That¡¯s why the monsters in this desert have no mana at all. That¡¯s why sshing a monster with even the slightest bit of mana lets the white sand finish it off.

    ¡°What do you think, Sophie?¡± I ask her without turning back to group 4. My back is still facing them.

    ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT DO I THINK!? WHAT DO I THINK OF WHAT!?¡­ oh¡­ your mana.¡± She says, suddenly quiet. ¡°I can¡¯t feel any mana from you, none at all, just what¡¯s in the crown.¡±

    Even though my natural barrier is weaker from theck of mana, it still seems to be working. One more thing to look into in the future. Still, I had to lower it so Sophie could scan me.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    After that, I give thest order to the crown to float there. It consumes quite a bit of mana as it goes against its usual behavior, but it needs to be done.

    I expunge mana from my body one more time and then jump over the railing. Right into the white sand below the ship.

 Chapter 438: SDAT

    Chapter 438: SDAT

    <strong>POV Kim Min-Jae</strong>

    ¡°That idiot! We still need more testing!¡± Sophie shouts, and together we rush to the railing to watch what happens next.

    I''ve seen it before, the other passengers ground to nothing by the same white sand. I still remember the screams and the image of their flesh being torn apart. But that doesn¡¯t happen to Nat.

    Before hitting the sand, he slows down and gentlynds on it. He then stands there, butt naked, and watches as the wind blows arge cloud of white sand towards him, washing over the surface of the dunes like waves.

    I could swear I saw him smile for a moment there.

    Lily screams and covers her eyes as the sand smashes against Nat¡¯s body, and I just can¡¯t look away even though he could be dead the next second. A part of me can¡¯t even imagine him dying. Not him. Not like this.

    And just like that, he still stands there when the wave of sand is gone. There are wounds on his body, blood flowing down his skin. More than a failure, they seem like a small mistake andck of efficiency in his efforts.

    Nat spits bits of sand from his mouth and then charges towards the two blue figures. He moves in that weird twitchy movement of his and uses boosts of kic energy to get him overrger distances, quickly catching up to the two thrin.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Nat cares about your testing,¡± I note.¡°You might not realize it, Kim, but a single fucking mistake would have killed him there. If his body contained even the smallest whiff of the mana you spend to keep one of your orbs floating in the air, that sand would have killed him.¡±

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t fail like that,¡± I shake my head. I just can¡¯t imagine it.

    ¡°But why¡¯d he ditch his clothes?¡± Aaron asks.

    ¡°We couldn¡¯te up with a way to reliably expunge mana from external materials. It''s easier to rely on your own body.¡±

    ¡°Is it just me, or does Nat have a nice ass?¡± Maya interrupts her words causing people to stare, and Tess giggles, breaking her stern mask.

    ¡°I can¡¯t judge that as a man, but Lily might be able to answer,¡± Dennis blurts, ever eager to seize the opportunity. "She might send Izzy for the smartphone so she can snag a few pics."

    ¡°Shhh, she¡¯s too busy staring,¡± Aaron adds.

    ¡°I¡¯m not! I... just shut up, both of you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Lily! I even saw Sophie and Tess sneaking a peek.¡± Maya chuckles, throwing her arm around the petite girl''s shoulders.

    Sometimes Maya manages to read the mood just well enough to lighten the tension, and I¡¯m not even sure if she¡¯s doing it on purpose or if that¡¯s just how she is.

    Everyone¡¯s anxious. Even I can see that. Just a single mistake will mean Nat¡¯s death. But at this point, it almost feels like It¡¯s the only way we can expect him to behave.

    That worries me a bit.

    What would happen if Nat fails to live up to our high expectations? What would I do if the man I admire most fails and breaks?

    I then watch as Nat reaches the two four armed thrin. They seem to be as shocked by his apparent nudity as the fact that he followed them and survived.

    Nat moves in a short burst of immense speed, white sand exploding under his feet, and the three of them rapidly settle into a meleebat.

    <strong>POV Nathaniel</strong>

    I expected it to be an easy fight, but they turned out to be stronger than I expected. The two of them work well together, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to do so without a lot of experience.

    So why the hell are you so good at meleebat? You can teleport, mess with my anchors, and have decent control over your mana, so don¡¯t go learning melee tactics like some brute. Not to mention that the extra arms might just be slightly unfair.

    I dodge another punch and boost my body to the side. I can¡¯t even absorb anymore right now, that would require mana. And it''s a good thing I turned off my unique passive too. With the way I¡¯m getting pummeled right now, it would generate enough mana that the sand would kill all three of us.

    Even so, I don¡¯t need any of this. I¡¯m already getting used to the way they fight.

    One of them is more defense oriented, using his upper arms to defend and the lower set to grapple. The second one likes to go all out on the attack, oftenbining the lower left and upper right arms to strike while making feints with the others.

    I n a bit ahead, and, in exchange for a few wounds, I maneuver them into position and grab the arm of the more aggressive thrin, then just as I move my other arm to strike¡­ the world cks out for a moment, and I feel my head being thrown back. I lift my arms to catch myself, but even so, I still get thrown to the ground.

    ¡°So naive, human. Did you really think it would be that easy?¡± one of the thrin taunts, smiling as he stretches all four of his arms.

    ¡°Maybe he thought we wouldn¡¯t notice his clumsy attempts to corner us,¡± the other one boasts, taking a step to the side.

    Well, it seems like my pure meleebat isn¡¯t where I would like it to be. Honestly, it does make a little bit of sense, given that I only have a few years of experience from Earth, especially inparison to these two, who are both most likely over 50 years old, maybe even 100. Still, the way they¡¯re treating me irks me.

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    Do they think this is all? Do they think I¡¯m giving this all I have?

    Staring at them, I reactivate my unique passive, and then, while they watch, I lift my arm and close my hand into a fist. I send kic energy to my hand to make the impact stronger and m my fist into my chest - in a single powerful strike.

    The kic energy transforms into mana, and just a trickle of that enters my reservoir.

    Even that is enough, and the sand immediately starts attacking me, even as I quickly mold it into an orb and shoot it at the feet of the two thrin. The white sand grinds down the flesh around my ankles, my shin bones start poking through, and one of my calves is nearly gone. The individual grains of sand boring tiny holes, almost like tunnels through my legs and chest.

    And to think even the tiny amount of mana I held, just for a moment, was enough to cause so much damage.

    I let thermal energy seep into my body from my vortex core, slowly closing my wounds as I take a step toward my disabled opponents.

    Both of the thrin are groaning in pain - and missing huge chunks from their legs, along with their arms, and sizable portions of their chests, all eaten away by the sand¡¯s reaction to such a small amount of mana. But they are alive. Both of them clearly tried to run as far and quickly as possible before copsing into twin heaps in the sand, unable to move any further as they continue their struggle to crawl away from me.

    ¡°C-crazy! You are fucking crazy!¡± one of them shouts, holding his bleeding neck, as his crimson red blood stains the white sand.

    ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t think it would be that easy,¡± I repeat, feeding him his own words before kicking him in the head. And doing the same to his partner even though he¡¯s already been knocked unconscious.

    They both turn out to be too heavy for me to carry, so I use kic energy a bit more to remove a few more of their limbs before grabbing them and boosting myself back to the Deathtrap.

    Getting back on the deck, I throw them on the ground and then turn to my crown. On my way, I pick up my underwear and put it on, being careful of my wounds so as not to cover them in blood.

    My crown floats back to its ce over my head, and I check the amount of mana it used to maintain itself without bursting open or disappearing. It¡¯s a bit more than I had expected, but I guess it makes sense. It is just not meant to function away from my body. Still, it contains quite a bit of mana.

    As I take some of that mana and reabsorb it, I almost feel like smiling. Wee back, my precious.

    Lilyes closer, and I notice her staring at my chest and belly.

    I look down and notice a few wounds here and there, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, it isn¡¯t anything serious. Save your mana.¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± She stutters, quickly lifting her head, her big eyes staring up at me through her bangs.

    ¡°My legs are fine too. I¡¯ll heal them on my own. Just make sure these two don¡¯t die, but don¡¯t restore their limbs for now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh, sure!¡± She says, before rushing over to the two thrin, one of whom has already awakened and begun talking to Tess.

    After putting on my pants and shirt, I head to Sophie. ¡°How much mana do you have left?¡±

    ¡°Should be more than enough to get some information out of them. Though the guides are being troublesome,¡± she answers simply.

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll just let you guys take care of the rest here. I¡¯ll go check on our guides,¡± I say and, resort to using stairs like some schmuck instead of teleporting. I don¡¯t train anymore; and I¡¯ve even turned off most of my passives, at least the ones that require mana.

    I leave just in time as more groups start making their way up to the top deck.

    Back in the backup core room, I find the guide, still there, sitting in a different position, with the vyssari who wanted to gouge my eyes out.

    ¡°Any good news?¡± I ask the guide.

    ¡°Heryd here can help you with the core. He has some experience with¡­¡±

    ¡°I see. There¡¯s no need for that. Anything else?¡±

    The guide looks between me and the scaly legged shorty and then back at me, ¡°I still can¡¯t stop the SDAT and¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s an SDAT?¡± I ask, interrupting him.

    ¡°Are you¡­ SDAT means Sand-Defensive Air Transport.¡±

    ¡°Got it, please continue.¡±

    ¡°I still have no idea where we¡¯re heading but we should find out soon. Though there shouldn¡¯t be anything in the Mana Desert so I don''t know how much help it will be or why we¡¯re heading there. There is no sense in trying to run away even if we could change course; the storm will catch up anyway.¡±

    ¡°What if we bury ourselves in the sand?¡± the short vyssari asks, turning away from the core.

    ¡°That would either force us to keep the field running to ward it off or to turn off the field. In that case, any sand that got into the SDAT would be the end of us. And we don¡¯t have enough mana to hold the field against that much sand.¡±

    ¡°Any rest stops around here? ¡± the vyssari continues.

    ¡°None, there is nothing here as far as we know. Not a single ce free of sand.¡±

    I listen to the rest of the conversation with one ear and turn back to the mana pir. Just in case, I check the inscriptions and preparations I made, and it seems like no one¡¯s messed with them. So I continue to work on them, I even manage to connect a few more of its functions and even though it still feels half-baked, it¡¯s better than nothing.

    When the conversation between the guide and the vyssari starts to drag on too long, I interrupt them. ¡°You,¡± I shout, pointing at the guide, ¡°shouldn¡¯t you be controlling the ship?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an SDAT, not a ship. It should be fine to leave it for a while. Our course is already set, and Kallus is taking care of the defenses. With how little mana we have, we don¡¯t even have to focus on controlling how it¡¯s being used.¡±

    ¡°Good, go back to the deck. Find the tall blonde, she can tell you what to do. They might already have more information on what happened.¡±

    I watch him hesitate for a moment, but he does stand up eventually and head towards the deck without another word. As he said before, he was just a rookie following orders.

    As I work, I can feel Heryd¡¯s eyes on me, the vyssari, who was supposed to be helping me is one of the only three passengers with a level higher than mine. Much like the two thrin I just brought back.

    ¡°You can fly; you could run away,¡± he says out of nowhere.

    As I turn to him, I can see how carefully he¡¯s observing me.

    ¡°Sure,¡± I respond, returning to my work, cing an anchor inside the core which I use to feed it power from my crown.

    There is no way I would just put my mana inside to let just anyone use. No, I¡¯d rather just feed the ship more as needed. While doing so, I also think about his question.

    Could I really just fly away if I felt like it?

    I think I could. Sure, there could be some specks of sand that high up, and if I had any mana inside my body, I would take significant damage, but I think I could push through. The trip that took this rusty old thing days would take me hours if I used enough kic energy.

    It would be simple, but back when I was considering my options for survival, it never once crossed my mind. And I can think of two reasons for that.

    The first is that I¡¯m so confident in my ability to survive, even this, that the thought of running away never entered my mind.

    The second is that I didn¡¯t want to leave this silly group of mine. Angry Kittens, group 4, Biscuit and Co., whatever the name of the day turns out to be.

    I¡¯ve always liked watching others, and now here I am examining myself and taking stock of my feelings, asking questions. And the one that eventually sticks at the front of my mind is: Would I be willing to risk my life for them, and could I walk away if I truly had to?

    The swirl of emotions I feel even asking that question absolutely fascinates me.

 Chapter 439: Thylarin brothers

    Chapter 439: Thrin brothers

    The guides don¡¯t seem to tell me how to control Deathtrap or operate the control panel. Even getting ess is difficult, and just looking into it, I have to go around, wasting time and mana.

    It''s clear that they have a vested interest in restricting ess to the controls, and all our guides seem to bear some kind of mark that makes it easier for them to control the flying train/ship and while barring them from taking specific actions. Otherwise, they go kaboom.

    At first, I think it must be the work of someone like Sophie, and yet the guide¡¯s marks feel more limited in scope. Sophie, on the other hand, should be able to do more given some time.

    Even so, while guides no. 1 and no. 2 take care of our defenses and mana usage while paying special attention to the engines, fields, navigation, stabilizers, and auxiliary functions, I try to learn as much as possible about the controls. I''ve done more difficult things, this shouldn¡¯t be a problem and I¡¯ve been studying the wide variety of blueprints recorded on the many mana stones I¡¯ve taken from the previous floors every night before bed.

    It won¡¯t be long before the guides can screw off. I¡¯m sure if I split my mind with <strong>[Focus]</strong> I should have no problem controlling this rusty thing on my own. I can just use <strong>[Infusion] </strong>to get myself in, I can <strong>[Resonance]</strong> at the right times and then use my eyes and <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>. Easy as that.

    Even so, I may as well let them handle it for a while and teleport back into our room, where the rest of group 4 is waiting, along with some of the leaders of the more powerful groups abroad.

    Tess, Sophie, and Izzy seem to be busy talking to the blue guys so I head towards the corpse of the marauder. Lily stands there as well, poking and probing at it.

    ¡°Was it strong?¡± I ask, my voice taking on a hushed tone. I don''t want to bring attention to myself.

    ¡°It cut me in half, here,¡± she gestures horizontally from one side of her waist to the other. A part of her shirt is missing, allowing a section of her belly to peek through.Even as she talks about being cut in half, Lily continues to smile, ¡°It didn¡¯t even use mana so its stats must be great and its natural weapons must be very strong to deal that much damage to me. You know, I¡¯ve already altered my bones a bit and it still cut through.¡± She states, shaking her head at the thought.

    Yeah, more typical Group 4 behavior.

    ¡°What about the mental attacks?¡± I ask.

    ¡°We don''t know. Twins think it might have been some sort of hypnosis that didn¡¯t rely on mana, Sophie theorizes it was a gas we couldn''t see or smell. Kim thinks it¡¯s something like primordial energy given that they don''t seem to affect the sand. Though there might be other stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°Do you think one of the guides was keeping it as a pet?¡± I ask, giving the body a prod as well. It feels like ss to the touch but it¡¯s still slightly warm and very tough.

    ¡°Izzy thinks so,¡± Lily nods. ¡°We also got some information from the groups that were colluding with them and each one has a different story. Some were promised positions of power in the central region, others were told stories of great items, while others were told we¡¯d be looking for a way to leave the moon.¡±

    ¡°So they were just pawns to be thrown away as needed and our blue friends are the only ones left who might know something.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°They know something but they¡¯ve been refusing to talk. They want to strike a deal,¡± Sophie says, joining us with a sigh. She seems tired. ¡°I couldn''t get much from them, they have good mental defenses and they set traps, if I push any harder they will die.¡±

    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t have any mana,¡± I note.

    ¡°No. They shouldn¡¯t. And yet they do. I''m almost certain they didn''t have any when you brought them back so maybe they have a passive that¡¯s let them in some way recover the little bit of mana they needed to set their mental traps. Maybe it''s just a trait that makes them resistant to mental attacks, one that might not need mana to operate.¡±

    ¡°That sucks. We¡¯re going to hit the storm In a few hours and the guides can''t change the trajectory. Even if they could, it''s toote.¡± I poke the marauder¡¯s corpse one more time and stand up.

    ¡°Yes, they passed me the information. Did you see the new side quest?¡±

    Huh?

    I open my notifications in surprise and sure enough, there¡¯s a new quest.

    <strong>Side quest:</strong><em>Survive</em>

    <strong>Reward:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>???</em><em></em>

    <em>Beyond 3-day stay token</em>

    Objective: survive. Oh, how I missed this kind of quest.

    After that, the room bes too rowdy as some of the leaders start screaming at the two blue guys who simplyugh in their faces. The Dawnyer however, is quiet, just going by his expression and behavior it wouldn¡¯t take a genius to guess that he has some kind of concentration skill.

    I watch as Tess kicks a few of the guys out and zaps a few more rendering the room more or less silent.

    She doesn''t even seem to be all that angry, it¡¯s more like she¡¯d gotten stuck dealing with a particrly annoying set of kids, issued spankings, and left them sobbing quietly in the corner.

    I leave the room and walk through the hallway as it begins to fill with people jockeying to get even a bit closer, wanting to be the first to receive any new information. Some start asking me right away. I ignore it all and walk through andsh out when some especially annoying vyssari jumps in my way, trying to threaten me into revealing anything I might know, I kick him away, sending him crashing into a rusty wall, While one of his friends gets sted away with a weak burst of kic energy.

    I feel a bit awkward, with how short these guys are, almost like kids. Kids with beards and raspy voices.

    Meanwhile, Deathtrap flies on, listing off to one side, It¡¯s noisier than before, now that it has such a massive hole in the wall. As I pass by I see one of the guides, directing groups of emergency conscripts to carry huge metal tes and stack them into a series of makeshift constructions being built around the hole.

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    The guide doesn¡¯t have his mask either and is profusely sweating and cursing every time they do something wrong. He seems to be trying to connect the tes and integrate them into the web of inscriptions running through the ship so they can power them while saving that bit of extra mana. I know he doesn''t have much time, he can only leave the control room for so long at a time.

    I find myself wondering if we shouldn''t have someone strong protecting him. Sure it might seem like we got all the perpetrators but what if one happened to be hanging back?

    In the end, I decide to ignore my concerns and leave a message though group 4¡¯s new group link. I''m sure Tess is already dealing with it. Worst case I can seize control of the ship myself.

    Upon reaching the backup core I meet the vyssari there, the Ashenfoot Shaman to be specific. He¡¯s moving around, poking at the control panels and examining my modifications to the core and the anchor I left there. I give everything a quick check, finding that he doesn''t seem to have made any changes, though he seems to be annoyed when he senses me looking things over.

    ¡°You formed this part wrong,¡± he snaps, pointing out a set of inscriptions.

    ¡°On purpose. It uses less mana that way.¡±

    ¡°But youpletely disregarded the inscription matrix designed to amplify mana concentration. You¡¯re also missing a failsafe sequence or an emergency dispelyer.¡±

    ¡°I don''t know what that is.¡±

    ¡°You what?¡±

    ¡°I don''t care about fancy things like that, but if you have them written down somewhere you can give them to me. It¡¯s the least you can do for all the work I''m doing to keep this thing floating.¡±

    ¡°Crazy human, you¡¯re going to blow something up one day.¡±

    ¡°For the most part that''s the goal,¡± I shrug, waving a dismissive hand.

    While he watches I move on to working on making smaller changes. Nothing fancy like the failsafe or the supporting whatever, he mentioned. Just backups, increasing the stability of my anchor and making it more resistant to interference.

    I¡¯m still not happy about the way those blue boys managed to mess with my anchor before.

    Two hourster it''s Tess visiting me down here. She nces at the vyssari sitting quietly in the corner, watching me work, and immediately proceeds to ignore him.

    ¡°We made a deal with the guys you captured. Lily restored their bodies and I gave them my word that we wouldn¡¯t kill them if they didn¡¯t give me a good reason. Can I rely on you to help me keep my word?¡±

    ¡°Yup, no problem there.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Nat. They want you to be there when they start talking.¡±

    ¡°I just got to the fun part. Did you know this rusty thing used to be able to do loops? There¡¯s a ¡®switch¡¯ just for that.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡± Tess seems to share my confusion.

    ¡°No idea but it''s interesting that it could do it. It also used to have weapons but they¡¯re long gone now. And If I''m correct there¡¯s a button to make it drop all its ting.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn''t that make us nearly defenseless against the sand? If I remember correctly these tes are what¡¯s generating the field.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! I also started helping with controls and I''m in charge of proper mana redistribution. I rememberughing at them, but this ship is terribly optimized, there¡¯s barely any automation and I think it was made that way on purpose.¡±

    ¡°I hate to interrupt you, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Got it, got it.¡± Having finished speaking to Tess, I turn to the vyssari and remind him, ¡°Don''t break anything.¡±

    He dismisses me with a weird gesture I don¡¯t recognize. Maybe it¡¯s their race¡¯s version of the middle finger?

    Once again, the ship¡¯s hallways are full of people from three different races, but this time they just let us pass. The crowns over our heads have turned out to be rather memorable making it easy for the others to identify us. And in that fashion, we reach the door to our room, our defenses untouched nearby while a few groups under the control of the man in ck chainmail stand there waiting. Sophie, sensing our presence, lifts the defenses for a moment and we enter unimpeded.

    Much like before everyone from group 4 is there, along with a few group leaders I haven¡¯t bothered to remember and the blue guys I captured.

    <strong>[Manabreaker - lvl ??]</strong>

    <strong>[Manashroud Shaper - lvl ??]</strong>

    Not gonna lie, I liked their ss names before and I still do. They certainly seem to be a bit more civilized than the rest of the heretics.

    Now that all their limbs have been restored they stand there surrounded by others, and yet they don''t seem worried, hell they¡¯re even smiling.

    On the other hand, Lily has much shorter hair now, and while I can''t see it at the moment, I think she also sacrificed a body part for more mana. She probably used <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong> to keep her mana topped up, just in case she needs it.

    ¡°I''m Dravos and this is my brother Drekar, what''s your name, crazy human?¡± One of the blue ones says, introducing himself; they look nearly identical to each other.

    ¡°Does it matter? Just tell me what you want.¡±

    ¡°I thought we¡¯d show some respect to each other. As fellows who walk the path of mana.¡±

    ¡°Sure. So how did you mess with my anchor?¡±

    Someone from the people around us mumbles, ¡°We do not have time to¡­¡± but gets interrupted by Biscuit who woofs at him in a warning. That makes the man shut up immediately and his expression as he looks at Biscuit seems to be full of fear.

    Dravos lifts one hand and flicks his fingers, bringing my attention back to him, ¡°Your anchor functions on a fixed resonance within your mana spectrum, directly linked to your signature. A slight adjustment¡ªmodifying the mana field around it to disrupt that resonance¡ªis all it takes.¡±

    Another hand gestures to his brother, Drekar, who nods. ¡°We calibrated the surrounding mana flow to dampen the anchor¡¯s resonance. Not enough to shatter it¡ªyou¡¯d detect that¡ªbut just enough to destabilize the connection. A minor phase alignment shift, and¡­ well, we had a pleasant surprise waiting for you.¡±

    Dravos grins, his eyes glinting with amusement. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s much harder when you''re dealing with someone as skilled as you, crazy human. But we couldn¡¯t resist the challenge.¡±

    ¡°So you just disrupted it slightly without breaking it.¡±

    ¡°Crazy human, it''s not that simple.¡±

    ¡°But that''s what you did, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Got it. So what did you want to say?¡±

    The two brothers look at each other, just as confident as before.

    ¡°We want to live, obviously,¡± Dravos says.

    Drekar nods and says, ¡°Dying in this shithole wasn¡¯t part of the n, and your group seems to be the one in charge.¡±

    ¡°So we have an offer for you.¡± Smoothly following his brother¡¯s words, Dravos joins in.

    ¡°Just say it,¡± I demand, challenging them.

    ¡°So impatient.¡±

    ¡°We were like that once, brother.¡±

    ¡°Not as much as him.¡±

    ¡°No, not as much, but we can understand.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we can,¡± Dravos turns back to me with a big smile, ¡°This ce is called Mana Desert. Do you know what its purpose is?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I answer honestly. I have ideas, but nothing I can be sure of.

    His brother spreads all four of his arms wide and announces theatrically, ¡°There are five unique Containment Arenas, also known as Containment Cells, within the Astral Prison. Each one is distinct, designed specifically to restrain a powerful being.¡±

    Dravos continues, ¡°The Mana Desert is also one of these ces¡ªa solitary confinement cell¡ªand we¡¯re currently approaching the Champion it holds.¡±

 Chapter 440: Arrival at the destination

    Chapter 440: Arrival at the destination

    Looking at the two before me, I take a step and grab one of my manabloc chairs. Lately, I have been testing longersting mana constructs with quite a bit of sess. The chair¡¯s still holding strong even a few dayster.

    There are a few small pieces missing though, mostly on the legs. Almost as if something had taken a few snake mouth-sized bites out of it.

    I plop into the chair, cross my legs, and over at the thrin duo. What should I do with them? I promised to hold Tess to her promise but I could probably beat them up a bit. The way they¡¯re acting is pissing me off.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the prisoner?¡± Tess asks instead, and I decide to just lean back and listen.

    Meanwhile, I connect to the anchor I left in the core and send bits of my mana into it. I was able to connect the anchor with some controls, but it''s an extremely weak connection even after the hours I¡¯ve spent on it. Just enough for me to take care of some of the less important functions.

    ¡°It''s a thrin Champion. We were Candidates to be his disciples, so he should recognize us.¡±

    ¡°You have to realize that it will be better to keep us alive,¡± his brother joins in.

    They have very simr voices, even their bearing is simr. I can also sense they have a bit of mana. It somehow replenished slightly during the time they were here.

    There¡¯s no way they should be able to ignore whatever¡¯s keeping us from regenerating mana here. If they speak the truth and this whole area is a trap for the Champion, what chance would these two, or I, have to ignore it?¡°I think you overestimate yourselves and the Champion. He¡¯s probably been left here without any mana or a method to restore it and leave for a reason,¡± Tess snaps, refusing to let the matter go.

    ¡°That much is true, but we intend to leave this moon, and people like our Champion might be our only choice. Surely such a person would be thankful if...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s he here for?¡± Tess interrupts him without a blink.

    ¡°He¡¯s here just because he got just a bit too carried away with experimentation.¡± Dravos waves it off.

    ¡°Seeking knowledge should never be grounds for punishment. But why do you care, lightning human? You¡¯re here for a reason just like the rest of us, the same goes for your group and the crazed human over there.¡± Drekar says, pointing at me.

    ¡°I did nothing wrong,¡± I say defending myself.

    ¡°Sure, none of us did, crazy human, we were all just unlucky. So let¡¯s cut to the chase, what do you say lightning human? The Champion¡¯s prison is hidden but we know the way.¡± Drekar says, pointing at the center of the storm

    ¡°If we enter now we should be able to oust that storm but we need to get there before it reaches us.¡±

    That part he says louder, his intentions clear. He just wants to make sure as many passengers hear it as possible, to put more pressure on us.

    Well, that¡¯s kind of pointless. I would rather throw all the passengers one after another into that white sand than let them decide my fate.

    ¡°So what was the n? In a nutshell.¡± I ask.

    ¡°We befriended a guide.¡±

    ¡°The one you killed, crazy human, he was a nice guy we met in Last Rest.¡±

    ¡°He also had that interesting monster from Mana Desert for a pet. A cute, if deadly thing.¡±

    ¡°You could say it all came together. Him and us meeting¡­¡±

    They continue to talk, one filling for the other while they maintain their bearing. The duo certainly seems a bit twisted in the head.

    ¡°The guide, like us, was always intrigued by the secrets of Mana Desert and rumors about the trapped Champion. You could say he was obsessed with it.¡±

    ¡°He was a bit crazy, but he was still a fine guy, he even paid for the drinks once, do you remember brother?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he did. So we found the coordinates. A message in a bottle cast out into the world by our Champion.¡±

    ¡°He was always a smart guy. A terrifying guy.¡±

    ¡°He was indeed. Truly the finest of Champions. He¡¯s been trapped there for a hundred years, enough time to start corroding the locks of his prison. Our guide friend¡¯s pet was proof.¡± Dravos says, gesturing at the corpse of the monster, ¡°Each monster from the area seems to have coordinates hidden in their bodies.¡±

    "A message in a bottle."

    ¡°What a monster, that guy.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, brother. What a monster.¡±

    ¡°If he could break free of his solitary confinement, would it really be so hard for him to get out of this Prison given enough time?¡±

    ¡°To have the knowledge he possesses. To taste the possibility of bing his disciples, even the possibility of being dered Champion Candidates. Oh, crazed human, I have to believe you, of all people would understand.¡±

    And I do, maybe more than they expect. But I stay quiet, gesturing for the talkative brothers to continue.

    ¡°Brother, I think he understands, even if he doesn''t say anything. Maybe we made a mistake, we could have befriended the crazy human as well. It would have made things easier.¡±

    ¡°It''s toote now, but let us continue. We killed the guides as they began to notice the changes we made to the navigation systems. They weren''t willing to cooperate. They were weak andzy.¡±

    ¡°Some people from the central region are also like that. Too ustomed to theirfy prison after the years they¡¯ve spent here, unwilling to escape their cage.¡±

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°Pathetic.¡±

    ¡°Yes, pathetic.¡±

    ¡°So the SDAT is heading for the prison cell. We didn¡¯t expect the storm, but such is fate. Nothing is ever perfect.¡±

    That''s when Tess interrupts again, ¡°You seemed fully capable of going there on your own, why did you point the SDAT there?¡±

    Dravos smiles, ¡° We needed the extra mana reserves, lightning human. The mana batteries that people would bring, the mana in their bodies. Something for the Champion to use, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine.¡±

    ¡°And fodder against the monsters, traps, and defenses we might encounter.¡±

    ¡°We also know some interesting inscriptions that could help, though they would require¡­ sacrifices.¡± He says, unbothered by the people who would have been their sacrifices.

    ¡°Well, I think that''s pretty much enough.¡± I use a bit of mana to create a barrier around them making it opaque and soundproof.

    I turn to Tess and begin to speak, ¡°So¡­¡±

    ¡°You want to go see the Champion,¡± she responds, grabbing one of the manabloc chairs to sit in.

    ¡°It''s not like we can change where we are heading. Do we even want to with the storm approaching?¡±

    ¡°Okay, so how about we skip visiting the guy who could kill us all like it were nothing. Wait out the storm and then head to the central region?¡± I can almost hear the frustration in Sophie¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Not enough mana.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Nat, is there really no way for us to generate enough mana to return after the storm?¡± Tess¡¯s eyes pierce through me.

    ¡°Okay, there might be a small chance.¡± I acknowledge.

    I won''t say it in front of others, but I think I could abuse my unique passive to get enough mana for us to reach the central region. We could also try modifying the flying ship/train, by putting all people on deck and turning off defenses everywhere else. Or even getting rid of other passengers and focusing on defending the vital areas of the ship.

    ¡°Famir, can you take others out and share the information we just got? I want to talk to my group,¡± Tess shouts, turning to the guy with the concentration skill and ck chainmail.

    ¡°Ten minutes and then we bring others in to discuss options?¡± he asks.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He leaves with a nod, and with a great deal ofining, the room clears out, leaving only group 4 inside and the two thrin confined in my barrier.

    ¡°How much mana do you have?¡±

    ¡°I was storing it over two weeks so quite a bit, but I''m already using bits of it to feed Deathtrap. I¡¯m doing it even as we speak. The wind¡¯s already started hitting us, and it¡¯s sending more sand into the air and that means it¡¯s crashes into the field. If it gets very much worse, it should be enough for a few days at most.¡±

    ¡°And your passive?¡±

    ¡°You know how it works, right? I told you already. Are you really so eager to beat me up?¡±

    ¡°It said something about external force, right?¡±

    Just in case, I read the description again.

    <strong>Mana-Kic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) -</strong><em>The user''s body passively channels mana from the reservoir into their kic responses, creating a feedback loop that adapts to physical impacts or nearby bursts of kic energy. When struck or near a powerful source of it, their body can absorb the kic energy and store it as mana.</em>

    ¡°It says that, but I haven¡¯t gotten it to work yet. If it activates during the thunderstorm, it could end up badly for all of us without the field of Deathtrap.¡±

    ¡°Well, worst case scenario, we just have to beat you up for a few days.¡± Maya smiles.

    Tsk. I knew she was still holding a grudge for the way I treated her back on the 1st floor. I bet she would love to ¡°help out¡± with my passive that way.

    ¡°With the amount of mana we need, you would need to beat me for weeks. Sorry to disappoint.¡±

    Though, that might not be all that disappointing for them.

    ¡°Could that prisoner really help? If we shared our mana with him?¡± Min-Jae asks, looking at me as he turns away from his examinations of my barrier.

    Sophie responds with a question of her own, ¡°Are we sure we want to be left at his mercy?¡±

    I can see that Tess, like everyone else, finds herself deep in thought. She¡¯s ying with her hair, coiling it around her finger before letting go and then doing it again. She¡¯s always been like that, right down to her absent-minded expression when she gets caught up in thinking about a problem.

    In the end, she stands up, having made her decision, ¡°We don''t have many options. We will survive the storm first. We can''t avoid it so we may as well let Deathtrapnd at the pce we expect to find the Champion. Then we can see if we can¡¯t gain a bit more information and think things over before we decide to make contact.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll head back over to the backup core.¡± Leaving the rest to them, I reim the mana from the barrier and leave the room.

    Thirty minutes pass as I get deeper into the control systems of Deathtrap, the guide helping me as much as he can without going kaboom. All while the horizon grows darker, as sand continues to pummel the sides of the ship. White grains of sand bouncing off the protective fields and metal tes.

    Any other time, it would look pretty, but I know just how deadly they can be.

    We evacuate parts of the ship and I redirect the reserves into the ces we¡¯ve gathered the passengers with the help of the guide who takes more direct control of mana, while I feed the engines fighting to reach our destination before the storm hits us.

    The other guide in charge of defenses barely has any time, constantly locked in his own control room, struggling to keep the field active.

    As the edge of the storm hits us and starts shaking the ship, it¡¯s all I can do to keep the defenses and engines supplied. I even send some of my mana through in addition to the reserves in the core. The guide in charge of defenses sets them to their maximum, muttering that we won''t be able to survive if the storm hits us at full force. He¡¯s speaking through themunication systems in the control panels. A worse version of Sophie¡¯s constructs.

    As the ship tilts even more, the rust starts falling off its metal walls. The tilt is noticeable now and the creaking sounds like someone squeezing an empty can.

    Then the guide in control of our defenses dies.

    Hisst scream having been picked up by the control panel¡¯s connections, his guards likely meeting the same fate.

    A thought about what must have caused his death immediatelyes to mind, and I can''t help but chuckle. This surprises the vyssari who is still in the room with me, along with a few of his men - the same number of guards as the recently-dead guide.

    Deathtrap then nosedives, people, and furniture flying all over the ce. The contraption¡¯s creaking increases and the storm raging outside sounds more intense and the sky has gone dark, but at the same time, a light shines through, reflected by trillions of grains of white sand.

    Like a waterfall, sand washes over Deathtrap, and then even that little light disappears, only to be reced with pure darkness.

    Darkness and quiet.

    The sounds of the storm disappears as if it had never existed and then Deathtrap hits the ground, its metal tes screeching against the rock of the surface until it crashes again mming into something we can¡¯t see anding to a full stop. Then the engines turn off, the vibrations and sound that were so ever-present wane away, to be reced with silence while Deathtrap creaks deafeningly and tilts over, copsing onto its side with a loud thump that shakes through the frame.

    All movement stops.

    We have arrived at our destination.

 Chapter 441: Thats what I want

    Chapter 441: That''s what I want

    I send some mana into the defenses to maintain the field, and climb through the hallway on the crashed Deathtrap up to the deck of the tilted ship.

    <em>(Stay inside,)</em> I tell everyone through the link with the rest of Group 4.

    Eventually, I reach them, still inside the ship, though they¡¯ve positioned themselves further back, watching the others stare into the darkness.

    Someone uses an item, and it flies through the door and lights up the area, throwing moving shadows on what appears to be a rocky wall. A cave leading down, into a vast, deep tunnel. A few more skills or items follow, illuminating the ce further and further with powerful lights in all shades, from yellow, to white, blue, and red.

    The old and rusty ship has crashed against the rocky surface of the cave, and its stalled engines leave the ce eerily quiet with the sound of the storm totally blocked off by the walls around us. I want to examine the entrance we must have passed through to get here, but I can''t see it from where I am.

    Dravos also watches the other passengers, and I notice the broad smile that takes over his expression when some of them start exiting the ship.

    There doesn''t seem to be any white sand, and some probably don¡¯t even know the truth of its nature. I can understand their sense of security and curiosity, but there is a reason I¡¯ve kept the defenses running.

    As somewhere around two dozen people exit, reaching the rocky ground below they die.

    The small amount of white sand thatnded on Deathtrap, that we¡¯ve managed to bring with us reacts to their mana. The tiny white grains move and swirl as they step on them. Just the smallest hint of white dust on the wind. Something you could even miss in the low light.As the screams fill the pitch-ck darkness of this ce, Dravos smiles even wider and turns to me, ¡°Isn''t it amusing to watch, crazy human? These people who¡¯ve been hiding and cowering inside of the SDAT until now, crawling out in a spurt of bravery and curiosity. Feeling safe, newly confident with the change in the environment and the quiet of this ce.¡±

    His brother is the same, and both of them, I¡¯m sure, they¡¯ve reached the 2nd stage of their subss: Adept of Pride, much like me. It¡¯s something I can feel, the same way they can feel my Pride. The second stage allows us to recognize our fellows.

    I''ve already met a few people like that, having spoken to them in passing or walking among people I¡¯ve seen back in Last Rest. Yet, this duo in front of me seem to stand above the rest. They have the same confidence in their abilities that I often find in myself.

    The next person to reach our group is thest surviving guide called Kallus, the one who took care of navigation. He seems tired, dead on his feet, and whereas before, when his eyes kept flitting all over the ce, anticipating danger, now it seems like he¡¯s given up.

    There is someone else we need to worry about too, the one who killed the second guide, forcing us to seek help from the Champion. Knowing that we¡¯d need three guides to properly control the Deathtrap and that we would have to wait for the storm to disappear before attempting to leave without making contact.

    The mystery continues. Do Dravos and Drekar know who it is? Is the person responsible for cooperating with them even though they tried to run away before and leave them behind? Or maybe they just don¡¯t know, and they have their reasons. It¡¯d have to be someone who can avoid my detection and Sophie¡¯s web. Someone with the capacity to kill the people we had protecting the guide with little to no effort.

    I already have my suspicions about who may be behind it all, but for now, I¡¯ve decided to let it be. To see where this takes us.

    ¡°How did the other guide die?¡± I ask Kallus.

    Sitting on the ground, his back resting on what used to be the floor, he looks at me, ¡°Different from before. They probably used a blunt weapon or unarmed strikes, every person was killed with one strike.¡±

    ¡°Stay near me,¡± I tell him, and he just nods.

    Even though it''s probably not needed, I share the information through the link and head towards the hatch that once led to the deck. Now that Deathtrap lies on its side, it is almost like a normal door. The field still stretches a bit further, and we have plenty of space to maneuver before we find ourselves in danger.

    Down below, I can see the bodies of the poor naive fools who decided to leave. I then take another step and make myself float, pushing myself through the air on waves of kic energy, proceeding in short, tightly controlled, bursts to make the experience as smooth as possible.

    Scanning the area for white sand, I pass through the field and look around, sending my senses outward like a wave crashing against the walls.

    A massively long tunnel winds its way deeper into the ground, leading ever downwards. And I can''t sense its end even with the extended reach of my enhanced senses.

    The people of the system really seem to like building massive structures, isn¡¯t there supposed to be a phobia for that? Megalophobia I think it was?

    Creating a few thermal orbs and making them as bright as possible, I ce them around the ship and the tunnel, the resulting light¡¯s golden hue doing its part to illuminate the ce. As expected, I find walls, roughly hewn from the stone around us. There are no smooth edges, no inscriptions, no sign that any part could have been the work of a skill. And then there¡¯s the fact that there¡¯s no white sand, other than what we managed to bring with us, in small piles sliding from the deck tond on the rocky surface below.

    It isn''t even touching the ship, nor is it anywhere close especially with the angle, It really only ounts for a few small grains. It seems like it should be fairly easy to avoid if we use a different ce to exit and check for more sand first. The hole left by the main core¡¯s explosion immediatelyes to mind. It¡¯s patched up, but it should be possible to open it back up.

    With that checked, I turn off the backup core from my current location, and the mana being supplied to the field dries up, leaving the field to flicker and dissipate, to the sound of a few screams from within the ship.

    I share my thoughts with Tess through the link, and she likely passes it along. To Dravos, Drekar, to the ck chainmail Dawnyer guy Famir, and to the remaining guide Kallus. I then spend a bit longer flying around the ship, watching carefully for more of the white sand, and when I''m done, I return.

    Just in time to see the tired guide in the same spot, face buried in his hands.

    Next to him stands Biscuit, repeatedly shouting at him, <em>(Food! Food!)</em>

    Landing, I reach down and gently smack Biscuit on his back, ¡°I told you already, that¡¯s not it.¡±

    Biscuit looks at me and then at the guide before gracefully wobbling away, probably on a quest to bully someone else for snacks.

    I rejoin the others in one of the bigger rooms, where most of the people have holed up, we still have almost two hundred passengers waiting for a solution. Seeing that many of them, most of them rushing to talk over each other, I decide to leave, only to be caught short by Min-Jae. I slow down matching my pace to his until we¡¯re walking side by side.

    ¡°Everyone has their food, most people have enough tost a week or two. Water is the bigger problem, most only have enough for a week and they¡¯re already starting to fight over the reserves in the Deathtrap,¡± he starts exining.

    Stolen from its rightful ce, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    I gesture to him, and we take a seat with an open view of the giant tunnel lit by the many orbs I¡¯ve created, though they look so tiny inparison despite releasing so much light.

    ¡°Most people are fairly subdued, and everyone¡¯s fairly reluctant to use their mana, so even if they fight, it¡¯ll probably be hand to hand. I think part of it¡¯s that they¡¯re scared of you,¡± Min-Jae says, smiling, the statement seems to make him happy, ¡°No one knows how much mana you have stored away, and someone¡¯s been spreading a rumor that you¡¯ve been storing it for months before heading here.¡±

    ¡°Months¡­¡± I repeat. Just how much mana would I be able to store in that much time?

    With ites an intriguing thought. What if I stored away my mana for years? Maybe even decades? Even as I am now, I should be able to live over 100 years easily with a body and capabilities fairly simr to what I have now. So would my crown be able to store years'' worth of mana? I¡¯m inclined to say yes.

    ¡°Show me your eye,¡± I ask, interrupting his train of thought when he continues to talk about what happened and the ns.

    Somewhat awkwardly, he moves a bit closer and turns his head to the side so I can see his newly yellow eye.

    I think it¡¯s Gravity Wavelength Iris or something like that. Seeing it now from up close reminds me how disappointed I was when we opened that damned back chest after weeks of trying, and the eye only reacted to him.

    Carefully, I reach out and touch the skin just under the corner of that eye and send my senses towards it, which he allows to happen. It¡¯s something I have done a few times already. As much out of a fear that the eye would reject him as my curiosity.

    There are some things I learned from the mana stone Savant gave Lily, things about body modification, transnts, and the like. It represents a wealth of information that Lily and I are still working to understand, and even Sophie¡¯s begun to show a degree of interest as ofte. All three of us have a skillset that would benefit from the information.

    ¡°Is the eye going to start bleeding and pop up out of my head?¡± Min-Jae asks with a bright smile, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s going to activate and siphon away my mana until I die.¡±

    ¡°The twins?¡±

    ¡°The twins,¡± he confirms. ¡°We joke like that from time to time, but sometimes I really find myself thinking about it, you know? It¡¯s a powerful eye, and I¡¯m still getting used to it though I feel myself growing into it.¡±

    ¡°You should be thankful, it¡¯s like a free half trait.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± he nods seriously. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to rely on it too much. I need to work on my basics before relying on easy power.¡±

    At that, I take a moment to study him.

    Yeah, Min-Jae might actually be smarter than me sometimes. The amount of restraint it had to take for him to avoid using that power and take the boring route... I needed Lissandra to beat that into me, and he grasped it so effortlessly.

    For some reason, I find myself wanting to tease him a little, but then I remember that there are ces he¡¯scking as well. His envious nature, constantly putting himself down, and his asional fits of over dependency.

    I point down at the ground, ¡°Try grabbing a few grains of sand and lift them, use your eye.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he agrees and moves toply, and I watch him move his mana to activate the skill and the eye.

    I move one of the orbs a bit closer so he has more light.

    The moment his skill touches the grains of sand, they start moving erratically, as they do any time mana touches them. They be charged and deadly.

    I gesture for him to stop, and he does so. In my mind, I count down the time until the sand bes inert and stops looking for mana while also trying to estimate the amount of mana Min-Jae used. With a bit more testing, I should be able to estimate it much better.

    ¡°Still no primordial gravitational energy?¡± I ask as I watch the sand.

    He shakes his head, ¡°Still nothing.¡±

    I nod in acknowledgment, and when the grains of sand stop moving, I lift into the air and lower myself closer. Then I st a bigger pile of sand with kic energy, which makes it fly into the air before returning to the ground.

    And once again we confirm that the sand doesn¡¯t react to primordial energies.

    I find a few tiny, separated pieces and send a whiff of my mana towards them, causing them to immediately charge and fly towards me. I send a st of kic energy at them, but this time they ignore it and pass through as if I hadn¡¯t done much of anything.

    Three small grains circle around me a few times, piercing my leg, and belly, burrowing tiny tunnels clean through my flesh and bone no matter how I try to defend against them.

    Body strengthening using mana? Nope. Kic strengthening? Nope. Disrupting mana? Nope. Resonating mana? Nope.

    Having had enough of tiny grains burrowing through me, I fly away from them much faster than they can follow, nearly a few lengths of Deathtrap before they start swirling in a confused fashion. It takes them longer to lose their charge andnd this time. It would seem that they can charge themselves with mana from my body when they pierce the skin.

    I activate my passive to heal myself as I fly back only to meet the others where I left Min-Jae.

    Some of the passengers are milling around, ready to leave Deathtrap. Far away from the white sand, and I see some of therger groups, already heading deeper into the tunnel.

    Group 4 is there with the remaining guide, two thrin, a few of the other groups we¡¯ve teamed up with, and Heryd, the vyssari who ¡°guarded¡± me with his group while I was working in the room with the backup core.

    ¡°Tess is dealing with somest-minute stuff, but she¡¯ll be back soon. We¡¯ve decided to join up with some of the smaller groups. That way there¡¯s no need to take care of a bunch of assholes who just want to hide behind us,¡± Sophie informs me, while I nod and pull my manabloc chair over to have a seat.

    It¡¯s the same one I created a few days ago, still holding strong, with a few more snake-mouth-sized bite marks on the legs.

    <strong>POV Famir</strong>

    ¡°Do you want me to kill the other guide as well?¡± I ask the woman standing in front of me.

    ¡°There is no need,¡± she shakes her head.

    Even though <strong>[Suppression]</strong> blocks my emotions, I feel a hint of curiosity, so I decide to ask, ¡°Why did you want the guide dead?¡±

    She doesn¡¯t even seem to mind, ¡°For my group.¡±

    That¡¯s confusing, ¡°Doesn¡¯t doing this put them in more danger?¡±

    She nods. ¡°Yes, it will. But it will also allow them to shine more brilliantly.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to. Just follow my orders, and we can continue our little alliance when we reach the central region.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I have another question, won¡¯t he get angry when he finds out?¡±

    ¡°Nat? I¡¯m sure he already knows.¡±

    At this point, my level of confusion grows even bigger. This woman, that man, their group, these two animals. I fail to grasp them at all.

    She seems to notice it even through myck of expression, ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy you didn¡¯t decide to help the thrin twins? If you had or decided to attack us before, he would have killed you by now.¡±

    There¡¯s that small smile on her face, making me question if I made the right choice in following her. From the moment I first saw her, I¡¯ve felt this unshakable pull to stay close, and I¡¯m not even sure why.

    It¡¯s not romantic interest or sexual attraction, I¡¯m not capable of those anymore. It''s sheer admiration for her decisiveness and strength. I didn¡¯t know I could still feel that way, but I have decided to ce my bets on her to get me off this moon.

    Before leaving, she turns to me, ncing over her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t want to simply stay here just to find a way to leave. Adventure is what I want. A desperate, life-threatening adventure where everyone struggles to do their best and ovee their limits. Where my group has to rely on each other, strengthening our bonds through the dangers we face together. So that once it¡¯s over we can sit side by side, talking to each other around Nat¡¯s thermal orbs. We might be hurt and scarred from the dangers we¡¯ve ovee, but we¡¯ll be happy, knowing we went through it together and survived. Maya will make herme jokes to lift our spirits. Sophie will pat Izzy¡¯s head. The twins will sit quietly together, sharing their feelings. Nat will pet Biscuit on hisp and will train with his orbs while Kim and Lily try to show off in front of him. Meanwhile, Noodle will keep nibbling on Nat¡¯s chairs in secret. And I will watch it all, happy to know I¡¯m part of it. That''s what I want.¡±

    And with that, she turns and leaves with a mysterious smile on her face, the lightning of her crown lighting the way.

 Chapter 442: Something real like that

    Chapter 442: Something real like that

    <strong>shback - Tess Hansen</strong>

    The tall blonde girl patiently listens to her mom, who is yelling. There are a few bruises on her face, but her mom dismisses them as she always does. Too focused on insulting the girl, as her shrieking grows louder and louder.

    There¡¯s no point in exining, no point in making justifications, the girl knows. Her mom just wouldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°You will stay locked in your room until I say you may leave. And I swear to God, Tess, if you get in another fight at school, I don¡¯t know what I will do!¡±

    And with these words her mother leaves, mming the door behind her.

    She doesn¡¯t wonder <em>why</em> her daughter fought.

    Even before, when Tess tried to exin, her mother wouldn¡¯t listen. She didn¡¯t seriously believe that her pretty blonde daughter might be the victim of bullying at the hands of other girls in her ss. Constantly picked on for her height, which left her towering over her seniors. For her, it was just kids being kids.

    ¡°Blondezi,¡± Tess whispers and giggles. Her new nickname, a gift from one of the girls abusing her.

    Already sure it will spread through her ss by tomorrow, Tess lies on her bed and touches the bruise on her cheek. Even then, she can¡¯t help her satisfied smile; the other girls ended up worse.After checking the clock, Tess sits down on the soft, expensive-looking rug and leans against the floor-to-ceiling window of her apartment, pressing her face against the ss. As she usually does at this time, she notices a group of five young people, gathered in the park below.

    Two girls are sitting on one of the benches while three boys loiter nearby. The girls are speaking with one of the boys while the others seem to be joking about something or other, gesturing wildly as they do. That small group of 5 meet there after school every day, no matter the weather. Even when the weather sours, they simply hide under the small gazebo nearby.

    Tess has watched them time and again throughout her many groundings.

    She¡¯s seen them fight and make peace. She saw one of the boys crying as his friends providedfort. She¡¯s seen them having fun together time and again as theye and go from this small ce they¡¯ve made their own.

    It always fascinated her. Just how might it feel to have people to rely on? How could they stay friends when they were screaming and fighting just a few days ago? What could the girl have said to leave the boys wracked withughter for minutes at a time, at least until she took offense and started kicking them?

    Why did theye out despite the heavy storm, drenched to the bone, giggling nheless as the weather left them sneezing under the gazebo, only to separate for a few days, likely sick with a cold?

    She never experienced something like that.

    The things she read about in books or saw in movies, the kind where groups of people went on adventures together. Fought together, mourned their deadpanions, suffering to the point of total exhaustion all to finish some grand quest.

    Persevering, even when everything seemed lost, as they pushed themselves to aplish their goal.

    They¡¯d meet up afterward, sharing something no one could take away from them. A great adventure no one else could understand, an experience unique to those who had been there.

    Just once in her life, she wanted to feel something real like that.

    <strong>POV Nathaniel</strong>

    The blue brothers try to run away from us.

    The dumbasses try to teleport.

    The assholes forget how easily they messed with my anchor.

    The douchebags end up in a simr state to me.

    Using kic energy, I get ahead of Group 4, and momentster reach the blue brothers strung out on the ground, their bodies torn, and bleeding as their bones peek through ragged holes in their flesh.

    ¡°Fuck, crazy human, you got us this time.¡±

    ¡°How the hell did you do something so nasty to our skill without us noticing?¡±

    ¡°Even we weren¡¯t so evil when we messed with yours.¡±

    There, I interrupt them, ¡°You redirected it into the white sand.¡±

    ¡°As if we could! We just made it so your anchor would burst open, its endpoint just happened to leave you there.¡±

    I watch them squirm for a moment. Nearly starved of the mana they¡¯ve managed to collect over the past few hours, likely the work of some passive or other. I''m still curious about that, but they refuse to tell me.

    One of them, Dravor or Drekar, looks at me, ¡°At least say something, crazy human.¡±

    ¡°Something.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I then move closer and squat on the ground next to them. ¡°To be honest, I don''t think we need you. The only thing keeping you alive is my promise to Tess, she thinks we can use you. But at some point, the amount of trouble you cause will outweigh your usefulness.¡±

    Grabbing a few small rocks, I throw them at the two thrin, each one bouncing off their heads.

    I reach to grab more stones and continue to throw them as I speak, ¡°You¡¯re trying to betray us, you waste our healer''s mana, you could be plotting to ask the Champion to turn against us. Maybe you are even hiding¡­ Well, you probably are hiding some things from us. And now you¡¯re wasting energy on pathetic escape attempts.¡±

    The stones keep hitting them with stunning uracy, and neither of them tries to defend themselves.

    ¡°I have yet to see anything useful from you, and even though our group is keeping our side of the deal, you two keep fucking around.¡±

    I add a bit of mana to the mix, surrounding the stones with it, resonating it, and as the stones hit the two brothers, they begin to leave wounds, drawing red blood, which flows freely across their blue skin.

    It would be easy to add more mana and boost the stones with kic energy. Which the two, at some point, wouldn¡¯t survive.

    ¡°What do you want, crazy human?¡±

    I stop my pastime and stand up. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask some questions, you will answer them, to the best of your knowledge.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    They exchange looks, and then one of them nods, ¡°We can do that. Ask, crazy human.¡±

    ¡°Tell me more about crowns.¡± I point at the one over my head.

    I can see they want to startughing but they hold their tongues, clearly thinking better of it.

    ¡°<strong>[Crowns]</strong> are ssified as a variation of equipment type of skill, crazy human. There are <strong>[Crown]</strong>, <strong>[Mantle]</strong>, and <strong>[Ring]</strong>. They are the most well-known, but there are more. We¡¯ve heard rumors about <strong>[Sword]</strong> and some sort of <strong>[Armor]</strong>, but we haven¡¯t exactly seen them with our own eyes.¡±

    ¡°Well, we have seen <strong>[Crown]</strong> and <strong>[Mantle]</strong> but none of the others.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong> and <strong>[Mana Mantle]</strong>?¡±

    ¡°We don''t know, crazy human, and I¡¯m not lying. As far as we know, <strong>[Crown]</strong> skills serve as a kind of battery while assisting with fine control over the stored aspect.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about attribute crowns, and there seem to be others like <strong>[Lightning Crown]</strong>. What are the differences?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Not much, attribute crowns allow you to store strength, dexterity, vitality, or mana. <strong>[Lightning Crown]</strong> allows you to store lightning. Attribute crowns are among the rarer types, and to get them you usually need a lot of things toe together. The requirements are generally pretty high.¡±

    His brother continues, ¡°Generally focused around certain skills, no one knows exactly which, and a high allocation of stats into mana. They also seem to be moremon among those who chose Mana Amplification as their attribute upgrade.¡±

    I interrupt, ¡°They are rare for people with Regeneration and Potency?¡±

    ¡°Yes, crazy human, the system strengthens, it doesn¡¯t cover its weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°As my brother said. If you go for a lot of mana, the system gives you options for more mana. But if you go for regeneration, the system won¡¯t give you a <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong> just to cover for your weakness.¡±

    ¡°But it can happen, brother!¡±

    ¡°Yes, anything can happen, but it¡¯s rare.¡±

    ¡°What about <strong>[Mantle]</strong>?¡± I ask.

    Another voice interrupts, ¡°There you are.¡± Tess joins us, followed by the rest of Group 4 and the other groups not far behind.

    ¡°I''m gathering information.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± She nods, looking at the thrin brothers, she doesn¡¯t say anything.

    Yet her eyes paint a clear message.

    ¡°We had to try,¡± one of the brothers says, smiling.

    ¡°And we didn¡¯t even try to hurt anyone, lightning human, we just ran away. Your friend probably told you, but we have our Pride to consider, so it¡¯s a bit difficult to be in a situation like this¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell me about <strong>[Mantle]</strong>,¡± I interrupt, feeling more presences on the approach.

    ¡°It''s just a theory, but we think it forms a localized energy field that can mask the associated aspect and create phase interference to disrupt an aspect when it makes contact with the surface.¡±

    ¡°So <strong>[Mana Mantle]</strong> would help with masking your mana and disrupting external mana sources thate into contact with it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just our theory, based on some unreliable rumors we''ve heard. Crazy human, you really love to simplify things.¡±

    I throw a few more stones at them in response, and then we wait for the rest of the groups to catch up.

    We move ahead a few minutester, after taking a moment to n and for Lily to restore the bodies of our thrin prisoners. This time though I notice she¡¯s missing a finger.

    The rocky tunnel is still giant, and at this point, I think it might be actively expanding. Even so, it¡¯s still tilted downward, so we head deeper underground, surrounded by the pitch-ck darkness lit only by our skills and items, our steps and voices sounding awkward in this dark, quiet ce.

    Tunnels, why do we always find ourselves in tunnels?

    The ant tunnels, the tunnels under the old capital, the tunnels on the 3rd floor, and that¡¯s without getting into the bunkers. Nearly everything cool so far has been buried underground.

    And this time, there might even be a good reason.

    After walking a few miles deeper, I start thinking that this Champion was either trapped here by an Absolute, who spent a few minutes doing this, or by a group of high-level people who had to have spent weeks or months preparing this ce.

    The sand is still a mystery, and I¡¯m of the opinion that an Absolute made it, Though I could imagine a highly motivated Champion being capable of the feat.

    And I already have a few ideas on how to make use of it. Which I¡¯m stealing from the others speaking through our link.

    <em>(Or maybe Nat could melt the white sand with thermal energy. It doesn¡¯t seem to trigger the effect, and if he turns that sand into a ss or something else, it could be usable,) </em>Min-Jae bbers excitedly.

    It¡¯s well along the lines of something I already thought of. Yup. I did. Long ago, even before we learned about the Mana Desert.

    Min-Jae continues, <em>(I would love to use it for my projectiles. Maybe we could try to use one of the tes on Deathtrap, bend it, and store sand inside of it before sealing it up, air tight. We coulde up with ideas to use itter or just use it as bombs against people, opening and throwing it into strong monsters.)</em>

    Dennis giggles, <em>(Or you could go nude and focus on physical stats while covering your body with armor infused with white sand.)</em>

    <em>(Wouldn¡¯t that hurt you as well?)</em> Aaron asks.

    <em>(Maybe?)</em>

    <em>(I want to make a golem out of it with the Golem heart,)</em> Sophie suggests, gesturing at the piece of yprising the damaged arcane item she currently holds.

    <em>(Fuck, that would be scary,)</em> Dennisments, mirroring my thoughts.

    <em>(There is still the question of whether or not we even can bring it out of the desert,)</em> Tess muses, throwing a damper on our excitement as she points ahead, continuing out loud, ¡° We have a few dozen deading up, people from Deathtrap.¡±

    One of the thrin brothersughs out loud, his eyes shining in the light of my orbs. Once again a little bit of mana has managed to collect inside of their bodies.

    ¡°They hoped to find treasures, items belonging to the Champion sealed here with him, perhaps they were seeking an array that would take out of this ce, maybe they thought they saw an opportunity to free the Champion and win his favor,¡± Dravos says, his smile never leaving his face.

    Drekar continues where his brother left off, but he isn¡¯t smiling, ¡°But they will find nothing. This isn¡¯t a normal prison. This ce only serves one purpose. To keep the Champion here and kill him should he try to leave.¡±

    ¡°I may not have told you, humans,¡± Dravos says, casually stretching with a glow in his eyes, ¡°but if so much as a single speck of white sand touches the Champion, the entire Mana Desert will rush in to kill him. Isn''t that something?¡±

    This looks like more of a punishment than anything else. To even think of locking the Champion in this ce. Leaving him to starve, unable to use his powers. Just how would it feel for someone like a Champion? Anyone who reaches that rank is a powerful person who must have spent years and years developing themselves.

    Yet there he is. Crippled, stripped of his mana, and surrounded byyers andyers of defenses designed specifically to kill him.

    So would you stay in and endure, with the futile hope that someone would find a way to help you escape? Or would you try to free yourself at the risk of ending it all?

    Well, it¡¯s an interesting thought if nothing else.

    It¡¯s also good that I¡¯ve managed to trap a single grain of white sand inside of my body, constantly charged and moving, damaging anything in its path, piercing my flesh while my passive heals me and my kic energy moves in a constant struggle to keep it contained.

    All in an attempt to examine it further.

    Just that single grain of sand is enough to cause no end of trouble. Even two would be too much to contain, requiring all of my attention.

    But at the same time, it¡¯s good to have it here.

    If the Champion tries anything funny, I can at least make sure he goes down with us.

 Chapter 443: Welcome

    Chapter 443: Wee

    The passengers Tess¡¯ <strong>[Farsight]</strong> spotted were killed by a hoard of monsters that seems to have surrounded us as well. Tiny bug-like things that cling to the walls and spread an invisible poison through the air.

    It''s powerful enough to slowly kill people approaching level 200 and even over it if you stay longer in it or if it''s more concentrated.

    At first, you only feel a bit lightheaded;ter, you start having trouble breathing, and by the end, you find your lungs have been paralyzed and now you can¡¯t breathe. Sure, your enhanced body will allow you to survive a bit longer given its reduced need for air, but between that and your knowledge of what¡¯s toe, it only serves to prolong your suffering.

    Tess and Min-Jae work with the other groups to kill these monsters from a distance, while others hang back and disperse the poisonous clouds with wind based abilities, reducing the potential for harm through dilution.

    And so we continue. A group of 30 people or so, all making their way deeper underground to meet this shut-in Champion who¡¯s apparently been here for thest century. Step by step, we keep finding more and more corpses belonging to the other passengers.

    We eventually start seeing other groups head back the way we came, rushing to get back to the Deathtrap and the cave we started in, either in an attempt to fix the old and rusty SDAT or to hide while they wait for us to do all the work.

    They can¡¯t move Deathtrap though, not even a bit. There is not a single speck of mana remaining in the core, and all the important rooms are closed off. Heavy metal-ted doors sealing the entrances. Especially after the emergency shutdown the remaining guide and I triggered.

    I¡¯m also dead certain that the monsters will just be waiting there as well.

    The slope of the tunnel starts increasing at a steady rate as it grows ever wider, despite already being wide enough to amodate arge building within its walls. Like tiny sparks of light, our orbs and items fly through the air, throwing light on just small pieces of it, unable to light it entirely because of the sheer size.I have a theory, I think the reason it¡¯s so wide is so that more sand can rush in. The thrin brothers said a grain of sand could easily trigger the extermination protocols if the Champion were to make contact, but I can¡¯t help but think there would have to be another way to trigger it.

    What if the Champion left his cell? Or figured out a way to use mana somehow? I know that¡¯s how I would go about it if I wanted to trap something so powerful.

    Walking even deeper, we find a group of 20 people, all dead, each one sliced into dozens of pieces.

    The cuts are extremely smooth and clean, and it looks like it all happened at once. I keep my orb floating over the bodies and create another, moving it a bit further down the corridor before taking a seat. The others follow my lead, observing from a distance and trying to discern the cause of the carnage before us.

    I sense Izzy and Sophie seeking out any living beings. Tess is scanning with her eyes and Min-Jae uses his eye, seeking out any shifts in the local gravity. He said that everybody should have the tiniest gravitational field, so he should be able to see it with his yellow eye. He hasn¡¯t been able to do it yet, but he keeps trying nheless.

    ¡°We¡¯re all going to die down here.¡± The guide cries plopping down on the ground next to me.

    His face still bears an expression of exhaustion, tiredness, bags under his eyes, messy hair.

    ¡°Want to try to fly Deathtrap?¡± I ask him curiously.

    ¡°We can¡¯t.¡± He says, resolutely shaking his head and burying his face in his hands. ¡°The SDAT was made like that on purpose. Yes, for a while, you can control it with two people, maybe one, but then the ship starts its checks, and if there aren¡¯t three people at the controls, it will stop flying.¡±

    ¡°Could you modify it?¡±

    ¡°Given a few weeks? Probably yes, but actually no. I can¡¯t talk about it any more, but if I tried to modify it, I would die.¡±

    ¡°Worst case, I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± I shrug my shoulders.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t solve our problem with mana.¡±

    ¡°Yup, you are right.¡±

    Our conversation ends with that, and I go back to looking for whatever killed the other passengers.

    Unfortunately, Tess beats me to it. ¡°Threads, there are spider-like threads stretched out across the tunnel and more below.¡±

    By way of demonstration, she reaches out with her <strong>[Psychokinesis]</strong> and grabs a severed leg. She lifts it up and to the right, at which point it splits in two, cut by an impossibly thin and strong thread, almost without resistance. At least that¡¯s what I think is happening.

    Though that does beg the question, what if someone with a very high constitution or high levels of body strengthening tried to walk through, would they be able to tear these threads apart? Logically, it should be possible.

    I watch as they find the thread closest to us and test different stuff against it. They try cutting into it with a weapon, and most of the time the weapon loses, the only thing that seems to work without damaging the items are weapons of mid epic and higher rarity. Disruption skills don¡¯t work either, of course, the threads clearly weren¡¯t made with mana. You can¡¯t even sense them with mana senses.

    Fire seems to work well against them, it just needs to be concentrated a bit and the thread will burn. A serious weakness, but understandable.

    We loot the bodies for anything worthwhile and continue deeper.

    The groups under Famir and Heryd the vyssari lose two members, to a thread they missed and by moving too far to the side. One of them doesn¡¯t die instantly and screams begging Lily to heal him. She even moves to help him, but Tess grabs her shoulder and holds her back. She whispers something into our healer¡¯s ear, and the man dies a few secondster.

    They loot his body, and we continue.

    Ten minutester, we find ourselves approaching a bridge. It¡¯s just wide enough for a single person to cross and stretches far, far into the distance. Iunch a small thermal orb right over it, and it is impossibly straight, and Tess continues to watch long after the tiny speck of light disappears.

    This tale has been uwfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Our best estimate ces the distance at a few miles.

    The structure of this bridge alone makes me more nervous than the threads before, more even than our ever-decreasing mana reserves and the dangers ahead.

    The bridge is made out of stone, but there are no support pirs under it. It¡¯s as thick as a person and a bit wider, and the only supports are the anchor points where we stand and the other side.

    And yet it still holds strong. Tess and Min-Jae grab some huge stones andunch them far ahead, where they crash solidly into the middle of the bridge, resulting in no damage at all. The bridge doesn¡¯t even shake, despite the stones being heavier than six menbined. And to top it all off the only thing to either side of the bridge is a pit of darkness, yawning below, an almost liquid sort of darkness that refuses to be driven back by our skills, and items.

    Any light that touches it doesn¡¯t pierce deeper, but the stones we throw in fall for almost 20 seconds. Min-Jae puts the estimate at around a mile deep.

    Of course, I could fly, I could use kic energy to move myself to the other side.

    But I don¡¯t.

    Together with the others, I step on the bridge and walk carefully.

    The bridge doesn¡¯t shake, there are no monsters popping up, there are no other traps. Even so, my heart is beating wildly.

    Step after step, our group of thirty odd people quietly traverse the narrow bridge. No one says a word. No one makes a sound.

    I can fly. I repeat to myself. I¡¯m superhuman and there are dozens of ways I could survive the fall. I could use an anchor, I have my mana arms, and I have kic energy. I could even survive thending, using my skills to slow my fall. But for some stupid, illogical reason, my heart won¡¯t stop trying to jump out of my chest.

    I shouldn¡¯t be afraid, but I feel fear, and I¡¯m savoring that feeling.

    One of Heryd¡¯s vyssari falls down. He just loses his bnce and screams, immediately disappearing into the darkness under the bridge.

    We can hear his voice as he falls for the next 20 seconds, growing steadily quieter, and then there is a thump and silence.

    Then something starts eating the body.

    We shouldn¡¯t be hearing it from this distance, and yet we can. As audibly as if the beast were right next to us. A wet noise of a sharp maw tearing still-warm flesh and slurping on the blood. We hear bones snapping and something akin to slurping noises.

    When it finally does stop a few secondster, I know the body is gone. And we continue over the bridge slower than before. Quieter than before.

    By the time we reach the middle of the bridge, the darkness surrounding it reaches our knees. That¡¯s the best way I can describe it. It¡¯s not smoke, It¡¯s not a skill, it¡¯s certainly nothing physical I could sense. Our lights stop being able to pierce it.

    The bridge that was already narrow is now gone, invisible to us, the stone under our feet an only reminder that it is still there.

    Our small expedition stops and I can feel something touching my feet, something I can¡¯t see or sense. There is no mana, no heat, no kic energy in the movement.

    A scream breaks out somewhere behind me, and another member of the expedition falls into the darkness below.

    Twenty seconds. Thump.

    More sounds of tearing flesh, and snapping bones.

    Then quiet.

    Someoneughs maniacally andunches a bombardment of attacks into the darkness below us.

    Nothing changes.

    Around half of the expedition turns around to leave.

    Those that stay are the members of group 4, Dravos, Drekar, Kallus, Heryd with some of his group, and Famir along with the bulk of his.

    ¡°Let¡¯s continue,¡± Tess says, her calm voice ringing out in the darkness, just before she jumps into the air, leaping over several other members of our expedition.

    Shends gently in front of everyone, on the narrow bridge that is now invisible. Just a small deviation, and she would be falling down.

    Silence reigns.

    I can fly, Tess can fly. There are dozens of ways to survive this. I remind myself of that once more. But something feels off.

    Everyone here is either approaching level 200 or well over. So why did those people just fall? Why weren¡¯t their reflexes quick enough to grab the bridge? How could that happen when they can bulldoze through most buildings. Hell, some of them could probably destroy entire cities.

    And yet they still managed to fall from the bridge?

    Something touches my feet again, it feels like a wave washing over my feet, like a myriad of snakes crawling over my legs.

    Everyone seems to be feeling the same sensations too, some swing their weapons at whatever it is.

    They hit nothing.

    We continue to walk much slower, everyone takes step after step, feeling for the edge beforemitting to a step. Our progress slows to a crawl, but we continue all the same.

    Tess refuses to tell us how far we have to reach the end, so with no other choice, we walk.

    No one else falls, and we reach the opposite side of the bridge.

    Having finally reached the other side, we turn to look back the way we came, the darkness has retreated back under the bridge which still stands, just as solid as before.

    I etch that view into my memory. A narrow stone footbridge lit by my orbs, and the darkness below, the pitch ck depths looming as if they were waiting to consume the light.

    We turn our backs and continue.

    There are no more monsters, no doors, no traps, and like that, we reach the center of this ce and light it as much as possible.

    Once again we find ourselves on a massive tform, surrounded by the same darkness as before. We throw a few stones into it. They fall for 20 seconds just like they did before, only to be swallowed by the silence.

    We cross that darkness on another footbridge, this time much shorter. Only a tenth of the one from before. No one dies this time.

    The tform is extremely big and circr. The surface is made of a dark blue metal leaning towards ck. It¡¯s extremely smooth, there are no cracks, no imperfections. It almost looks alien. The tform has three bridges branching off into a series of different tunnels, including the one we used. It¡¯s likely that there were three entrances we could have taken - and the Deathtrap happened to fly into the closest.

    In the exact center of the tform is a massive, perfectly round hole cut cleanly into the metallic surface. The edges are unnaturally smooth and precise as if they had been made by something far beyond anything we know. The sides are smooth and polished, plummeting straight down, its depths seeming to rival the height of a fifteen-story building.

    We can see the bottom, where the light reflects faintly off the same alien material, giving it an unsettling, mirrored look.

    And there sits a single man, his back resting against the wall.

    He¡¯s looking up. Not just in an effort to see out of the hole either, he¡¯s looking straight at us even before we look over the edge.

    The man has blue skin, but this thrin has six arms, instead of the normal 4. Or he would''ve, were 5 of them not reduced to a set of short stumps poking from his white clothes.

    He smiles at us and waves his remaining hand.

    ¡°Wee,¡± he says, his voice calm and oddly soothing.

 Chapter 444: Lord Champion

    Chapter 444: Lord Champion

    "If you truly understood what this ce was, you wouldn¡¯t be standing so close to the edge," the Champion states in warning.

    Something in his voice that makes all of us instinctively take a half step back.

    He continues, "You¡¯re not the first to visit. The others¡­ well, let¡¯s just say they were less interesting." A wry smile dominates his face as he manages to look casual despite sitting trapped in a hole.

    There¡¯s something about his voice, about that confidence that makes me nervous, but I seem to be in a better state than the others. I¡¯ve met people much more powerful than the man down there.

    Even so, I must never underestimate him. Not even for a moment.

    His current state might be simr to Niall''s when I met her, they may have crippled him before throwing him in that hole. But, given the smallest opportunity, he would be more than capable of killing us all.

    ¡°Do you remember us, Lord Champion? We were candidates to be your disciples,¡± Dravos shouts, stepping before me and pulling his brother closer.

    The Champion''s eyes move over them for a short moment before he smiles gently and continues in the same soothing voice, ¡°Dravos and Drekar, right? Your father was a Champion candidate before he died.¡±

    ¡°Yes! It''s an honor you remember someone as low as us!¡± Drekar responds, seeming excited, ¡°We havee here to offer our services should you require them. As you can imagine, it was a difficult journey.¡±¡°I appreciate your efforts, young Dravos and Drekar, but who are the people you¡¯ve with you?¡±

    ¡°We are the ones who got pulled into all of this when these two were trying to reach you,¡± Tess says, interrupting the brothers.

    The thrin''s eyes nce at her crown before settling on her face, ¡°And what is your n, young human?¡±

    ¡°We have been stranded by a storm. In the meantime, we have decided to check our options.¡±

    ¡°Am I one of these options?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I hope you understand. It''s something we need to think about with care, we can''t make any moves before we know the risks.¡±

    He nods, ¡°What if the brothers have decided to help me on their own?¡±

    ¡°I will stop them.¡±

    ¡°Just you?¡±

    ¡°It would be my decision, and in the event you escape anyway, I would like to be the sole bearer of your wrath.¡± As Tess says these words, I know she means them. They carry that peculiar undertone of a <strong>[Deration]</strong>.

    The Champion tilts his head, the faintest flicker of amusement crossing his face, as though Tess¡¯s bold statement stirred something in him.

    There¡¯s a tension in the air, a quiet reminder of the power he holds even in this state. His eyes linger on Tess just a moment longer before he finally speaks, ¡°I¡¯m curious, young human. What do you see when you look at me? Do you see a prisoner, or something more?¡±

    ¡°Are you not a prisoner?¡±

    I watch him carefully as Tess asks, looking for any sign of annoyance as she responds with a question of her own rather than answering his. I find none.

    ¡°I am, indeed,¡± he smiles at her. ¡°But young human, you are not the first toe here. Some wanted my help, others wanted my knowledge and guidance. Sometimes, out of boredom, I have fulfilled these requests. And yet here I am.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t think we can get you out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the two brothers, as charming as they are,ck the means to release me. But within your group, there are a few who have a small chance of achieving it - with my guidance, of course.¡±

    ¡°And you won¡¯t tell us who they are?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. I apologize.¡±

    ¡°Then allow us to talk among ourselves before we decide our next steps.¡±

    ¡°Do as you wish, young human.¡± He says, leaning back, his movements unhurried, as if this conversation were merely a passing amusement.

    As we walk away from the hole, dragging the thrin brothers behind us, the Champion calls after us, "It¡¯s amusing, really, watching people make the same mistakes over and over, but perhaps <em>you</em> will be different?" He thenughs shortly and quietly.

    The meaning of these words stays behind with him.

    <em>(What now? This fucker seems almost too confident, is he acting though?)</em> Sophie asks, opening the discussion.

    <em>(First things first, be careful what you say. We can''t be sure he¡¯s listening in somehow. Nat, Sophie, how sure can you be that we are not being listened to?)</em> Tess asks.

    <em>(I can¡¯t be sure,)</em> I shrug. <em>(The Cockroach wouldn¡¯t have had any trouble, and a Sub-Champion specialist could probably pull it off, so who knows. Try using Community as much as you can. Oh, and I wanna chat with the guy alone for a bit, I¡¯ll rejoin you on the other side of the bridgeter.)</em>

    With that said, I temporarily cut off the connection and turn around, leaving the rest of the group behind.

    My steps feel weird on this metallic material as I head back to the hole. But as I observe the white grain of sand move around inside me, I start to wonder who he thinks might be capable of helping him.

    The main suspect is me, given that I have the most mana and primordial energies that can ignore the sand. Then we have Biscuit with his primordial energy and Tess for the same reason. Then maybe Sophie? Min-Jae perhaps, maybe his eye would be useful? Hell, maybe he meant some other passenger? There are quite a few options.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± the same soothing voice sounds from down there as I plop on the edge of the hole, staring down at him, but still making sure to not move too close.

    ¡°What happened to your arms?¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°I used them as fuel for my body in my early attempts to escape. Judging by the state of your left arm, you might understand my willingness to sacrifice them.¡±

    I nce at my pale left arm and then back at him, ¡°Yeah. Do you want me to call you Lord Champion and all that stuff?¡±

    ¡°Do whatever you find most fitting.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. Am I one of the people who could help you escape?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the one with the second greatest likelihood.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do if you get out?¡±

    ¡°First, I would reward Dravos and Drekar. They show promise, so I might even consider taking them on as disciples for a time.¡±

    ¡°No such offer for me?¡±

    His eyes glint with a light I can see even at this great distance. Light from my orb reflected in the polished walls of that dark blue metal the hole is made of.

    ¡°You, young human, are taken by someone far more terrifying than I ever was.¡±

    ¡°And how do you know that?¡±

    "There are things you can¡¯t even begin toprehend yet. But don¡¯t worry, I can guide you without taking your master¡¯s ce¡­I just need you to offer something in exchange."

    ¡°And if I refuse?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick someone else instead.¡±

    ¡°No threats?¡±

    He shakes his head with a soft smile and shifts slightly. His blue body moving under the white clothes, showing off his emaciated body below it all.

    ¡°Now, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to rest. Speak with yourpanions and decide your next course of action. But be warned - my prison holds greater dangers than you¡¯ve seen so far. If you¡¯re not careful, you¡¯ll regret it.¡±

    As I turn to leave, his voice calls out once more, ¡°And before you go, remember - sleep in this cees with a price.¡±

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em>we should leave the guy.</em>

    I send as I walk across the bridge connecting the round tform to the other side.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> don''t fall asleep either. I don''t know why, but he said to avoid it, and something about this ce makes me want to ept that little piece of advice despite everything else.</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> we should be able to go without sleep for a few days, probably for a week or two if need be.</em>

    <strong>Soph (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> I keep checking just in case, but I don''t think he¡¯s using mind maniption or anything. By the way, Nat, did you notice anything about how weird that hole is?</em>

    <strong>StrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - </strong><em>even I thought it felt weird!</em>

    <strong>Sset (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> for now, we¡¯ll be using the Community to speak. There is a limit and some information might get censored, but consider our linkpromised. I don''t know how he could pull it off, but we shouldn''t underestimate him.</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - </strong><em>that</em><strong></strong><em>sounds like a good idea!</em>

    <strong>NotDennis (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> how do you like the 6th floor so far?</em>

    <strong>NotAaron (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> he¡¯s probably had his ass kicked in a few times by now.</em>

    <strong>NotDennis (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> surely</em>

    <strong>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - </strong><em>Gary is doing some scary stuff again, I¡¯m just enjoying the view. I might just hire him as a bodyguard once I start building my kingdom.</em>

    <strong>NotAaron (Hell, group 4) -</strong><em> oh? Not building your harem anymore?</em>

    <strong><em>Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -</em></strong><em> maybe during the second tournament. I''m kind of a big shot, am I not? I did ce well in the tournament duels after all.</em>

    In an effort to conserve my time, I disconnect from the Community, reconnecting with group 4 with onest boost of kic energy. Tess is there already, telling others that they shouldn''t be sleeping right now, and making sure to emphasize the potentially terrifying consequences of doing so.

    I watch as everyone listens to her, and supported by Famir and Heryd, she doesn''t seem to have much difficulty getting them to step in line. Even the thrin brothers agree the only problem seems to be ourst guide who only seems to want to lie down and sleep, but even he takes it seriously refusing to fall asleep.

    I, meanwhile, survived 2 weeks without sleep, and it went quite well. Although the exhaustion and constant training towards the end, caused me to forget that I had lost a few limbs along the way, but other than that, it wasn''t so bad.

    Knowing what needs to be done, I reach Maya and tap her shoulder, distracting her from her conversation with Sophie.

    ¡°Are you still up for giving me a beating?¡±

    At that, her face lights up with what¡¯s probably the biggest smile I''ve ever seen on her face.

    In the end, I end up calling in the twins to help, thinking they might be eager to get some revenge for their treatment on the first floor.

    And of course, they were.

    So with my unique epic, our group moves to the side, and our experiments start, here in this colossal dark tunnel of a prison for the human equivalent of a hydrogen bomb, which is sitting in a hole nearby.

    I create batons made of mana, manabloc batons if you will, which they use tosh my thighs. I think the thigh bone is supposed to be the strongest one in the human body, so it feels weirdly logical.

    As I take my beating, Ie to realize that it isn''t even all that painful. Sure, the blows do sting, but without ess to body strengthening, they can only use the power of their bodies.

    Maya and Lily probably have the highest physical stats in the group, followed by Tess and the twins, then Sophie and Izzy, and me firmly inst.

    Maybe I stille out higher with all my free stats from Active Tempering and my use of the Restrictive Training Emblem, which I still refuse to check. There will be plenty of time to process my disappointmentter.

    So it¡¯s possible that my actual stats are on par with Tess and the twins if not just below? Maybe higher? I could ask them, but given that I refuse to check my stats, it doesn''t really make sense.

    To be honest, I should have realized it a bit sooner, but this unique passive of mine might be even better than I thought. And that¡¯s saying a lot considering I already thought it was pretty ¡°broken¡± as the twins would say. It replenishes my mana, allows me to ignore physical damage from blunt force, and weakens blows when they get to be too much for the passive. How crazy is that?

    The fact that the word Unique appears in the description says a lot. I made this passive bybining two upper grade epics, and it was tailored just for me. A unique passive, as the name says, implies that either no one else has it, or if they do, it¡¯s extremely rare.

    Of course, the mana isn¡¯t truly free, the source of the kic energy flowing through me is the bodies of my group members. It¡¯s a resource they¡¯ll need to replenish by resting and consuming food and water. But they aren¡¯t using mana to do it, so in the end, I think it''s going to be worth it.

    It might feel like a drop in the bucket, but I want to have as much mana avable as possible and I need to keep my primordial energies in my vortex core topped off as well.

    As we go about this, conversations continue around us, but in the end, we still decide to go back to the ship and use its sensors to get an estimate of the storm¡¯s duration. And then we¡¯ll consider our options when ites to modifying the ship and leaving.

    Dravos and Drekar do not like it, but ording to the Champion, they are unable to help him get out. He might be lying though so who actually knows, still, there is no way I¡¯m going to let them free the guy.

    The problem is that I''m sure he can still cause a lot of trouble, even in his current state.

 Chapter 445: Stranded

    Chapter 445: Stranded

    Our trek across the bridge goes much the same as before - we get the same uneasy feeling and the same liquid darkness below, with something seeming to reach out and caress our feet. This time, no one dies, having experienced it before seems to have helped. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that when we cross, everyone exhales, clothes sticking to their bodies, covered in cold sweat.

    We reach the SDAT and kill a few monsters along the way. Spiders mostly, as they spin those thin and powerful threads. Most of them are well into the 200s and tend to be the sneaky type, preferring to trap their opponents. Their main strategy tends to revolve around the many types of threads they weave into their webs.

    There are, of course, the ones that can cut you apart, should you walk into them, though they¡¯re extremely tough they don¡¯t hold up well against fire.

    Then there are the ones coated in a terrible toxin that rots through your skin on contact.

    And rarely, we encounter a thicker thread, that seems to have the sole purpose of being impossible to get rid of without cutting away any clothes and skin theye into contact with. The sticky ones also are usually the longest and tend to hang freely from surfaces, entangling you further as you struggle.

    <strong>[You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 261]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 269]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 233]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 241]</strong><strong>[Lvl 260 > Lvl 261]</strong>

    For me, they¡¯re not much trouble, and once I¡¯ve managed to locate a few early on, I know what to look for and find it trivial to snipe them down from a safe distance.

    The webs are a different matter. And everyone, including me, has trouble detecting them given their near transparency, there is no mana in them, and most of them are razor thin.

    Sophie is working on improvements to her web that should make it easier to find them, and I watch her progress eagerly, ready to steal her ideas and try to implement it into my scans.

    Along the way, we find a few bodies, either cut apart or rotted to mush, we even a few even tangled in the web, glued to the stone of the walls, still alive and unable to move.

    The web clings viciously to any and everything, and pulling it down tears flesh; burning it is even worse. The web seems to emit some strange substance when it burns, causing extreme pain.

    It''s an unusually nasty thing, even with our broad range of experience, we nevere up with an easy way to remove it without causing even more harm.

    The man we free dies on our way back, sumbing to his wounds and shock, and likely whatever toxin was in the thread.

    We could have let Lily heal him, or she could have use <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> to destroy the web at a high cost to her mana. It''s possible I could have done something with my<strong> [Resonance]</strong> or Izzy¡¯s unique application of me and subss could have spared the man his burns while we removed the thread.

    Yet we didn''t.

    We leave the body behind for the monsters to eat. But we don''t forget to poison it with a skill from one of Famir''s men with the hope that some of the monsters will be just dumb enough to eat it and weak enough to die from the poison.

    A few hourster, we¡¯ve set up for another round of beating from Maya and the twins, even Tess gets a few hits in this time.

    It might be only me, but they seem to be getting bored of it, well, maybe except Maya, who seems intrigued, trying out a variety of techniques, and asking which ones me the most mana.

    I oblige, and she keeps changing her stance, and I notice a slight difference in her attacks. She¡¯s still only using the pure strength of her body. Sometimes she also asks me to stand up and tries to target different areas.

    Seeing her progress, I think some of these attacks would cause damage if she uses her mana, and if she used her <strong>[Boost]</strong>, she could probably hurt me. Her <strong>[Boost]</strong> inbination with <strong>[Focus]</strong> seems to make for a greatbo, not just for massive armors.

    We¡¯ve warned people not to fall asleep, but some already had before we got back, and we weren''t able to wake them up. They still seem to be sleeping, but it¡¯s creepy. They do not shift, they breathe calmly, and they do not react to the pain or Sophie''s mind-blending efforts.

    The cause of their state is a mystery; we couldn¡¯t find a single hint.

    There aren''t many passengers left either. I think there were around 200 of us in total when we got here, and now it''s closer to 100.

    Yes, some went to explore underground before our small expedition went after them, but that still doesn¡¯t ount for all the missing. They¡¯ve just disappeared, no one knows where they went, and no one¡¯s brave or curious enough to go and look for them.

    Deathtrap is their safe haven. The old rusty Sand-Defensive Air Transport even fell on its side with a big hole in it. It¡¯s justying there in this huge cavern that we can''t even light fully and no one can be bothered or seems to have the will to waste mana doing so.

    So it''s dark in here.

    With a bit of help from Kallus, we reactivate some of Deathtrap''s systems and check the storm. There are some calctions running in the background, I think they¡¯ve stored a huge amount of data in one of the mana stones, data about the previous storms Deathtrap collected,pared to the current one, and then Kallus does some calctions as well. Something they taught them in Guide kindergarten or who knows where.

    The storm willst at least for a week with a possibility of itsting over a month.

    I don''t think people are happy about it in the least, and when we tell them, a good number of them scream and shout, their faces pale. They¡¯re terrified and they really don''t want to stay here.

    Some try to force us to leave, some evene to me begging and crying, offering up their items and bodies to me if I would only save them, knowing that I''m probably the one with the highest mana and that I¡¯ve powered Deathtrap before.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    I leave, and when they try to stop me, I shove them against the walls using a bit of kic energy. One of them shouts after me, screaming that I will die here with the rest of them, their voice full of spite.

    Heading out of Deathtrap, I think about those words.

    How would I feel if I died down here?

    I¡¯d like to think it would happen only after I¡¯d expended all my options, after I gave it my all, and tried everything I could. I¡¯d also like to think I would die satisfied, knowing there was nothing more I could have done.

    Would I regret not making different decisions? Maybe not heading here at all? Storing more mana or acting differently to avoid whatever killed me?

    I think I would probably me my past self a bit, but that''s it.

    These are just my thoughts based on how well I know myself, so I can''t bepletely sure yet. But I was close to experiencing something like that, so it probably isn''t too far off.

    And I''m sure I wouldn''t go down easily - I''d be spitting, scratching, wing, and biting until the very end, probably missing my left arm with my organs spilling out.

    I reach Sophie and drop into a squat next to her, her item lighting the small area around us. It¡¯s a small floating cube, powered by a small mana stone, only there to serve as a mana battery. It''s a pretty cool item, and it can change the focus of the light, making it weaker to light a bigger area or it can concentrate that light onto a smaller area. It can also shine into the distance or provide a softer, more localized illumination.

    I also know Sophie would like to make an item like that that would be useful for Izzy and her fire. It''s a good idea, and I''m already taking some notes from that curious item to use with my thermal energy.

    ¡°You wanted to say something, but then you didn''t and got enamored with that cheap Light Box instead,¡± she says, rudely.

    ¡°Enamored is too strong a word, but it is a pretty cool thing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± With that, she points at a small pile of white sand that sits a safe distance from us. The ¡°Golem Heart can''t control it, unfortunately. If the item was fixed and modified? Maybe it could.¡±

    ¡°I think it makes sense if the sand was created to kill a Champion, it might be too much even for a fully restored Golem Heart. It''s just an arcane item, most likely low arcane, even before it was damaged.¡±

    ¡°Only arcane,¡± she giggles. ¡°I disagree there, I think it would have been capable of containing at least a few dozen grains of sand, maybe hundreds or more, if I couldbine it with my skills.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think that?¡±

    ¡°I have a suspicion that each grain of sand might be a separate construct, too intricate for us to examine at this point, but I think given a few months I could make some changes to the Golem Heart and ''steal'' some sand for my use.¡±

    ¡°The problem is how do we store it. Do we try Min-Jae''s idea? Take some of the protective ting from Deathtrap, twist it, add in a mana battery to keep it powered, and then store the sand inside?¡± I ask.

    Sophie nods, ¡°I think it could work, but maybe we double up theyers and add a few backup power sources? If the white sand got out by a mistake, it could end terribly.¡±

    ¡°Tripleyers and we might not even need mana to power it if we sealed it properly. And at least three containers: one bigger and better sealed, one for you to experiment on with a small number of grains, and an even smaller one for me to examine, I just want to y with it a bit.¡±

    ¡°That could work, what do you want to use it for?¡±

    ¡°My bones? My heart? Maybe I¡¯ll find a way to develop a new skill or improve an existing one. It could also help me improve my crafting. Sometime in the next day or two, I want to try melting some of the sand. It might be possible to form it into the shape of a weapon, and in that solid state, it wouldn¡¯t be able to move and attack you. If its properties don¡¯t change too much, you might even be able to use your mana to charge it.¡±

    ¡°Wasn''t that Kim''s idea?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I thought of it first.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡±

    ¡°Yup, I¡¯ll either make these blue brothers prepare some forms for me and move it, or I get them to teach me how to get mana off my clothes and do it on my own, but that would still cost the mana I would need to use to stabilize my crown and leave it behind.¡±

    ¡°Let me know, I would love to see how they did that.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± I nod.

    With that, Sophie continues to stare at the small piles of white sand while absentmindedly ying with the piece of y that is Golem Heart.

    ¡°Nat,¡± she calls quietly after a while.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t speak to the Champion again. Maybe we could destroy the bridge so no one can. Izzy¡¯s terrified of him, and she feels like there¡¯s something else here with us.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you for the most part. But let''s keep the bridge for now, just ask Tess to have someone guard the path leading to.¡±

    ¡°I will. Thank you.¡±

    Two days pass and no one goes too far away from Deathtrap, and that might be the only reason no one else dies. Well, other than the ones who fell asleep. The ones with the lowest levels die in their sleep; we never did manage to wake them. The cause of death is unknown.

    There are also more and more monsters crawling in the darkness around Deathtrap. Dozens and hundreds of monsters, patrolling in groups. Grymlok Spiders ce their threads all over the ce. The smaller monsters keep releasing their poisonous smoke.

    We¡¯re avoiding using mana as much as we can. Plenty of people with higher physical stats just throw rocks at the monsters, it tends to be enough to kill or seriously wound them.

    For some reason, I find it funny just how effective the primitive tactic turns out to be.

    I also keep getting my daily dose of beating. At this point, I think most of the passengers at least suspect what it¡¯s for, but the mana I''m getting outweighs the risk of them knowing.

    And now, Sophie, Dravos, Drekar, Izzy, Min-Jae, the twins, Noodle, Biscuit, and I are all grouped, a good distance away from the mold we managed to prepare and fill with white sand.

    The mold is something Min-Jae and Tess made using their skills. A formed and twisted piece of metal. There are also a few wires of mana-conductive metal ced in between the sand that fills the form. The wires have some basic inscriptions on them, but we don''t know how much of them will survive the heat.

    The weapon we came up with is a spear, a long inscribed metal rod I made. At the end of that rod, sits a mold filled with sand and inscribed wire, with the purpose of forming the de of the spear out of the molten sand.

    It''s the first attempt, so I don''t expect it to end well; and then there are the haters who, if they knew, would be there screaming at us for doing this in the situation we find ourselves in. They can screw off.

    I let out a concentrated stream of golden energy and point it at the mold.

    Just like all the times before, the white sand fails to react to the primordial energy, and I gradually, over the next few minutes, narrow the stream and increase the heat.

    The white sand slowly rises to temperature, glowing a bright, hot, red, but it takes longer than expected but it does eventually melt. It takes quite a bit of thermal energy, but at this point, it''s just toote to stop.

    So I continue, and over the following minutes, the sand starts melting just as it reaches a white-hot glow. The texture of the sand changes, oozing from its gritty and granr state to a more viscous and ss-like pool. Small bubbles form and pop as trapped air escapes, and more than anything, it begins to remind me of burning hotva.

    My golden mes light the area, and the heat can be felt even from this distance.

    The final result is a pool of molten, glowing, liquid ss that shimmers in shades of yellow and white. It¡¯s at this point that I cut off the mes, and the area darkens once more without their illumination, the only lightes from the molten sand and Sophie''s lightbox.

    The molten white sand solidifies into ss in the form as it cools, its surface rough and irregr. To be honest, it''s ugly as hell.

    <strong>Mana-Reactive Spear (Upper Epic) - </strong><em>This spear ignores mana-based defenses and absorbs mana on impact, sharpening its edge against physical armor and barriers. It bes progressively more effective with each moment it absorbs mana, but if pushed too far, it will shatter explosively, scattering a mist of fine, cutting particles capable of causing great harm over a wide area.</em>

    But as I look at the finished weapon, I have to wonder. What would happen if I stabbed the Champion with it? Would the altered sand forming its de activate the fail safes in this ce?

 Chapter 446: Can you promise?

    Chapter 446: Can you promise?

    The question I have is how the spearpares to voidsteel and weapons made of it? Maybe voidsteel is a better option for physical threats and this will turn out to be a better option for mana based threats.

    I also feel just the tiniest bit cheated. Yes, in the moment of naivety, I had hoped for an arcane item because of the base I used. But damn, that''s kind of dumb, I still have trouble understanding the damaged arcane items I already have so I clearly should have checked my expectations. Just the fact that it''s an upper epic item, even ounting for my rushed preparations and janky methods, should be enough for me.

    I need to make a few hundred more of them after all of this is over. The system will probably limit me somehow, because of course it will, but I should be able to get a good number of shards out of it.

    Tess seems to be liking it and as she reads the description I know she¡¯s thinking along the same lines as me. This could easily be turned into a weapon of mutual destruction against the Champion. Just overcharging it or break on impact would be enough.

    That silly blonde doesn''t even ask and does some <strong>[Deration]</strong> thingy and after that, she moves the spear around her, testing its weight and feel.

    Well, I don''t entirely mind anyways, I picked this shape specifically for her.

    I turn my attention to the remaining forms and charge my thermal energy again.

    The process goes much the same as before but knowing the melting temperature and process from before speeds the process along and soon enough we have both itemspleted.

    It likely cost me most of the mana, converted to thermal energy, that I¡¯ve gained from my beatings. Though I do wind up with two more spears. One for Min-Jae and another for me to examine.I still am not fully satisfied with the result because of one ring mistake. The des are made of ss that is probably tough but I don''t think it''s indestructible and if it breaks or absorbs too much mana it could end up being a danger to its wielder.

    Well, we here in group 4 like to live dangerously, but even with such a ring w the items do qualify as upper epic. I really need to take as much as we canter.

    As I''m examining my weapon Min-Jae moves closer, he nces at the spear, twin to the one in his hand, and then at me.

    ¡°Doesn''t this entire situation remind you of something?¡± he asks me.

    ¡°The tunnels under the old capital on the 4th floor?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly that.¡±

    ¡°Maybe a little bit,¡± I agree with him, but with a part of my mind, I start making small changes to inscriptions while repairing the ones that broke during the ¡°crafting¡± process.

    ¡°It''s weird to see how differently we¡¯re handling things now,¡± Min-Jae continues. To me, he sounds a bit proud of the progress. ¡°Back then these days in darkness would have been terrible and I remember how scared I was. I''m scared now too, but at the same time, I feel more confident.¡±

    I pause my work for a moment, ¡°How do you think things would have gone if we had gone through the old capital with our current levels?¡±

    ¡°We would have probably burned the tree to the ground.¡± He smirks confidently.

    I feel amused by his answer and tell him, ¡°I think you would die.¡±

    He stares at me, unblinking and I see how he squeezes the spear in his hand so I exin, ¡°You think that just because you¡¯re stronger now you¡¯d have a much easier time on earlier floors and that¡¯s partially true. You could find an easy way to clear the floor quest with your current powers. But on each floor, we went through something fucked up and our decisions made it more difficult than was necessary.¡±

    Finishing up my adjustments to the spear¡¯s inscriptions I turn to face him, ¡°I know hundreds of people who would have wiped the floor with me on the second floor. From the second floor, The Last King and his warrior supported by that healing aura would cause me trouble even now. The First One, The Matriarch, The Living Tree would be fully capable of killing me if I got unlucky or they got the drop on me. Even on the 5th floor, there are enemies I still know could kill me, that I would need to put my life on the line just to have a chance of defeating them.¡±

    Min-Jae quietly asks, ¡°Don''t you hate it?¡±

    ¡°A little, but more than that I love it. Any time I start to think I''m at the top and there is nowhere to go, someone jumps out from behind a corner to fuck me and climb over me.¡±

    ¡°You may be weird but everything you say seems to have this twisted logic to it.¡±

    ¡°I know, right? Was there something else you wanted?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve probably noticed but people are starting to act weird, especially Tess and Sophie. Izzy¡¯s noticed as well, you should talk to her. I¡­¡±

    ¡°It will be fine.¡±

    ¡°Will it, Nat?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because I''m here.¡±

    ¡°Nat¡­ I think you¡¯re being affected as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed.¡±

    Instead of heading to Izzy right away, I spend a few more hours examining the spear I just made. I find it even more fascinating than I should and spend these hours tinkering with my inscriptions. I shape them so that I can channel mana into the spearhead and increase the cutting force of the weapon.

    Every time I do I feel the ss de start to shake as if the sand it''s made of wants to break free and attack everything in the area, only its solid form preventing it from doing so.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the vition.

    It''s almost like ethercrystal. Specifically the sword I had on the 4th floor. Its de absorbed mana from anything it cut and used it to strengthen my body.

    It''s not exactly the same effect but it is simr enough to make me wonder if the white sand hasn¡¯t been made from ground crystals with simr properties, but that sounds crazy. There is so much of it here.

    Sophie said something even crazier too, that each grain of sand was a separate construct, every single damned grain of sand has its ¡°own will¡±, or programming.

    For the next few hours, I examine the tiny grain of sand I still hold within my body, trying to uncover its secrets. I only stop when the fighting starts and head towards the source of the racket, curiosity getting the best of me.

    A wave of not monsters, but passengers, members of our small alliance, have begun to attack our group, targeting those they see as the weaker individuals like Izzy and the boys. Their motivation seems to be ckmail and I watch as 50 or so passengers rush into our group of 20-30 members.

    For some reason, Tess is not here.

    Izzy defends herself with her mes, many of the attacks concentrating on her while the others rush to her aid.

    Before the fight can even truly start, dozens of attackers just stop, frozen mid movement before they turn their weapons on themselves.

    One woman stabs at her chest over and over with a short dagger. A thrin concentrates his mana into a skill before jumping into the attackers, causing an explosion mid melee. A vyssari literally pulls his head off.

    But they do not call off the attack, seeing dozens of theirrades die like that only seems to galvanize them as they locate the source and turn on Sophie.

    Everyone from group 4 is clearly way above them so the attackers are being cut down before they can cause much trouble, but I also catch a sight of Famir. The Dawnyer man who clearly has a concentration skill. His level is lower than that of the two thrin brothers or Heryd, but he still seems extremelypetent.

    From him I spot clear signs of a domain type skill as well, it seems to mess with the skill activation of others or something of the like. The man weaves through the assants with a calm and emotionless expression, destroying anyone in his way with a series of simple and powerful strikes.

    Dravos and Drekar try to use the opportunity to escape but Sophie breaks their teleportation and Min-Jae shoots a few orbs through the duo¡äs legs, preventing them from running. He shouts something at them as they try to stand up and their bodies crumble under the immense gravity of his skill.

    The expressions they give Min-Jae are hateful. Gone is their yful nature, they even appear to be more affected than some of the others.

    None of the attackers get spared and the fight ends in a decisive win. But even that win came at the cost of ever decreasing mana reserves and a flood of monsters I can already feel beginning to upy the area.

    I wait for a bit longer and then teleport to Izzy as she separates from the group walking back into our room which still has plenty of defenses protecting it. Teleporting there through my anchor I find her sitting on the ground with Noodle coiled around her.

    The pearl-white snake with emerald eyes isn''t currently small enough to be tied around her arm, no he is massive, enough so to almost make Izzy disappear beneath him.

    It isn''t threatening Izzy in the least. In fact, Noodle¡¯s head is gently supporting Izzy¡äs cheek while the 11y old girl sobs inconsbly.

    ¡°Hello, Dumbthaniel,¡± she says, her voice sounding weak even as she forces herself to stop crying and turns her wet eyes to me.

    ¡°Hello, Izzy. Rough day?¡± I ask, moving in closer as Noodle shifts, halving his size so that I can plop down on the ground next to her.

    ¡°It''s terrible, experiencing all these emotions. I can''t bear to feel them.¡±

    ¡°Can''t you filter them out?¡± I ask curiously.

    ¡°I can''t. He did something.¡±

    ¡°The Champion?¡±

    ¡°Yes, everyone''s emotions are amplified. Passengers, monsters, by a lot. Sophie¡¯s and Tess¡¯s the most. Yours too. I tried to help. I tried to reduce them for us but it hurts.¡± she wipes her eyes into a sleeve and hugs Noodle¡¯s head.

    ¡°So stop.¡±

    ¡°I can''t, it¡¯ll get even worse.¡±

    ¡°No, Izzy, I mean it. Stop.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Just trust me.¡±

    ¡°Tess will¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. Don''t worry, I¡¯ll make sure it works out.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± I repeat, reaching down to caress her head. She¡¯s not my ESM but it feels nice so I add a pinch of her nose, ¡°Tess deserves some of it anyways, and I think it will help her. I think It''s cute how you try to act all adult-like and responsible, but let us dumb adults deal with things for once.¡±

    Wordlessly she stares at me and I let her connect to my feelings without any defense.

    ¡°W-will it really be ok, Nat? Can you promise?¡± her hands are still shaking and I can see the desperation in her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I told you back on the 4th floor. I can''t promise, but I will do my best.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still so dumb¡­¡± she sobs.

    ¡°I hear that a lot.¡±

    Tess returns an hourter. Shees to the room where group 4 is, smiling brightly all the while. The spear I made, floating behind her along with several endurium javelins.

    Her crown is dimmer than before and there are a score of wounds criss crossing her body.

    She¡¯s missing a finger. A piece of flesh is torn away as she removes a bit of sticky web from her body. She breathes heavily, her limbs have been damaged by some attack or other.

    At first, everyone acts normally as she lets us tell her about everything that¡¯s happened. She listens calmly and nods, asking questions of her own and adding her thoughts and adjusts a bunch of organizational stuff.

    I watch the conversation continue until Sophie asks where she¡¯s been.

    For the first time, Tess seems to be confused and falls into silence.

    ¡°I don''t know,¡± she answers honestly, the answer seeming to surprise her as well. ¡°But it doesn''t matter. In a few hours, we¡¯re going out to explore the other two tunnels leading into the tform where the Champion¡¯s been trapped. There might be something useful or another exit. Maybe we¡¯ll even find a tunnel long enough to avoid the storm and¡­¡±

    ¡°What the fuck do you mean, Tess! It''s dangerous, we¡¯re not going out on some fucked up expedition!¡± Sophie stands up, screaming. Her mental abilities activate almost without her knowing.

    A feeling of fear washes over us, the barest touch on the mind. An ability capable of making a person do horrible things against their will.

    Tess seems confused and opens her mouth to say something but I interrupt her. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±

    The blonde''s expression quickly changes and she smiles. ¡°Thanks, Nat.¡± she then turns to Sophie, ¡°I''m sorry if I did something you dislike. We can talk about it...¡±

    As she speaks I send a message to Sophie, through her web, <em>(Just follow through for now. I will make sure nothing happens to Izzy.)</em>

    I notice her clenching her teeth but she still doesn''tin.

    I¡¯ve already decided to use this situation to my advantage, there¡¯s no need to interfere yet. I just need to let things happen and poke them in the direction I want.

    Still, it''s obvious where Tess was and who she talked to, and sooner orter I¡¯m going to need to have another talk with that guy.

 Chapter 447: Do you wish to kill me?

    Chapter 447: Do you wish to kill me?

    Izzy was right, everyone¡¯s emotions are being amplified and it''s fascinating to watch.

    Sophie steadily grows more protective of Izzy and much more aggressive toward anyone who tries to put her sister into the least bit of danger.

    Min-Jae is more prickly and defensive every time he finds himself in a situation that leaves him feeling like somebody¡¯s lesser.

    Aaron and Dennis distance themselves from the others, as they exchange a constant stream of messages.

    Izzy quietly endures it all while constantly ncing at me as if she needs to confirm that she still has someone to rely on. Sophie doesn''t seem to like it and her behavior towards me bes colder.

    Lily looks like a puppy left out in the rain. Moving from person to person searching for warmth and then bing quieter, her face darker as she finds her expectations crushed by group members who aren¡¯t acting like themselves.

    Like me, Maya seems to be handling things better. She just seems a bit lost, tossing around more awkward jokes than usual, I think the <strong>[Focus]</strong> we share allows us to endure what''s happening a bit more. Famir is also an example of that. An empty expression dominates his face as the man leads his group and takes orders from Tess.

    As for thest members of group 4, Biscuit bes quieter, choosing not to speak most of the time and looking around with a dark purple glow in his eyes. He even begins to growl whenever anyone tries to pet him. The cute corgi seems to be distancing himself from us as if to help himself endure and avoid cing us in further danger. A truly merciful future animal overlord.

    Noodle, on the other hand, does the opposite. He behaves more like Izzy and grows extremely protective of her. His smart green eyes watching anyone thates near.And so we do what Tess wants. We head onto the tform, avoiding the hole containing the Champion and entering one of two pathways.

    <strong>[You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 241]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 281]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 263]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 231]</strong>

    <strong>¡­</strong>

    Every time I see a monster over level 200 I try to kill it, my senses seem to be getting better at locating them as time goes on. Sometimes I do it quietly so they don''t me me for stealing their kills.

    The twins fight on the front line with Maya and one of them gets their hand cut off by a thread Izzy should¡¯ve burned earlier.

    There is some shouting as the twins me the little girl and Sophie defends her in turn.

    This is a truly unusual situation, everyone seems to be on edge.

    Sophie even starts shouting at Tess, who stands there calmly and lets her do it. Tess then gently touches Sophie¡¯s arm and apologizes, taking all the me on herself as the leader.

    Tess then checks on the twin¡¯s arm and asks Lily to restore it. Even Lily, affected by whatever the Champion¡¯s been doing, hesitates, looking at me for a moment, seemingly reluctant to waste resources. In the end, though she gives in and restores the arm.

    Aaron and Dennis, noticing her hesitation, quietly leave, and I feel the constant stream of conversation between them intensify.

    More curious than before I watch it all go down. My sense of fascination grows as I see these people I¡¯ve known for a year or more act so out of character. Just a few days ago the rtionships were so different.

    Everyone knows our emotions are being amplified and that seems to hold them back a little. They know the things they¡¯re feeling now shouldn¡¯t be this intense.

    But these emotions aren''t fake either, merely amplified. Their true feelings being dragged to the surface for all to see.

    ¡°This won¡¯t end well,¡± Famir says, pausing next to me for a moment. His face bearing that same expression of calm that I see in the mirror.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± I respond.

    He examines me for a while longer, ¡°You¡¯re being affected too, but you have a concentration type skill, why don''t you use it?¡±

    I ignore his question, ¡°For now, just listen to Tess.¡±

    ¡°Even if it means my death?¡±

    ¡°I''m not asking that of you. While I''m here no one will die. I will cover for Tess.¡±

    His eyes stare unblinking, as he searches my gaze for the truth in my words, nodding as he seems to find it, ¡°I will continue to do so.¡±

    With that, he leaves to tend to his group and we push deeper.

    We don¡¯t find any bridges down the new path but in their ce, we find a great many more monsters. Scarabs, spiders, little poisonous snakes, and something resembling wasps.

    And we fight, often finding ourselves surrounded, depleting our low mana reserves even further, even as everyone struggles to use as little mana as possible.

    With that, I watch the improvements, as each and every member of our group is pushed to the brink and forced to fight. They remain sharp as ever, even in their amplified emotional states, their abilities do not diminish nor are they blinded enough to be liabilities.

    Though I find it interesting that not a single monster tries to attack Biscuit, they even seem to be avoiding him and the unusually quiet corgi doesn''t bother hunting them down.

    This tunnel does have one remarkable feature, other than its excess of monsters, an undergroundke with its surface so impossibly still that it almost looks like a great pool of ss. The effect is ruined though when several pitch ck tentacles, each one at least the length of a football field. The monster''s ugly octopus-like head soon follows its ring red eyes settling just over the surface of the water, lit only by our floating lights.

    <strong>[Inkmire Lurker - lvl ???]</strong>

    In the dim light, the fight starts and once again I observe from a distance.

    Biscuit makes purple tentacles of his own, they grow to a size nearly matching that of the monster''s, and start pulling it out of theke while the corgi growls with a purple shine in his eyes.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the vition.

    Tess''s javelins and the spear I made fly after the monster, surrounded by lightning, lodging themselves in the beast¡¯s flesh, only to be pulled back to repeat the attack.

    Everyone other than me attacks and the monster takes more and more damage. It tries tounch a burst of ink at my party only to have it blocked by Sophie¡¯s barriers when it doesn¡¯t find itself targeting one of the twins¡¯ illusions.

    Then a second one appears.

    <strong>[Inkmire Lurker - lvl ???]</strong>

    And a third.

    <strong>[Inkmire Lurker - lvl ???]</strong>

    Maya crashes into a wall, thrown by a stray attack, and covered in ck ink that sizzles, dissolving her armor. Tess gets in front of her, blocking the follow up, lightning zing around her and burning the flesh from the pitch ck tentacles.

    One of the monsters freezes mid-movement, stopped by Sophie, while Min-Jae bombards it with a barrage of stctites from the ceiling, mming them down with immense speed.

    The other monster is busy fighting the golem Sophie made with the item I gave her, Famir acts quickly running across one of the tentacles in a mad dash for the creature¡¯s head with a calm expression on his face.

    Everyone, even the thrin brothers are fighting.

    Lily crashes into the wall next to me with a loud thump, her neck twisted and leg bent. She falls to her knees and her neck returns to its original position with a series of loud cracks and she gets back on her feet. She notices me and looks at me, confused.

    When I wave at her she shakes her head andunches an arrow-like projectile made of <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> at a tentacle that was reaching out to grab one of the twins.

    ¡°That was one of Aaron''s illusions,¡± I note as the tentacle gets devoured by her gray mana.

    And as I speak Aaron¡¯s illusion disappears.

    ¡°Well, it would be fucking nice if they stopped chattering away on their private connection and talked to us,¡± Lily groans as her leg recovers and she charges back into the fight.

    As I watch, Tess seems to be putting in the most effort out of anyone. She defends, she attacks, she directs. She also tends to get hurt a lot. She and everyone else.

    The monsters work well together and they¡¯re tough to boot, they even have some kind of regeneration that keeps recing their tentacles. Poisonous ink that melts mana and a tough hide. Sometimes they manipte water, turning it into pressured streams which they use to attack and defend.

    Meanwhile, I shoot the smaller monsters trying to creep up on the sly and attack the unsuspecting fighters below. Specifically, several sneaky spiders leeches sticking to the walls, and piranha-like fish below the surface of theke.

    Hundreds and hundreds of them, each one over level 200.

    And the group below wins, in the end, thest Inkmire Lurker finally being finished by a blow from one of Tess''s javelins.

    While they rest I watch our group, especially Tess who seems satisfied with the result while the others lick their wounds.

    I can say that one or two fights like that and most will be tapped out of mana. Yet Tess still doesn''t seem to be satisfied, there is that glint in her eyes as she talks to people, sharing feedback, getting feedback. nning what to do next.

    Partially I see Tess in that behavior, but that¡¯s not the Tess I know. Her emotions are amplified to the point where she feels like a caricature of herself. And she doesn''t seem to realize to the same extent as the others, likely because of her contact with the Champion. That time when she broke the rule she set.

    She then sits on the side and takes care of herself. The others revel in the satisfaction of winning the fight, taking a moment to celebrate, their dark emotions temporarily pushed to the side.

    I think I know Tess well enough to know what she wants and what she¡¯s hoping to aplish. No thanks to the time we spent together before the tutorial, though I¡¯ve learned a lot in the year we¡¯ve been here. So I think I¡¯ll just let it be for now.

    Tess, even in her current state, probably realizes what''s going on with her emotions to some degree, and for some twisted reason has decided to lean into it while relying on me to take care of anything that falls through the cracks.

    And I will, but I¡¯ll do it my way.

    <em>(Sophie,)</em> I call, opening the private channel between myself and the green-eyed young woman. <em>(It was Tess who got the guide killed and got us stuck here.)</em>

    After that I leave the tunnel and quickly head back to the tform where the Champion awaits, I move quickly, and by the time I reach the edge of the hole he¡¯s already looking up at me.

    <strong>[Grimshaper - lvl ????]</strong>

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Hello Nathaniel, it''s nice to see you again,¡± the thrin smiles as he says in that same gentle voice from before.

    ¡°So what are you trying to get out of this?¡± I ask, ignoring the fact he knows my name.

    ¡°Any number of things.¡±

    ¡°But you won''t tell me?¡±

    ¡°I apologize.¡±

    ¡°You won''t stop?¡±

    ¡°Let me ask you, Nathaniel. How many people do you think came here to speak with me other than your friend with the <strong>[Lightning Crown]</strong>?¡±

    ¡°None.¡±

    He smiles ever so gently, ¡°Three. Tell me, do you wish to kill me, Nathaniel?¡±

    ¡°Isn''t that obvious?¡±

    ¡°Forying hands on your group?¡±

    ¡°Forying hand on my group,¡± I confirm.

    With one smooth movement, he stands up and takes a few steps, an echo bouncing off the edges of the circr hole he is in.

    ¡°I have to say I never fully understood any Adepts or Masters of Pride I met. These feelings they have are so distant to me. Please, don''t take offense but in some ways, I think they tend to be very foolish.¡±

    ¡°You weren''t imprisoned here alone, were you?¡± I ask instead of reacting to his monologue.

    As if he were a teacher, excited to be presented with a clever question from a student he pauses and nods, ¡°They ced me here alongside my¡­ well, you could call her my bond. Over these 100 years, I''ve put in tremendous effort to free her from containment. I¡¯m not quite done yet, but she has been partially released.¡±

    ¡°So, do you want to exin your master n to me?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ve always found desperate people to be the most <em>cooperative</em>,¡± as he says this, he speaks almost like he¡¯s tasting thatst word on his tongue. ¡°You will notice your emotions cannot be trusted and eventually you will find that your sense of time cannot be trusted either.¡±

    The Champion takes a few more steps and gently slides his finger across the surface of his prison. The touch is almost loving. ¡°You cannot sleep, you cannot trust the others with you, more monsters will appear, resources will dwindle and that''s when people will start turning against each other. They always do. Tell me, Nathaniel, how will you react when you see your friends kill each other in the spur of the moment?¡±

    I think the question over for a moment beforeing to my answer, ¡°I don''t know.¡±

    ¡°The people before you weren''t very¡­ resistant. My bond likes to y and sometimes she takes it too far. Will your little expedition be different?¡±

    The darkness in the holes segregated by the sparse bridges seems to be getting even deeper as if it were reacting to his words. I can''t sense anything, no movement, no mana, no heat. Yet at the same time, it feels like a thick nket around me, a touch that cannot be sensed but is there nheless.

    ¡°So what are you in for?¡±

    The question seems to surprise him for a moment and that weird feeling disappears.

    ¡°For the pursuit of knowledge,¡± he answers simply. ¡°Now go, Nathaniel. My bond will see you off.¡±

    With that, the conversation is over and I stand up. As he said, I can¡¯t shake the feeling that something is watching me, and somehow the darkness under the bridge seems more ¡°alive¡± than before.

    When I reach the group they¡¯re still seated and resting, but I notice Tess has a fresh blue bruise, shining out around her eye. As if someone had punched her.

 Chapter 448: A deal

    Chapter 448: A deal

    Tess joins me as I take my seat off to the side, she looks back over at the rest of the group and sighs.

    ¡°I might have fucked up,¡± she admits, staring at me with that massive bruise around her eye.

    ¡°Did you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Tell me, Nat, do you think I¡¯m a bad person?¡±

    ¡°Not really, you¡¯re just a bit twisted, like everyone here.¡±

    ¡°But I should have better control over myself, I should¡­¡±

    I interrupt her then and ask, ¡°Tess, you could say I¡¯m bad with people, right?¡±

    She doesn¡¯t seem to mind the interruption and after looking me over a bit she smiles, her blonde hair shining in the light on her crown. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Even as bad with people as I am, I¡¯ve noticed something. Want to hear it? It¡¯s about you.¡±¡°Please tell me,¡± Tess replies, gesturing for me to continue.

    ¡°You always talk like you want us to be a group. Companions bonded through shared danger. But I¡¯ve noticed something: You always seem to be putting yourself off to the side, instead of trying to be part of the group.¡±

    I look into her gray eyes and continue, ¡°You took on this bullshit leadership role - on the 4th floor, during the tournament, all the way up til now. You always keep yourself in check, trying to give them something to look up to, so that you can lead them and make the tough decisions on their behalf.¡±

    I grab a small stone and throw it at Dravos, who seems to be trying to make his way to the tform, and he stops and returns.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s entirely bad, but you take it way too far.¡±

    ¡°Someone has to, Nat, and I¡¯m good at it.¡±

    ¡°Oh Yeah? So killing the guide, throwing everyone in the group into danger, and getting punched by Sophie, was that all part of the n, or did it happen because you got caught up in your feelings?¡±

    ¡°I will do what I think is the best,¡± Tess deres.

    So that¡¯s it, she won¡¯t be honest even now? It¡¯s almost cute to see her that way.

    Even so, I already have a n in mind. ¡°Well, it¡¯s okay. Do whatever you want, Tess, and don¡¯t worry about the consequences. I will take care of everything, just this once.¡±

    She has held up well so far, but I can already feel that weird pressure closing in around us, and once again our emotions are starting to rise against us.

    Tess must feel it, but at the same time, I see hesitation. Between following her feelings and worrying about what might happen.

    I stand to leave, giving her onest piece of advice, ¡°I don''t think sitting on the sidelines and watching our group advance is what you want, Tess. You''ll need to give up some control to get what you''re hoping for.¡±

    I think a day passes, but that turns out not to be the case. The countdown timer clearly shows that we¡¯ve lost at least a day and a half.

    For the first time, I see the twins caught up in a fight, with Min-Jae, and punches thrown on both sides.

    The Korean boy apparently made the mistake of showing concern for them and invited them to join in the conversation, but Aaron and Dennis refused. Min-Jae didn¡¯t like that and decided to push the matter.

    There were hurtful words said, and Maya eventually had to intervene.

    The entire time Tess watched quietly, and our eyes met for a moment before she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face, deep in thought.

    <strong>[You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 331]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 346]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 311]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 262 > Lvl 263]</strong>

    <strong>[Infusion - lvl 36 > Infusion - lvl 37]</strong>

    I went out to hunt and kill these monsters alone. The same monster that took so much effort from my group before.

    I¡¯m strong to begin with and higher level than anyone else here.

    The amplified emotions are fun to observe. The feelings I had back on the 1st floor, the emotions I felt back then, strengthened and hauled to the surface.

    Do I need them? Could I get more out of them if I was more ruthless? My life is being threatened by an extremely dangerous being, and I could easily escape on my own. So why do I stay?

    Because I can.

    Every day I¡¯m growing stronger and stronger. All towards my goal of keeping fuckers like the guy in the hole from being able to push me around.

    Before returning to the group, I stop by the hole, only to see the thrin brothers leaving it behind. Seems like group 4 let them pass again. This is the second time in the past few days.

    ¡°Wee, Nathaniel,¡± the Champion greets me.

    ¡°Izzy, Min-Jae, and Sophie, they are the members of my group you think have a chance of getting you out,¡± I say.

    He hesitates, seemingly surprised, but then nods with a smile.

    I look down at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make a deal?¡±

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 35 > Tether - lvl 36]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 36 > Tether - lvl 37]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 37 > Tether - lvl 38]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 38 > Tether - lvl 39]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether - lvl 39 > Tether - lvl 40]</strong>

    I return a few hourster to group 4¡¯s campsite. Checking the time, I find that I¡¯ve spent three entire days by that hole rather than the hours I¡¯d intended.

    The group still consists of group 4, Famir, Kallus, Dravos, Drekar, Heryd, and a few more people from Famir¡¯s and Heryd¡¯s groups.

    Just by looking at them, it''s easy to see the fights they''ve been through, and the wounds they now bear, likely the result of fights with people from their groups. The results are obvious, and evident in their behavior.

    It¡¯s been days since we¡¯ve seen anyone else, and we¡¯ve been down here for over a week.

    Everyone else is running low on mana, struggling to scrape even the tiniest amounts from depleted batteries and their battered bodies. Even Tess is starting to feel the drain, with the exception of the store of primordial lightning in her crown.

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Oh, and Izzy. I only learned this recently, but she seems to have a strong connection to Noodle, who has been storing some of the mana around us. The little snake is devious, he hasn¡¯t been transforming all the mana he eats, in fact, he¡¯s been saving some. He¡¯s been storing it in a ce even more separated from his body than my Mana Reservoir. It cannot be felt; it doesn¡¯t even seem to affect the white sand.

    It¡¯s quite amazing.

    Otherwise, the people are in shambles. I¡¯ve seen them fight, scream, cry, and hurt each other. cing their darkest emotions on disy until they almost can¡¯t bear to look each other in the eye.

    Just that little disy of amplified emotions reminds us why Sophie¡¯s ability is so hated, along with people like her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the Deathtrap,¡± I say, and find their eyes looking up at me. Some look like they¡¯ve already given up.

    Tess stands up first, followed by Famir, and slowly others get on their feet, moving like zombies.

    Dangerous zombies that could easily decide to rush you in the blink of an eye and tear your head off.

    Only my orbs light our way as we pass over the bridge and walk through the tunnels. It¡¯s quieter than before, but there are no monsters attacking us.

    When we reach the crashed ship, we find no passengers or bodies. Out of the almost 300 passengers, only our group of 20 remains.

    Over the next few days, I direct them as we pull the Deathtrap apart, focusing on the control panels, and the core, taking valuable metals and mana stones for our use.

    I me the Champion¡äs bond for the loss of the white sand, the ones we brought here when we crashed. Well, at least we have the samples we sealed in the containers we made.

    The opening we entered through is unusable; it''s a very thick wall that only seems to work in one direction. It makes for yet another fascinating feature that I''d love to examine further, and with my emotions heightened as they are, I do just that a few times.

    I¡¯m constantly amazed by how much that prisoner was able to do from his cell, especially now that I know a bit more about it. I guess he wasn''t a Champion for nothing.

    Having gathered the materials I need I follow the instructions the Champion gave me, and we work building an array, step by step.

    No monsters interrupt us, and now that they¡¯ve finally been given some direction, the others seem to be a bit more lively. Heryd Kallus, and Sophie, wind up being the most help in the end.

    The array is circr, simr to the ones we saw back on the 4th floor. The most important part is the coordinates, and for this, I use the ones provided by the Champion - something he got from an expedition 80 years ago. The coordinates should lead to one of the smaller forts in the central region. The coordinates were apparently provided by a man who had hoped that the Champion would escape so that his group would have a leader, and maybe even find a way to escape this moon.

    Back then, his bond didn¡¯t have quite as much freedom, so apparently, the expedition left this ce alive, much to the Champion''s amusement.

    Out of everything, this is the riskiest part given that it relies on the coordinates he provided, but I have one good reason to think they should work.

    ¡°We¡¯re missing the processing core, and the coordinates are loosely ced. Not to mention that the metals we took aren¡¯t as conductive as I would have hoped, so the jump won¡¯t be very efficient,¡± Herydins.

    ¡°He might have ced some traps. I don¡¯t trust him, Nat. If something happens to Izzy¡­¡±

    ¡°The SDAT doesn¡¯t have any more arcanadium we could use. These high-quality mana stones are all we have,¡± Kallus informs.

    I answer each of these worries, and we continue to work longer and longer. Day and night, I would say if it were even possible to tell.

    During one of my breaks, I take Biscuit into my arms, though he remains exceptionally quiet.

    I sense his body pushing into mine, and even his breathing is quickened. Sometimes he lifts his head and growls into the darkness surrounding us, causing the feeling of pressure around us to disappear.

    After a while, I take him and hand him to Izzy, who looks up at me; her sister by her side as always.

    I reach down and put my face on a level with hers. ¡°Thank you for trusting me and enduring everything we¡¯ve been through.¡±

    She blinks a few times, but I ruffle her hair and turn to Sophie. I want to say a few words, but in the end, I say nothing. Sophie is smart; she doesn¡¯t need anything from me.

    I just nod and join the twins sitting off to the side.

    ¡°It will be funny to watch you two beg Min-Jae to forgive you for all the things you little twerps said.¡± I leave them with that onest sentence and head over to Min-Jae.

    He looks up at me, his expression mirroring the others. I give his shoulder an awkward tap and quickly walk away, hoping my feelingse through like that.

    ¡°Need another beating?¡± Maya asks with a smile as I approach.

    ¡°No more beatings. So what do you think of our fearless leader?¡± I ask, gesturing over at Tess, sitting quietly on the sideline.

    Maya seems to think for a while but then smiles brightly. ¡°It might sound cruel, but it''s nice to see her like that from time to time. It¡¯s more fitting than watching her force herself to be our glorious leader all the time.¡±

    Nodding in agreement, I take a fewst steps to plop down on the ground next to Tess. I don¡¯t say a word, and neither does she, and an hour or two passes. Maybe longer.

    In the end, I think I hear a light sob, but I probably misheard, given that when Tess finally does look over at me she seems as normal as she can be.

    ¡°I just wanted¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±

    ¡°For a¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say interrupting again.

    She quietens and looks away, as if ashamed to even look at me.

    ¡°Do you want to know why I let so many of these things happen as I stood by and watched?¡±

    ¡°I think I do, but please tell me, Nat.¡±

    ¡°I may be extremely socially inept, but this time I think I did better than you, Tess.¡± I say, not forgetting to rub a bit of necessary salt in the still fresh wound, but it¡¯s no fun taunting Tess in this state, so I decide to give her a break and continue, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to sit off to the side and smile like some outside observer. It would be more fitting if you just broke down and sat with the rest of us, but in order to do that, you have to fuck up once in a while, like everyone else, you need to open up more.¡±

    Tess seems to take a moment to think it over before nodding in confirmation. ¡°You aren¡¯t very good at this.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    The silence this time is a bit different.

    "What about you, Nat? When will you open up?"

    That question catches me off guard and I give it a moment of thought.

    "I have time," I answer and stand up. ¡°We will activate the array in a few minutes, so be ready, okay?¡± With these words, I leave her.

    Stopping by Min-Jae, I gesture at the twins, ¡°What a bag of dicks, right?¡±

    Then, I quietly let slip a few of the things I heard the twins say - things they definitely wouldn¡¯t want any of the girls to know. Min-Jae can decide for himself if he wants to drop that nuke.

    Lastly, I find our petite healer, missing both of her arms, her own body used as fuel for her healing skills.

    ¡°You might be worse than me,¡± I gesture with my both still-present arms.

    She stares at me, and I think she may have said something rude a few days ago before our emotions calmed down.

    ¡°Nat, no more fucking dark tunnels after this,¡± she says in the end.

    "Yes, let¡¯s try to avoid that."

    As a reward for enduring so well, I pinch her nose and pull, making her shake her head from side to side. I halfway expect her to growl like Biscuit.

    Then we collect our small group into the teleportation array. I have three spears, my damaged arcane items, containers full of white sand, and more, everything we can fit even to the point we have to squeeze together.

    There is no need for more words after a few days of preparations, but I can tell that most of them look nervous, unsure of what is going to happen.

    But not me.

    My crown finally flickers and disappears, all of the mana it was holding having been funneled into the core and used to power the array. The inscriptions lighting up as they burst into activity. It takes more and more of my mana as my reserves dwindle, nearly all of it gone, yet I still push and push, sharing the pressure of activation with the materials.

    The iron creaks, the sides melt, and the core cracks.

    My Mana Wavelength Iris picks up the ck, and I let part of that mana flow through my body, shaping it until I finally activate the array I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make on my own. I then make onest-second change that almost breaks the array, and a wave of mana crashes into me, causing some light damage.

    Then the bright light shes, forcing me to squint my eyes.

    When I open them again, I¡¯m still in the cave. All the equipment gone, all my items.

    The array is now broken, copsed into a molten heap as it gradually cools, the singed inscriptions letting out a dim light.

    Other than me only Dravos and Drekar remain, looking around in confusion.

    Here was a very well-hidden trap in the Champion¡¯s array, set up so I would stay, but these two were supposed to escape.

    I collect the tiny bits of mana still floating in the air, coat my arm in it, and sh twice.

    <strong>[You have defeated Manabreaker - lvl 286]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Manashroud Shaper - lvl 288]</strong>

    Even before they fall dead, ck smoke begins to aggressively bubble free of their dead bodies, surrounding me like a whirlpool in reverse. The pressure on me increases my feelings of fear, and I can feel the anger radiating from that being. From the Champion¡¯s bond.

    It crashes against me, dragging me across the ground and smashing me against the wall over and over.

    Even the feeling of pain is amplified now, as a huge amount of mana flows into my reservoir from my passive. But the bond is tossing me around with a force I can feel, even through my unique passive.

    Something inside my body breaks, and I taste rust in my mouth, but I still smile.

    The bond finally stops throwing me around, and the ck smoke halts just an inch from my face.

    ¡°How about we go have a chat with your master?¡± I ask.

 Chapter 449: Something you are addicted to

    For the first time since I¡¯ve met him, the Champion down in the hole seems to be experiencing an emotion other than his usualzy confidence. It¡¯s not anger, it¡¯s not even surprise. He just seems genuinely curious, his eyes ticking between me and the unsealed portion of his bond.

    Neither of us moves any closer to the hole. I know for sure that if I enter it, I won¡¯t be able to leave; that¡¯s just how it¡¯s made. It¡¯s not because of the mana, no, it¡¯s something else entirely that I can¡¯t quite understand yet. Out of all of the things here, I¡¯m probably the most curious about that hole.

    ¡°Mind telling me your name, oh Lord Champion?¡± I ask as I take a seat, and the bond lets me.

    ¡°My name¡¯s Caius. What betrayed the presence of my bond? I thought she¡¯d hidden perfectly.¡±

    ¡°Izzy told me,¡± I answer without concern, having already confirmed their status through the Community chat.

    ¡°That¡¯s curious, we¡¯ve been listening in on your telepathicmunication and my bond should have been well hidden, even from her skills.¡±

    But not the system channels, I want to say, but it¡¯s not like he would hear me.

    ¡°She¡¯s more talented than you would have expected. So what was the twist? We made a deal that I woulde backter to free you, but there you are, sending your bond and trapping me here.¡±

    He isn¡¯t sitting anymore, and his eyes are constantly on me as if he¡¯s reading something in my posture, taking each of my movements into consideration.¡°Neither of us truly believed it, Nathaniel. Those were just empty words we said aloud, in a vain attempt to deceive each other. My bond would have killed the members of your group and ced the bodies of the ones with the most interesting skills into storage ande up with a way to fully free me at its leisure. Meanwhile, I would watch you die here andter take your Mana Wavelength Iris.¡±

    ¡°So there was never a chance for us to free you?¡±

    ¡°People tend to be easier to manipte if they think they have something I want. They barter, they feel safe, and they tend to be easier to push in the direction I want. None of you, Nathaniel, could get me out as you are now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°Can I ask a few more questions?¡±

    The darkness that was about to surround me pauses, and followed by the feeling of it looking over at its master, and waiting for his orders.

    Caius smiles and gestures with his arm, "Please."

    ¡°You said I¡¯m already taken, what did you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s notplete, but there is a mark left on you by someone very powerful. To put it in more barbaric terms, the message goes something like: ¡®<em>This is mine, I found it first</em>.¡¯ Marks like this are very archaic, a relic of the Absolutes and Champions of old. Nowadays, things work slightly differently.¡±

    As the presence reaches to me I ask onest question, ¡°Do you remember what I said to you before? When you asked if I wanted to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you told me that you <em>would</em> kill me.¡± Caius smiles, and the pressure around me increases. A feeling that his bond is about to tear me apart.

    Then I take a step and jump into the hole.

    There is nothing stopping me. You can enter, but you cannot leave.

    The sheer surprise on the Champion¡¯s face as Ind next to him is fun to watch.

    My vortex core is full of primordial energies, and as Caius throws a punch my way, all of the kic energy in my body rushes out at once in an attempt to push him away and strengthen my body.

    Even crippled and despite having never been sped for closebat in the first ce, the Champion moves with incredible speed. The arm I use to block his strike evaporates into nothing, even after being bolstered with kic energy. Even with my unique passive.

    But emerging from all that gore is a single shining white speck, almost seeming to float out into the air between us. The small grain of sand seems to be even more visible in this hole that serves as the Champion¡¯s prison.

    All the mana I got from my passive explodes from me, and the grain of sand bes charged, swirling around crazily while Caius rushes to dodge. It also pierces through my body, drilling holes into it as it moves erratically through the confines of the hole.

    From down here, I hear the Champion¡¯s bond for the first time. It screeches, and the ck smoke throws itself into the hole, rushing to save its master, even knowing that it¡¯ll be trapped.

    My body crashes against Caius, and a swing of his arm opens my belly, spilling my intestines into the open air.

    It¡¯s worth it though; just that short moment of imbnce causes him to miss, and the white grain of sand touches him. The tiniest touch on his skin. Barely a split of a second as it passes by.

    And it¡¯s over.

    He stops moving. The bond stops moving. And I push my organs back inside of my belly.

    The air vibrates and starts shaking, and an eruption of sound pours into the chamber from all sides. Tons upon tons of white sand rushing into the cave around us.

    Somewhere hidden in the desert, huge reservoirs of mana explode, dozens of them, the explosions of such enormous amounts of mana can be felt even down here. Likely having been set for the sole purpose of serving to charge the sand that now, charged, rushes down there through three huge tunnels.

    Caius and his bearing change, as if he can¡¯t believe what just happened. Anger appears on his face, the anger of a powerful man, as he takes his next step towards me, arm lifted to deliver a finishing blow.

    He doesn''t say anything about me dying here with him, but I can¡¯t help but tell him, ¡°I told you I would kill you.¡±

    These words make him pause for a moment.

    I use that opportunity and say, ¡°Use 1 Day Beyond Stay token.¡±

    Before his blownds, I disappear. I feel my body and mind spinning and the area surrounding me changes.

    It seems to be somewhere around midnight, and I stand on the polished and perfectly smooth ck stone that seems to stretch on forever. There¡¯s nothing as far as I can see. No hills, no trees, no mountains, no clouds. Just straight and perfectly polished ck stone flooring. The sky is full of beautiful stars and nebs.

    My heart generates mana again, and I revel in the sweet sensation as it begins to fill my body.

    Once again, my handler sits before me, in a chair set behind an old wooden table stacked high with papers, plenty of mana stones, and a number of items I fail to identify.

    She moves a thread of her red tinged ck hair to the side and looks at me with her big brown eyes, ¡°You¡¯re in a bit worse state than I left you.¡±

    I follow her eyes and look at the wound on my belly. It¡¯s closing slowly, but at least my organs aren¡¯t spilling out.

    ¡°Will I still get notifications here?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirms, likely knowing what I¡¯m waiting for. ¡°You know, you might not be nearly as normal as you think.¡±

    Huh? There is no way that¡¯s true. She should take a closer look at the rest of group 4.

    In the end, I still nod, it¡¯s better to agree with crazy people so they leave you be. Then I wait. And a momentter, ites.

    <strong>[You have defeated Grimshaper - lvl 495]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 263 > Lvl 264]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 264 > Lvl 265]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 265 > Lvl 266]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 266 > Lvl 267]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 267 > Lvl 268]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 268 > Lvl 269]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 269 > Lvl 270]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 270 > Lvl 271]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 271 > Lvl 272]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 272 > Lvl 273]</strong>

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    <strong>[Lvl 273 > Lvl 274]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 274 > Lvl 275]</strong>

    Worryingly, there¡¯s no notification about the bond. I''ll need to warn the others as soon as possible; there''s a chance we missed something.

    I then invest the stats gained into mana.

    ¡°Happy?¡± she asks me as I close these notifications.

    ¡°He was a Champion, I should get more levels,¡± Iin regardless.

    ¡°Oh really? Do you truly believe that?¡± My handler smiles, leaning back, and watching me from behind her desk.

    I don¡¯t bother answering. It¡¯s more than clear that I abused the environment, and Caius was weakened so I get an ¡®assist¡¯ at most. But that doesn¡¯t change my opinion of the system being an asshole, especially after stealing so much XP from me.

    ¡°You know you could have died. What if the transport to Beyond hadn¡¯t activated?¡±

    ¡°Why would it not, it activated before with Whitey.¡±

    ¡°The system might have disabled it after you abused it.¡±

    ¡°As if I¡¯m the first person to ever abuse it like that. If the system didn¡¯t like it or could, it would have been changed hundreds of years ago,¡± I just wave my hand.

    Overall, my n was simple. The guy couldn¡¯t sense the grain of the sand hidden within my body. I even tested it a few times, I even sent away all the spears to get him to lower his guard.

    I¡¯m also not too proud to not ept that I would have died without the Beyond entrance token. But why wouldn¡¯t I use things like the Community and the items awarded by the system to my advantage?

    As for the Beyond entrance token, I got it from killing a thousand monsters over level 200. It worked nicely, the guy probably thought it was because of my amplified emotions.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get back to you in a minute,¡± I tell my handler.

    Then, while she sulks, I open quest notifications, starting with the oldest.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have killed 1,000 monsters over level 200.</strong>

    <strong>You have received a Beyond 1 day stay token.</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions, you have reached level 275.</strong>

    <strong>You have received a Beyond 1 day stay token.</strong>

    <strong>Congrattions, you have survived.</strong>

    <strong>You have received:</strong>

    <em>Beyond 3 day stay token</em>

    <em>Active skillbination token</em>

    Yeah, that seems about right.

    I look at my handler, ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that reward too much?¡±

    ¡°What did you get? Let me check.¡± She grabs a paper from the table and taps on it a few times, ¡°Oh, active skillbination token? It¡¯s fine, survival quests can be like that, especially with personalized rewards, plus even though he was crippled and trapped, you did kill a Champion, so it¡¯s a pretty big achievement.¡±

    ¡°I can live with that.¡±

    I ignore my handler again and, for the first time in a long while, I open my status. My eyes first head toward my stats to check the results of the restrictive training emblem.

    <em>Strength: 141</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 137</em><em></em>

    <em>Constitution: 309</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1131 + 1131</em>

    I then close the window and open it again. It''s still there.

    Yeah, it''s not bugged. My new training method has gained me 25 levels'' worth of stats. Around 20 in Strength and Dexterity and over 30 in Constitution.

    If Lady Lissandra continues to give me such fine things, I might fall in love with her. I think I should probably apologize to her; I¡¯ve treated such a fine Absolute far too harshly.

    She might give me something even better if I beg hard enough. Buying her a gift or two could certainly raise her opinion of me. So what might so fine woman as her like?

    I lovingly check the useless stat increase. Sure, they can¡¯t quitepare to the glory of mana, but getting them for free like this means I can put more stats into mana.

    As if I wouldn''t have done it anyway.

    I also know that at some point the rate of improvement will slow, and the emblem will need to be adjusted, or I¡¯ll need to use significantly more mana. But that¡¯s something I can work on, after all, I already have plenty of interest in emblems. Plus, I can probably store a LOT of mana in the crown and use that to power the emblem in addition to the reserves in my body and reservoir.

    Seems good.

    I then open my entire status.

    <strong>Name:</strong><em>Nathaniel Gwyn</em><em></em>

    <strong>Title:</strong><em> Champion Candidate</em><em></em>

    <strong>Difficulty:</strong><em>Hell</em><em></em>

    <strong>Floor:</strong><em>6 - Astral Prison</em><em></em>

    <strong>Time left until forced return:</strong><em>3y 308d 16h 06m 11s</em><em></em>

    <strong>Traits (2/3):</strong><em>Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3</em>

    <strong>Lvl 275</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Strength: 141</em><em></em>

    <em>Dexterity: 137</em><em></em>

    <em>Constitution: 309</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1131 + 1131</em>

    <strong>Primary ss:</strong><em>Focused Channeler (Epic)</em><em></em>

    <strong>Sub-ss:</strong><em>[Adept of Pride]</em>

    <strong>Active skills (9/10):</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Focus - Lvl 53</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 50</em><em></em>

    <em>Redistribution - Lvl 50</em><em></em>

    <em>Resonance - Lvl 51</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 45</em><em></em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 40</em><em></em>

    <em>Infusion - Lvl 37</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Crown - Lvl 39</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Maniption - lvl 54</em>

    <strong>Constructs:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Reinforcement (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Thermokic Mana Heart (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Regtor (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct)</em><em></em>

    <em>Vortex Core (Construct)</em>

    <strong>Passive skills (4/5):</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Cognitive Fortress (Mid Epic)</em><em></em>

    <em>Mana-Kic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic)</em>

    <strong>Tokens:</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>Trait strengthening token (2nd stage)</em><em></em>

    <em>Beyond 1 day stay token</em><em></em>

    <em>Beyond 3 day stay token</em><em></em>

    <em>Active skillbination token</em>

    <strong>Shards:</strong><em>149,748</em>

    I could live with that. Yup. Not bad at all. Just wait for me, Whitey. I''m gonna kick your ass very soon, I just need a few months, and you are done.

    Well, for the second time, considering you¡¯ve already been killed once. What a loser.

    In a much better mood, I turn to my handler, ¡°I would like a different handler.¡±

    She tilts her head to the side and smiles, ¡°Would you?¡±

    ¡°Yup. Someone more useful and cooperative. How does the thing with handlers even work?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it''s quite simple,¡± she doesn¡¯t even seem insulted, rather she answers my question with forthright honesty. ¡°When you first enter Beyond, every handler has a chance to pick you up. If only one is avable, they will get you. If there¡¯s more than one, they either bid on the opportunity to represent you, or the other handlers will back off based on prior deals and coercion.¡±

    ¡°How many handlers were after me? And how much information do they have?¡±

    ¡°Quite a few wanted to get a hold of you, but there were others from your who drew a lot of interest, especially that man. Before you ask, I won''t tell you more. As for the information, just the basics like your status, excluding the most powerful skills and traits. Then they get a sample of the records of your performance across each of the floors. As for the full records, only the Rulers can see them¡­ and maybe a dozen others. Then, of course, your handler once they¡¯re assigned.¡±

    ¡°See, that¡¯s actually pretty good, why couldn¡¯t you be more cooperative before. So I want to ask...¡±

    She lifts her hand to stop me from talking, ¡°Your time here is limited and we¡¯re nearing the end. In a few seconds, you''ll be sent to the Entrance floor. If you still want to change your handler, you can do that; just say ¡®I want to change handlers,¡¯ and the system will offer you some options.¡±

    Finally, she stands up and moves around her table, stopping in front of me. She has the look of an adult ying a trick on a dumb kid.

    ¡°Both you and I know you love to gain power and information on your own. You have that insatiable curiosity and weird sense of pride you¡¯re building. Youin, you curse, but the feeling it gives you is something you are addicted to.¡±

    She lifts her finger and waves it from side to side, and I can¡¯t help but follow it with my eyes, much to her amusement.

    ¡°But just this once, allow me to give you some information few handlers can give you. Information you can¡¯t talk about outside of this ce.¡±

    My handler moves her face closer and whispers, ¡°There are 13 floors, each tied to one of the Rulers. This was something Greed wanted. Through her immense power and trickery, she persuaded the other Rulers to agree, and they altered the previous version of the tutorial.¡±

    Her voice bes even quieter, and I feel her warm breath on my ear as she whispers, ¡°Only one Ruler refused, and no one was crazy enough to try to force him.¡±

    The next few words reach me, ¡°On each of the floors, if you''re lucky, or unlucky enough, you can meet a Ruler from some point in their past. The floors are made from theirs or ces important to them. This is my gift - an answer with many more questions.¡±

    She is smiling as I get pulled away to the Entrance Floor, her brown eyes glowing, ¡°Tell me, do you still want to change handlers?¡±

 Chapter 450: Hiding under blankie

    Changing my handler? There is no fucking way.

    Lady Handler is someone I will stick with until the very end, yup.

    I was fed up with her? When? Who? That¡¯s such bullshit, I would never.

    Anyway, I take a few steps and rest against the cold wall, having found myself back on the Entrance floor.

    It¡¯s better than being on the 1st floor, especially since I didn¡¯t reach the ¡°checkpoint¡± though that does mean that I¡¯ll have to start over.

    I slide down to the ground, and much like my 1st visit, I find a wide range of people ncing over at me with interest, but most of them are on a time limit, so they quickly go about their business.

    Who cares about a bloodied man with a shattered arm? Blood covers my entire front side from my prior evisceration and a few more minor wounds that would certainly have killed a horse and most monsters of equivalent size.

    At least my mana ising back, and the feeling is even better than I expected. That desert truly was a godforsaken ce. Another reason to work on ways to counter that. I wouldn¡¯t want to end up like that blue guy and his bond.

    With one day remaining, I don¡¯t see any point in trying to extend my stay and decide to spend the next hour collecting my mana, assessing damage, and moving my heat across my body to heal the more severe wounds. I¡¯m already thinking of the preparations I should make before returning to the 6th floor. There is a very high chance I will end up deep underground, buried in white sand, stone, and the remains of the prison that once held the Champion.

    Sure, there is a small chance the system will teleport me to the surface, but yeah¡­ who am I even kidding? I¡¯ll probably end up caught in a bubble of space of the System¡¯s making just before I get buried. Hell, I might find even more bullshit thrown my way.

    Especially since the system doesn¡¯t seem to mind people using Stay tokens as a get-out-of-jail-free card, I can¡¯t help but find it suspicious, it¡¯s almost too abusable. Just spend 10k to buy yourself a free escape?

    There has to be a problem with that.

    I might also have to worry about trouble from the enforcers here. Apparently, they¡¯re the guild that oversees the execution of contracts, and even though the one I signed before going to the 1st floor of Beyond was one of the lower tiers, it could cause some degree of trouble. Probably nothing too serious, given that no one¡¯s left to report me, and I can me it on Whitey.

    As I recover my mana I convert it into primordial energies and store them in my vortex core. If I¡¯m to have any chance of surviving I need to get rid of all my mana before returning and rely on my store of primordial energies.

    As I stand up and begin to walk through the crowds of people, I let a bit of mana seep into the identification emblem, and the letter D appears on the back of my left hand. The color is the usual ck. How did that woman describe things before? Obsidian ck for the D rank, Ivory White for the C rank, Royal Blue for the B rank, Shimmering Silver for the A rank, and Radiant Gold for the S rank.

    After looking things over a bit longer, I let it disappear and reach the area surrounding the center of the outpost. The ce with the bulletin boards.

    I speak to the merchant nearby and spend a few hundred shards to buy a single sheet of paper and a pen. It¡¯s the one with the option to keep the message longer; in this case, it will take a month before the message will disappear and the paper will burn.

    It cost me almost a thousand shards.

    I definitely got robbed.

    Nevertheless, I take a pen and start drawing. Scrawling out a picture of a bear meant to be Cinderbear from the 1st floor. Vic always said that I had no talent for drawing, but it looks just fine to me.

    Just in case, I write a message below the image reading: <em>Fuck Cinderbear.</em>

    Seriously, fuck that guy.

    Then I write some keywords like Earth, a few of the Continent''s names, and simr keywords. I also draw some popr memes to spice things up.

    Lastly, I mention that I¡¯m looking to meet up with anyone else from the Earth¡¯s tutorial. I mention my intent to return to Beyond in a month for an expeditionsting a few days. I calcte when it should be and the reading on the countdown to forced return so they can time it as well. Then I use the pen to pin it to one of the bulletin boards.

    Satisfied with my work, I leave.

    I¡¯m not sure if Tess and Lily will be here by then; I¡¯ll need to ask, but in the worst case, I cane here on my own and return with themter - they shouldn¡¯t have many stay tokens anyway, so I could certainly show them around.

    Going on my way, I find the cksmith I spoke to before, he¡¯s probably the best smith in this outpost. As I enter his shop, he looks up from the ax he¡¯s been tinkering with. It¡¯s an annoyed look I know so well.

    No one likes to be interrupted when they¡¯re having fun.

    His eyes slide on my torn, bloodied clothes and still visible wounds. I also do not have any equipment at all.

    ¡°You¡¯re that crazy guy with the mebearer?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the crazy guy with the mebearer,¡± I confirm.

    ¡°I almost didn¡¯t recognize you. If you still have the ax, I¡¯ll offer you 20 thousand shards in exchange.¡±

    ¡°Thest time you offered 26 thousand.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it looks like you need the shards more urgently now,¡± he says shamelessly.

    I can¡¯t be even mad.

    ¡°Not selling, but listen to this. What would you do if, let¡¯s say, hypothetically, someone told you you would be teleported into a tiny chamber, deep underground, in a space that used to be a huge cave that is now buried under tons and tons of sand. Some time in about¡­¡± I check the time, ¡°21 hours. Hypothetically, of course.¡±

    Even annoyed as he is, this seems to amuse him and he immediately straightens up, scratching his beard, ¡°What floor? Hypothetically.¡±

    ¡°Sixth floor, Mana Desert.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    His eyes shine at that, and he opens his mouth then closes it. Likely trying to figure out what he can say without triggering the system''s censorship.

    ¡°I can prepare a metal sphere, it will be airtight and capable of enduring the pressure. I can offer a set of items that would allow you to filter the air, allowing you to hold out a bit longer. Either so you can make some preparations or wait for someone to save you, but with properties of that sand¡­¡±

    ¡°Hypothetically,¡± I remind.

    ¡°Oh, sure,¡± he nods quickly, ¡°I would also hypothetically offer a lot of shards for that white sand. I¡¯ve always wanted to try working with that material.¡±

    ¡°Sounds interesting. So what would be the price of that sphere within the necessary timeline?¡± I ask, already expecting an outrageous sum, but somehow it turns out even worse than I expected.

    ¡°Five thousand shards. Net. So it will be 6 thousand so Beyond can take its cut. I think it¡¯s a good price, and I have high hopes for our future cooperation.¡±

    Looks like I¡¯m due to be robbed a second time today.

    Damn it.

    I swear I will do my best to use every single damn grain of white sand to make stuff to sell.

    About 12 hourster, I wake up in a mild state of panic before remembering where I am and closing my eyes, as I pull my nket over my head, and curl up.

    I paid for this room with an extraordinary number of shards, so I better enjoy it for as long as possible. I did consider sleeping outside on a bench to save shards, but with all these people around and my luck, someone might have tried to kidnap my ass to use as a mana battery.

    Moreover, I think I deserve a bit of rest, A bath, a freshly made bed, and some basic new clothes - all too expensive.

    While I¡¯m hiding under my new nkie, which I totally intend to steal before I leave, I open the system window and scroll through my status. It¡¯s so pretty, and I still have a skillbination token, and I n to make use of it before I return. Just in case, I take a moment to check the timer, but I still have around 8 hours remaining.

    It takes another half hour before I truly feel awake and refreshed enough to deal with the world and push the nkets off to the side with a big yawning stretch.

    I take a moment to enjoy some of the food and water bought before turning in for the day and check the scar on my belly. The wound seems to be healed, but the scars always take a while to disappear. It should be gone soon though, and that brings an interesting thought to mind.

    I lift my right arm and look at the inner side of my forearm where the scar should be, the one I got even back on Earth.

    It¡¯s still there.

    Lily could probably remove them with her <strong>[stic Surgery] </strong>skill, but they don¡¯t bother me at all. I also need to find someone who was old before the tutorial started. I saw a few during the tournament, but I didn¡¯t bother asking many questions at the time.

    Honestly, I¡¯m curious to hear how the system¡¯s affected them. My scars are still here, but it seems like having a higher constitution should fix all kinds of things like organ failure, heart problems, and disease? How does the system even know the difference between things like that and more cosmetic issues?

    Now that I think about it I know just what I¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll send a message to Channeler, and he can find an aging grandpa to ask about it.

    ¡°I want to use an active skillbination token,¡± I say.

    <strong>You have used an active skillbination token. Please pick two skills from the following tobine.</strong>

    <strong>Warning! Combining two skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.</strong>

    <strong>Warning! Combining ipatible skills may result in worse skills.</strong>

    <strong>Warning! Afterbining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resultingbination.</strong>

    <strong>List of avable skills tobine:</strong>

    <em>Mana Maniption - Lvl 54</em><em></em>

    <em>Perception - Lvl 50</em><em></em>

    <em>Tether - Lvl 40</em><em></em>

    <em>Infusion - Lvl 37</em>

    And here we go again, I got excited for nothing and got some cheap-ass low-tierbination token or something. Once again, some of my skills haven¡¯t made the list. <strong>[Focus]</strong>, <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, <strong>[Resonance]</strong>,<strong> [Mana Domain]</strong>, and <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong>.

    Sure, <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> probably isn¡¯t there because I boosted it with the subss effect of Pride. I already got the crown I got from a priorbination, so that makes sense too, but there is no way <strong>[Focus]</strong>, <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, and <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> are that high-tier, right?

    I might really have to start working harder onbining skills on my own or evolving them on my own. I¡¯ve never really stopped trying, but I¡¯ve had no sess so far.

    I mean, I kind of understand; I¡¯m just a newbie here, so it may take a few years, but that won¡¯t stop me fromining about it.

    I¡¯ve already figured out part of what I want to do anyway. One of my options is <strong>[Tether]</strong>, which I got from my Primary ss at level 150. It¡¯s one skill I want to keep, so the resultingbination should be something that ounts for that. My primary ss also gives me <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong>, and I¡¯ve strengthened it with Pride, so there¡¯s a high chance of that sticking around even after I change ss at level 300. If not, I think I can get it back, unlike<strong> [Tether]</strong>, which will be harder to recover.

    So the question is:

    <strong>[Tether]</strong> with<strong> [Perception]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether] </strong>with<strong> [Infusion]</strong>

    <strong>[Tether]</strong> with <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>

    It¡¯s not a difficult decision.

    <strong>Congrattions, you have sessfullybined [Tether] and [Mana Maniption]! A new skill has been created.</strong>

    <strong>You have acquired [Ley Line]</strong>

    <strong>[Ley Line - lvl 0 > Ley Line - lvl 9]</strong>

    Oh my, that sounds kind of mysterious. But before we get to testing that out, let¡¯s try something else.

    I let five evil orbs form over my head, focusing on the excellent mana shaping exercise left to me by the amazing Absolute that is Lady Lissandra.

    Now, let¡¯s see how long it takes to¡­

    <strong>Congrattions, you have acquired a new skill!</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 0 > Mana Maniption - lvl 49]</strong>

    Well, that was easier than expected.

    <em>Warning, afterbining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resultingbination?</em>

    The system can screw off.

 Chapter 451: White Whale

    Five hours of testingter and I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what¡¯s changed with my new skill.

    I can still ce anchors, and I need to ce them either very close to my body or within my active domain. Exactly the same as before, it doesn¡¯t change even with the crown active.

    These anchors though, are much more durable, and I think that if I use just the right amount of mana, they should easilyst weeks, likely even months without crumbling. Sure, they will still be somewhat vulnerable to external interference, but even that should require a higher degree of expertise, given that these new anchors seem to be much less noticeable, more durable, and tend to require less mana overall.

    From what I saw, most people tend to have some basic ability to manipte mana even without any skills. Nearly anyone can learn to create mana barriers or simple projectiles with the right amount of effort, and the same goes for the disruption of things like anchors and the ability to sense mana.

    Everyone can do it, but the difference in proficiency is huge. I mean really huge. Someone with low-level abilities wouldn¡¯t have a chance in hell to make a barrier capable of defending against even my weakest attacks, much less disrupt one of my anchors ¡ª assuming they could even sense them.

    Still, it¡¯s kind of fun to consider that things like this should be somon. It almost reminds me of the way so many people on Earth know how to ride a bicycle or how to throw a rock. Hmm, there¡¯s probably a better example, so what¡­ I pause there. I¡¯m getting off track again. I tend to do that a lot when I¡¯m excited or happy, my mind just wanders, jumping from one interesting thing to another.

    Who can me me with so much to discover!

    Anyway, I¡¯ll probably need a better name for these things than ¡°anchors¡±. Maybe I can just call them ¡°marks¡± or something like that. It¡¯s something to think about anyway. Other than vastly improved anchors,<strong> [Ley Line]</strong> improves the connection between them. I can send much more mana through without having to worry about breaking them or finding ways to strengthen the anchors.

    It feels like there¡¯s a line connecting me to my anchors and my anchors to one another, invisible and strong. It can easily handle an impressive amount of mana, especially with how thin it is.I have a suspicion that it should allow me to ce my anchors, marks, whatever, much, much further away. Probably not on the opposite side of the, but a small country away should be highly possible and I can probably push it even further with a bit of effort.

    The efficiency, speed, and losses involved with sending mana across such a vast distance are things I still need to test.

    What interests me the most about the skill is these Ley Lines, as I¡¯ve cleverly dubbed them. It seems like I should be able to do even more with them, almost like Sophie¡¯s web. There¡¯s a chance they might remain stable even without anchors between them, but that¡¯s another aspect I still need to test as I level the skill.

    Overall, very good stuff.

    Plus, I got my <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> back just like I did before, even though it doesn¡¯t seem like it should be that easy. It¡¯s obvious that mana and I just go together that well, even the system can¡¯t split us apart.

    Jumping off the bed, I head over to the mirror and examine my face.

    Still the same asshole.

    I breathe on the mirror, coating it in the fog from my breath, and draw two cat ears at the top of my head.

    ¡°Nya,¡± I whisper, and my reflection does the same.

    What a dumbass.

    I then pick up my clothes, something I let the seller pick for me. A while back, Maya said that I dressed like a homeless man, so I decided to let the shopkeep pick something out for me.

    I also remember that when Maya said that, Iplimented her shirt, and told her that it was fitting for an older woman like her.

    Surprisingly, she wasn¡¯t very happy with that.

    Anyway, the seller spent a surprisingly long amount of time picking these out for me. She even made me try on several different outfits. We picked the pants out fairly quickly, settling on a simple, sleek ck pair that turned out to be veryfortable.

    The shirt took a bit longer while she tried to match it to my eyes. We tried gray, we tried brown, but she wasn¡¯t the least bit satisfied with either option.

    In the end, she decided on a pale shade of green, which I approved because it felt nice to move my arms in.

    Happy with it, I asked her for multiple pairs of the same pants and shirts, and she looked at me like I was some kind of barbarian.

    Isn¡¯t that normal? If you find fitting clothes, just pick as many of the same shorts or pants as you can before they stop selling them a yearter when you might want to buy them again.

    Even as a customer, I found myself forced to buy a range of different colors, so I ended up with gray pants, another pair of ck pants, and three shirts: pale blue, burgundy, and gray.

    I liked the feel of the material though, so I didn¡¯tin much, even as she demanded an outrageous sum in exchange.

    At least the bag was free.

    With an hour remaining on the clock, I finally stop by the cksmith.

    The metal sphere I ordered is ready. It¡¯s a bit taller than me, and its surface is very smooth, extremely smooth. The only interruption in the surface is a circr hole just wide enough for me to crawl through.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. The integrity of the sphere increases if the entrance is smaller. Now just get in so I can seal it.¡±

    With a sigh, I do as I¡¯m told, having already paid.

    The weirdness of what I¡¯m doing doesn¡¯t escape me. Willingly entering this weirdo sphere to be sealed inside. If I didn¡¯t have an anchor ced in the inn I just stayed at and enough mana to defend myself, I would probably be worried.

    I light one of my thermal orbs and examine the sphere as it seals around me, and nkets me in darkness.

    This story has been uwfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    There is a bit of food, some water, and a bunch of rib-like braces around the walls for strengthening.

    I asked the cksmith not to use mana while making it and to try to purge it of any kind of residual mana, which, to his credit, he promised to do, already seeming to know about its effect on the white sand.

    Still, I know for sure there will be some remaining, but it¡¯s just something I have to expect, and I only need the sphere to hold on for a second or two at most.

    I start working on my n as well while making sure I¡¯m touching as much of the sphere as I can¡ªI wouldn¡¯t want to leave it behind after all.

    Using a bit of my mana, I form the thinnest and most durable mana projectile I can. It¡¯s barely the width of my pinkie and about as long as my pointing finger.

    With my new skill, I tie an anchor to it and continuepressing it for the next thirty minutes, turning it a dark shade of blue with hints of purple and light blue streaking through it. It¡¯s getting close to destabilizing and exploding after turning bright white. Then I start storing kic energy behind it, ready tounch it away, focusing almost the entire capacity of my vortex core into that one point.

    Lastly, I wait, watching the countdown and packing my bag, filling it with food and water.

    As the timer ticks down, I breathe slowly.

    Breathe in. Breathe out, my mind constantly keeping the projectile and kic energy in check.

    Then the timer hits zero, and I leave Beyond.

    Immediately, the sound ofpressed metal creaking surrounds me, and I hear the sound of charged white sand even through the thick metal of the sphere.

    A single grain of white sand pierces through the wall, and I tilt my head to avoid it.

    So much for no mana, but I shouldn¡¯t have expected such aplete mastery of mana from the cksmith.

    I throw a spoon I stole from the inn into the air and watch the direction it falls. Then I shoot the projectile in the opposite direction.

    The projectile explodes forth at such a high speed that a small shockwave erupts within the sphere, rebounding off the metal walls of the construct.

    My hearing cuts out only to be reced with constant high pitched ringing, I watch as the projectile easily pierces the metal, creating a small hole through which grains of sand slowly start falling in.

    I wait until thest possible moment, and teleport away, just before a grain of sand makes contact.

    The process of teleportation turns out to be smoother than before, and it feels more stable. I appear near my projectile, which quickly disappears from my sight, continuing to fly higher and higher.

    I take a moment to assess my current altitude and let myself fall for a moment before I start absorbing kic energy to stop the fall. Mostly to avoid triggering whatever aerial defenses they have around this moon.

    Looking down below me, I see a seemingly endless stretch of white dunes giving the impression that it could go on forever. Now though I find a single giga-dune right below me.

    It¡¯s enormous.

    As the sand got pulled toward the Champion, it must have ttened the surrounding area, only for the wind to slowly grow the dunes anew.

    The white sand now lies scattered, a prison that lost its purpose the moment Caius died.

    The huge number of sand particles floating in the air does make for a bit of a problem though, they were likely ejected into the atmosphere in the process of killing the champion.

    I pop my <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> into existence, and any time a few grains enter my domain, I send a small pulse in that direction to draw them away.

    With the number of particles in the air, it''s difficult, but still doable.

    As I start thinking about what direction the central region might be, the air reverberates with a hum I can feel in my chest.

    Down below, a geyser of sand explodes high into the air, and a massive monster emerges, leaping into the air, just one of its eyes turning out to be several times my size.

    <strong>[Dustveil Whale - lvl ???]</strong>

    It has three eyes on each side, each of these eyes yellow with a red pupil in the middle. The whale is massive, even bigger than the Gaiathra I met back on the fifth floor, and its color is pure white, more so even than the sand it leapt from.

    The air reverberates again, though this time it''s an attack directed at me.

    My body shakes wildly, and my mind blinks on the verge of passing out. As the attack proceeds the Dustveil Whale moves its huge tail, flinging a massive amount of sand my way, sending a stream of the particles right at me.

    Okay, let''s keep a distance and then shoot it with some huge attacks.

    Redirecting more kic energy, I fly away at high speed, even at the cost of some of the sand piercing my domain and burrowing its way through my body. I start creating a javelin next to me, quickly condensing it into a bar of tricolored mana, ready to destabilize at a moment¡¯s notice as I continue to feed it mana.

    By the time I turn around to shoot, the whale is nearly below me. The monster, the size of a skyscraper, moving at a speedparable to mine.

    I don''t think I¡¯ve been so surprised in a long while.

    Still, Iunch my javelin at the beast, and it breaks the sound barrier, the boom echoing through the area as it disappears from my sight.

    The whale twists out of the way in a moment, opens its mouth, and eats my javelin.

    Its six eyes watch me as I count down to the explosion, and when it finally explodes, there is no sign of it. No mana escapes the monster''s mouth, nothing seeps through the skin. Instead, the whale buries itself deep under the white sand, swimming and then leaping into the air once more, its massive body twisting in the air like a dolphin.

    Another attack ms into me, and my altitude drops for a moment before I fly higher again.

    FINE then.

    I change tactics, instead of focusing on a single powerful attack, I start forming dozens of mana projectiles, each one shaped like a nail with a t end, to keep them from piercing too deep.

    I shoot them at the whale, running through dozens of them every few seconds, and I speed up, adding more until hundreds of them are flying through the air like bullets from a machine gun. They embed themselves in the skin of the whale inrge numbers, while it follows me nheless as I continue to fly at high speed.

    The mana on the projectiles charges the white sand, which immediately starts attacking the whale, the grains moving wildly through the air.

    Burrowing under the sand, the monster appears on the surface soon again. Wounds scarring its massive body, Though it¡¯s still not enough to take it down.

    When I repeat, the whale burrows under the surface and jumps back up, only to unleash that acoustic mental attack once more before burrowing again.

    The monster follows me for hours, quickly being joined by two more whales, and another three after that.

    Six giant monsters, two of which are slightly smaller and faster, constantly following me and attacking relentlessly, draining what little mana I have, even after a day in Beyond. But the desert is getting smaller and shallower at the edges.

    I don¡¯t think they were lying when they said the entire mana desert would attack the Champion if even a single grain of sand touched him. All the sand, charged by the mana batteries scattered across the desert, kept attacking until the Champion died, only stopping once he was gone. Meanwhile, a huge pile of sand has built up in the center, but the desert is slowly returning to its former state.

    It isn¡¯t long before the sand isn¡¯t deep enough for the moby dicks to follow, and they stop, their sad cries sounding like music to my ears.

    Though I¡¯m clearly still in the desert, since my mana isn¡¯t recovering, so I guess the edges aren¡¯t defined by the sand after all.

    With the promise of revenge against the white whales guiding me, I continue to fly, and when my mana finally starts to recover, Ind safely on the rocky ground, and as is typical of the 6th floor. It¡¯s night, and a purple neb shines in the sky.

    My next steps are simple.

    Find out where the hell I am¡ªwhether I¡¯m in the central region or back where we came from.

    Figure out a way to go back, grab as much sand as possible, and make a ton of items to sell in the system shop.

    Lastly, resume training with the RTE and orbs, and regroup with Group 4¡ªor at least with the twins, Lily and Biscuit, as we nned before.

 Chapter 452: A lot of shards

    <strong>[Ley Line - lvl 9 > Ley Line - lvl 10]</strong>

    <strong>[Ley Line - lvl 10 > Ley Line - lvl 11]</strong>

    <strong>[Ley Line - lvl 11 > Ley Line - lvl 12]</strong>

    <strong>[Ley Line - lvl 12 > Ley Line - lvl 13]</strong>

    <strong>[Ley Line - lvl 13 > Ley Line - lvl 14]</strong>

    After doing a bit more testing I finally figure out the difference between<strong> [Tether]</strong> and <strong>[Ley Line]</strong>.

    Where the main idea behind <strong>[Tether]</strong> was to create a tether, anchor it in space, and connect two disparate locations, the point of<strong> [Ley Line] </strong>is to create a line between them, not the anchor itself.

    I''m starting to suspect that as I reach higher levels, I might not even need the anchors. In theory, I could just create lines. However, I still have no idea how that would work.

    It¡¯s hard to exin since I mostly go by feel. Yes, anchors, marks, whatever you call them, are important, even with my new skill, but they seem to be more of a side benefit than the main focus.As for the lines, I¡¯m still not very sure what their advantages are, but it does bring to mind an image of the world spanning Veil of the 5th floor.

    I have a suspicion that my new skill, at a really, really high level, could have the same potential. Perhaps allowing me to cover the entire earth in invisible lines of mana and do¡­ something.

    I¡¯m sure I¡¯lle up with something amazing eventually. Maybe a personal transportation. Or a system to detect monsters with invisibility and kill them on sight.

    I know I still don¡¯t have a proper understanding of the skill, these are just the questions I have at the moment.

    What¡¯s the advantage of using lines over anchors? Lines have arger surface area and more points where they can be damaged, while anchors are vulnerable to the anchors themselves. Yes, lines cover more space¡ªthe entire breadth of the line¡ªwhereas anchors just connect two points.

    It needs more testing, but it¡¯s not like I mind. After all, it¡¯s a shiny new toy I can work on, and I already did over the past few days.

    I¡¯ve also figured out that I¡¯m somewhere in the central region, though I haven¡¯t seen much difference so far, but then again I haven¡¯t actually delved any deeper than the border of the Mana Desert.

    I still haven¡¯t given up on my goal of using the sand to acquire mass quantities of shards, I¡¯m also waiting for Aaron, Dennis, Lily, and Biscuit, the group I was supposed to guide, before delving back into the Mana Desert.

    Tess and the others decided to go forward with the n, so we¡¯ll be splitting group 4 to cover more area, train, and level up for the next few months.

    Something tells me things aren¡¯t going to be quite the same with the group after the days of amplified emotions in the Champion¡¯s prison, but I don¡¯t ask. I¡¯m sure Lily and the boys will tell me more when they get here.

    That is if we can even detect each other. Currently, the n is for them to reach the edge of the desert and move across it until we meet. Of course, with help from my constant signals and the twins¡¯ attempting to use<strong> [Connection]</strong>.

    There¡¯s also a crown over my head. For the next few months, I n to find out how much mana I can store in the thing. I also want to move my mana to it for when I inevitably go to collect white sand for crafting.

    At least I managed to get the blue brothers to teach me how to purge the mana from my clothes, so I don¡¯t have to go naked anymore.

    An interesting questiones to mind. If I were to leave my things and crown here and go to collect some white sand, would it be possible for someone to steal my crown?

    I mean, it would probably explode eventually, but it would still be interesting to see how the skill would react if someone else were to touch the crown.

    A dayter, I shoot off a couple of res made of thermal energy,unching them high into the air, while storing my mana in the crown. Then I do a few rounds of expunging and purge the mana clinging to my clothes and body.

    As I pass the border and my mana stops regenerating, I repeat the process again. Only then do I use kic energy and make my way over to the white dunes.

    Upon reaching them, I immediately start checking for more of those annoying whales and push as much of the white sand as I can into the bags I brought with me.

    In the end, it probablyes out to somewhere around half of my weight, before running back satisfied with the result¡ªwithout any whales attacking me this time.

    I stop just before passing through the border so that my mana doesn¡¯t regenerate. There, I already have a few molds prepared, granted they¡¯re mostly just holes in the ground made with my mana and purged.

    At this pointI grab the white sand and start pouring it into one of the forms before me.

    A single big dagger with a handle made from the horn of a monster I killed not long ago.

    I repeat the process from before, using a stream of golden thermal energy to melt the sand until it begins to bubble, releasing trapped air and starting to glow. I take a moment to let the gasses finish venting and let the de cool. Then I do the same with the other 4 forms, ending up with five daggers.

    Taking the bags of white sand, I put them in a hole on the side where mana doesn¡¯t regenerate and push a rock over them.

    Then I take the daggers and walk across the border with them, returning the crown to its ce over my head.

    Like the spears I made before, the daggers begin to tremble, reacting to having a source of mana so close, despite being trapped in the form of ss where the individual particles can¡¯t pierce me.

    <strong>Mana-Reactive Dagger (Upper Epic):</strong><em>This dagger ignores mana-based defenses and absorbs mana on impact, sharpening its edge against physical armor and barriers. It bes progressively more effective the more mana it absorbs, but if pushed too far, it can shatter explosively, scattering a mist of fine, cutting particles that may cause a significant degree of harm to anything in the area.</em>

    Not bad. Let¡¯s sell it.

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,830 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Mana-Reactive Dagger (Upper Epic)</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t the system scamming me again.

    Upper epic items often go for over 10 thousand shards or more. The fact that I crafted this one means that I should receive 50% of the item¡¯s total value instead of the 10-20% I get for items I find on the individual floors. And yet this sale is going to me less than 5 thousand.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    There could be any number of exnations, like the low quality of the item or the fact that the de could shatter and kill its owner at any moment.

    Little things like that.

    Still, I may as well just me the asshole of a system.

    I confirm the sale and then move to another dagger with the same description.

    <strong>Unable to sell the same item twice.</strong>

    As I feared. Even though I made each dagger slightly differently, using handles made from different materials in a variety of shapes, the message remains the same.

    Just like before, when I tried to sell coordinates to Lissandra¡¯s world twice, the system just wouldn¡¯t allow it.

    I have a strong suspicion that there was a powerful duplication glitch, and this is just how the system patched it out. Hats off to the lucky fe who abused it.

    But it¡¯s still something I expected, so I move to n b and open the easy difficulty tab of themunity.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4)</strong> ¨C <em>yo, name all the different kinds of weapons and simple armor and items you cane up with. Dagger, spear, axe, and the like. If you give me an idea I haven¡¯t thought of, I¡¯ll buy you something in the next tournament.</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse)</strong> ¨C <em>hello boss! The items you gave me are doing great. I killed a boss monster on my own!</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse)</strong> ¨C<em> I have a few ideas, but these are probably the ones you didn¡¯t think of il, warhammer, halberd, scimitar, throwing knife, katana, ive, nunchaku, morningstar, quarterstaff, sickle, trident.</em>

    What the hell is up with that guy? I really didn¡¯t expect any of his suggestions. I¡¯ll seriously fuck up anyone who tries to take him away.

    <strong>Maria (Easy, AFK)</strong> ¨C <em>Dagger, spearhead, arrowhead, knife, shuriken, short sword, throwing spike, club!</em>

    <strong>Potato (Easy, Royals)</strong> ¨C <em>Noname, giving away free items? I want some too, hopefully something from Tent Creep, hehe. Tomahawk, boomerang, pike, bay, harpoon, hook, ive, estoc, fang, kris, falchion.</em>

    Huh, there are a few here that I didn¡¯t think of either.

    <strong>Sami (Easy, AFK)</strong> ¨C <em>Helicopter.</em>

    Sure.

    <strong>Maria (Easy, AFK)</strong> ¨C <em>While he¡¯s at it, he can make a tank or two.</em>

    <strong>Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse)</strong> ¨C <em>Noname, you should also try making a spiked gauntlet, knuckles, and garrote.</em>

    I didn¡¯t think¡­ well, whatever.

    <strong>Noname (Hell, group 4)</strong> ¨C <em>I have no fucking idea how some of these Items look, so I¡¯m going to need you to describe them for me, mainly their shape. If anyone thinks they have something funny to say, I will make a living hell out of the next tournament just for you.</em>

    And with that, everyone bes much more respectful, while I collect the resulting ideas.

    I¡¯m rich, but now I can be even richer.

    There are a few arcane passives I¡¯ve been eyeing for a long time.

    For each item, I make 5 forms and create five pieces of it even though I can sell only one. The remaining ones I throw into 4 different piles.

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,790 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Mana-Reactive dius (Upper Epic)</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    Of course, I want to.

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,861 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Mana-Reactive Scythe (Upper Epic)</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    Gimme.

    <strong>Do you really want to sell the following item for 2,111 shards?</strong>

    <strong>Mana-Reactive ymore (Upper Epic)</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    Yes, yes, yes.

    Some items are failures, like the boomerang, club, and warhammer. Some wind up going for much cheaper, many of them set somewhere around 1 thousand shards.

    I think there are requirements for the usefulness of the weapon. You can¡¯t just create a shape and expect it to be dered a weapon by the system.

    Other items take more attempts to get right. For example, the scythe took a lot of time, and some things like armor, gloves, and chest tes just didn¡¯t work at all. But I don¡¯t mind it too much. I have scores of weapons, and I¡¯m visiting multiple Communities, offering some nice stuff to people whoe up with items I didn¡¯t think of.

    Most of the things that work turn out to be weapons, as things like brooches and pendants don¡¯t seem to do much, turning out rare at best.

    It takes multiple visits to the desert and another two attacks from those goddamned good for nothing whales.

    Monsters begin appearing as well, as they always do during the day. They¡¯re stronger than those I find in the outer region, but how could they cause trouble for me?

    I mean, even with the quantity of mana I¡¯m turning into thermal energy and the amount of time I spend training with RTE and orbs, I still have plenty left over to fill my crown.

    These are beautiful times.

    A week or two passes like that. It''s hard to say with all the training and crafting I do.

    Finally, I detect Lily, the best doggo of the 6th floor, and Aaron and Dennis. They reach my campsite, and the expressions on their faces as they do just look in weird.

    Lily rushes in first, hugging me with a big, bright smile, and I¡¯m in a good mood, so I return, tapping her on the shoulder after a moment, signaling her to let go.

    She doesn¡¯t.

    As I start thinking about whether I should strengthen my body and how much kic energy I would need to dislodge this musclehead, she finally lets go.

    ¡°You sure made a mess of this ce,¡± she notes, still smiling.

    I look around and realize she¡¯s right. There are dozens of holes in the rocky ground, the newer ones growing smoother as I experimented with my skills to make the edges of the forms better. Beyond the border to the Mana Desert, next to the forms, there are a multitude of bags, full to bursting with white sand.

    On the opposite side, in the central region, there are several monster corpses that I tried cutting apart to use for weapon materials or as anatomical guides for the more annoying ones.

    I even dug several holes in search of metals to use for weapons.

    This ce really is a huge mess.

    But it feels cozy. Though maybe that¡¯s just because I¡¯m getting richer by the minute.

    I grab one of the daggers from the pile and throw it to Lily.

    ¡°How much can you sell it for?¡±

    ¡°It says just over 600 shards.¡±

    Hmm, I see. I could sell it for around 1,800 shards. So if I make the weapon myself, I can sell it for 50% of the system estimated value, but if I hand that weapon to someone else, it acts like they found the weapon on the floor itself, so the sale price gets reduced to somewhere between 10-20%? I¡¯m starting to wonder if the system isn¡¯t just fucking with me.

    It¡¯s probably abination of both.

    ¡°Good,¡± I say, taking a few steps to lift Biscuit into my arms and turning him to make sure he can hear what I have to say.

    I hold the best doggo in my outstretched arms, with his hind legs hanging free as I shake him from side to side. Which he seems to enjoy.

    ¡°There are 4 piles of about 70 items each. Go and sell them to the system shop. Each of you should get,¡± I try to do a quick calction but give up. I hate math, ¡°30-40k shards. Half is mine, which you will use to buy whatever I want.¡±

    ¡°The fuck?¡± Dennis says, staring like he¡¯s never seen me before.

    Aaron pokes him, ¡°Shut up before he changes his mind. We¡¯ll do it!¡±

    They rush away, and Lily follows after a quick moment of persuasion.

    Then I whisper to Biscuit, ¡°And you, buddy, if you can sell them, you can keep all the shards and buy whatever you want. Depending on the floor, you can even buy food.¡±

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    I put him on the ground, and he wobbles to his pile before stopping and turning back to me.

    He stops in front of me and bumps my shin with the top of his head, before returning to his pile.

    I open my status and check my shards.

    <strong>Shards: </strong><em>268,614</em>

    It''s time to treat myself to something nice.

 Chapter 453: One of us

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana Pulse Cirction (Low Arcane)</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>The user''s mana pathways are not only enhanced but supercharged with pulsating mana, passively optimizing all their physiological functions. This results in vastly increased stamina, increased energy reserves, and near instantaneous healing of minor to moderate injuries. The effects increase with more mana, and the constant high-speed cirction of mana through the brain grants enhanced cognitive rity.</em>

    <strong><em>Passive Skill: Mana Veil (Low Arcane)</em></strong><strong><em></em></strong>

    <em>The user bes nearly imperceptible to all forms of magical and physical detection, making them almost impossible to locate by normal or supernatural means. The veil not only blurs their outline but also distorts light and sound to the point of making the user appear invisible to the naked eye. Iing attacks are not only distorted but are also partially redirected or nullified, and disrupting their mana flow bes an almost futile effort.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane)</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>The user''s mind bes an imprable fortress, fortified by impossiblyplex mana weaves. This passive grants immense resistance to all forms of mental attacks, including illusions, mind control, and psychic attacks. Additionally, the passive allows the user''s mind to endure the immense strain of using powerful skills and traits.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Thermal Rebirth Matrix (Low Arcane)</strong><strong></strong>

    <em>The Thermal Rebirth Matrix allows one to absorb and convert ambient and internal heat at an exceptional rate. The user can regenerate from grievous injuries, including regrowing entire limbs and organs, almost within moments. This process also cleanses the body of any poisons or harmful substances. The user now possesses high resistance to all but the most extreme me and heat-based attacks, making them virtually impervious to most forms of thermal damage.</em>

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana Sculptor (Low Arcane)</strong><strong></strong><em>The user bes a Mana Sculptor capable of shaping mana into intricate and versatile constructs. These constructs maintain exceptional durability and adaptability while gaining enhanced precision and refinement. The user can now create moreplex forms to serve a wider variety of purposes. These constructs often possess special properties like self-repair and operate with improved efficiency and stability, allowing for longersting creations without additional mana expenditure.</em>

    These are the passives I¡¯m seriously considering.

    One that grants minor mana-based healing, body strengthening, and a bit of overall improvement.

    Another that grants mana-based mind protection and likely slight improvement to cognitive abilities.

    And then there¡¯s the healing passive based on thermal energy and the Mana Sculptor thingy that I really liked the look of.

    The dark horse here is mana<em> veil</em>, honestly, the part about distorting the trajectory of iing attacks interests me, and then there¡¯s the part where it promises to help me hide my mana, which I can only think will be more and more important as I grow stronger.

    Overall, any of these passives could give me a huge boost. Though the descriptions are about as simple as ever.

    With a few changes, one might even cause one to mistake them for epic passives, but the term ''arcane'' in their name speaks volumes. You could easily have a passive with ''rare'' in the name and damn near the same description, yet the difference would be immense.

    Even so, I can only ever bring myself to think of them as learning tools offered by the system. Sure, it¡¯s a goddamn arcane passive, and I¡¯m quite sure that means there can¡¯t be many people that have one.

    Getting it before level 300 could also improve my selection of Primary sses when I get my next upgrade. And given a few months or years, I may even learn to emte the passive¡¯s effects on my own. Perhaps I could even turn it into a more active healing skill, right? Right?

    They¡¯re all low arcane, so I could always just wait until I can afford something in the range of mid arcane, but I bet if I did and got to mid arcane, I would just convince myself to wait for something in the range of upper arcane.

    These are tough times indeed. I truly have the mother of all first world problems: too many good passives to pick from.

    ¡°Biscuit, I¡¯m frustrated and I can¡¯t decide,¡± I groan,ying back against the rocky ground.

    The cute corgi leaves the pile of items that he was selling. It¡¯s interesting to note that it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen him interact with the system this way. Well, he has been able to use the Community from the beginning, so it¡¯s not too big of a surprise, but some functions still seem to be locked on his end, I think.

    His cold nose boops its way into my ear, and I hear him sniffling for a moment before he moves a bit and licks my temple.

    Heys down next to me, resting his chin against my neck while I lift my hand, mindlessly stroking his back. I can feel his warm breath against the bottom of my chin, and it tickles, and I let it be.

    And for a while, I rest, just like that.

    ¡°So, how is the group?¡± I ask, finally broaching the topic with the others.

    ¡°Not well after the Mana Desert,¡± Dennis replies, his tone solemn, while his brother remains silent. Though I can imagine him silently nodding along.

    ¡°Sophie took Izzy and left the group after getting into a fight with Tess,¡± Aaron eventually confirms.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised at all,¡± Dennis says, though he looks surprised himself.

    This time I decide to ignore it and shrug, but gently, to avoid interrupting Biscuit¡¯s rest.

    ¡°Believe it or not I think about these things, little twerp. And if you¡¯re worried about it, don¡¯t be. You may not have noticed, but Tess can be a bit naive at times and sometimes she pushes things too far. She''s still a good person though, and Sophie knows that.¡±

    ¡°They could always just solve it with a bikini d mud fight,¡± Aaron suggests, sighing alongside me.

    Right now, I''d love to see the re Lily¡¯s surely sending his way, but I can''t interrupt our future Absolute''s rest to look.

    ¡°How is Min-Jae?¡± I poke and receive the silence I expected in return.

    ¡°They tried to apologize, but he told them to¡ªnow how did it go?¡ª ¡®eat shit,¡¯¡± Lily responds in the twins ce.

    "You know, Kim can be really stubborn when he wants to," Aaron grumbles.

    "Those orbs he shot at us really hurt," Dennis adds.

    As the sky grows darker, I create arger thermal orb and reduce the light being produced.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any urrences.

    Just for fun, I turn it into a cube the size of both my fists put together. I y with it a bit longer until I create a change in the thermal energy within. The light shifts and fluctuates in a simr way to how a campfire would.

    With just a bit more work, even the heat it radiates changes, radiating just as mes would. Sometimes the heat hits one ce stronger than the other. I tried toe up with a way to add sound effects with kic energy, though I¡¯ve failed so far.

    Standing up with Biscuit in my arms, I create a manabloc chair for each of us, seated around the huge boulder.

    As they sit in the chairs, I concentrate a bit more and make them a touch more flexible so they deform them slightly in response to the weight. Then I fix them in ce, each chair perfectly shaped to the position they¡¯re in.

    ¡°Manabloc chair, is that what you called it?¡± Aaron asks, giggling quietly, but I can tell his heart isn¡¯t in it.

    As Biscuit drifts off to sleep, I form a mana arm to reach out and grab a nket and gently drape it over him, allowing his head to peek out. Then, I begin petting him softly.

    Biscuit asionally twitches and lets out a series of soft barks in his sleep, but gradually rxes as I keep running my hand over him.

    An hour passes in silence, and it''s strangelyfortable to just sit here after two weeks of crafting and training.

    The steady rise and fall of his breathing bes the only sound I hear, and for the first time in a while, I let myself rx, enjoying this quiet break from the recent madness.

    I carefully break the silence, looking at the corgi in my arms, ¡°When Biscuit was just a small pup, his owner¡¯s granddaughter would leave him out in the wind, snow, and rain, without food or water. And she would record videos of her ¡°saving¡± him, probably with titles like <em>Saving a cute corgi from the rain and bathing him in warm water.</em><em>Bringing a cute corgi in from the snow and giving him a warm spot by the fire. Finding a hungry corgi outside and feeding him.</em> Thest was her favorite and she often left him to starve. I think she kept making new ounts, posting the videos, in the vain hope the videos would go viral, and kickstart her ¡®career¡¯ by bringing her an audience.¡± I state, nearly spitting the words as theye.

    After gently booping Biscuit¡¯s nose I look at Lily and the twins, who seem to have been stunned into silence.

    ¡°She never got her viral break, and so she kept trying until she got bored, and gave Biscuit to her grandparents, who she lived with¡ªand who must have known what she has done.¡±

    I pause for a moment to calm myself down, and only when I stop feeling like I want to punch someone, do I rest my hand back on Biscuit¡¯s head.

    ¡°Being a simple pup and a normal dog, Biscuit never understood. He shared some of the images and feelings he had back then, so I know a bit about what happened.¡± My eyes meet Lily¡¯s. ¡°He was always happy when she pulled him from the rain and snow when she fed him after starving him. He loved her. Just how silly is that.¡±

    No one says anything for a while, and I increase the output of my thermal cube, the light flickering across the nighttime scenery.

    ¡°Aaron and Ie from a very wealthy family,¡± Dennis says, the first to break the silence. He and his brother exchange a series of messages through their link before he continues, ¡°And by wealthy, I mean tens of millions. At least we were, you could say.¡±

    There¡¯s a smile on his face as he continues, stumbling over his words for a moment as his shyness gets the better of him, ¡°Our parents died when we were younger than Isabe, and our family¡¯s passed us around ever since. Grandpa wasn¡¯t that bad, and we spent a few nice years with him. Then he died, and we got sent to our uncle and then to our aunt.¡±

    Aaron joins in, ¡°She always hated our parents but didn¡¯t mind taking us in. You know, it meant she could take a bite of all that money they left us after all.¡±

    ¡°Her and everyone else who got the chance. Father¡¯s old friends, distant family members, the state, the city, our ountants¡ªthey all made sure enough got lost along the way.¡±

    ¡°We never saw a cent. There¡¯s still some locked away in secure ounts, but most of it¡¯s gone now.¡±

    ¡°Auntie took care of it.¡± Dennis smiles even wider. ¡°She also liked to show us how she despised her ¡®whore¡¯ sister¡¯s brats,¡± he reaches over his shoulder and taps his back, ¡°We have plenty of scars to prove it. Of course, nothing too visible, we wouldn¡¯t want people to start asking and take us away.¡±

    ¡°Us and the money.¡±

    ¡°And the money,¡± Dennis confirms.

    Aaron leans back, eyes distant, as if recalling memories he¡¯d rather keep buried.

    There¡¯s a shared understanding between the twins, the kind that can onlye from years of unspoken pain, but they don''t linger on it for long.

    The casual way they speak about their past almost makes it sound normal like they''ve long since epted the unfairness of it all.

    It¡¯s clear they¡¯ve grown ustomed to brushing off the pain with forced smiles and empty gestures, but the quiet tension tells a different story.

    Then we turn to Lily, hearing a soft sobbinging from her corner, as she wipes her eyes with her sleeves. "I didn¡¯t know," she mumbles. "I didn¡¯t know any of that."

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we go around telling people,¡± Dennis says, a gentle smirk on his lips, his blue eyes glinting in the light from my cube.

    ¡°We mostly kept it to ourselves,¡± Aaron adds. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly easy to talk about.¡±

    Dennis looks at his brother. ¡°But we always had each other, no matter what happened. I hate that creep sometimes, but hey, we¡¯re still in this together.¡±

    ¡°Dennis is a dick, but hey, at least I can do some evil things and me it on him.¡± Aaron nods seriously and turns to Lily. ¡°So what about you? Everyone here seems at least a little messed up. Particrly Tess with everything she¡¯s done, Kim mentioned something in his own past, poor Biscuit¡ªand I bet Nat also has a thing or two, at least looking at the way he and his sister fight.¡±

    With curiosity, I watch as Lily hesitates, but the twins wait together with me.

    She starts softly, ¡°It wasn¡¯t until I got older that I realized my father and I were poor. He was hardly ever home, there was never much in the way of food, and our apartment was either freezing cold or unbearably hot. I couldn¡¯t leave because it wasn¡¯t safe outside. For years, my only friend was Grumpy, my cat.¡±

    I increase the warmth from my cube, and we sit quietly, soaking it in for a moment.

    ¡°They eventually took me from my father and ced me with a new family, they even let me keep Grumpy, I haven¡¯t seen my dad in years. The people I¡¯m with now are kind enough sure, there¡¯s always food, and I¡¯m not cold anymore. But over time, the way they treat me has changed. I wasn¡¯t behaving the way they wanted. ¡®They¡¯d always ask, ¡°Why don¡¯t you smile more, Lily?¡±.¡¯ ¡®Why are you so quiet, Lily?¡¯ ¡®Why doesn¡¯t your father ever visit, Lily?¡¯ ¡®Why, why, why, why, why.¡¯¡±

    She swallows hard, her voice catching, but then she smiles as she looks from the twins to me.

    ¡°When I get back to Earth, I hope Grumpy is still alive. He¡¯ll be old, but cats like him can live for 20 years. I know it! I¡¯ll make him immortal, I¡¯ll make him young again, and then we¡¯ll be together just like before.¡±

    For thest time, she wipes her eyes, ¡°I know it¡¯s childish, but it¡¯s something to hope for. So tell me, Aaron, am I messed up too?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re totally messed up, Lily. A fitting member of group 4,¡± Aaron confirms with a nod.

    Slowly, the conversation shifts to other topics, and I notice they deliberately avoid asking about my past.

    It¡¯s morefortable that way, and I feel a quiet sense of relief, so I let it slide.

    Then something cold pokes my left hand, the pale one.

    I look down and my eyes meet Biscuit¡¯s.

    He doesn¡¯t say anything, but he keeps poking me.

    Firmly. Gently.

    My conversation with Tess back in the caves under the Mana Desertes to my mind.

    The silence stretches on, but no one pushes me to speak.

    ¡°My father was a drunkard who beat my mother and sister, who always protected me, despite the fact that it only ever got her extra beatings.¡±

    All conversation stops, but I don¡¯t look up, fixing my gaze on Biscuit. And he stares back at me.

    A gentle little soul with a terrible past, just like the rest of us.

    ¡°I tried to kill him one day, but I couldn¡¯t go through with it. I still remembered how he was when I was younger. Our visit to the zoo, when he bought us the tastiest ice cream I ever had. All the times he carried me on his shoulders when my legs hurt from walking. A perfect sunny day in the park. That time he and Mom danced in the kitchen when we moved into a new home¡ªthey were both so beautiful then. I still remember all the times he put Vic and me to bed and gently kissed our foreheads.¡±

    Another cold-feeling prods my hand.

    ¡°My sister killed him in the end. Because I couldn¡¯t and because he would¡¯ve killed our mom eventually. Ever since then, she¡¯s been in prison, and I was decried as the brother of a murderer.¡±

    Biscuit licks my arm, and I ruffle his head, lifting my head up. ¡°Tell me am I as messed up as the rest of you?¡±

    ¡°You are truly messed up indeed,¡± Dennis confirms, nodding along with me.

    ¡°Terribly messed up,¡± Lily whispers quietly, her big eyes on me.

    ¡°Just like the rest of us,¡± Aaron says. ¡°Another fitting member of group 4.¡±

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    I look down at him and feel myself smile, "You as well, Biscuit. You¡¯re one of us too."

 Chapter 454: Shaping the Invisible

    In the end, I decide to go with

    <strong>Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) </strong><em>- The user''s mind bes an imprable fortress, fortified by impossiblyplex mana weaves. This passive grants immense resistance to all forms of mental attacks, including illusions, mind control, and psychic attacks. Additionally, the passive allows the user''s mind to endure the immense strain of using powerful skills and traits.</em>

    It''s shameful to admit, but as ofte, I''ve been having trouble focusing my mind when I need to use my skills on a really big scale. At this point managing some of therger constructs, inscriptions, and splitting my mind into the necessary parts with <strong>[Focus]</strong> has begun to prove difficult. And I find myself wanting to act on everrger-scales.

    Not to mention all the ways it should improve my capacity to use <strong>[Ley Line]</strong>, and a lot of other skills now that I think about it, even my domain, I should be able to expand it further now without a lot of extra strain.

    And I can''t forget my eyes. With this passive, I should be able to strengthen my trait even further. I just need to get the token for 1st stage, after all, I don''t want to waste my 2nd stage token.

    I know its main effect is to defend my mind, not to make it stronger¡ªthat would require a different passive. Still, even that small additional effect is a nice bonus.

    Mana Sculptor was tempting too, but I think I should be able to recreate it on my own.

    Though I¡¯ll probably find myself regretting not choosing something with a healing effect. No, I know I¡¯ll regret it, but I''m kind of used to bleeding and losing limbs for the sake of progress. I''ve always preferred to be a ss cannon.

    Hopefully, my epic healing passive will hold on for a bit longer. I¡¯m still working on those new body modifications with Lily, and then there are those healing marks she¡¯s been working on.I seriously considered taking Mana Pulse Cirction and I came close to choosing that. But there are reasons I didn¡¯t, and I need to think those over a bit more to know if I should be smacking myself in the back of the head. Mana Cycling is especially something I need to look deeper into.

    My main priority will always be protecting my mind and its freedom. It''s something I¡¯ve been forced to worry about ever since the 1st floor when Sophie got her hooks in me and used that to manipte my actions. I fully intend to learn how this passive works for future abuse. And just as an added bonus, it¡¯s due toe with a boost to my concentration and insight when ites to researching new skills.

    As just over 230 thousand shards disappear, the passive appears in my status, leaving me with just under 40 thousand shards.

    My new passive doesn¡¯t re into immediate action, as pain floods through me. And I mean, a lot of pain. My entire head feels like it''s about to melt, and I feel like some vast and unknowable thing has decided to skewer my brain with a red-hot iron.

    Note to self: having a high-tier passive applied hurts like hell.

    I begin doing mana shaping exercises in an effort to ignore the pain, resuming my work with the evil orbs. I nce at them now and again, curious to see if the passive has made any difference, and it''s clearly noticeable even in this iplete state.

    There were levels in mana shaping I could delve into, but the pressure on my mind wouldn¡¯t allow for much probing when I first started, so, of course, that means I¡¯ve gained a new avenue for training!

    Right away, I add two more evil orbs, totaling seven before I get slowed by my inadequate mastery over mana rather than a weakness of my flesh.

    Over thest few days, I¡¯ve been nning to set up arge-scale web, simr to Sophie¡¯s using <strong>[Ley Line]</strong>, I should be able to put this new passive through its paces then. After that, the next test will be to focus onpressing my mana and delving deeper into the kind of things Mana Sculptor passive described.

    I will improve my mana armor, weapons, projectiles, and manabloc chairs.

    Actually, the more I think about it the more ¡°manabloc¡± makes sense as a name for thepressed mana I use." So by that token, I would be using manabloc swords and armor.

    And damn if I don¡¯t know my share of people who would absolutely hate it.

    Anyway, my big mecha armor requires testing. With my new passive, I should be able to make it bigger and stronger, and the self-repair function would certainly be nice to learn. I¡¯ll definitely need to make the longeststing creation possible. I¡¯ve even got a head start with the chairs I made a few nights back.

    The events of that night are still awkward to think about, and I¡¯m going to need to kick something¡¯s ass just to feel manly again. Bullying the twins could work, but they¡¯ve been suspiciously not annoying, and something in me thinks it has something to do with their adaptability as if they¡¯ve figured out my patterns and made an effort to avoid giving me an excuse.

    Tsk.

    ¡°How¡¯s your training going?¡± I ask, stopping by to check on them, and finding thezy asses sitting in the chairs I made with modified evil orbs floating over them.

    ¡°You¡¯re a frigging monster,¡± Dennis groans.

    I track his eyes and find them on the seven orbs following me.

    ¡°Skill issue?¡±

    ¡°Please, Nat, don¡¯t use that jargon.¡±

    ¡°I heard it from you, so who¡¯s really to me here? I¡¯ll remind you once again: if you fail to meet my expectations within the next few months, I will force you to switch to Hard difficulty. You would be dumb not to take me at my word.¡±

    ¡°We know, we know, damn it. You are not the type to back down from this kind of stuff,¡± Aaron, sighs from his position next to me, his evil orb vanishing.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    I modify one of mine, move it over to him, then rece it with a fresh one.

    ¡°Any reward if we seed?¡±

    ¡°Bing stronger?¡± I ask, mild confusion evident in my tone. ¡°If you work at it you¡¯ll improve your control over your skills, and maybe you and your brother won¡¯t have to keep being the weakest members of group 4. You could even beat Min-Jae if you do well. I¡¯m sure Tess¡¯ working on a training regiment for him as well, so you can¡¯t really afford to lose.¡±

    ¡°Are you maybepeting with Tess to see who can raise the stronger pet?¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to turn us into your disciples?¡± Dennis smirks.

    Now that¡¯s an amusing thought, I think, making the orbs a bit harder to handle. ¡°In just a few years, Vega will wipe the floor with you. Both of you at once. If she maintains her current rate of improvement, and I get the chance to summon her during the tournament, no one from Hard difficulty will be able to face her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a demon, that girl,¡± Dennis says, swatting away the remains of his burst evil orb with a free hand.

    In response, I immediately create a new one.

    ¡°So, what happened with the group after you left the Champion¡¯s prison?¡±

    ¡°Well, we were confused at first, what with the missing thrin douches and the fact that you¡¯d stayed behind, but we checked the Community, and you were still there. Izzy seemed to know something though, so she got us all calmed down,¡± Aaron sayszily.

    The way he handles the orb tells me he¡¯s starting to get the hang of it, so I increase the difficulty.

    Dennis continues in his ce, ¡°We appeared in some old, abandoned fort. We cleared the surroundings of monsters and posted a guard while we rested. Then, Sophie and Tess started fighting sometime during the night,¡±

    ¡°More like Sophie started drilling Tess,¡± Aaron adds quickly before returning his focus to managing his orb.

    ¡°She is always like that when ites to Izzy¡¯s safety,¡± Dennis confirms.

    When Aaron¡¯s orb bursts open again, he leans back in his chair. ¡°They fought and damn, if Sophie decides she wants to cause trouble, she can really do some damage, even to Tess. Izzy had to step in before someone died then Sophie took her and left. I really didn¡¯t expect it to happen, and neither did Tess. She seemed¡­ hurt. Are you okay with that, Nat?¡±

    ¡°You guys act like it¡¯s the end of the world or something. Just give it a few months. Maya will keep poking and prodding at Tess, Izzy will manipte Sophie, and the gang will be together again. Have you met anyone from the central region?¡±

    ¡°Not a single one so far, honestly I think we¡¯re way off target from where we were headed. Kallus seemed lost too, but he was a bit more open about sharing information on the central region, and any hints and rumors he had about the remaining containment zones. We¡¯ll have to get you up to speed on everything we¡¯ve learned since then.¡±

    ¡°Good, the Champions¡¯ containment cells seem like a solid lead to getting us off this moon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you call a solid lead? After the blue maniac in the hole? Are you sure you want to mess with even more Champion-level beings?¡±

    ¡°Why not? It ended perfectly wellst time.¡±

    ¡°Suuureee.¡±

    I increase the difficulty of the orb and then create a few more which I set to hovering nearby. That way the twins can grab new ones if the ones they¡¯re training with burst. I¡¯m quite happy with the new orbs. They¡¯ll only activate their ever changing frequency and mana level requirements when one of the twins takes them. Until then, they¡¯ll remain inactive. Sandra would be proud.

    Well, if I were being honest she would probably justpare me to a pet or something.

    Walking towards Lily, I spin the evil orbs around me and examine each one. I could probably manage a few more, and that annoys me as much as it makes me happy. It shouldn¡¯t be this easy. I should be straining as blood seeps from my ears and nose just to handle the one. Just like the good old times back in the pyramid.

    Tonight, I will have to sit down and check the mana stones Lady Lissandra gave me and ramp up the difficulty. I¡¯m sure she modified the orbs for me, just as I did for the twins, surely I can modify them again.

    The thought of me being to her what the twins are to me prickles at mypetitive spirit. If I don¡¯te up with a way to make this significantly more difficult, I¡¯ll check out the other shaping exercises, even though Lissandra rmended starting with this one.

    I check on Lily to find that she¡¯s currently resting with her back against a boulder with her eyes closed, her hands sping the finger bone of the champion from the 5th floor and some of the others I¡¯ve collected.

    Careful not to interrupt her, I connect to my Ley Lines, and they appear, ring in my sight. A dozen invisible pale blue threads stretching in all directions. They¡¯re part of a new test I thought up. Each one is tied to a different item. And though it¡¯s something I could easily do with normal mana, these are something people can pass through and still have trouble sensing.

    They don¡¯t have any effect on the physical world yet, but I¡¯m sure I cane up with something clever once I have a few more levels in the skill.

    I touch one line, and for a moment it shines, and I give the anchor a strong pull, yanking it towards me. A chair gets pulled to me through the open area, and I grab it by the leg, setting it upright so I can take a seat.

    As I do, I think about this new skill of mine.

    These threads that make up my Ley Lines¡ªwhat can I make with them? They are of a material I have yet to meet, and I know the intention is to make them hidden, but during previous testing, I was able to make part of one line show in the physical world. That single short thread was stronger than anything else I¡¯m currently capable of creating.

    It took a lot out of me. It scared Biscuit, and the twins said they felt like they were about to pass out as I strained my skills, pushed my limits, and burned through a metric ton of mana to make it happen.

    I can usually estimate how much strain something will take, and honestly, I don''t think I can push it any further at this point¡ªat least not without seriously hurting myself.

    Fortunately, I just got a new arcane passive and that should allow for more testing.

    The materialized Ley Line is impossible to disrupt, and impossible to cut, at least with my current level of skill, even running<strong> [Resonance] </strong>at full power didn¡¯t do anything, I couldn¡¯t burn it either nor could I affect it kically.

    It took a lot of effort just to materialize this weird, finger-length, thread.

    But at that moment, I decided it was something I wanted to exploit. Together with the intended use of the skill, I will try to materialize it as much as possible. I have the skillset for that. I can do it.

    And once I¡¯ve mastered it I¡¯ll weave things from the thread.

    Weapons, armor, barriers. I¡¯ll learn to make the threads, the Ley Lines, as thin as possible, if I can make them fine enough they have the potential to make my creations infinitely more delicate. I will learn as much as I can from this skill and add its properties to everything I create with<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong>.

    One day I¡¯ll even weave it through my mana mech, making it that much tougher as I use the lines for muscles and tendons.

    The sheer amount of processing it will require to materialize that many Ley Lines makes my head spin, but my arcane passive will help.

    And it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have options: I can level my <strong>[Focus]</strong>, allowing it to handle more of the strain of that, and split my mind into multiple parts to process everything I need to control. I could also make an item, something to handle part of the strain.

    The Ley Line thread is already gone, I couldn¡¯t keep it materialized longer than a few moments, but its image is still fresh in my mind. A delicate, pale blue shimmering thread, a color so simr yet distinct from the pale blue of normal mana.

 Chapter 455: Seventh variation

    ¡°I¡¯ve already modified my arm, I mostly used the Champion¡¯s bone as inspiration. It¡¯s the toughest body part I¡¯ve seen so far! Of course, I wasn¡¯t able to modify my own arm to the same extent, but look!¡±

    Lily then takes one of the daggers I made out of the white sand, one she hasn¡¯t sold yet. She sends a bit of her mana through, activating it, and shes into her forearm, the de only stopping once it hits bone.

    She doesn¡¯t even bother to heal it right away, and as her blood drips down, she looks up at me with a big smile on her small face.

    ¡°I tried it before, and though it took some effort, I still managed to cut all the way through. But this time, the de stopped the moment it touched the bone! Look!¡±

    Lily pulls the dagger free, and the wound closes almost instantly. She grabs the dagger in her other hand this time and shes the other one with great force.

    This time, the de slides cleanly through flesh and bone and severs her arm at the elbow.

    ¡°I told you!¡± Happily, she grabs the cut-off arm and holds it to the wound, as her muscles stretch, reconnecting the limb to her body, as new skin spans the gap, and the limb shifts position as it audibly snaps back into ce, leaving her cooling blood as the only sign that she had ever been injured

    I¡¯m jealous. I wish I had a skill like that. I wish there was a way to make it happen, maybe a passive or something.

    Tell me, are you watching, Lady Handler? Do you read my records? Do you still think I¡¯m not normal?Just LOOK AT THIS GIRL!

    ¡°So when can we start working on modifying my body?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Nat, sorry. I just started with the bones in my forearm, and I still need to go through the rest of my body before I¡¯ll feelfortable modifying yours.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense.¡±

    She immediately perks up as if she were worried I would be disappointed for some reason. ¡°Give me your left hand,¡± she gestures quickly.

    Curious, I lift my hand, and she grabs it with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on my healing marks and I still haven¡¯te up with a cool name yet.¡± As she speaks she reaches out to me with the tip of her finger and presses against the inside of my forearm, and I feel her mana make contact.

    I allow it to pass through my natural barrier, and a burning itch spreads through my skin at the point of contact.

    ¡°Huh, it¡¯s surprisingly easy to work on your left arm. I think you were right back on the 4th floor. I restored it, so I have a stronger connection to it. That¡¯s why I can sacrifice it and not your other limbs. But isn¡¯t that weird? I healed your other limbs too but I still can¡¯t sacrifice them.¡±

    ¡°I think it has something to do with our subconscious perceptions. Back then, when I said it, you epted it as fact and believed it. And I still believe in it, quite strongly. After all, you made a strong impact on me back when you first restored it.¡±

    ¡°So in theory it could work with your other limbs too, and it doesn¡¯t right now because we just don¡¯t believe it?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± I agree. ¡°To sacrifice something, you must have power over it; it must belong to you. And the more precious it is, the better it will be as a sacrifice.¡±

    Lily hums in agreement and touches my forearm again, a bit higher this time, and a mark starts spreading across the surface of my skin, tracing its form in a pale shade of white. It¡¯s barely visible against the pale skin of my arm, almost like a faded scar.

    ¡°What do you think would be the best sacrifice, Nat?¡±

    I¡¯ve actually thought about it a lot. Her skill fascinates me even now, so I actually have an answer ready. ¡°I think your own life or memories.¡±

    She stops for a moment, surprised by the answer, and her eyes meet mine. ¡°Not people?¡±

    ¡°Do you think you could even own a person on a level fundamental enough to sacrifice them like that? I don''t think it would work. No, I think sacrificing parts of yourself would work the best. Just imagine permanently sacrificing your being, what makes you you, just to power your skills. It would be worse than killing yourself, you¡¯d be forgetting everything that makes you, you. It¡¯s a terrifying thought,¡± I answer withplete honesty.

    Would I ever be able to do that? Just the thought is...

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Nat,¡± Lily objects, shaking her head in disagreement. Letting go of my arm, she takes a step back.

    She doesn¡¯t continue, so I let it pass.

    Looking down at the white mark on my forearm, I ask, ¡°So what now?¡±

    ¡°It should activate easily enough as long as ites into contact with your blood. I tried to make it activate with mana alone, but I couldn¡¯t figure out how. I¡¯m going to need your help toe up with a trigger for it.¡±

    ¡°Got it, we¡¯ll work together toe up with something.¡±

    Then I stop holding my mana back for a moment, cing my normal process of mana cycling on temporary hold deactivating my passives as I do.

    There are definitely easier ways to injure myself, but I may as well take the opportunity to see the effects of my uncontrolled mana on my body.

    Right away, I destabilize my control over the mana in my left arm. More and more mana seeps through my skin, causing Lily to take a step back as a wave of my mana washes over the area.

    My arm twitches, and twists in several ces. Muscles and veins erupt from my flesh, and mana tears through the surface of my skin, ramping up in time with my heartbeat.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Then I reactivate my passives and constructs. I once again dedicate part of my mind to the process of cycling my mana through my body as it seeps back into the proper paths through my body. The feeling of a bomb ready to explode is gone.

    I watch as blood touches the mark, and it rapidly begins to fade until it disappearspletely.

    The same warm mana I¡¯ve grown to associate with Lily spreads through my arm, and with a speed unmatched by any of my passives, the bones snap back into ce, and the muscles, veins, and nerves reconnect. Then the mana the mark held runs out, leaving the skin still torn in dozens of ces, as blood drips freely from the wounds.

    Stepping closer, Lily puts her hand on mine, healing the rest. ¡°It¡¯s still a work in progress, and I¡¯m not sure how long I can make itst. It doesn¡¯t hold much healing mana either, and it breaks every time I try to give it more.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll test it out. How many variations have you tried?¡±

    ¡°Around seven?" she demures, closing her hand into a fist and counting fingers, "The first one just didn¡¯t work, the second one blew off my arm somehow, the third one started growing the bones for new arms through my skin, the fourth one started healing the skin and started spreading through the muscles and bones and screwed up my arm in the process, the fifth one sent healing pulses through the rest of the body instead. The sixth variation grew muscles out of bone. So I spent a lot of my time on testing before I made the 7th variation. The first test went really well too!¡±

    ¡°Lily, by any chance, when you say ¡®first test¡¯ do you mean the one we just did?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°The one you just tested on me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! But I was pretty sure it would work!¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Lily giggles and shoves me and I manage to strengthen my body just in time to avoid being thrown to the ground by the petite healer, narrowly preserving my dignity.

    ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± she chuckles, her eyes crinkling into a smile. ¡°I did a lot of testing before I even thought of giving you the mark. And do you remember the Last King¡¯s crown? The one the Saint created? It might take a bit longer, probably years, but I think I should be able to make something simr work. A mark like that would be too difficult, but with your help, we shouldn¡¯t have any trouble making simr items work all on our own. I wouldn¡¯t even need to get close to heal people, and with a bit more work, I should be able to heal someone from miles away.¡±

    ¡°That sounds usible. And what exactly happened to those items?¡± I ask. If I remember correctly, they were technically mine and I was just renting them to group 4.

    ¡°I¡¯ll remind you that you said you didn¡¯t mind if I destroyed the crown. The crown kind of broke when I was examining it. I had to cut it apart, but it helped me create the mark, so it was well worth it!¡±

    I can¡¯t even argue with that. What she¡¯s saying is true, and I would have probably done exactly the same thing in her ce. But it could have easily sold for hundreds of shards. The thought just makes me sad.

    Relieved, Lily brushes her hair from her face. ¡°You may not have realized, but each of these items held some part of the Saint. The crown had a piece of bone, and the sword had a piece of a finger. I started examining them as well, but I don''t think they''ll be as useful as the Champion¡¯s fingerbone. For some reason, they feel like they¡¯ve changed too much even without the damage..¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of creepy, isn¡¯t it? She used parts of her own body as a medium to make it easier to send healing energy to a given target didn¡¯t she?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I think it was something like that, but they didn¡¯t feel as effective as they should have been. I think she made them before she even became a Champion, I just can¡¯t imagine her needing something like that at her level.¡±

    ¡°Then the Last King and his warriors probably kept them out of pure sentiment. Could it have been a failsafe too? Say, if someone had evaporated her body, could she have restored herself from the remains she left in the items? Like Vic did in her duel with you?¡±

    ¡°It felt different. I don¡¯t think your sister is actually a healer. She wasn¡¯t good at healing her body either, at best she was abusing her passives and traits, she certainly wasn¡¯t using anything resembling an active skill. I think she¡¯s something else entirely, maybe she had something like an <strong>[Avatar]</strong>. You told us there was a Champion with a skill like that back on the second floor, and the Avatar system we used back in the tournament felt a lot like what she was doing.¡±

    ¡°Good catch. I thought of it as well, and I¡¯m of the same opinion. Vic can probably create her own Avatars or Duplicates with free reign to control and swap her mind between them."

    "Wouldn¡¯t that make it almost impossible to kill her beyond a certain level? Couldn¡¯t she just store one of her fingers on the opposite side of the and regenerate from that?"

    "Yeah, I think she probably could. But I don¡¯t think that means killing her would be impossible. There¡¯s always a way if you¡¯re creative enough. For now, though, give me one more mark. I want to get another look."

    A few hourster, I decide to check on the twins. They¡¯re quiet and heavily focused, each struggling to deal with a single evil orb.

    Activating my eyes for a moment, I examine the process.

    "Good, two orbs each starting now," I say, creating two more orbs and moving them over to the twins.

    For a moment, I think they mightin or push back, but the idea doesn¡¯t seem to take root, instead, they leap right into the challenge.

    Their first attempts end in both orbs bursting open near instantaneously. And the cycle repeats over each attempt.

    Dozens of attemptster, and they haven¡¯t improved. Neither of them seems capable of handling two modified orbs.

    Too little mana, too much mana, they¡¯re slow to react one moment, or a distraction gets the better of them the next. The cycle continues like that for hours, and they do not stop.

    As I work on my own training nearby, I can¡¯t help but nce at them every once in a while¡ªthey¡¯re sweating, and gasping for air, as their mana fluctuates from the strain. They still do not stop.

    It¡¯s a deeper glimpse into something I¡¯ve noticed before. Aaron and Dennis are easygoing; they like to joke and they usually pick the easiest solution to every problem. But every once in a while, there are times like this. Moments when they buckle down and do their best. They have that same sense ofpetition, the same hunger for improvement that everyone in group 4 has.

    I don¡¯t think their talent is any worse than Izzy¡¯s or Min-Jae¡¯s, and I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what makes them the weakest members of group 4. I¡¯ve seen them try, in those small moments when theirpetitive spirit came to the fore, drawn out by the people around them.

    Their skills might be better suited for support roles. Particrly their <strong>[Connection]</strong> and <strong>[Sensory Deception]</strong>.

    Maya tried to train with them, and even though their<strong> [Haste]</strong> puts their speed on par with Maya¡¯s, they just don¡¯t have the same talent for close-rangebat. They¡¯re more like guerri agents.

    But they should be able to do so much more. I still remember Lissandra doing something they should be able to emte with <strong>[Connection]</strong>.

    That fiendish Absolute had a habit of letting people activate their skills and then connect to those skills, resonate with them, and use them instead. Aplete show of disrespect, iming she could use your skill better than you, without even possessing it.

    My logic is simple. We¡¯ll work on improving their <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong>, and experiment with <strong>[Connection] </strong>If only because I think they should be able to do so much more. And in the process, I¡¯ll work on improving my <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, in my own attempt at achieving the same result.

 Chapter 456: Like in the movies

    ¡°Nat, please put your shirt on,¡± Dennisins.

    Unfazed, I continue working on the stances Lissandra taught me.

    ¡°Why? It would only get dirty,¡± I reply.

    ¡°There might be dangerous predator in the area,¡± Aaron says, his tone serious.

    ¡°Huh? There is not, I would¡¯ve sensed it.¡±

    ¡°Is he making fun of us?¡± Aaron asks, turning to his brother.

    ¡°He can¡¯t be like that, right? He must be trolling us.¡±

    I ignore the twins and continue. The idea isn¡¯t to learn martial arts or anything like that. The intention is to move my body and, while doing so, send kic energy through, practicing moving it in bursts at the right time.

    With the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions drawn all over my skin, I wouldn¡¯t be able to move without kic energy, even if I wanted to, but fighting the inscriptions burdening me while moving kic energy this way puts a tremendous strain on my body, and I can feel sweat pouring out of me.One slow movement after another, each requiring my full attention and effort. Just a single slip and I¡¯ll crumble back to the ground and be forced to pick myself back up while fighting the inscriptions.

    Lately, I¡¯ve been spending every free moment either doing this or training with the Restrictive Training Emblem, which is visible even now, as a tracery of lines across the skin over my heart. Between the two, my body is getting annihted, but my control over kic energy is vastly improving, and my body is getting stronger.

    Of course, the only reason I¡¯m making my body stronger like this is to prepare myself as a vessel for more mana, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not enjoying the process.

    Back on Earth I always liked training, whether I was learning a new style of fighting, or going on a simple run. I¡¯ve always found the feeling I get after finishing a difficult bout of training addictive, and this is no different.

    I watch as my muscles twitch and stretch, fighting the inscriptions restraining them. I sense kic energy as it flows through the fibers, supporting them, as I strain to synchronize the motions.

    Lissandra couldn¡¯t use kic energy. Likely because she couldn¡¯t be bothered, so by far, the best user of kic energy I¡¯ve seen is Whitey.

    The field he created, halting everything around him in the air, be it people, debris, or projectiles, was amazing, but the part I keeping back to is his movement. It¡¯s not just about raw power. Within that field, he tailored his expenditures, using the minimum amount of energy to aplish each specific task, whether that be holding a stone in ce, shiftingrge fields of debris, or restraining Beyonders, who each require a unique application of effort. All in the name of maximizing efficiency.

    Then there were those quick, twitchy movements of his. His stepsunched him across great distances without ever disturbing so much as a single grain of dust. He had an insane degree of maneuverability and not even the air seemed to betray his movements.

    Whitey is¡­ was a Champion candidate. I could feel it the moment I saw him. There were a few people on the Entrance floor who had the same aura about them. For instance the man with the fire crown, and the beautiful woman with her even more beautiful mantle moving around her as if it had its own mind.

    Neither one bothered to hide their title, unlike me. There is an option to do that, and I¡¯m doing it. But not them, they unt their titles with pride, shoulders wide.

    Dumbasses.

    Unlike them, I will move sneakily. Like a true hypocrite, I''ll dly do the very things I¡¯m alwaysining about. Maybe that''s why people find my pride so strange.

    My control over kic energy is growing every day. And I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be long before I can reliably take someone my level with kic energy alone. Hopefully.

    For that, I need to see Whitey.

    And then, after you throw in all the free stat points I¡¯ve been getting, my new arcane passive, the body modifications I¡¯ve got nned, Lily¡¯s healing marks, and the arcane items currently in my possession, it should be more than possible. However,h I don¡¯t exactly have most of them on me at the moment.

    I still have mebearer though, and the Echo Gauntlet which allows me to replicate spells or abilities. And that¡¯s something I totally can¡¯t wait to y with.

    Maya has Bloodthirst; I¡¯ve rented it to her for now, in exchange for a reasonable amount ofpensation, to be determinedter. The Golem Heart is still with Sophie, under the same terms I established with Maya.

    Lastly, there¡¯s the cursed phantom something ring, which remains with Tess. I would probably have sold it anyway, and it would probably help them more than anything the extra shards could do for me.

    Of course, thates with its own offer of futurepensation.

    Good, but doesn¡¯t that mean I have most of group 4 firmly in my grasp? If I wanted, I bet I could overthrow mighty Tess, it wouldn¡¯t even be hard with all the trouble she¡¯s made. But that problem is well on track to solve itself.

    I have plenty of other items too¡ªmana stones, loaded with information, mana stones from multiple Veil Ignition stations, the information I¡¯ve gotten from other people, documents from the Bastion, materials produced from the bones of powerful monsters, a cache of metals I¡¯ve collected over our travels, including the arcane alloy I got from Nevan.

    I don¡¯t have a hoarding problem.

    I¡¯m sure I can use every one of these items.

    It¡¯s a shame there is no inventory or spatial storage items in the system shop. I would have expected something like that to pop up by now, especially after I got that vial that allows me topress and store a swimming pool''s worth of water.

    At some point, I stop thinking and delve deeper into my training.

    Movement after movement, the kic energy within me surges, battling against the inscriptions. I focus on the need to actively breathe, forcing my chest to move with kic energy because I couldn¡¯t figure out how to exclude it from Burden Enhancement Inscriptions.

    A quick step, kic energy shoots from the bottom of my feet, traveling through my legs and waist, before joining with another burst of kic energy born from a twist of my waist. They mold themselves together, bing entangled, as they war against each other while being forced together by my will.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The wave shoots past my shoulder, with a slight twist of my elbow, forcing my forearm to contract, and then¡­ nothing.

    Instead of kic energy bursting from the palm of my hand, it bounces back, flowing back through my body, mixing with an oing wave, then once again interfacing with the muscles and bones of my body.

    I take a step back, a wave of energy shoots down through my legs, building from the bottom of my feet, strengthening my stance, a wave spreads through my back, flowing around my waist and rejoining itself on the other side.

    I feel a slight tear in some unimportant organ followed by the burn of a pulled muscle, caused by an excessive burst of excessive energy. A too-slow reaction from my side, and my shoulder dislocates under the strain. A lightheadedness as I forgot to breathe for a few minutes already.

    When I stop and the inscriptions dissolve with a mana wave I send through, I feel my arms shaking and take a deep breath in.

    My skin burns, and I feel like falling to the ground.

    ¡°Pulling¡± on one thread, my aqua arcanum vial flies to my hand, and I dump a bathtub¡¯s worth of water on my head, reveling in the refreshing sensation.

    Ib my wet hair with my fingers and sweep it away from my face, catching Lily¡¯s gaze. For a moment, she looks almost scared that I¡¯ve caught her and I follow her gaze, to somewhere around my chest where I hold the glorified water bottle in my hand.

    ¡°You look thirsty, Lily,¡± I say, holding the item in a questioning gesture.

    Lily, looking scared, turns around entirely and plops down on the ground, with renewed interest in her dark experiments.

    ¡°There is no fucking way he didn¡¯t do that on purpose.¡± Dennis wildly shakes his head.

    In reaction, I pop all the evil orbs that float around them, ¡°I will be modifying them a little bit.¡±

    For the next few hours, both of them have to go back to a single orb, as they struggle to keep them up for longer than twenty seconds.

    The next day, I take my mana and form it into the shape of a sword, using the same process I used to create the manabloc chairs. The goal being to make itst as long as possible.

    It¡¯s more difficult to restore, and slightly more ¡°brittle,¡± and I can¡¯t make it as sharp. But I know the sword I just made has the potential to remain intact for weeks without losing its shape.

    There is some mana leakage, yes, and it¡¯ll still dissolve over time, though I can¡¯t say it¡¯s any worse than I would expect from an experimental process.

    My goal is to make this ¡°manabloc¡± material as flexible, sharp, mana-conductive, and repairable as normal mana. All while keeping its property of being able to stay materialized for a long time.

    Who knows, in a few years I might be able to make items like this thatst for years at a time. Then perhaps my next goal can be to make them conductive to mana other than mine.

    Another goal after that would be to inscribe them so some sort of effects would activate while epting foreign mana.

    I¡¯m imagining not needing to use arcanadium, endurium, voidsteel, or any other materials. Just my materialized mana and the epic, maybe even arcane weapons made of it. Even if they only everst a few decades, I would be happy with that.

    But to reach that goal, I¡¯ll have to keep experimenting with this manabloc material. Instead of materializing my mana in a loosely imagined form, I try to weave threads of much thinner mana through it. Perhaps that¡¯ll solve the issues I¡¯ve been having with brittleness and durability. Though it does add quite a bit of difficulty to the process, not to mention that I¡¯m not sure how this is going to work for parts like the de.

    Maybe I couldbine it with a different type of mana; some of the weapons I¡¯ve seen were made like that. Formed of varying alloys, each tuned to fit a different function. It was even in notes Miwa left me, so it could definitely be worth trying.

    It¡¯s also possible that I¡¯m just being extremely dumb and making things far more difficult than I need to, but I think it¡¯ll be a good training method for materializing Ley Lines. That¡¯s the main reason I¡¯m even doing things this way.

    After all, I¡¯ve already spent an inordinate amount of time experimenting with those pale blue threads that feel so different from the pale blue of normal mana.

    I don¡¯t even think I would be able to materialize much more than a finger¡¯s length without my new passive. At least not without melting some part of my brain.

    My mana reserves are quiterge, I would say, and I think most people would agree, but even I was surprised how much of my body¡¯s mana it took just to make that short thread, not to mention how much I had to use my eyes in the process.

    Honestly, it probably means I shouldn¡¯t be doing it and that I¡¯m going against the nature of the skill in some way, at least I think it does.

    As if something like that ever stopped me before.

    Maybe I should try using ck mana. I¡¯m curious how well I can handle it now, particrly with all the levels and passives I¡¯ve picked up sincest time. I¡¯m curious how it would react to a <strong>[Ley Line]</strong>, materialized or not.

    But, I¡¯ve already made up my mind that I¡¯ll try to avoid using it before I reach level 60 in <strong>[Focus]</strong> and<strong> [Mana Maniption]</strong>. It was part of the rmendations Lady Lissandra left me with. I need to work on my basics before trying to mess with things like that.

    It¡¯s yet another thing for me to look forward to when the timees.

    <strong>POV Maya Jones</strong>

    Now that it is night and the rest of our small group has gone to bed, Tess changes her bearing. Her shoulders slump, her eyes lose some of their shine, and her movements don¡¯t feel quite so domineering.

    It¡¯s a part of herself she only shows to me and Kim, now that our group is split. She puts on a front for Famir and the others.

    Though maybe she¡¯s not exactly the same; she is a bit less controlling now.

    It¡¯s a good thing.

    I sit down next to her, and she leans against me with a sigh, her blonde hair tickling my nose. Sometimes, I get a little jealous of how tall she is. I¡¯m not the shortest, but having a girl eight or so years younger be a bit taller than me is quite a funny experience.

    It¡¯s amusing to see her like this though. Even I thought she was pushing things too far, and that guy noticed as well. He really can be annoyingly intelligent at the weirdest times.

    Tess is young, 20 years old. What she¡¯s going through is probably something she feels for the first time, and for her, it seems like the worst thing ever.

    In a few years, it will all be a distant memory. In a hundred, she might not even remember the details, only the feelings she had.

    I can¡¯t help but feel a bit scared at the thought of living so long. How will I interact with normal people knowing they¡¯ll live such short lives byparison? How will it feel to love someone and watch them grow old while I remain the same?

    I won¡¯t lie; there are things I love about all of this, and I wouldn¡¯t want to give any of it up, but there are other things that terrify me. That¡¯s why I love what Tess is trying to do. She wants to make uspanions, friends who survived the same experience, who are equal and can understand the troubles others might have. Not just friends for a few years, but someone we could still call a friend tens or even hundreds of yearster.

    ¡°Did you think it would be like in the movies you told me you liked to watch?¡± I ask, smiling as I give her nose a flick in response to another tickle from her hair.

    That young blonde doesn¡¯t react, and that¡¯s all the answer I need.

    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Sometimes I forget how young everyone is.

    Myself included, of course.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 457: Show them

    The first test of the giga-web, made with the help of <strong>[Ley Line]</strong> was a huge sess!

    I didn¡¯t die.

    That¡¯s it.

    No need to go into the details. I¡¯m sure the next attempt will work out! I just need to iron out some¡­ things.

    I¡¯m also kind of amazed by my new passive. Even with all that¡­ happened¡­ I didn¡¯t even break a sweat. There was barely any strain on my mind, and somehow I find that more exciting than the results of the giga-web test. It means I can push myself harder.

    I¡¯m always worried about my mind. My body can be fixed, I can rece my limbs with mana, but my mind? If my brain melts I¡¯m screwed. You can¡¯t just power through the destruction of your brain, unlike the rest of your body.

    But now that I have this new arcane passive?

    It¡¯s got me full of new ideas for improving my constructs, It¡¯s got me thinking of ways topress enormous inscriptions down to the size of a fingernail. It basically means that the amount of information I can process is only limited by my skill, rather than the physical limitations of my mind.

    Maybe I was a bit disappointed at first. After all, I have been saving up for this for quite a while, but part of that disappointment has evaporated. Now I just need to find a powerful opponent with mind magic bullshit and totally stomp them. Only then will I truly be happy.Bringing myself back to the real world, I nce at our new camp, about a mile away from our previous one. We had to change locations because of¡­ stuff.

    I look at the twins and increase the difficulty for their evil orbs, forcing them to drop back to a single instance instead of the two they¡¯ve been managing. They¡¯re used to it by now, so they don¡¯tin too much, keeping their energy focused on training. The blood, sweat, and effort they¡¯ve put in is all the proof I need of their will to survive.

    In two hours we¡¯ll abandon the evil orbs for the time being, and spar instead. All part of striking a new rhythm in the twin¡¯s training.

    This method may be cruel, but they need to experience what it¡¯s like to get hit and be injured.

    As much as possible.

    We have Lily to restore damaged limbs, repair punctured organs, and staunch any excessive bleeding. It brings me no pleasure to hurt them like this, rather, it feels like a duty, it¡¯s something I just have to do.

    Still, each and every single time I ask: ¡°Do you want to continue?¡±

    Of course, I listen to their answers, but more than that, I watch for their reactions. Their expression, and the look in their eyes.

    And even though they are shaking, scared of what¡¯s toe, they agree.

    Dennis and Aaron don¡¯t like to get hit. Often, even a smaller wound makes them drop out of the fight, lose consciousness, or try to run. They tend to rely on their high speed, illusions, and amazing cooperation to avoid being hurt in the first ce.

    There is a big weakness in that strategy. You need to strike a bnce between being careful and fighting at full power, even when wounded, even when you know you¡¯re going to get hurt.

    So you don¡¯t freeze midbat.

    They just need to get used to it, and I¡¯m helping with that. Keeping the injuries small won¡¯t help, they have to experience true danger, so I provide it.

    ¡°How will you try to attack me this time?¡± I ask them curiously.

    If they have enough presence of mind to answer, I will up the difficulty of the orbs.

    ¡°This time we will try to win through sheer speed. One of us will act as the main attacker and the other will serve as a healer so he can go all out,¡± still not taking his eyes off the two orbs over the palms of his hands, Dennis answers.

    Aaron also adds, ¡°We thought of using ranged attacks, but we have a suspicion you would just bombard us with explosive orbs or teleport around us.¡±

    "It''s just like a video game! When you try to attack the boss from a distance, it changes its moveset, gets more aggressive, and counters with its own ranged attacks."

    ¡°The goal is to force you to go into a second stage one day,¡± Aaron jokes, smiling yfully.

    ¡°The loot drop would be amazing,¡± his brother chirps mischievously.

    ¡°Maybe his second stage would be him dying, then some orchestral music would start ying, and Biscuit would be revealed as the real boss all along.¡±

    ¡°They both have simr skill sets: mana constructs, flying, orbs, so it makes sense,¡± Dennis says, seeming to agree.

    I listen to their banter with a growing sense of fascination, finding their train of thought almost as amusing as it is baffling.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that Nat does more damage to himself than we ever could,¡± Dennis sighs in the end and turns to me. ¡°You want to raise the difficulty of our orbs, right?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°You always do any time we improve even the slightest bit or poke fun at you.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be smarter to pretend you have trouble or try to avoid poking fun at me?¡± I ask, curious.

    ¡°It would, but I think you¡¯d probably notice, and wouldn¡¯t that render the whole thing useless anyway? We both want to improve.¡±

    His brother nods, ¡°The suffering sucks, but it makes it easier when we can see you doing the same things, and you¡¯re even harder on yourself. Seeing that it would only feel shitty to look for ways to avoid it.¡±

    Dennis pops his orbs, ¡°It would be pathetic of us to try to avoid it, especially since you¡¯re taking the time to help. I know you probably won¡¯t say it, but I don¡¯t think you would be doing this if you didn¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°And we appreciate that, really.¡± Aaron nods seriously.

    ¡°Of course, we still hate you a bit for all the pain, and given the opportunity, we will get our ¡®revenge.¡¯¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly how it should be,¡± I confirm. ¡°And you¡¯re free to try anytime.¡±

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    A dayter, Lily ces another mark on me, and I watch the entire process.

    At this point, it may as well be routine.

    Her body¡¯s already ustomed to the influence of her mana, and rapid healing, not to mention all the ways it¡¯s more durable than mine, which makes my body the perfect test subject for revealing any mistakes in her process.

    However, that also means that my left arm takes a lot of damage. And damn, it hurts.

    As a few times before, I watch the bones grow through each other, shattering and breaking in the process while new flesh keeps growing over that mess at the same time.

    ¡°It looks like you used too much mana around the edges of the mark,¡± I note and stretch my messed up arm in her direction.

    ¡°I thought I¡¯d made enough improvements for the mark to handle it,¡± she sulks, as gray mana coats her arm before she cuts off the mess she made.

    Then, as my arm regrows, she uses <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong>, causing the severed arm to vanish, as it¡¯s converted into mana that flows to her.

    ¡°How much more mana did you usepared to the 7th variation?¡±

    "I think about three times more? Using double the mana worked really well, so I thought it would be fine. I also made adequate changes."

    ¡°You should go over the mana stone Savant gave you again; you broke the loop, and it messed up the distribution.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your weak body the real problem here? I tried the mark on myself, and it worked just fine.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Will you say the same if Grumpy breaks like my arm when you try to heal him?¡±

    Lily freezes mid-movement, shock written across her face, and I see a sh of anger behind her eyes as she does. After a few seconds, she calms herself, seeming to push those feelings aside, without so much as yelling at me.

    And once she does I exin, ¡°I think you are often forgetting how different we are from normal people, Lily. You, me, the twins, Biscuit, everyone in group 4 is so much stronger that we don¡¯t break nearly as easily.¡±

    I open and close the hand of my freshly restored arm into a fist before looking back at her, ¡°You tend to let these things slip by you. You sacrifice efficiency without a single care for true mastery, relying on your skills to fix your mistakes or your body to endure them. It¡¯s also how you like to fight, and I think Tess showed you just how foolish that is back during the tournament.¡±

    As I speak I take a few steps over to our baggage nearby and locate the mana stone Savant gave Lily. The one with the information on body modification, among other things. A truly valuable repository of knowledgepiled by He, a disciple of Champion Tristan.

    Which Lily clearly hasn¡¯t studied as deeply as I would¡¯ve liked.

    I hand it to her, ¡°Whether or not that changes depends on you.¡±

    If I were her, I¡¯d be studying this research data, experiment results, and ideas until I could recite them, even if someone woke me up in the middle of the night.

    Then I watch as she closes her hand around the stone, nodding with her gaze fixed on the ground.

    That night, we sit quietly around the fire. However, maybe "fire" is the wrong word. It¡¯s one of my trademarked thermal cubes.

    It¡¯s vastly improved from before, and even its insides are made from multipleyers with the intention of testing how much I can concentrate thermal energy through it.

    Just for the fun of it, I send it into a slow spin and cause it to flicker like the light of a campfire.

    I still haven¡¯t figured out how to make it sound like crackling firewood, but I still haven¡¯t given up on the idea. With some internal modifications and possibly the use of kic energy, I should be able to get it to produce some noises.

    There is also a single evil orb floating over my shoulder. And this is the most evil variation yet, specifically designed to be a challenge even for someone like me. It¡¯s forced me to split my mind into pieces, each one dealing with a different annoyance the orb provides.

    It¡¯s worth it though, doing this has brought plenty of its rewards over the past few days.

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 49 > Mana Maniption - lvl 50]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 50 > Mana Maniption - lvl 51]</strong>

    <strong>[Mana Maniption - lvl 51 > Mana Maniption - lvl 52]</strong>

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 53 > Focus - lvl 54]</strong>

    My precious skill has gotten stronger every day since it returned to me, and soon it will be right where it was before I used it for my skillbinations. It honestly kinda surprises me that it¡¯s not back to its former glory already, given all the new stuff I¡¯ve been doing, but who the hell knows how the system calctes this stuff.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d want to do more hunting. To raise our levels and get stronger,¡± Dennis says.

    Once again he¡¯s proved himself the braver of the two brothers. Aaron usually prefers to let Dennis initiate conversations before joining in himself.

    ¡°What part of our status do you think holds the most importance?¡± I ask in ce of my answer.

    ¡°Skills?¡± he asks hesitantly.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t raising our attributes make us stronger?¡± Aaron asks, not seeming to agree.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say you have a thousand points in a single attribute, and you spend days leveling up and gain three stat points. How much stronger did you be?¡± I counter.

    It¡¯s funny to watch the gears spin in his head, trying toe up with a counterargument.

    I reach down to pet Biscuit, who¡¯s currently sitting in myp, and continue, ¡°Even if my level dropped by 100 right now, I don¡¯t think it would make much of a difference. The same logic applies if I were to gain 100 levels and put all 300 points into mana, which would be doubled with my attribute upgrade. Sure I¡¯d have 600 extra points, but that¡¯s it.¡±

    I know what Dennis wants to say, so I lift my finger to stop him.

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± I quickly lower a hand and continue to pet the best doggo of the Astral Prison. ¡°Of course, the extra levels aren¡¯t useless. At a certain point, you start unlocking Primary ss upgrades, and you get ess to body upgrades, Traits, and more attribute upgrades, and more besides. All this just to say that your priority should always be your skills.¡±

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    ¡°And eating well,¡± I add.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Biscuit be training too?¡± Aaron asks, unsatisfied. In fact, it seems like he¡¯s gotten so invested that now he¡¯s looking for something to poke at.

    I nce down at Biscuit and back to the silly twin.

    ¡°Show them,¡± I whisper to the corgi.

    Biscuitzily opens an eye and yawns, his pink tongue lolling out with a cute sound as he does so and closes his tiny maw.

    Then the mana that he¡¯s kept moving through his body, in his own crude imitation of Mana Cyclinges to a halt.

    His purple mana begins to seep out of his body just a little, and all the sounds of the world slowly fade away.

    The twins start looking around, confused, and no sound emerges as they open their mouths to speak.

    My thermal cube flickers and the heat within fades slightly. The light slowly dims as if it were being pulled away, towards me in fact. Or rather towards the creature on myp.

    Biscuit¡¯s body feels much heavier now, his presence overwhelming, and even though I¡¯m looking at the back of his head, I can still imagine his purple eyes.

    In the fading flicker of my thermal orb, Biscuit¡¯s shadow expands and grows until it¡¯s many times its original size. Seeming almost too big.

    And then the growling starts. A deep growl that awakens something in my primal instincts. The urge to run, The burning need to grab a stick and fight back. The urge to fall to my knees and beg.

    A myriad of umbral tentacles extends forth from the shadow, surrounding our camp, and then they stop and change direction, all of them turning towards Aaron, who leaps to his feet, his chair tumbling to the ground as he struggles to escape their reach.

    ¡°That should be enough,¡± I sayying my hand back on Biscuit¡¯s head.

    All the shadows freeze and are slowly, gradually, drawn back into the enormous mass, as it too begins to shrink back into itself.

    The light returns and my thermal cube glows and radiates heat once more.

    Lily and the twins stand, their faces pale, holding their breath. I can even sense the mana gathering inside their bodies, ready to fight¡ªor flee.

    Slowly, Biscuit turns around, and when I finally see his face again, it¡¯s the same cheeky corgi I know and love.

    "Good boy."

 Chapter 458: The Arm Collector

    The twins continue to demonstrate their <strong>[Connection]</strong> for me with a series of attempts at seizing control over one of my simple mana orbs and altering the settings.

    I made it as simple as possible, with two modes: hover in ce and spin. In fact, I¡¯ve ¡°hardcoded¡± the states into its functions.

    Later, we¡¯ll move on to other skills too, but for now, I¡¯m just trying to get a grasp on their process.

    I¡¯m also wearing the echo gauntlet. The idea being that if it¡¯s already allowed me to copy that weird blood skill that guy had on the 1st floor of Beyond it¡¯ll probably work just as well for mimicking the twins, in theory, it should give me some idea how it feels to use it.

    I¡¯ve already tried a few times before, but most of the time I find myself getting no feedback. The glove just allows me to use the copied skill¡ªnot as well as the original, but it still packs some decent oomph.

    Then there are some skills it can¡¯t copy, like Lily¡¯s <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>, but I was able to copy her healing and the twins'' <strong>[Sensory Deception]</strong>.

    To be honest, I absolutely recognize the glove for the boon it is, especially given how helpful it could be in certain situations, but I still don¡¯t like it very much.

    So I just think I will take it apart sooner orter. Observing how its inscriptions work and what connection of materials allows it to have such an effect will probably bring me more. Items just can¡¯t be overly relied on or trusted.

    What if some asshole decides to steal it? The kind of guy thates in and steals everything that¡¯s not bolted down. That kind of maniac.Still, even though Iin and trash the glove, I decide to test it a bit more. With my eyes on and straining my mind as much as possible. Then it can be used as a secret weapon before I take it apart.

    I like that n.

    As that train of thought reaches its end the orb, which was hovering in ce, starts spinning, then stops, only to start spinning once again.

    The twins jump for joy, practically dancing with excitement, as they spew forth a seemingly endless stream of trash talk regarding my skill¡¯s efficacy.

    They even have the gall to start issuing challenges.

    I let it pass, empathizing with their joy and excitement over taking another step down the road of progress.

    When we regroup with the rest of our band, I will tell Maya some of the more interesting things I¡¯ve heard them say.

    As I sit to the side, I watch as Lily and the twins spar. Two blonde boys attacking the ck-haired girl.

    Even though she¡¯s holding back and taking plenty of damage in the process, Lily¡¯s still winning.

    They get their hits in, sure, but she takes it like a champ. Unlike them she doesn¡¯t flinch at every cut and blow, she doesn¡¯t hesitate, she doesn¡¯t let the pain make her overly cautious.

    I recently found out that she¡¯s created a number of fake organ-like structures inside her body to use as sacrifices to fuel her skills. Each one about the size of a marble.

    Though in terms of efficiency, they can¡¯t reallypare to the real deal, which seems to confirm our theory regarding the importance of a sacrifice influencing the power received. But these organs are also her flesh and overall generate more power than they consume in the process of being converted into anything she might need.

    Aaron and Dennis ce several fast moving decoys throughout the battlefield, but it still doesn¡¯t present much of a problem for Lily.

    Does she use logic to locate the originals and ignore the fakes?

    No way in hell.

    Lily just boosts her body and passes right through them, leading with her shoulder and ramming the copies.

    I bet the twins are sweating bullets right now, knowing full well that if she were to tackle one of them like that, it wouldn¡¯t end well.

    They quickly adjust their strategy, cing more illusions in front of trees andrge boulders, In a bid to cause our petite healer to take on more environmental damage.

    But Lily once again cosys a bulldozer, smashing through any obstacles in her path. It¡¯s so simr to her fight with Tess that I should probably be offended, but I do notice some differences.

    She¡¯s using much less mana without wasting as much on healing herself, choosing to focus on boosting the healing process a bit before letting her natural regeneration take over.

    And damn, is that natural regeneration strong.

    Lily probably has the highest Constitution in group 4, she even enhanced it with her attribute upgrade. Gaining something like Mana Potency for constitution. And once she gets her body upgrade at 250, it should improve even more.

    And like she said, the stronger her body gets, the better <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong> works, which can only make her more versatile. She¡¯s mentioned that she goes 4 parts Constitution, 2 parts Mana, 2 parts Strength, and 2 parts Dexterity. She might change it upter, but it seems to be working just fine at the moment.

    As for the twins, they go for 4 parts Dexterity, 2 parts Constitution, 3 parts Mana, and 1 part Strength. Though, much like Lily, they¡¯ve said they might change thatter. They both chose Diligence as their subss, and they seem happy with the choice.

    Sensing something flying my way, I step to the side, and Dennis blows past me, crashing into the boulder I¡¯d been leaning against. He coughs up a bit of blood, but his wounds manage to heal quickly enough for him to leap back into the frey, a skill he shares with his twin, though it¡¯s not nearly as effective as Lily¡¯s.

    I move once again, and Lily crashes into the space once upied by Dennis, dust from the exploded stone covering her.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    She disappears again, Aaron mming against her from the side while Dennis takes a swipe at her leg in perfect synchronization.

    Letting my thoughts waver once again, I think back on Mana Cycling, the mana technique Lissandra taught me so long ago on the 3rd floor. The process that¡¯s been helping me handle my mana.

    So far, I haven¡¯t seen anything like it. Not in the mana stones, I¡¯ve found on the various floors, not in the information I¡¯ve gotten from the natives, not even when I asked around in the tournament and Beyond. But the more I use it, the more small changes and improvements I make, the more I find myself amazed by the sheerplexity of the technique, especially after seeing the improvements left to me in that mana stone.

    It doesn¡¯t just help my body handle my mana, but it also helps me hide the excess while improving my control. And now, with the improvements Lissandra made, I think it¡¯ll have an influence on my body as well.

    I don¡¯t know what to think of it yet, given that it¡¯s still wayyy too soon to tell, but its mechanisms are the main reason I didn¡¯t choose Mana Pulse Cirction and went for Mana Fortified Mind.

    The description of Mana Pulse sounded just simr enough to Mana Cycling to bias me against it.

    Is there a chance Mana Cycling is a somewhat active version of that arcane passive? Will the technique replicate the passive¡¯s effects as I reach the higher stages? Why are the names so simr?

    When Caius spoke from his deep prison of a hole, he said that Lissandra left a mark on me, what¡¯s more, he called it archaic, bordering on ancient. A relic of the Absolutes and Champions of old. He said it had a degree of disdain to it like he thought it was uncivilized, like something from the stone age.

    Liss would¡¯ve kicked his ass if she¡¯d heard.

    Mana Cycling reminds me of Lissandra¡¯s mark ¡ªan archaic technique that modern Champions and Absolutes would almost certainly call obsolete. But I like it that way. I like how much it demands from me, what it does, and how it punishes me every time I slip up, letting my own mana harm my body.

    I have a week left until I return to Beyond, I¡¯m already eager to find out if I¡¯ll get to meet any humans from Earth who¡¯ve seen the message I left on the board. Tess hasn¡¯t done her 3rd trial yet, and Lily¡¯s even further behind than her. And Sophie¡¯s got longer still. So I¡¯ll be on my own again.

    I already spoke to Tess about it, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯s mentioned it in the Beyond Community for our fellow Earthlings.

    There''s only one guy who could join me though, and I bet it would be annoying. Actually, make that two¡ªthough given the first Beyonder¡¯s penchant for never speaking, I sometimes forget he¡¯s even there.

    My goal is to spend the next three days in Beyond trying to reach the checkpoint. I¡¯ll even bring some of my white sand with me to get some quick cash, though I¡¯ll have to find a way to seal it somehow.

    I''ll find out if I can enter the first floor of the dungeon on my own. If it''s manageable, I''ll go in solo a few times.

    Afterwards, I''ll save my stay tokens for future expeditions with Tess and the others and we''ll hunt some lurkers on the first floor just to show them the ropes.

    I don¡¯t think we have enough time to work on my body modifications with Lily, but she should be able to leave a few marks on me just in case.

    We also start cutting off my left arm, so she can feed it to <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong> in an emergency while I¡¯m gone.

    We perform a few test runs and find that sacrificing my severed left arm gives her an even bigger boost than it did before.

    And honestly, I would¡¯ve been angry if it hadn¡¯t. It¡¯s the arm of a Champion candidate, someone on the cusp of reaching level 300, and an individual with an arcane passive. It better be good stuff.

    With fascination, I also watch as Lily brings out a big bag and packs my arms into it. It seems it has just enough room for a few more, and then she will¡­ well, I don¡¯t really want to know what she¡¯s going to do with the rest. She could always bury them underground, or just stuff them into another bag.

    What I find creepy is that she starts cutting my arm apart and testing the level of boost and asking questions. How much of a boost will a hand give? How much from a single finger? How much from the bones?

    I¡¯m getting more and more worried about her future.

    I can already see the ne made from my finger bones and tendons hanging around her neck.

    So while we prepare arms for her, I also give her a mini quest: to observe how my arm will behave over the 7 days I¡¯m still here and then when I leave. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll change much, at the very least it won¡¯t dpose or start rotting. Still, I¡¯m eager to find out.

    Would my body remain preserved, even after a year? What about ten yearster, or after I die? Would it be possible to emte my traits with it? Would my heart be useful at all?

    If I died because of a destroyed heart and my head stayed untouched, would it be possible to get me some new fancy heart and then kickstart my brain again, even yearster?

    These thoughts fascinate me, and Lily seems to share the sentiment. So we talk and theorize, ignoring the twins and their concerned gaze.

    I don¡¯t deserve such looks from them.

    A day passes.

    I train, I spar with Lily and the twins. I work on improving <strong>[Resonance]</strong> by observing the twin¡¯s use of <strong>[Connection]</strong>. It feels like I¡¯m close to working something out, yet something¡¯s still missing, but I don¡¯t waste time dwelling on it. I just put in more effort.

    The twins are doing surprisingly well and they almost seem to have found aspects of their training to enjoy. They¡¯re getting better at close-rangebat too.

    My style of letting the enemy hit, so I can hit back twice is what I¡¯m teaching them. It won¡¯t be their main tactic by any means, but I like to be flexible, so it may as well be another trick up their sleeve.

    And over time, I¡¯ve begun to notice them getting more and morefortable around me. Up till now there¡¯s always been a little bit of tension on their end, and even now I can¡¯t see that ever fully going away.

    Lily, lord have mercy on her soul, runs around with my arms and sometimes bones from the arm. She does some body modification testing, and sometimes these bones explode¡­ violently.

    It would certainly be a shame if something like that were to happen to my spine while she was trying to modify my body, right?

    I try to ignore it as much as possible. It still surprises me how easygoing Lily can be about things that would make the average person lose their lunch. I don¡¯t think a normal person would be so casual about breaking down a human arm.

    I watch with great interest whenever she trains her <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>, and the twins seem to take an interest as well.

    She works on everything from shaping projectiles out of her gray mana, to making weapons, mostly smaller ones, and threads.

    She¡¯s really beginning to improve, and it doesn¡¯t seem to be straining her nearly as much.

    We even test it against my highlypressed mana, which she tears through with ease. I even attempt to disrupt the skill, all to no avail.

    At one point, I use arge chunk of my body¡¯s mana to materialize a finger-length thread of <strong>[Ley Line]</strong>, and her gray projectile collides with it.

    And my beautiful new skill resists. A goddamned beautiful thread of whatever this material is actually manages to resist the tiny terror¡¯s gray mana.

    Lily, decidedly less pleased than I am, attacks again, drawing more from her reserves, taking this new attempt more seriously.

    In the end, after multiple attempts, the thread does get destroyed, consumed by her evil gray mana.

    That simple exchange feels almost like a challenge between Lily and me, and we stare at each other for a moment, ourpetitive spirits thoroughly awakened.

    I¡¯m sure Lily¡¯s skills will only grow stronger over time, but that goes for me as well.

 Chapter 459: On the schedule

    Over the next few days, I go out hunting in the area surrounding our camp, trying toplete side quests to earn more stay tokens.

    With the twins, we experiment a bit and came up with a way to make some items to sell for extra shards, gaining me around 15 thousand more and some for the twins as well as I make the different variations of each item. We go through quite a number of attempts and failures, but the boys are eager to earn their share of the shards and have already set to spending their share to buy themselves a decent variety of stuff.

    Lily and Biscuit seem to be saving their shards, and so honestly I don¡¯t have anything I want them to buy with my 50% share. I mean, there are ns in the works, but I don¡¯t have the time or space to put them into action yet.

    After I get back from Beyond, I fully intend to get myself an undamaged arcane item, even if it means I have to destroy some of the damaged ones currently in my possesion.

    I have plenty of materials and ideas, so I should have the resources at least.

    ¡°Are you sure this is going to work?¡± Dennis asks me curiously.

    He¡¯s watching me from across the border with brother in tow, refusing to cross beyond the point their mana stops regenerating. I, meanwhile, am standing well within the mana desert, directing my mes at the molds I¡¯ve sculpted in the ground.

    ¡°Who knows?¡±

    ¡°Nat, tell me, did you use to take things apart just to see how they were working?¡±¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Lucky guess.¡±

    ¡°Got it. Now get back to your training, Your orb¡¯s going to disappear.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way. I have it under control...¡± He doesn¡¯t have time to finish, and the evil orb beside him bursts open, ¡°¡­under control.¡±

    His brotherughs. ¡°I told you he was about to start changing them without telling us! Nat, did I do well?¡±

    ¡°Better than Dennis,¡± I agree as I watch him handle the sudden spike in his orb, a new way I found to tortu... train the brothers.

    Weakening the me I turn my attention back to the mold and send kic energy through the molten sand in the form. I modify the output to create a deep vibration throughout the mass, shaking the bubbles out of the form at high frequency.

    Then I continue to heat it up. I¡¯ve started taking things slower than before, watching the surface and the color. Once in a while, I use kic energy to help the process along, typically to release more trapped bubbles.

    I¡¯m trying to make a simple dagger, a good form for testing as we¡¯ve found over a few days.

    ¡°What are you looking to add to the mix today? Do you need another one of my finger bones?¡± Lily asks, sounding genuinely curious.

    She¡¯s sitting off to the side, examining a mana stone loaded with information on body modification.

    ¡°We could try to add one of Biscuit¡¯s whiskers,¡± Dennis rmends.

    <em>(Asshole!)</em>

    ¡°You know I wasn¡¯t being serious, Biscuit! Nat, what did he say?¡±

    ¡°He called you an asshole.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± His brotherughs at him while Dennis detes.

    ¡°We tried enhancing them with your thermal orbs, random bones, and metals, but we¡¯re kind of hitting a wall by not being able to add mana,¡± Aaron sighs.

    ¡°We did?¡±

    ¡°You did, but we supported you from a distance.¡±

    ¡°Sounds about right. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to add anything this time. Someone else might be able to get more out of this sand, but I can¡¯t do anymore at this point in time.¡±

    It¡¯s frustrating. I can¡¯t inscribe it, I can¡¯t add my mana to the mix. I can¡¯t even use mana while making it.

    And in the end, as the dagger cools down, the de is still ugly. Somewhat.

    The surface is nice and smooth, white-ish and thoroughly ss-like. Probably the best I¡¯ve made so far. However, the description is no different than it was before and stubbornly retains its upper epic rarity and its ineligibility for sale in the system shop.

    I pocket it in the same fashion as the failures that came before.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you make items for the others? Like you did for us?¡± Dennis asks as he watches me stow the dagger.

    ¡°We won¡¯t be meeting them soon enough for that. Do you want to carry all those items for the next few months?¡±

    ¡°I guess we cane backter. But damn, even if we¡¯re taking 50%, you still have a lot of shards invested in us.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I intend to use them to buy materials for crafting, testing, and other stuff. Did you already use the detachment token on <strong>[Connection]</strong>?¡±

    ¡°We both did, but damn, Nat, it¡¯s not a nice feeling removing a skill upgrade. We didn¡¯t bother using one on <strong>[Mana Maniption]</strong> either.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°It¡¯s worth it in the end, and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll push others to follow suit.¡±

    The sleepy-looking Lily yawns, speakingzily as she does, ¡°I used them before we even reached this floor, back when you first mentioned it, Nat.¡±

    That makes me turn to the twins. ¡°Why can¡¯t you guys be more like Lily?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have the Handy Backpack she has.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Chop Sack,¡± Aaron disagrees with his brother.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s an Armory Bag.¡±

    ¡°Disarmory.¡±

    Catching Lily¡¯s gaze, I shrug and she repeats the motion, adding another yawn. ¡°I¡¯m going to get a few hours of sleep. I think the 11th variation of my healing mark is due to be the best one yet.¡±

    ¡°So there won¡¯t be any more veins growing through the surface of my skin?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I fixed it. Night, boys,¡± she waves before heading off to rest.

    Something nudges my feet, and I look down to see Biscuit.

    <em>(I require sustenance.)</em> He says, uttering a series of words I haven¡¯t heard him use in a long time.

    Knowing what that means, I head to my backpack and open a secretpartment, and pull a sealed box free, taking a single piece of Archdeer jerky from within. Amodity that¡¯s rapidly bing more and more precious as time goes on.

    Biscuit patiently waits, but I can see him tippy-tapping with his front legs, even jumping subtly as he struggles to contain his excitement.

    ¡°Paw,¡± I say as I squat in front of him.

    He immediately lifts his right front leg, and I grab it, shaking it and feeling the soft toe beans beneath.

    Feeling refreshed, I hand the jerky to him, which he gently takes into his mouth, then turns around, heading to his usual resting spot at which point he proceeds to nibble on it.

    ¡°Did you have any pets back on Earth, Nat?¡± Aaron asks, in an uncharacteristic show of Initiative.

    I shake my head. ¡°Never. But I remember a time when I was younger, there was a boy who got a puppy for Christmas, and for a year or two, his mom often brought it with her when she went to pick her son up from school.¡±

    That memory shes in my mind.

    ¡°The dog was always so happy, just seeing that boy, and the boy was happy as well. It didn¡¯t matter if he got bad grades, or someone was bullying him, or if a teacher chewed him out. Every time he saw that dog, a smile would light up his face.¡±

    ¡°That sounds nice.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡± I stretch and activate the burden enhancement inscriptions, forcing myself to move kic energy throughout my body. ¡°It¡¯s time for some light sparring. Your goal is to maintain the evil orb while we fight.¡±

    ¡°I wish he had better names for these things. It makes me feelme that I have so much trouble with it.¡± Dennis sighs, fixing his clothes as mana starts flowing through his body.

    ¡°We should have known what we were getting ourselves into when he named our group: group 4.¡±

    The sparring match takes off, and they don¡¯t have the luxury of speaking anymore.

    Just two days remain until I start my next Beyond expedition, and my training is in full progress. I cut down on my sleep nning to make up for it before I go to Beyond.

    Be it day or night, all of us train, mypanions deciding to follow my example and stay up for the next few days.

    Much like before, there is no hunting, we only resort to killing monsters when they attack us. And this close to the Mana Desert, that rarely happens, leaving our campsite unusually quiet.

    Here on the 6th floor, days are hot, and the sky makes it impossible to see where the light¡¯sing from, almost like we were caught in a perpetual storm or the sky was covered in sand or something.

    Day is also the time when the monsters seem to be the most active, and yet the nights are cold and quiet. And I¡¯ve grown to enjoy the nights here, even as hostile as they are. If only for the view I still can¡¯t get enough of.

    It almost looks like I can reach my hand and touch the stars. Myriads of them in the sky, mixing with purple nebe that cover a huge part of the sky as well.

    Sometimes I just like to sit there for a few minutes and watch it, thinking about just how real it is. How far does the tutorial reach? Did it stop at recreating the moon, this Astral Prison. Is everything beyond the borders of this satellite just an even bigger fake? A projection set there for convenience? Like some giant TV screen? Is it just an illusion? Graphics that only bother to load when we look at them?

    Or does the system do more? Back on the 2nd floor, old Liss said she couldn¡¯t leave the, so maybe it just ends. But there¡¯s a chance it doesn¡¯t.

    I¡¯ll have to find out next time we¡¯re on a floor without aerial defenses. I¡¯m curious to see if I could fly up to outer space and survive there.

    A few minutes remain, and I adjust my backpack, it¡¯s already been loaded up with all my most important stuff. I have the mebearer, I have my Echo Gauntlet, I even have a few weapons made from white sand, and plenty of other odds and ends.

    I also have somewhere around a dozen healing marks dotting my body, though most of them are confined to my left arm. The current and 12th variation has been tailored to send a scan through my body to find the wound and focus its healing there.

    Though it would certainly cause problems if someone were to sever my left arm¡ªwhich is, sadly, not impossible¡ªso we decided to space out a few more marks across some of my other body parts, even though it made things a bit more difficult for Lily.

    I endure a second long hug from Lily, suspecting her of milking the situation while fully aware that she might try it again.

    ¡°So, You¡¯re nning to be back in three to five days right?¡± Aaron asks.

    ¡°Yup,¡± I confirm. ¡°I¡¯ll start with a one day token, and use more based on how that goes.¡±

    ¡°Take care, Nat,¡± Lily cries, seizing the opportunity to give me a third hug, and I look over her head at the smirking twins.

    Then I push the baby ko away and lift Biscuit to eye level, letting him lick my face a few times.

    Trading a final round of well wishes, I take a few steps and grab the nearby stack of boxes. Each one made from melted white sand, sealed airtight, and impossible to open without breaking the container itself. Inside, there''s nothing but a hollow space filled with loose white sand.

    Yup, I¡¯m using white sand to store white sand. I have a dozen boxes just like it, each the size of my head.

    ¡°Later,¡± I shout, waving as I use a Beyond Stay token and the environment around me fades.

    And there she is, my beloved Lady handler, seated within the same endless space, behind the same, old wooden table.

    I follow her eyes to the boxes filled with white sand behind me and can¡¯t help but feel proud. It took a lot of testing to get it right and even more effort to create them and store the white sand within.

    ¡°You can¡¯t bring those to the Entrance floor or into the dungeon,¡± she says resolutely.

    Yeah, I never liked this old hag of an assholezy handler.

 Chapter 460: What a beautiful day

    ¡°I want to change handlers,¡± I tell her and wait for a pop-up message.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t work here,¡± she sighs and points at the storage cubes I brought with me. ¡°White sand was made by a powerful Absolute long ago. It was his way of dealing with annoying mana users and he modified it to trap Champion Caius and others. You surely must know how dangerous it could be if someone were to release it on the Entrance floor.¡±

    ¡°There are people with damaged arcane weapons and surely there are others with full arcane weapons. Plenty of people would be capable of wiping out the entrance floor on their own without any need for a weapon or item.¡±

    ¡°Even arcane items need to be used with intent, while there is not a single attendee capable of controlling the white sand. Do you think you¡¯re the first one to bring white sand here, to Beyond? What do you think would happen if you were to release it here in the highly mana-saturated entrance floor?¡±

    ¡°What happenedst time?¡±

    ¡°Someone brought it here, it got out of the container, became charged by the abundance of ambient mana and the mana radiating from the people here. It wiped out one of the entrance outposts¡ªand any attendees and locals that were there. A single pile that was probably smaller than two of your boxesbined.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Yes, oh. So let¡¯s do it like this: I will take these boxes, I will also take the weapons you made out of it. There are a few handlers with permission to y around with things like white sand, so I will sell it to them and give you a portion of the shardster. And if you try to bring more, I¡¯ll just take it from you.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ll take a cut?¡±¡°Obviously.¡±

    I can¡¯t help but feel disappointed. Part of me expected this, but I was hoping for a different oue. At least I¡¯ll get some shards out of it. If I don¡¯t get enough to make it worth it, I¡¯ll be angry.

    ¡°Can¡¯t these handlers just ask Rulers to get them white sand or find some themselves?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re doing you know, but I¡¯ll y along this time and give you this for free. It¡¯s impossible to enter the tutorial twice. No one can enter the tutorial other than the attendees from the First Generation.¡±

    ¡°Not even the Rulers?¡±

    The look she gives me makes it clear that¡¯s all I¡¯m gonna get.

    After a while, she smiles from behind her table. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to change handlersst time?¡±

    ¡°I forgot.¡±

    ¡°Did you?¡±

    ¡°Well, a lot of things happened. I might be thinking about it now though, so you better have some good information for me.¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking for a new handler the second I get out. What with your attitudest time, and now this situation with the white sand¡ªI''ve put in a lot of effort, you know.¡±

    ¡°Sure, do it.¡±

    Her smile widens even more as she watches me, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, ¡°But I¡¯m in a good mood, so if you ask the right question, I might answer. You only have a few more seconds before you get transported to the entrance floor, so be quick.¡±

    ¡°Who was the ruler on the first floor?¡± I ask.

    She chuckles and leans back in her chair with a rxed ease. A yful light flickers in her eyes, and she waits a bit, stretching the seconds until I feel myself getting pulled away.

    As if that were the signal she¡¯d been waiting for, she asks, ¡°Do you remember that deer you skinned?¡±

    Then I disappear, without even a chance to respond.

    And there I stand, shocked to my core, surrounded by the dozens of Beyonders walking all around me, going about their business here on the entrance floor.

    There is no fucking way.

    An hourter, I¡¯m 99% sure that old hag, asshole of a handler, was just messing with me.

    I catch myself wondering why I haven¡¯t already asked for a new handler. It would be so simple¡ªjust say the words out loud and go through the options. But to my frustration, I still haven¡¯t done it. All because I believe her when she tells me she¡¯s one of the few handlers who can provide the kind of information she gave mest time.

    Damn it.

    I still have a few hours until I have to go to the meeting I advertised on the board, so I take a moment to walk around.

    This time I have my crown over my head, and after a few weeks on the 6th floor, it¡¯s nicely filled. It seems to be a running trend with me: filling my crown only for things to go to shit. So I¡¯m expecting something to go wrong fairly soon.

    And just like that, there goes my act as melee fighter Noname. I¡¯m sure there can¡¯t be many people who could see how much mana I have stored without me noticing. The crown is something I¡¯m deeply connected to. It would also be rude, so it¡¯s pretty rare for anyone to try to scan the people around us, mostly rookies.

    As for my crown, I have to wonder just how many people would recognize it as a <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong> in the first ce.

    To mess with them a bit, I move a bit of my thermal energy, creating yellow mes that flicker around the crown, trying to disguise it as a <strong>[Fire Crown]</strong>. And for the most part, I try to make it as close as possible to the one I saw before.

    From what I¡¯ve heard so far, the fire-based crown would get less attention. Lastly, I finish off my camouge with a simple mask made of mana to cover my face and hide my mebearer under a wrap made of cloth.

    It¡¯s so silly it nearly makes me want to forget the whole thing, but still, I continue.

    Duncan told me a lot of things thest time I saw him. Sometimes people disappear, their bodies are never found, likely taken apart for their traits. In other cases, people with rare skills are kept for testing.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    In the near future, I fully intend to reveal some of these skills to purposefully get myself kidnapped. The kidnappers can then serve as a valuable source of information and loot.

    Your body changes and adapts to your powerful skills as they level up. Either because it needs to or as a side effect of a skills influence on the body. Even that little is enough for some people to risk it on the small chance it gives them hints to acquire a powerful skill.

    Attribute crowns are some of the most sought after, especially <strong>[Dexterity Crown]</strong>. as are Strength and Constitution while Mana is mostly considered just a variation of a mana battery. An amazing one at that, the skill likely being equal or better than even the greatest mana batteries, but <strong>[Dexterity Crown]</strong> seems to be on a different level.

    I still don¡¯t fully know how one would even go about filling that crown, but I can clearly imagine its strength. Just imagine a person storing Dexterity over months, over years.

    It¡¯s so crazy. How do you fight someone who moves so quickly you can¡¯t see them? Someone who moves faster than you can teleport, to the point that even if you do teleport, they¡¯re already there waiting for you?

    Give them a powerful weapon, and they¡¯re one of the most terrifying opponents you could ever face. Just the crown, a method of enduring the strain of motion, and a de sharp enough to pierce through armor and barriers¡ªand that¡¯s it for you.

    I stop mid-stride and take a few steps back.

    Off to my side, I spot Duncan, hurrying off somewhere with his signature big bag strapped to his back and a smile on his face. He quickly greets a group of feylith and rushes off between the houses.

    It almost makes me feel ashamed for cking around like this, so even though it¡¯s a bit early, I head over to the spot I arranged for my meeting.

    The closer I am to it, the more I start focusing again and pushing these constant thoughts away. Now they all get reced by curiosity.

    All 10 rounds of Earth¡¯s tutorial should be synchronized now, meaning I have every chance of meeting Beyonders from any given round of the tutorial. And as I get closer, I find that that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s happened.

    A tall, bald man sits there, raking his fingers through his beard. He¡¯s wearing a tank top, and either one of his arms must be thicker than my leg for sure. Hell, his leg alone probably weighs as much as I do.

    It¡¯s the winner of the 1st round¡¯s 1st tournament. The one we saw during the Chronicle of the Past.

    Next to him sits a boy, no older than 12, with a slim build and wavy brown hair matching the color of his eyes which constantly flick from ce to ce, full of curiosity.

    Opposite of them is a woman with short ck hair, kind-looking eyes, and a golden retriever sitting next to her with his head in herp while she scratches him behind the ears.

    Extrovert ss, both of them for sure. The woman is smiling and nodding, while the big, tall, muscr manughs loudly and happily, ignoring the looks he gets because of that. The boy seems to be used to that, and I can see him rolling his eyes. The way he sits close to the bald man tells me they are most likely used to each other, likely from the same round.

    As I approach, the boy finally detects me and pokes the bald man. He doesn¡¯t let it show and continues to act normal, yet the feeling of danger increases to an overwhelming degree.

    As if I had walked into a den of beasts the sense of hostility continues to ramp up as I continue my approach, and despite the man¡¯s rxed appearance as he continuesughing in time with the conversation, the current atmosphere just doesn¡¯t fit that picture.

    I let my heartbeat, kic energy flowing through my body, permeating my muscles, to counter his pressure. I match the tension in the air as I proceed, each of my steps reverberating through the floor around us, my heart beating just outside the range of normal hearing.

    My hand closes into a fist and opens.

    Winner of the tournament? Let¡¯s see.

    ¡°Noname?¡± Asks a voice, seemingly out of nowhere.

    The moment feels frozen in time, and the bald man, in the process of standing up muscles bulging, stops mid-movement. He nces at me, then at the woman with the retriever, the one who interrupted us and sits down.

    With that, the feeling of danger is gone.

    Disappointingly.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I greet.

    ¡°Hello,¡± the woman smiles, turning to me. ¡°Luna noticed your approach,¡± she says as she pets her dog, who wags her tail in response. ¡°She said you smell like a human from Earth, so I thought you might be the one who left the post.¡±

    ¡°Luna¡¯s pretty smart.¡±

    ¡°She is, right?¡± The ck-haired woman smiles happily. ¡°My name is Leticia, and this is my Luna as I¡¯ve already said,¡± she states, introducing the golden retriever as if she were the most important member of their party.

    Luna turns to me, the same gentle brown eyes retrievers usually have. But there¡¯s an uncanny intelligence behind those eyes. I don¡¯t feel any indication of a scan, but I¡¯m sure the retriever is checking me out and appraising the danger I present.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Luna, we¡¯re all from Earth here,¡± Leticia says, smiling and petting her once again, prompting Luna to quietly turn away from me.

    Leticia then gestures at the young boy. ¡°This is Spacewolf. He¡¯s really sweet, so please don¡¯t mind the name! The mountain pretending to be a human next to him is CarrotCake.¡±

    The bald man, who sits almost two heads taller than me and twice as wide, smiles brightly, his teeth gleaming in the light.

    ¡°My name in themunity is Noname,¡± I introduce myself.

    ¡°Hello, Noname. I hope we¡¯ll learn to drop these nicknames sometime in the near future. My handler told me that you can even change your Community name, but only once, and only to your real name. So please think about it.¡±

    Spacewolf snorts while CarrotCake stands up and stops in front of me. Obscuring most of my view with his beard as I look up at him.

    ¡°Round?¡± he asks.

    ¡°Fifth, you?¡± I return, curious if he will try to lie.

    ¡°First round, winner of the 1st tournament. You?¡±

    ¡°I won our first tournament as well.¡±

    The feeling of danger rises again and it¡¯s immediate this time. Even stronger than before and the man¡¯s smile bes even brighter.

    Then the two presences I felting closer reach us, Luna the retriever reacting exactly the way she did when I showed up.

    ¡°That makes three of us,¡± says a man a few years older than me, bringing himself to the muscr man¡¯s attention, which he ignores. ¡°I¡¯m Derick, and this is Noelle, 8th round.¡±

    Derick has long red hair tied into a ponytail. He¡¯s slim and dressed in a pair of ck pants and a long sleeved shirt. And to top it all off he¡¯s unarmed.

    Noelle is shorter, with brown hair, and wears a long bow strapped to her back, seemingly made out of metal with no string.

    They, like the others, seem ustomed to each other¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that great! What a beautiful day this is shaping up to be!¡± The bald man, who I refuse to call CarrotCake, shouts as he stomps, leaving a crack in the cobblestones lining the street below him. It¡¯s just a simple movement, yful, devoid of mana, yet it perfectly illustrates the power of his body.

    I smell another single-attribute enthusiast. It''s just a shame he chose Strength.

    Leticia rushes to calm the bald man down, and I have a strong suspicion he wouldn¡¯t mind starting a fight right here and now. He certainly seems like the type.

    Derick and Noelle stand quietly off to the side, talking to each other. The winner of the 8th round''s tournament, it makes me curious about what kind of abilities he could be hiding. Unlike the musclehead over there, it''s not quite so obvious.

    I check the countdown, the time for the meeting nearly up.

    Exactly on the second, thest person enters the area, a young man with green eyes and long ck hair tied back in a ponytail. He has a beauty mark under the corner of his left eye. That guy...

    So we have three winners from the 1st round of tournaments.

    An archer with a weird ass bow.

    A woman who snuck her dog into the tutorial.

    Spacewolf.

    Andstly, the cowardly Savant.

 Chapter 461: Allies?

    ¡°Is everyone from round 5 some kind of weirdo?¡± Spacewolf deres in an unprovoked attack.

    That little jerk sure sounds confident hiding behind that mountain of muscle, and as we sit there and n, he only grows more bold. He¡¯s already been badmouthing the others, and now I¡¯m his target.

    Some of his confidence might be bought by his worth as well. He introduced himself as a healer after all.

    I just look at him and don¡¯t bother answering.

    ¡°You¡¯re wearing that mask, Savant¡¯s just sitting off to the side, and he hasn¡¯t said a word since he arrived. And you haven¡¯t made any attempts at speaking to him either,¡± the boy continues.

    This time I nce at his bodyguard, wondering if I have a chance at sneaking in a petty attack on the boy.

    The tournament winner seems to catch onto my intent and shes a bright smile, cing his teeth on disy. A clear challenge gleams in his eyes.

    For some reason, that only makes me want to do it even more, and as carefully as I can, I start moving my mana toward the annoying boy.

    ¡°Spacewolf,¡± Leticia says in a gentle tone, ¡°there are some people who just don¡¯t feel the need to talk very much. Noname and Savant might just need some time to getfortable with us, maybe they¡¯ll be ready to talk then, so let¡¯s not be rude, okay?¡±Surprisingly, that makes the boy blush, and he looks to the side, away from the young woman in question.

    As if she had something to say, the golden retriever Luna pokes her owner, and Leticia just smiles at her, booping her on the nose a few times.

    Somehow that gentle-looking woman with her short ck hair has taken on the role of a ceholder leader. At the very least she seems focused on trying to guide us to a shared goal.

    At that point, I decide to ignore the fact that I was the one who called them all here and hope that no one remembers.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Noname call us all here? Shouldn¡¯t he exin what this is all about?¡± Savant¡¯s voice interrupts. I don¡¯t even have to turn around to know that he isn¡¯t even looking in our direction.

    As eyes turn to me and I sigh. ¡°It¡¯s simple. There is a ce I want to reach on the 1st floor. It¡¯s close to a safe zone where you can find a ¡®checkpoint¡¯. We will be moving in that direction together, and when we get close I intend to split off from the group while you continue on to the safe zone. I¡¯ll even finish off most of the lurkers to get them to focus on me and time the end of my stay token, so I can escape. That way you don¡¯t experience any losses.¡±

    ¡°What if I want to go with you? It sounds fun,¡± the bald man asks smugly.

    ¡°Then the deal¡¯s off. What¡¯s at that ce is mine and mine only.¡±

    ¡°And if I lie and follow you anyways?¡± he pushes.

    ¡°Then I will fuck you up.¡±

    Leticia quickly jumps in, ¡°Noname, CarrotCake, there¡¯s no need to go that far. There are countless lurkers you could fight, even other Beyonders. There is no need for the people of Earth to fight each other.¡±

    ¡°I would like to remind everyone that each of us is wasting their stay tokens because of these two,¡± Savant follows up, throwing in some wisdom of his own, from his seat further away, probably so he can escape if things get too hairy.

    ¡°I agree with Savant,¡± Derick interjects, turning to me, ¡°Did you n this as an Earthlings only expedition? Or do you want to recruit others?¡±

    ¡°I had nned to go alone, but then I thought it would be better to have a few more people just in case I meet a powerful named one.¡±

    ¡°Have you met any before?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Whitey.¡±

    That seems to catch Derick¡¯s interest, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him. He¡¯s supposed to be one of the oldest.¡±

    ¡°How does hepare strength-wise to other named lurkers?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Noelle, any idea?¡± He asks, turning to the woman next to him.

    Her voice is quiet and soft, and very soothing, ¡°As far as I remember, he¡¯s supposed to be a demon with long white hair and kic energy. He <em>is</em> one of the oldest, but not the strongest. That¡¯s as much as we know, Mr. Noname.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about what I expected, he¡¯s pretty much just like you said. Wide-range kic energy field and excellent perception¡ªthere is no chance of hiding from him. The ce I want to go is near his territory.¡±

    ¡°How do we know you don¡¯t want to use us as decoys while you run away and do something else?¡± Derick asks me, curiosity evident in his voice.

    ¡°He won¡¯t do that as long as you don¡¯t give him a reason to,¡± Savant says, much to my surprise.

    Before I can react, Leticia joins in, ¡°Luna and I have decided to trust Noname as well, and with three tournament winners apanying us, I don¡¯t think we need to recruit any more attendees. If we hurry, we should be able to reach the safe zone, especially if Noname takes most of the lurkers on himself, and we ditch him once things get hairy.¡± She smiles at me and winks as she speaks.

    Leticia then talks to the others, her voice taking on a yful tone, and the entire time as she does, Luna watches me.

    I really want to boop that nose.

    ¡°Noelle and I will time our stay tokens so they end sometime in the near future. If the expedition goes well, we¡¯ll use another and try to reach the safe zone. But if everything goes wrong, we¡¯ll just leave,¡± Derick says.

    ¡°That sounds like a good idea. How about we all do that? Spacewolf, CarrotCake, Savant, what do you think?¡±

    Facing Leticia, Savant nods in agreement, and I would bet that was his n all along, and he was already timing his tokens the same way.

    An amusing thoughtes to mind: What if everyone times their tokens that way, they leave, and I alone remain? I find the idea hrious for some reason.

    As the extrovert woman drills into the bald man and annoying boy, I stand up and walk over to Derick and Noelle. Judging by their posture and the way they speak to each other I¡¯d say they were a couple, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m a rtionship expert either, so I could easily be wrong.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°What¡¯s the mask for?¡± Derick asks as I approach.

    ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but I¡¯m trying to obscure the nature of my crown. I had too much stored to just cancel it,¡± I gesture at the crown spinning over my head.

    ¡°I can understand that. What about you and Savant, is there any bad blood between you guys? It could drag us down during the expedition.¡±

    Savant doesn¡¯t seem to want to answer, unfortunately, so I have to, ¡°It won¡¯t interfere with the expedition.¡±

    Derick nces at Savant, who nods ever so slightly.

    ¡°Fair,¡± the red-haired man says, seeming satisfied. ¡°Want to exchange information, at least as much as the system will allow?¡±

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s walk and talk though. The others seem to be getting impatient.¡±

    ¡°It seems so.¡±

    So far, Derick seems to be the most reasonable person in the group. Someone would probably pick Leticia as the candidate for the most normal-looking member, but there is something in me that just can¡¯t ept friendly people.

    But Luna seems okay. She¡¯s a good girl.

    I wonder if Leticia will let me pet her?

    It doesn¡¯t take much longer, and we find ourselves heading towards the entrance to the 1st dungeon floor. Just the seven of us, a much smaller numberpared to the twenty from thest expedition.

    I don¡¯t entirely trust these people; any one of them could decide to throw me under the bus at any moment, but the same goes for me. Still, there is a little bit of trust, unlike the 1st expedition. All of us are Earthlings, and most of them probably had much the same experience I did.

    It¡¯s one of those things that just seems to repeat time after time. People get their start searching for attendees from their owns. Later they join guilds where cooperation is required, rewarded, and often guaranteed by high-level contracts.

    CarrotCake, the mountain of muscle, seems like a battle maniac. I suspect that he is a Strength attribute enjoyer, but soon I should know for sure.

    Spacewolf, that annoying little shit, is CarrotCake¡¯s personal healer. Musclehead gets healing, and the boy can be a little jerk without having to worry about anyone pping it out of him.

    Leticia is probably a hidden evil mastermind or something. Gareth seemed perfectly friendly too, that is until we learned he didn¡¯t mind wiping out dozens of natives just for scraps of food to feed his group or anyone else he happened to encounter from Earth.

    ¡°Thinking?¡± Leticia asks, noticing me looking at her, she quickly joins me as we walk matching my pace, Luna nearby as always. And much like her owner, Luna keeps a close watch on me.

    ¡°Can I pet Luna?¡±

    Leticia skips a step before returning to her normal rhythm, the look of surprise quickly disappearing from her face, only to be reced by amusement as she turns to the golden retriever, ¡°What do you think, Luna? Can he?¡±

    Luna seems to think for a moment, her smart eyes looking between me and her owner before taking a step towards me and offering her head.

    Sorry, Biscuit, I¡¯m a weak man. I even pet Noodle from time to time when you aren¡¯t looking, and I¡¯m sure you know that. I think that might be one of the reasons you enjoy bullying the poor snake so much.

    I reach down and carefully pet the smart little golden retriever. Her eyes watch me patiently, and her head is bigger than Biscuit¡¯s, even her fur feels different. She lets this continue for a few more seconds before nudging my hand and returning to her previous position.

    ¡°Luna used to be my guide dog,¡± Leticia says with a smile and starts to pet her. Unlike before, Luna even wags her tail and licks Leticia¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t guide dogs supposed to be for blind people?¡±

    The question seems to take Leticia aback, but she smiles softly, ¡°You really don¡¯t have much tact, do you, Noname? Yes, they usually are for the blind or visually impaired, but that¡¯s not strictly the case.¡±

    We reach the entrance to the first floor and pause. At which point Leticia continues, ¡°I was blind until the second floor, you know.¡±

    Then she leaves to talk with Derick and the muscle man about something, and I watch her go.

    Yep, I knew it. She can¡¯t be normal. There¡¯s no way anyone who survived a month blind on the first floor is normal.

    Before entering the first floor of Beyond¡¯s dungeon, we share as much information as we can¡ªmostly about the first floor.

    Then, we step inside.

    <strong>Wee to the 1st floor of the First Dungeon!</strong>

    <strong>You may exit the 1st floor in designated safe zones spread across the floor. After reaching a safe zone, you will be able to use the array to return from the Entrance Floor.</strong>

    <strong>1st floor quest:</strong><em>???</em>

    <strong>Rewards:</strong>

    <em>7-day Stay Token</em>

    <em>???</em>

    We find ourselves in a sickly-looking area. There are a lot of fallen trees, dried-up grass, water so stagnant that it may as well just be poison. A few old buildings made of crumbling stone bricks can be seen in the distance.

    There are huge craters and other signs of damage everywhere we look. Crumbling mountains, sprawling fields pocked with craters, and the drooping edges of melted buildings, with their stone facades crumbling to dust.

    As before, the rocky ceiling looms above, reminding me of our presence deep underground. With it, the gravity increases, pulling more heavily on my mana, drawing it toward something far beneath my feet.

    Looking at the power levels of the people here, I find myself growing more confident about this expedition than the one before. Looking back I don¡¯t think anyone other than the leader was noticeably stronger than any of us.

    I also get rid of the mask made of mana and the fire effect around the crown. The mana signatures and presences of all the people around us disappearing is weirdlyfortable as we enter that destroyed environment of the first floor.

    ¡°You¡¯re actually quite handsome. This isn¡¯t how I imagined you, Noname. Though I noticed it even with your mask on¡ªyour eyes are beautiful. Heterochromia, right?¡± Leticia asks.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I answer, my senses shooting into the area around us and as I do, I notice that everyone does something simr.

    Not wasting time, we get to running in the direction I pointed out, taking a bit of a detour, to avoid Whitey, whom I intend to pay a visit on my own.

    Luna runs slightly ahead of us, and even though I can¡¯t sense anything, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s scouting ahead in her own way.

    There is not a single presence as far as I can sense.

    Nothing even after thirty minutes.

    Going by the expressions on everyone¡¯s faces, even they find this strange, and I can sense them rushing to stack skills and effects around their bodies while keeping their senses sharp.

    No one speaks anymore, but the bulky man seems to be growing more excited by the moment.

    Despite all our scanning, we detect no presences¡ªnot even the slightest trace of mana or primordial energy. The ce feels devoid of life both natural and unnatural.

    Another hour passes, and still, we encounter no enemies.

    We pass a massive mountain, its sides overgrown with unnatural vegetation.

    We pass ake with bubbling light green water.

    We pass a city that looks like some enormous creature stomped it t.

    And yet, no one attacks us.

 Chapter 462: Specter

    The dreary silence continues even as we approach the halfway point nearing the area I think of as Whitey¡¯s territory.

    There is no wind down here, at least not on this floor, leaving the scenery around us to settle into an eerie stillness that extends even to the grass and trees. Everything stands motionless, in a state of crumbling decay, overgrown by vegetation, or thrown all around by different kinds of attacks.

    Luna continues to lead, the golden retriever moving with extreme grace and speed, her sharp eyes scanning the area as she takes the asional break to sniff at some strange scent before leading us on.

    Musclehead appears to be happy; there is an aura of exuberance around him, which seems to upset the boy though he¡¯s clearly learned to ept it.

    Derick and Noelle stay together, neither one showing the slightest hint of unease.

    Leticia constantly moves mana in the air around her, weaving something in preparation, and I watch with great interest as she does.

    As for Savant, he stays off to the side of the group, seemingly unperturbed, his green eyes scanning the area. I bet he doesn¡¯t even want to be here, but his cold, calcting mind probably figured this would be a better opportunity to examine the first floor than mingling with random attendees.

    When I try to find out how much mana he has stored in the broken Sword of Aeons on his waist, he deflects that attempt and continues to ignore me.

    Everyone here is used to situations like this; it¡¯s almostmonce. That calm before the storm, the feeling of your senses amplifying in anticipation of danger looming right around the corner.It¡¯s addicting; it anchors you to that moment in time and makes you feel more alive than anything else.

    So when the first attackes, we¡¯re all ready.

    Leticia shouts, and Luna stops, as the ground in front of her explodes, and the shockwave throws the golden retriever against a boulder nearby, and shends with a whimper.

    Leticia¡¯s barrier, which softened the initial attack, surrounds her dog once more, stopping another strike as an explosion devastates the area.

    Noelle looses an arrow, and a barrage of white and red lightning pierces the sky¡ªthe same lightning Tess has. That attack crashes against a barrier created by the attacking figure floating high in the air.

    <strong>[Reanimated Corpse - lvl ???]</strong>

    The barrier glows in three different colors: pale blue, dark blue, and purple.

    ¡°Named one,¡± Noelle whispers, just loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°Rookie Killer, mage, barriers, and mana-based attacks.¡±

    She doesn¡¯t get a chance to say anymore as the next attack explodes in our midst. The same as before, there is a brief moment where the Lurker¡¯s mana reaches towards us nearly imperceptibly and creates a tiny portal through which itunches its next attack. ??

    The bright white explosion ofpressed mana I know so well crashes against my barrier, and I reach out for the Rookie Killer in the same fashion, stretching my <strong>[Ley Line]</strong> out through the air and creating an endpoint next to him.

    It seems to have an incredible perception, sensing my skill and attempting to disrupt it.

    But nothing happens. The thread doesn¡¯t even react to the attempt.

    Another barrage of lightning from Noelle crashes against the feylith lurker¡¯s barrier, and as it does, I teleport right in front of him.

    He has a set of small wings on his back, and his hair and eyes, which should be changing colors, are now a deathly shade of white and his skin has shriveled as if with age.

    Rookie Killer moves, surrounding himself with a huge amount of mana in an attempt to resist my rapidly activating domain, which is currently being strengthened by the effect of my subss.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got another named one! Specter!¡± Noelle shouts from below, and I sense the fight rage beneath me.

    My body radiates more and more mana, ramping up the pressure and strengthening my domain as we face each other.

    Hundreds of mana projectiles enter my domain, only to be disrupted by <strong>[Resonance]</strong> as I infuse it throughout.

    <strong>[Mana Domain - lvl 46 > Mana Domain - lvl 47]</strong>

    My own mana projectiles, boosted by kic energy, crash against that tricolored barrier, which deforms under the barrage but holds strong nheless.

    I fend off a constant string of attempts to tear my domain apart, along with the projectiles. The lurker teleports away before I can stop him, leaving his barrier behind, as it shrinks to the size of one of his projectiles and turns bright white.

    Rather than disrupt it and waste mana, I use my existing <strong>[Ley Line]</strong> to return to my original position, cing the fight at a distance where I see the orange light of Savant¡¯s <strong>[Dawn]</strong> and two more lurkers fighting the group.

    Something about this group of three feels off. They¡¯re all too strong to be random lurkers, and even then, they¡¯re showing signs of damage ¡ªas if they had already been through a tough fight.

    Another portal opens near me, and a barrage of attacks erupts forth, crashing into my hastily constructed barrier.

    <strong>[Ley Line]</strong> activates again, and I throw a dozen or so invisible shimmering blue lines in all directions and shrink my domain to make it more potent. Another teleport gets me closer, and I boost myself with kic energy, closing the remaining distance, as I deflect the iing frontal attack with my barrier.

    The lurker attempts to open another portal behind me andunch an attack, but I reach towards it and tear it down before it can happen.

    Then a mana projectile passes through my barrier, and just before it explodes, I disassemble it with <strong>[Resonance]</strong>.

    Another dozen or so attacks have modified frequency, ignoring my barrier and even partially disrupting my attempts to match the creature¡¯s speed, forcing me toe up with my countermeasures the same way Rookie Killer does.

    Then, an animal I don¡¯t recognize forms from his mana. It looks like a wolf with long legs and two pairs of wings.

    It passes through my barrier, bes more transparent within my domain, only to be torn apart before it can even reach me.

    I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris and weaken my domain as two more press the attack.

    They phase through my barrier, better able to handle my domain, their frequency constantly shifting. One of them gets destroyed, and the second one I let bite my forearm, the being entirely made of mana bites into my flesh, and a powerful mana disruption effect rushes through my body. Then in a blink, the animal shrinks into an orb before turning bright white, and exploding, forcing me downwards, and throwing me onto the ground.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the vition.

    Just in time, I pop up a barrier around me, strengthening it as much as possible as dozens of attacks crash into the area around me.

    Each of the explosions is big and powerful enough to wipe out an entire building, evaporating my surroundings into a cloud of dust and debris.

    But that¡¯s it.

    Disappointed, I stand up. Dusting myself off I activate my healing passive. Healing the assorted scrapes and bruises I¡¯ve umted.

    Rookie Killer floats there, hanging in the air, his small wings unmoving, as he charges hundreds of projectiles in the space around him, while more of these weird wolves take form by his side.

    The lurker can teleport, send attacks through portals, and actually seems to have a decent amount of mana, or, more likely, a high rate of regeneration. His skill at disruption is amazing, and he can change the frequency of his mana to surprise opponents.

    Most interesting though is probably the animals he creates with his mana, delivering a powerful disruptive attack and quick explosions. It¡¯ll definitely be something to experiment with in the future.

    But that¡¯s it.

    I teleport close to him, my eyes ring into activity as my mind fractures into pieces, absorbing every detail. With a single pulse of disruptive mana, everything around us is torn apart.

    <strong>[Resonance - lvl 51 > Resonance - lvl 52]</strong>

    All the animals, all the projectiles, all the defenses, and portals disappear.

    The lurker tries to move, but <strong>[Redistribution]</strong> holds him in ce, and I send another disrupting wave at him, ramping up the effect with an excessive burst of mana and causing the air to reverberate under the pressure.

    A single orb appears, forming over the tip of my finger, made from tricolored mana which turns bright white in the blink of an eye, growing to the size of a grape. I mold it into a javelin-like projectile and drive it into the lurker''s chest.

    The attack detonates, my barrier wavering as waves ripple through its surface, but it endures, withstanding the st reverberating through the air.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 303]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 276 > Lvl 277]</strong>

    My Ley Line takes me closer to the group, and I fly the rest of the distance.

    The orange color of Savant¡¯s domain surrounds the area, and the man¡¯s left arm hangs uselessly across his body, disying a row of deep cuts, clearly meant to pass through his forearm only to stop at the bone. And the finishing blow that exploded his shoulder bone.

    Savant swings the sword in his hand, and his opponent ducks under it, with incredible speed stabbing at Savant¡¯s chest three times in quick session. Savant dodges all three attacks and kicks out at the lurker who dodges again.

    The lurker''s skin is even more cracked than usual, resembling the horrific burns inflicted by Savant''s domain.

    Derick reaches them, short bursts of disrupting mana shing from his fists, as a skin-tight mana barrier flickers around him.

    The lurker dodges, tanks one hit from Derick, and flickers, turning half transparent, as Savant¡¯s swing and Noelle¡¯s arrow pass through without causing damage.

    Materializing again, the lurker moves incredibly quickly, parts of his body flickering in and out to let some of the smaller attacks pass through.

    Repositioning, he attacks me, in a clear attempt to capitalize on my distance from the others.

    This one¡¯s the same race Rat was. Humanoid, with gray skin and long arms and legs. His dead white eyes lock onto me, and I disrupt his attempt to mark me in some way.

    Kic energy flows through my body, and I squeeze mebearer in my hand.

    The lurker dodges three bursts of kic energy, he lets a barrage of mana-based attacks pass through his flickering body, my<strong> [Redistribution]</strong> slips off of his skin, and he stabs at me.

    I teleport, and he immediately follows me, an aggressive movement that makes him look more like an animal than anything humanoid. He dodges a dozen arrowsunched by Noelle in a single second and briefly shes with Derrick before the red-haired man kicks him. The lurker lets the kicknd, using it as a boost tounch himself back at me.

    He dodges more primordial lightning arrows, he avoids Derick again by moving at much higher speeds, and he adjusts his barrier to weaken the effects of Savant¡¯s <strong>[Dawn]</strong>.

    My domain activates at full power, my eyes reading his barrier, and my disruptive attacks are at their best. And for that short moment, I cause his barrier to flicker and decide to face him head on instead of teleporting.

    Kic energy supports me, my movement matching his for that moment, and I disrupt his barrier again, swinging my ax at his head whileunching powerful bursts of kic energy to take a chunk of his chest, right where his heart should be.

    And he dodges both.

    His speed surges and the barrier around him reactivates as if I¡¯d never disrupted it. The lurker reduced his speed. He even let me weaken his barrier.

    All to lure me in.

    His dagger stabs into my chest, as I pivot just enough so it doesn¡¯t pierce my heart. Some kind of poison is flooding in through the wound, along with a powerful disrupting attempt.

    But I¡¯ve seen it all before. Disrupting my mana just isn¡¯t that easy.

    Kic energy boosts my movement and a barrier of mana forms over my forehead. I bring it down and smash it into the lurker with full force, with an audible crack from his head or mine. Or both.

    He tries to take another step, but I wrap my arms around him, pinning his arms so he can¡¯t move the dagger he¡¯s managed to lodge in me. The direct contact makes it harder for him to flicker away.

    Golden mes seep out of my body, surrounding us both. Healing me and damaging him.

    I hold on to him all the while, disrupting his attempts at using that flickering skill of his, in a constant battle not unlike the orb-shaping exercise Lissandra left me.

    But I love this. I reinforce the barrier on my forehead and m into him again, shattering his nose and teeth.

    Feeling that he¡¯s about to slip away, I boost my body and resonate my mana, removing the arm he stabbed me with, a split second before he flickers away.

    He tries to grab the arm and dagger lodged inside me, but Derick smashes into him, and the lurker lets his body roll. Then in an incredible disy of acrobatics, he jumps into the air, dodging an arrow, and tries to kick Savant, who deflects the blow and attacks in turn.

    The lurker¡¯s body flickers, and he starts running at incredible speed.

    I send a powerful burst of kic energy through the Ley Line I tied to him and the lurker reacts with incredible speed, flickering away the instant my attack grazes him, minimizing his injuries.

    A weird dagger forms in his hand made out of an extremely pale, almost transparent form of blue mana, which he uses to cut away the Ley Line, along with the flesh it was attached to, before disappearing into the distance.

    As the explosions continue in the distance, Leticia and two others caught in their own fight with the third lurker, I pull the dagger out of my chest, focusing thermal energy around the wound as I concentrate it and let it burn my own flesh to stop the spread of poison.

    It hurts a lot, but I distract myself by thinking of ways to improve my <strong>[Ley Line]</strong> and make it harder to get rid of.

    Even though that lurker was insane and likely one of the stronger ones, it shouldn¡¯t have been so easy to take it down¡ªor even notice it. It serves as a stark reminder that no matter how strong I¡¯ve be, these lurkers were once attendees, people who reached Beyond on their own.

    I store the severed arm in my bag and nce at the dagger.

    <strong>Nullstrike Knife (Arcane, Damaged) - </strong>The<strong></strong><em>Nullstrike Knife is incredibly sharp, capable of slicing through the toughest armor. The poison it once held is nearly gone, but it disrupts mana on contact, hindering magical defenses. asionally, it releases a pulse that temporarily silences all spells in the immediate area.</em>

    It shouldn¡¯t be this easy to collect damaged arcane items.

    ¡°Good job. That was a bit of a crazy way to go about things, but hey, if it works.¡± Derick says, as he approaches, ncing at the dagger In my hand.

    ¡°Thanks. Are you done doing the bare minimum so that you can observe our abilities?¡±

    The red-haired man seems to be amused, and for a moment, a smile flickers across his face before it disappears. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all doing it? Why don¡¯t we check on the others?¡±

    ¡°After you,¡± I gesture.

 Chapter 463: Lurkers everywhere

    The muscleman, annoying boy healer, Leticia, and good girl Luna have all been marked by the fight. Well, other than the boy who looks like he came from a walk. The big musclehead has terrible burns across his hand and forearms, but he doesn¡¯t seem to mind, in fact, he¡¯s smiling brightly right now.

    ¡°What a fight! That little man sure packed some heat!¡± As he talks, I watch the burns on his arms heal even without any support from the boy.

    His natural regeneration might be even higher than Lily¡¯s. However, I still don¡¯t think hees anywhere close to matching her high Constitution, leading me to think it¡¯s some kind of powerful trait or skill at work, be it active or passive.

    Leticia, meanwhile, has been blinded in one eye, a terrible burn taking up half of her face, and the golden retriever doesn¡¯t look much better. Luna is missing one of her legs with the same sort of burns surrounding the injury.

    Noticing my look, the woman smiles, ¡°I will be fine. That lurker was just faster than expected.¡±

    It¡¯s at this point that Noelle speaks up, joining the conversation, ¡°Noname fought Rookie Killer. He¡¯s gotten quite famous for bombarding newbies and causing trouble for weaker expedition teams, but he¡¯s not that strong. We got attacked by Specter, one of the more dangerous ones, and he ran away. But I don¡¯t know the one who fought you.¡±

    ¡°They fought a vyssari woman, another named one called zing Shortie,¡± Savant speaks up, having already recovered, his wounds have closed at the very least, his bearing unchanged.

    ¡°That fits pretty well!¡± Our musclehead says, smiling, and shoving the boy next to him. ¡°Go and heal her.¡±

    For a moment, I think the boy might refuse, but he just sighs and approaches Leticia, who thanks him and lets him touch her face.With curiosity, I observe the process,paring him to Lily.

    The wound closes quickly, and it doesn¡¯t seem to cause the boy much trouble. The mana feels simr to Lily¡¯s. It¡¯s no different when he restores the golden retriever¡¯s missing leg, the bone growing in first, only to be quickly covered in nerves, tendons, flesh, skin, and finally, fur.

    He doesn¡¯t seem to push himself, so it¡¯s hard to estimate how hepares to our petite maniac.

    Then we continue moving on our way.

    We pass by another small ruined city, a huge crater in the side of a mountain, and a big field filled with spikes piercing into the ground, and breaking the otherwise uniform surface.

    When we eventually do meet two more lurkers, they go down easily, these ones having been much more in line with beginners who got in over their heads.

    As promised, I¡¯m the one to deliver the finishing blow, thus making future lurkers more attracted to me as time goes on.

    When we meet three more, one of them dies near instantly, torn apart by a barrage of attacks from Noelle and me.

    Leticia is great at manipting mana. Her shields have perfect timing, and she forms them incredibly quickly. Even then, they¡¯re none too shabby, seeming more than capable of enduring even more powerful attacks.

    However she hasn¡¯t really pressed the attack thus far, so I don¡¯t know what her full capabilities are.

    As for the resident musclehead, I watch as he jumps in feet first to face a lurker in a set of heavy armor.

    The winner of the 1st round¡¯s tournament is surprisingly nimble and doesn¡¯t face down attacks if he doesn¡¯t need to. His fights don¡¯t usually take long either.

    I watch as he pounds the armor, denting it as if it were made of aluminum foil. And after taking a few quick steps, he follows up the strike with a knee kick.

    The lurker in armor creates a greatsword with mana and takes a swing, which the bald man dodges nimbly. Then repeating the maneuver, his next hit strikes the t of the de, snapping the weapon in the middle, before the following kick sends the lurker flying, mming it into a boulder.

    Grabbing a stone from the ground, the man throws it at full force, the impact sounding like an explosion as the stone explodes into a cloud of dust from the sheer force, sending reverberations through the air.

    ¡°You can finish him,¡± he tells me, sounding disappointed, no different from the fight before.

    I let one of my javelins pierce the unmoving lurker, its armor rendered useless.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 253]</strong>

    We start moving again, and as we progress, more and more lurkers head our way, attracted by the annoying mechanic that defines this floor. The more we kill, the worse it gets, and we aren¡¯t even halfway through.

    As much as we can, we avoid killing them, often leaving lurkers behind crippled and missing limbs.

    We could have done it before, but I think the others wanted to be sure I would keep my word. Just to know they¡¯d have someone willing to serve as a decoy if needed, while they escape. I think it¡¯s only fair, and it¡¯s exactly what I offered to them.

    Nearly a day passes like that as we continue on, setting a slower pace than my previous expedition. My stay token is about to end so before I can disappear back to the 6th floor, I use another 1-day stay token. Leaving me with two more 1-day stay tokens and one 3-day stay token.

    We lower our speed as the others take the opportunity to limatize themselves and explore the floor and make themselves familiar with its dangers. We do some tests on the lurkers as well, curious to learn just how much of the original person remains in them.

    Another half a day passes like that, and the more I observe this group, the more curious I am. We stand around, chewing our food, with a barrier surrounding the first somewhat stable house we could find. Taking a short break.

    So, who other than me and Savant could be a Champion candidate? I can¡¯t sense the title from anyone else. If there does happen to be anyone else with the title, they¡¯re probably taking full advantage of the function allowing them to hide it.

    As we eat, while Luna and Leticia keep watch, I get a great idea.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Are you a Champion candidate, CarrotCake?¡± I ask directly.

    His healer seems like he is about to spit out the food he is chewing, but the tall manughs.

    ¡°I¡¯m not. Some weird guy on the 2nd floor wanted to dere me one, but I rejected it because it sounded suspicious. Like, why the hell would I let someone dere me a Champion candidate or something when I don¡¯t even know who they are?¡±

    Is he messing with me?

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Derick also seems unbelieving.

    ¡°Champion this, Absolute that, Candidate non Candidate, Rulers, blights, radiances, and other bullshit. Who cares?¡± The bald man shrugs, his teeth exposed in a wide smile. ¡°I let my group deal with all that so that I can just fight.¡±

    Huh, I could respect that. He might not be that bad.

    An unexpected questiones from him. ¡°And you, Noname? Are you one of those Candidate thingies?¡±

    The question sounds innocent, but the way he¡¯s looking at me makes it clear that the way I answer will allow him to put me in a box. To understand me better.

    ¡°Yup,¡± I reply.

    Satisfied, he nods without pressing further.

    He is also an Adept of Pride and the same as I can sense it from him, he can sense it from me.

    ¡°My name is Jean, and this is Lucien.¡± He says, pping the boy next to him with his massive arm, nearly causing him to choke on his food.

    ¡°You goddamn dumbass, tell him your name if you want, but why did you have to give him mine as well!¡± the boyins without an ounce of hesitation.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about such useless stuff.¡± He crows, adding in another p before turning back to me. ¡°During the second tournament, we will fight,¡± he deres.

    "Sure."

    That makes me remember a certain cockroach who promised to join. That tournament will certainly be one huge mess.

    ¡°Luna says there¡¯s a group of 10 lurkers approaching; they¡¯re heading right for us,¡± Leticia announces.

    Jean doesn¡¯t even bother exiting through the door and instead opts to blow off the entire side of the house with a single punch, forcing us to exit before it caves in on us.

    ¡°Any strong ones?¡± Derick asks as we get to running.

    ¡°Two, maybe three,¡± Leticia quickly announces and immediately stops, her feet burying themselves in the ground. ¡°Twenty more approaching from the direction we were just running.¡±

    Oh boy.

    ¡°We could head in the direction we came from and try to get around them,¡± Derick says, rolling up his sleeves, disying a number of tattoos with designs I haven¡¯t seen yet densely covering his entire arms¡ªfingers, palms, forearms, every inch of exposed skin. He then continues, rolling up his pants, revealing a simr set of tattoos covering his legs.

    ¡°That would make both groups join and follow us. Noelle interjects. Leticia, is Luna sure they are heading right at us?¡± Noelle asks, taking the bow off her back, as a string made of mana appears and bending the bow into position.

    Her forearms, as it turns out, are covered in their own set of tattoos, which begin sparking with white and red primordial lightning.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Leticia confirms.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to have some fun, gals and boys.¡± CarrotCake¡ªJean¡ªseems to be getting excited as he turns to the boy. ¡°Give me a mark, Lucien.¡±

    With a defeated sigh, the boy ps the enormous man on the back, and I sense a sh of mana and a healing aura, establishing some sort of connection between the two of them.

    No one says anything, but all of us start heading in the direction of the smaller group.

    ¡°Noname, I won¡¯t hold back this time,¡± Derick tells me, his tattoos radiating more and more mana with each step he takes.

    ¡°Sure.¡± He better not, we need to kill them quickly.

    I take a few more steps and boost myself high into the air.

    Even from this distance, a lurker manages to attack me, and I duck to the side, as a massive icicle sails off into the distance.

    Someone touches my mind, but that¡¯s it. My passive renders the attack useless, and I detect the attacker, deciding to deal with them first.

    First, I shoot dozens of threads of <strong>[Ley Line]</strong> into the area, immediate attempts at disrupting them pulse out from two different sources, but neither one has any hope of getting rid of them.

    As the group of ten lurkers enters my view, I dodge a few more attacks and block a few with my barrier.

    The group splits up to cover a bigger area, some staying behind to attack from a distance while the others move into melee range. There is no sense of cooperation. Just like zombies, they just group together and attack simr targets.

    My first tricolored orb explodes in the middle of a group of five melee attackers, throwing a few of them to the side while two manage to endure the attack. One of them, likely a named one, even shrugs it off, its armor made of mana absorbing the st as he rushes toward Jean.

    The huge man wees the lurker with a powerful punch that destroys the ground in a massive area, and tears apart the lurker in a single blow, leaving nothing behind.

    With it goes most of Jean¡¯s arm, reducing it to a mass of ragged and profusely bleeding flesh, but the wound closes quickly. And I notice that not a single bone is broken.

    Savant is already attacking the lurker I threw the orb against, his movements much more dangerous than they were during the tournament, without even activating his domain.

    Teleporting through my anchor, I reach the lynthari woman who used some sort of mental attack before.

    She attacks me and her mental assault crashes against me again, as she follows up with a wave of osciting mana spinning around her and cutting the area around her to ribbons.

    Mana armor forms around my body, taking deep cuts across the surface, but by boosting my body with kic energy, I manage to take a few steps. Foot burrowing into the ground, as I twist my waist, redirecting all the force through my body and releasing it in short bursts.

    The lynthari¡¯s chest caves in, forcing her to stagger back, but there¡¯s no sense of pain in her eyes.

    Another step and swing of my hand separates her head from her body.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 261]</strong>

    I teleport away, and a barrage of attacks crashes into the ce I was standing, mostly ice projectiles that seem to radiate immense cold into the area around them.

    A pulse of mana erupts outwards from me, detecting the positions of my group and the lurkers, As Ipress a huge amount of mana and send five tricolored orbs through my Ley Lines.

    Five powerful explosions reverberate through the air, preceding a heatwave followed by a shockwave and an implosion.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 241]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 253]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 278 > Lvl 279]</strong>

    The air is still shaking, reverberating, when I sense one more signature heading from the direction of the group of 20 lurkers. A signature that moves at incredible speed, passing a distance that would take other lurkers at least a few minutes in mere seconds.

    Itnds in the middle of the group, the enormous wings made of mana on its back disappearing as the figure slows to a walk.

    The figure is one of the races I met on the entrance floor, twice as tall as me, and while they still have humanoid proportions, they feel off on someone of this size.

    <strong>[Reanimated Corpse - lvl ???]</strong>

    Leticia shouts something, and Luna grows in size until the golden retriever is as big as a horse. The legs elongate, along with a maw that shows off a dangerous set of teeth. But before Luna can attack the lurker, the musclehead tackles her with his shoulder, sending the retriever to the side.

    ¡°Mine!¡± heughs maniacally as the muscles on his body bulge.

    His skin tears, the air around him seems to shake, and he crashes into the giant lurker with a huge shockwave.

 Not a Chapter. Announcement â€“ Book 3 Live on Amazon!

    It¡¯s here again! Book 3 is live and even longer than the previous one¡ªthis time it is around 780 Amazon pages!

    The audiobook isn¡¯t ready yet, but I¡¯ll let you know as soon as it¡¯s avable!

    As before, I¡¯d be really thankful if you find time to rate the book or leave a review with your thoughts. You can (most of the time) rate and review even if you didn¡¯t buy the book. If you have KU, you can download the book¡ªjust downloading it helps, as it counts as a sale!

    Book 3 starts around the time of the creation of Angry Kittens, a Group 4 guild formed during the 4th floor in Virelia. The book includes the rest of the 4th floor and part of the 5th, introducing Nathaniel Gwyn¡¯s very first disciple¡ªa little half-demon. Some call her minion.

    There are no big changes to the story, but the book went through professional editing with a few smaller changes.

    This book''s true home is on another tform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    <strong>Amazon:</strong> /amazon/B0DD4BQ9PC

    I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit ount, upvoting them helps as well!

    <strong>r/litrpg: /r/litrpgments/1h6k93r/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_3_is_out//</strong><strong><strong>r/ProgressionFantasy: /r/ProgressionFantasyments/1h6k7go/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_3_is_out/

    Thank you all so much for being a part of this!</strong></strong>

 Chapter 464: Luna

    Everyone evacuates the area as the giant and Jean sh, reducing their surroundings into a field of craters in a storm of shockwaves.

    Jean stands his ground this time, taking blows he otherwise wouldn¡¯t in order to deliver a few of his own. Each punch he throws tears his flesh, sending chunks of skin flying and blood spraying into the air as his body fails to endure the sheer power of his own attacks.

    Surprisingly, his bones endure, without breaking even as the giant beats him down, and that¡¯s when I notice the barest hint of mana surrounding his massive fists.

    Of course, Lucien supports him with an asional round of healing, climbing onto Luna''s back beside Leticia. While Luna keeps them out of harm¡¯s way, avoiding stray attacks from the few surviving lurkers, Leticia weaves mana around them to defend and attack doing so quickly and precisely.

    Another powerful lurker crashes into Savant, who¡¯s been silently radiating his domain into the area, the lurker¡¯s body, already having taken damage from the deadly field, begins to break down even faster as it takes a strike from the sword Savant creates from said domain.

    Noelle continues to avoid attacks while picking off the weaker lurkers, her projectiles bursting forth in a near uninterrupted stream.

    But Derick seems to be having a bit of a problem. His opponent is a male lynthari dual wielding swords with a crown seemingly made of ice, floating over his head.

    Neither Derick nor the lynthari move quickly, but their movements are smooth and dangerous. The area around them has also grown immensely cold, causing Derick''s breath to mist in the air as the skin-tight barrier around his body freezes over.

    With a boost, Ind nearby, armor surrounding my body.The lynthari doesn¡¯t even flinch, focused on pressuring Derick with a constant barrage of his attacks, who¡¯s been deflecting the des with his forearms and shins, without even the slightest injury.

    Then the immense cold hits me, freezing the armor around my body, and I find myself unable to move for a moment. Boosting my movements with kic energy, I take a step, breaking theyer of frost hindering my movements, and infuse thermal energy into my armor. The pale blue mana taking on a hint of the energy¡¯s golden hue.

    That''s when the lynthari reacts for the first time.

    The crown over his head spins and expands, vastly increasing the influence of his cold. Even the ground zes over with a sheet of ice that feels almost sticky, freezing to my shoes whenever I take a step. And Derick ignores it. Without armor to protect his body, or mes and heat to disperse the ice. Relying on nothing but his skin-tight barrier, glowing tattoos, and incredibly short bursts of mana that he uses to attack and disrupt iing skills.

    More thermal energy surrounds me and I shoot off a few mana projectiles, which freeze in the air, crumbling into fine particles as they make contact with the lynthari.

    One of the swords swings my way only to be met with mebearer, mes warring with ice. I increase the output of the mes and boost my body to push back against the sword.

    And my golden mes begin to die off, unable to resist the concentrated cold. Immediately after, a strong pulse of cold shoots into the area as I release my thermal energy into the area around me, letting it burn.

    That cold stops Derick just for a moment and one of the lynthari¡¯s swords pierces his leg, the frost quickly spreading before the man frees himself.

    An ice projectile that was about to pierce me evaporates just in front of my heart, meeting my forearm instead.

    I have never felt so cold in my life.

    Shrinking my domain, I stop trying to fight the cold surrounding me. Instead, I make my <strong>[Mana Domain]</strong> skin-tight, adding resonating mana into the mix. The armor around me disappears and I charge up heat just under my skin, and send a burst of kic energy through my body, as I move to attack.

    With an almostzy movement that feels perversely elegant, the lynthari meets my axe with his swords, with each sh my axe, coated in golden mes, evaporates some of the ice releasing a frozen mist to chill the air surrounding us.

    The sword pierces through my foot and continues on into the ground. I duck and avoid his follow up, and take a step back, breaking my foot, leaving it behind, entirely frozen, little more than a block of ice.

    I detonate the frozen stump and use one of Lily¡¯s healing marks, quickly restoring my foot.

    In the meantime Derick takes up the lynthari''s attention, the swords shing against his form, as his tattoos glow brighter than ever. A few short exchanges and Derick staggers back, with the lurker pulling a sword from his chest, the de coated in blood. ?

    A pulse of mana explodes from Derick and the frost-like effect fades from his body, but the wound remains as the red-haired man attacks again, working in concert with me.

    My axe burrows into the lynthari¡¯s side, and Derick caves in the lurker¡¯s chest.

    In the blink of an eye, the field around the lurker shrinks, condensing the area of effect and concentrating the effects of the cold. I can feel it in my chest, as my fingers start turning blue, even filled with my thermal energy. My movements are getting even slower and the mana around me keeps freezing and bing extremely brittle.

    Then the third person joins the attack.

    Savant ambushes the lurker from behind. Striking with the broken Sword of Aeons, restored with the orange light of <strong>[Dawn]</strong>, which actually seems to pressure the lurker, the mana poisoning doing its vile work, even here, the lynthari¡¯s skin already beginning to show the effects.

    The orange de shes with the sword seemingly made of ice a few more times, and with immense effort I force myself to move even though my body feels ready to break with the slightest impact just like my foot. I swing my axe and bury it in the lynthari¡¯s shoulder, and I nearly empty my vortex core as I feed thermal energy into the lurker.

    Derick grapples with the Lynthari, twisting one of its arms until it breaks, putting it into a hold, and forcing one of its swords to tter to the ground.

    This story has been uwfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    A burst of cold sends Savant staggering back before he can attack again, the sword in front of him glowing brightly in his defense. His green eyes shining dangerously from behind his guard.

    Derick lets go to avoid a spray of ice projectiles and the other sword thrusts its way towards my head.

    I teleport to the opposite side of the lynthari lurker having ced a Ley Line before and deliver another swing with the axe, a brilliant gold exploding into the area.

    A wall of ice shoots up from the ground, and my mes crash against it, forcing me to pull them back into the axe so that I can reuse them.

    The lurker ducks and Savant''s sword passes just over his head. The crown disappears entirely, and with it, the lurker turns an even paler shade of white. Even his own body zes with frost and as he takes his next step his arm and leg shatter into tiny particles of ice, but for that moment, the three of us freeze in ce.

    Thermal energy, kic energy, all my external mana are useless.

    As the sword heads toward me, I activate the glove on my hand, copying the lurker¡¯s ability.

    I make use of his ice skill and add that to the immense cold that¡¯s already serving to freeze the lynthari. And just like us, he freezes mid strike, standing there on a single leg and with a sword just a few inches away from my face.

    The first to move is Derick. He takes one small step, followed by another, the ice beginning to fall from his body.

    With thest step, he swings his arm, striking the lurker¡¯s head with an open palm, and forces mana through the point of contact, causing its head to explode into a cloud of frozen particles.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 321]</strong>

    As if it never existed, the field of cold disappears, the air gradually heating up as normal air rushes to fill the area.

    I let thermal energy surge through my body and still feel that mind numbing cold, even with all the heat I can channel now.

    Barely a minute has passed since we attacked the group of ten lurkers and since the giant overtook us.

    Jean is still fighting him and only two lurkers remain aside from the giant, and they¡¯re being dealt with by Luna, Leticia, and Noelle.

    Meanwhile, the area around us is nearly unrecognizable. Gone are the buildings and the ground is scarred by long tears and craters. In the middle of it all, they continue to fight, the giant is riddled with bloody wounds, a broken arm, and the mana around his fists is flickering.

    Jean seems just as enthusiastic as before. Blood covers his body and one of his eyes has been blinded, not to mention that a massive blow has clearly turned half of his face into a mangled mass of meat. Even so, he punches the giant¡¯s knee and it explodes into a gory mess, forcing the huge lurker to kneel. He raises his forearms to block, but Jean''s immense strength sts them aside, leaving his guard wide open.

    With a jump, Jean reaches the giant¡¯s face and strikes.

    At that moment, the lurker snaps its mouth closed.

    He doesn¡¯t bite off Jean¡¯s arm, instead, it holds its ground, the giant lurker finding himself unable to shear through.

    Laughing maniacally, Jean doesn¡¯t even try to pull the arm free. Instead, he swings his other one, his fist burrowing into the giant¡¯s eye, pieces of flesh and liquid erupting from the eyeball to cover him.

    And he swings again and again until the giant stops moving and falls down.

    The man then continues to punch the dead lurker¡¯s teeth until he breaks enough of them to free his arm. It''s nearly devoid of flesh, connected to his body only by a visible section of bone.

    ¡°Lucien, my boy!¡±

    ¡°Got it, got it!¡± as if this were amon urrence, the boy shouts and the mark he put on Jean¡¯s back activates, the wounds closing slowly.

    ¡°We have a minute before the group of twenty reaches us. Thirty seconds before the quickest arrives!¡± Leticia warns us, already going through the equipment that was on dead lurkers.

    Even as wounded as some of us are, everyone immediately does the same, with the only exception being Jean, who stands there longingly staring at the body of the giant.

    Ten secondster, we start running.

    After five minutes of this, I start checking out the ways everyone¡¯s been covering their steps, and I have to say that Leticia might be even better than me.

    Whereas I can remove residual mana, she does so much more naturally, making it look almost indistinguishable from ambient mana or at least mana that had been fading for weeks.

    I also have a strong suspicion she can reduce our scent and mitigate a few other lingering effects.

    And when we reach the huge tower, we hide on one of the floors. While we wait, Lucien goes around healing everyone. He doesn''t put in a lot of effort but no oneins. His abilities might be even more necessaryter.

    Luna, in her normal size now, keeps guard since the lurkers would be able to track anyone else.

    Even though we killed a prettyrge number of lurkers and should be easier to notice now, it may still be possible to hide here for a few minutes. Any longer would incur too much risk.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t named ones supposed to be rare?¡± Derrick asks, resting against the wall with Noelle next to him.

    ¡°Want to bet you just jinxed it, and more will appear?¡± Noelle jabs, yfully poking him in the side.

    ¡°Damn it. But since we started¡­ When I get home, I¡¯ll open a nice caf¨¦ or restaurant. Oh, and by the way, these are my kids, aren¡¯t they cute¡­¡± He chuckles, miming taking a photo out of his wallet.

    Noelleughs and pushes him away, ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯d know if you had any kids.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a handsome young man, women are throwing themselves at me, maybe something happened behind your back.¡±

    ¡°If that were the case, then the lurkers would be the least of your problems, Handsome young man,¡± she says with a final poke before turning to Leticia. ¡°Luna scared me for a moment there, she grew so big.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Leticia smiles happily. ¡°She¡¯s really good at all of this, and sometimes I think she was the one meant for Hell Difficulty, and I just got caught up in all this with her.¡±

    Luna waits patiently as Leticia squats and squishes the golden retriever¡¯s cheeks together. Even so, I can see her tail wagging.

    Somehow, I find myself disagreeing with Leticia. Just seeing the way she handles mana, it¡¯s obvious she ¡°belongs¡± here just like the rest of us.

    ¡°Why are you so shy?¡± Leticia asks her golden retriever. ¡°I think you could say something now.¡±

    ¡°Leticia, sometimes I think it¡¯s me who¡¯s human. Maybe you were the real dog, and our minds got swapped when we were summoned.¡±

    Everyone stops what they¡¯re doing, staring at the retriever from whom the sentence came. It¡¯s not telepathic or anything. It¡¯s just a human voice reverberating in the air as the retriever opens her mouth. Her mouth isn¡¯t moving, in a parody of the act of speech. Rather, it just hangs open, emitting the voice from its depths.

    The voice is womanly, very soft, and soothing. The kind one might imagine singing lubies.

    Leticia doesn¡¯t seem the least bit shocked and smiles even wider. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind it at all! Should I try barking and asking for pets?¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that, Leticia, you¡¯re embarrassing yourself,¡± Luna says, sitting down and lifting one of her paws, licking it while ncing at us. She reacts to the silence. ¡°Really? This surprises you after all we''ve seen?¡±

 Chapter 465: Challenge

    Jean immediately takes a step forward and grabs Luna in his massive hands, lifting the golden retriever to his face so he can look her in the eyes.

    Luna calmly returns that gaze. ¡°You will either let me down, or I will bite you, smelly human.¡±

    Leticia rushes in, cing a hand on Jean¡¯s massive forearm. ¡°CarrotCake¡ªehm, sorry, Jean, please let Luna go before she gets angry.¡±

    It¡¯s easily noticeable that Luna is already growing, and I remember her figure from when she was the size of a horse.

    That makes me wonder how big she could grow.

    ¡°She really is talking,¡± Jean says, shaking his head before he lets Luna go, at which point she returns to her normal size and sits closer to the window.

    ¡°Modifying my vocal cords to use humannguage wasn¡¯t that difficult. And please restrain yourself from bothering me; I¡¯m keeping watch.¡± Having said her piece, she doesn¡¯t give him more attention.

    ¡°Sorry! That¡¯s just how she is. I me the lynthari; they really were fascinated by her, and she learned a lot of weird habits.¡±

    For the first time since I met her, Luna growls, ¡°DO NOT TALK ABOUT THOSE DERANGED BEINGS IN FRONT OF ME, LETICIA! I still have nightmares about that golden-eyed, crazed cat human!¡±Leticia just smiles. ¡°She can be such a drama queen sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Say what you want, Leticia, just pull yourself together. You are shaming me.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Luna! Are there any lurkers closing in?¡±

    ¡°We will need to move in a minute or two. I¡¯ll let you know, so rest for now.¡± Luna soothes, standing, and taking a few steps over to me beforeing to a stop.

    Because I¡¯m sitting on the ground, her eyes are on the same level as mine. I lift my hand and put it in front of her, which she sniffs a few times, and I use the opportunity to boop her nose.

    She pulls back a little, surprised but doesn¡¯t let it bother her.

    "You¡¯ve been marked by someone¡¯s scent, you crazed human."

    ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m a crazed human?¡± I ask, curious.

    I swear I have never in my life had anyone look down on me quite the way Luna is now.

    She doesn¡¯t even bother answering my question. So I boop her nose, ignoring her quiet growl. So she can sense the mark Lissandra left on me? So far, only Caius managed that. That¡¯s surprising.

    "The mark came from someone truly terrifying, and I¡¯m struggling to decipher what it means."

    Staying silent, I let her talk, and she sniffs a few times, her tail wagging seemingly without her knowledge.

    Her tail¡¯s wagging picks up speed, rapidly crossing into frustration. ¡°What it says, I can¡¯t guess. Companion? Sustenance? I''m not sure what it¡¯s meant to mean.¡±

    Oh my. I think I know where this is going.

    ¡°No, I got it!¡± Luna barks happily but quickly reverts to confusion. ¡°Why does it say ¡®Food¡¯?¡±

    Biscuit, you as well?

    Noelle nearly dies in one of our next fights.

    Specter, the powerful lurker who attacked us before, appears in our midst, his transparent dagger stabbing into her back, the merest tilt of her body causing it to miss the back of her head.

    Derick is there instantly, defending Noelle from further attacks.

    The lurker runs away again, but before he can get far, Savant somehow forces him out of his strange flickering state and runs the lurker¡¯s body through with a sword he created.

    With immense speed, they sh a few times, the lurker¡¯s strikes with his finding themselves deflected by an aura of orange light taking form around Savant¡¯s forearms. Then the lurker flickers away, disappearing before Savant can attack again.

    I try to tag him with a Ley Line only to miss, the lurker flickering away before it cantch on.

    Derick quickly pulls Noelle to Lucien, who says nothing, simply taking a look at her before healing herpletely. Only then does Derick calm down, and Leticia holds back Jean, who moves closer, not liking the implied threat to Lucien.

    I think Derick might attack Luna, who hadn¡¯t sensed the lurkering closer, but he doesn¡¯t say anything and the tension slowly lowers.

    That¡¯s when Specter appears again, without any of us sensing him.

    This time it¡¯s my neck that gets pierced, the de nearly separating my head from my body as it pulls across.

    Startled, I lose control, and all my mana surges out at once. The full force of stored kic energy sting the lurker off my back and hurling him through several buildings.

    <strong>POV Noelle Kelley</strong>

    I can still feel the de that pierced my back, and even though the wound is already gone, I can still see my hands shaking.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I whisper to the young boy, and he nods.

    Derick, more worried than me, stands concerned by my side, and I feel warmth inside. How can someone as powerful as him panic so much sometimes? We¡¯ve been through so much worse.

    ¡°It will be fine,¡± I whisper in his ear and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

    As he always does, when he finds himself in such a state, he nods solemnly, with a cold expression in his eyes.

    I don¡¯t say anymore, knowing he¡¯s better off being left alone when he gets like this.

    ¡°What do you¡­¡± Words freeze in my mouth as blood shoots into the air.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I see a figure appear on Noname¡¯s back. The same lurker that just stabbed a dagger through my back mere moments ago repeating the act with Noname¡¯s neck.

    The wound is huge and ragged, blood flowing from his body like a river.

    A chill runs through me as my eyes lock with Noname''s.

    Derick¡¯s been reminding me ever since we first met him, but only now do I understand why he warned me never to anger the man when he¡¯s not around to protect me.

    Even inches away from death, Noname¡¯s eyes do not bear fear. There''s a moment of pure surprise, which is quickly overtaken by anger that fades just as fast.

    The lurker is sted away, the buildings shaking over our heads with the aftershock. Then an immense wave of mana seeps into the air all at once.

    I gasp for air, reeling from the sheer pressure. It¡¯s more than I¡¯ve felt from anyone else in our round. Not even during the tournament. No one was even close to it.

    His mana pulses like a living storm, thick and oppressive, filling every inch of space around us. Its presence is raw and fierce as if the air itself were vibrating with barely contained fury.

    Noname moves his arm, hooking his fingers in his mouth, before pulling his head back into ce, and closing the terrible wound on his neck. The wound closes instantly, in a grand disy of raw healing power. Then Noname spits, dislodging a clotted dark red mass of blood onto the floor with a sickening st. His mana disappears as if it never existed, impossibly contained within that body of his.

    I expect him to run out, to hunt down the lurker who attacked him.

    I expect him to be angry.

    But he doesn¡¯t, and calmly says, ¡°I think we should reposition.¡±

    That calm, logical reaction is more unnerving than anything he¡¯s done so far.

    <strong>POV Nathaniel</strong>

    It¡¯s been bothering me for a while, but the lurkers seem to be moving in bigger groups than I saw in my prior expedition, not to mention that each group seems to contain a number of powerful, named ones.

    When we run into a small group of 2-3 lurkers, they¡¯re always damaged, missing pieces of their or suffering fromrge, gaping wounds.

    It feels almost like they¡¯re huddling into groups for safety, and the lone ones are the leftovers of groups that got destroyed.

    There are a few things that could be responsible.

    It might¡­ I pause, catching myself touching my neck with the tips of my fingers. The skin feels so normal there, with exactly the same texture as before.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Forcing myself to stop, I let my hand hang along my body and dedicate even that wandering part of my mind to my scans. This time I ditch everything. I do not scan for mana; I do not try to locate sources of heat or bodies nearby.

    All of my effort is spent on locating signs of kic energy. Those little vibrations you would need to be monstrously skilled to erase.

    I look for vibrations from footsteps, the air moving around invisible bodies, a muscle stretching to move.

    There are so many of these signatures around me, and the sheer amount of information feels overwhelming. So I direct part of my<strong> [Focus]</strong> to filter them out.

    I would like to use the entirety of it for detection, but that¡¯s impossible to manage as I am now. I need that part to confirm these vibrations belong to my group, and then to filter them out. Then the rest of my mind can search for any signs in the area.

    <strong>[Focus - lvl 54 > Focus - lvl 55]</strong>

    Doing it continuously for hours is difficult, and I have to ignore any conversations they try to pull me into, asionally sparing part of my mind to check the state of our n and point out any importantndmarks from my memory.

    Then when we hide from a group of 30 lurkers passing by, I continue.

    I continue even as the group of lurkers passes the fallen cathedral-like building we are hiding under.

    Looking. Searching. Preparing.

    And then I finally detect that presence.

    As I stand up, I feel as if a weight is falling from my body, and the remains of the fear and shock I felt when that dagger nearly severed my head are gone.

    ¡°Noname, when do you want to meet again?¡± Leticia says before I can take a step.

    She¡¯s very sharp, isn''t she?

    Leticia smiles as I look at her. ¡°Six months,¡± I reply.

    ¡°Got it. Good luck! Boys and girls, it¡¯s time to go. Prepare¡­¡± she orders, but I don¡¯t hear the rest of her words.

    Stomping on the ground, I bulldoze through thest remaining wall, and behind it, crash into Specter who¡¯s been sneaking around, and stalking us. Kic energy tears through my body leaving horrible wounds, but I activate one of the healing marks and push through, grabbing the lurker.

    He tries to flicker away, but I disrupt his escape attempt with sheer force, unleashing a surge of mana that instantly grabs the attention of all 30 lurkers nearby. But, at that moment, I don¡¯t even register their attention.

    Instead, I sink my fingers into his neck, ripping away chunks of flesh before tearing his head clean from his body.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 318]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 279 > Lvl 280]</strong>

    I stomp on his severed head, allowing thest bits of kic energy stored in my core to vibrate through the air, tearing the body apart. Then mes ze around me, burning anything that remains. Only then do I notice the three stab wounds the lurker managed to deliver.

    Another healing mark from Lily activates, and the wounds close and heal.

    With this done, I proceed with my part of the deal, my body¡¯s mana zing into the area like a lighthouse for every lurker to see. Throw in my kill count and most of the thirty immediately lock onto me, giving the others an opportunity to escape.

    And then I run in the exact opposite direction from my group of fellow Earthlings.

    This time, I redirect a decent chunk of mana to my heart, using it to generate kic energy for the first time since the start of this expedition.

    My heart thumps loudly, each beat sending waves of kic energy through my body. As it does, I feel another beating far in the distance, and in response, I head off in search of the familiar presence.

    As I rush after it, some lurker tackles me from the side, the burst of kic energy gets absorbed by my passive and converted into mana, which I use to disrupt the barrier around the lurker and pierce its body with a javelin before tossing it aside.

    But as I do an explosion nearby throws me to the side, the heat gets absorbed but the shockwave still throws me to the ground.

    Before I can even stand up, a huge lurker swings his massive hammer right at my head.

    I teleport through my <strong>[Ley Line]</strong> and then boost myself high into the air, shooting more lines out in front of me, tied to a number of projectiles.

    Some skill catches me, and I find myself being pulled to the ground.<strong> [Resonance]</strong> tears the skill apart, and I boost myself again, teleporting just before an invisible de passes through the area.

    A piece of my feet stays behind.

    Not needing it at the moment, I resume my flight, teleporting once more, and then put my hands up, deflecting the thrusting de of a lurker who was lying in wait. The poison spreads through my arm, and I burn my own body.

    Yet it continues to spread, so I detonate that part of my arm with kic energy, staining the lurker with my flesh and blood.

    Another pair of extremely fast lurkers reach me, and while I defend myself from the next attack, an arrow barely misses my head.

    They attempt to stop me, but I fight through their efforts and teleport again. And before I can do so again, another arrow crashes into a hastily constructed barrier of my creation, a poisonous smoke flows into the area around me and begins melting the trees nearby.

    I teleport, and it¡¯s more difficult this time, and they again track my target, and when I appear, water from a nearbyke shoots in a thin stream, cutting off one of my ears. I react just in time, managing to boost my body with kic energy just enough to avoid being sliced to ribbons and teleport once again, leaving a huge tricolored orb behind me as I go.

    As I reappear in my new location, the orb explodes, the shock reaching me despite the distance, and I can feel the heat.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 270]</strong>

    At that point a flying feylith approaches from one of my nks, firing a round of mana projectiles at me.

    In response, Iunch a single boosted javelin in his direction, and his head evaporates as it connects, his body slowly falling to the ground, caught in the fading remains of his skill.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 261]</strong>

    My next attempt at teleportation fails, and I duck to the side, taking the damage from the iing strike on my shoulder rather than my head.

    mes spin around me, and the giant lurker ignores them, swinging his hammer at me once again.

    I let it connect with my forearms, converting an immense amount of kic energy to mana, and staggering a few steps back.

    Before I can return the attack, a fireball the size of my body crashes into the ground next to the giant lurker, and the mes envelop an area the size of a football field, turning anything in it into melted goop.

    These mes disappear in a blink as I condense them down into a single orb the size of my fist.

    The giant lurker with the hammer presses the attack again, his body sporting a number of terrible burns, disying the bones under the ragged flesh, and I release the orb, the st of mes burning even the lurker behind him.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 269]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 263]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 266]</strong>

    Finally, I teleport again, breaking through every attempt to stop me, enveloping the area in my golden mes once more.

    An arrow pierces my barrier and lodges itself in my body, the lightning within staggering me for a moment.

    Seizing the opportunity, some kind of skill activates increasing the effects of gravity on my body, pulling me to the ground with a loud crash, breaking a few bones in the process, even through my passive.

    A fireball explodes right over me, and I absorb the heat again, releasing it in a thinser-like stream at a vyssari warrior wielding a shield.

    The shortie blocks it.

    Stuck lying down and unable to move because of gravity, a dozen more attacks head my way just as I manage to teleport again.

    And then there he is.

    Hends on the grassy field nearby, without creating the slightest disturbance as he does so.

    Everyone in the area freezes, unable to even twitch a finger. His heart beats out an angry rhythm that only I can feel.

    Whitey disappears from my sight, his white hair streaking through the air.

    At that moment, it bes obvious who the lurkers were trying to protect themselves from.

    Even without the ability to think and deprived of their old memories, the lurkers keep some primitive instincts, and grouping up to defend against a powerful predator is one of them. But it¡¯s just not good enough for this one.

    With a brilliant sort of beauty, Whitey moves from lurker to lurker, killing each one in a single hit. Heads torn free, chests caved in, bodies torn in half. He acts with extreme efficiency, wasting not a single speck of kic energy other than the field around him.

    Every time he kills someone, body parts fly through the air and hang in ce as if frozen in time. Chunks of bone, blood, and debris¡ªall fly into the air and stay there.

    The group that was causing me so much trouble disappears in a sh until I¡¯m thest one left alive.

    It feels as if it¡¯s very much on purpose.

    My timer is ticking down, but I still have a few seconds remaining.

    Yes, I¡¯ve timed it oh so well. Even as angry as I was, I didn¡¯t let it get to me. Just a few seconds, and it will be gone, just like the first time.

    I haven¡¯te here just to die.

    With an effort that would have killed me before I gained my newest passive, my body moves even through the field. My kic energy goes to war with Whitey¡¯s.

    I step forward and dere, ¡°As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, as a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is my life and my status. If I lose, they¡¯re yours¡ªand you can reim your position as an attendee, with a chance of regaining your memories.¡±

    Whitey freezes mid-step, and I continue, ¡°If I win, I want all of your knowledge on kic energy.¡±

    <strong>POV ???</strong>

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with attendees nowadays,¡± a voice resounds throughout the pitch-ck darkness, sounding almost dismissive.

    ¡°Wait,¡± another one interjects, joining him, quickly, as if to prevent the first voice from acting.

    ¡°What do you want, Greed?¡±

    ¡°I want you to help me ept that wager that Earthling made.¡±

    ¡°That wager is nonsense, and you know it.¡±

    ¡°Diligence, let¡¯s be honest. The system actually considered it for a moment before refusing. I just need you and a few of the others to nudge the system in the right direction. Here, in Beyond, we can make that happen. Then it¡¯ll be up to the system to decide what¡¯s fair once the challenge is over.¡±

    ¡°You would need at least three out of five votes for that amount of interference.¡±

    ¡°I already have Kindness. You know very well she will do what I ask.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know that all too well, Greed. But I refuse. Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m the only one among the five of us who takes this Beyond cycle seriously. First Envy, then Wrath, and now you, Greed.¡±

    Another voice joins the conversation, ¡°I¡¯d be willing to help with that small bit of interference.¡±

    The reaction catches both voices off guard, and Diligence asks with a measured tone, ¡°Envy, has something changed with youtely?¡±

    Envy ignores Diligence, turning their attention solely to Greed. ¡°So, do you want my help or not? Wrath isn¡¯t going to support you.¡±

    ¡°No strings attached?"

    "No strings attached."

    "He won¡¯t die, you know that, right?"

    "We will see about that."

    "Okay, I¡¯m in.¡±

    At that point Diligence interrupts, shooing both of them away. ¡°Now that you are done, go away.¡±

    With that, the silence ensues again, and Diligence returns to their work.

    The entire conversation didn¡¯t evenst a second.

    <strong>POV Nathaniel</strong>

    I feel a sense of eptance, and in that moment, I know my challenge and wager have been registered.

    ¡°Use Beyond 1-day stay token,¡± I dere, cutting off my only escape.

 Chapter 466: All out

    I don¡¯t hesitate, not even for a moment, to go all out.

    Ley Lines erupt into the area, deploying a structure I¡¯ve been preparing in my mind ever since I returned to Beyond. Dozens of threads trace the battlefield, creating a three-dimensional web of pathways I can use to teleport and distribute mana.

    All of the mana in my bodypresses, turning ck, the oh-so-familiar sensation flowing through my body. Something I haven¡¯t felt in a while. Whitey doesn¡¯t use mana, so it¡¯s no good as a defense. Instead, I use it to strengthen my body, unfortunately, my kic energy still can¡¯t produce the same effect.

    After all those preparations, I let part of the vast store of mana collected in my crown flow into my body.

    Whitey reaches me in the blink of an eye, his palm striking my chest, causing my unique passive to convert all of that immense energy into mana. Even then, the damage is severe, leaving most of my organs bruised or ruptured.

    Another of the now six remaining marks left by Lily is used.

    Five remain.

    This time I find that I can move through his field and I attempt to grab Whitey, but he¡¯s still much quicker than me. Before the second blow cannd, I teleport, taking a moment to get used to my current state.

    A white sh, not a bit of kic energy wasted, and Whitey is on me once again.He grabs and pulls my arm, dislocating it and nearly tearing it from my shoulder.

    This time, when I move I strike with that much more precision. He dodges the attack, but the burst of mana evaporates the building behind him, leaving debris suspended in the air. It¡¯s a primitive use of mana, inspired by the training drills I endured under Liss¡¯s instruction¡ªsimple, but quick and dangerously effective.

    I teleport again as he lets go of me, and when he charges again, another burst of mana explodes forth to wee him, his body moving to the side almost fast enough to emte teleportation.

    I release an amount of mana equal to my entire body¡¯s reserve, without even needing to tap into my reservoir. The resulting st tears a massive chunk out of the mountain beneath us.

    I teleport, and my body moves much quicker as I grow ustomed to the effects of his field around me and the warring forces within my body. Even so, my body alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. So I have to abuse my domain, <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>, and <strong>[Resonance]</strong> to pick up the ck.

    My mind is fine, but taking stock of the damage this is causing my body, I decide to use another healing mark.

    Four remaining.

    I release two more bursts of mana, each with even greater output than thest. It''s an extravagant waste¡ªI could aplish far more if I weren''t using it in such a reckless, primitive manner. But the sheer speed is undeniable.

    Whitey dodges both attacks, his field weakening as he redirects more of his efforts into enhancing his body. His movements grow sharper, and his stance shifts.

    I teleport and try to move again, and for a moment, both my body and mana freeze, unable to move.

    Despite all my preparations¡ªthe sheer volume, the immense defenses, and the countless calctions my eye trait and mind endure¡ªWhitey still halts my mana in its tracks.

    The monstrous kic energy user aplishes it using nothing but that energy, even as blood streams from his ears, eyes, and nose.

    Something like that shouldn¡¯t be possible.

    A much smaller pulse of kic energy pierces my body. It¡¯s not blunt, in fact, it¡¯s very sharp, so my passive doesn¡¯t stop it.

    My insides turn to soup, only my heart survives, protected by a barrier of mana I managed to create at thest possible moment.

    Another teleport.

    Two healing marks down. Two remaining.

    A burst of my own mana explodes around me, but Whitey isn¡¯t there.

    He remains motionless, standing in the same spot, staring in my direction. Despite the lifelessness in the lurker''s eyes, a faint red lingers within them, and his demonic horns protrude just beneath his long white hair, the color of freshly fallen snow.

    And his heart keeps beating. Steady, unstoppable. Like the perfect generator, an engine he uses to harness his power.

    But even now, that¡¯s not what interests me the most. No, what truly fascinates me here is the way he wields his power, the mind he must have had to pull it off, the ability he¡¯s put on disy. That¡¯s what I want more than anything else in his possession.

    The kic field he¡¯s been maintaining until now disappears as if it never existed. My blood suspended in the air, the debris from my attacks, the corpses of the lurkers around us, alle falling down at once.

    More and more of my Ley Lines erupt outwards, and Ipress more mana, converting it into its ck counterpart, powering my mind and body.

    Whitey then changes stance again, and with it, his heartbeat changes. The rhythm bes more erratic, its pace quicker.

    All thoughts disappear from my mind, and I focus on the same method I used to locate Specter, I¡­

    I drop my head down as the stone behind me explodes into hundreds of tiny shards, a hole as thick as my finger drilling its way through.

    Another one pierces my chest right over my heart, a third destroys my knee, a fourth scratches my cheek, a fifth nearly scalps me.

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    I teleport again.

    Five more attacks shoot my way, I protect my head and heart, four more holes punch through my body.

    I teleport again, umting three more holes in the process.

    Another healing mark gone. One remaining.

    I appear behind Whitey, my eyes wide open, my mind on the brink, focused on avoiding his attacks despite theck of distance.

    Another hole pierces through my body as I move to avoid further damage.

    With it, the web I¡¯ve been making with <strong>[Ley Line]</strong> is finallyplete, half of that immense mana I¡¯ve been storing floods its way through the shimmering pale blue lines, and <strong>[Redistribution]</strong>¡¯s effects cover the entire area, directed and concentrated in a sphere around me.

    It¡¯s Whitey who freezes this time, unable to move.

    His field reactivates as well, and I find myself unable to move. Dozen more piercing attackse my way without even a hint of movement from Whitey.

    Half of them end up deflected by a tricolored mana barrier taking form around my skin. Others, in a show of concentrated fire, pierce my body in two ces.

    Thest healing mark is gone, and with ites the feeling of death¡¯s approach as I sense his attacks reverberate through the air, their source just a step or two away.

    Five small segments of the tricolored barrier activate, blocking each of these attacks, and two more besides.

    In exchange for two attacks piercing my body, I redirect a bit of my concentration from my defense to return the attack and focus the rest on upholding the web restraining Whitey. Another burst of mana explodes from me. It¡¯s even more primitive, less efficient, and less damaging than it was before. It¡¯s the simplest attack I can do.

    It tears pieces of flesh from the body of the demon opposite me, revealing his bones in a few ces.

    Another wound to me, and another burst of mana.

    And another.

    And one more.

    Until Whitey stands there, a ragged skeleton, nearly stripped of muscle, and I can see parts of his heart pulsing through his rib cage.

    Then the half-skeleton moves.

    There isn¡¯t much left in terms of muscle, just a few tendons. The only recognizable parts of Whitey¡¯s face are one solitary patch of white hair and a single eye looking at me. Yet he still moves, even under the influence of my field.

    Another burst of mana explodes forth, along with three javelins, and a tricolored orb.

    And he takes another step, just a skeleton, moving himself with kic energy alone.

    I almost want tough when I see him move the bones of his fingers, clenching what¡¯s left of his hand into a fist in an insane disy of control.

    He can¡¯t even see me anymore, only sense my heartbeat and movements.

    The same way I can sense his, each beating slower than thest, his damaged heart steadily falling out of rhythm.

    Whitey, even now, holds me with his field, and for thest time, he punches the mana shield I¡¯ve created. That barrier shatters, and onest burst of kic energy damages my body. Only then does the skeleton crumble, a fraction of a secondter the notification sounds.

    <strong>[You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 301]</strong>

    <strong>You have won your first Challenge. The contents of the wager will be delivered soon!</strong>

    The only thing holding me upright disappears, and I fall to the ground. With no healing marks left, I¡¯m forced to rely on my healing passive. For a while, I sit there, surrounded by the devastation, and rey the fight in my mind. Move after move. Every mistake I made, every opportunity I missed, every time Whitey did something that surprised me.

    While part of my mind scouts the area, I keep reying the fight, over and over again, and with it, I¡¯m already modifying the ways I¡¯ll use my kic energy going forward. Something I was once so proud of now feels inadequate in the face of the things I¡¯ve seen.

    Liss with her mana control. Whitey with his kic energy maniption.

    Amazingly, Whitey was barely over level 300. One of the lowest-level named lurkers, and yet he consistently wiped out entire groups withplete ease.

    It leaves a bad feeling in my mouth, the knowledge that I only won because of the mana I had stored away, an amount great enough to power a city. Just trickery and taking every advantage against someone long dead, a lurker incapable of fighting to the full capabilities of his past self.

    How fucking sad is that.

    I want to fight him at his best, not as a lurker with weakened abilities, but as a living, breathing being.

    The web of Ley Lines Is useless now, so I start modifying it into a detection system, reducing the density and expanding the area of effect. My n is simple now. I will try to survive as long as possible, probably find myself being hunted down like a rat. Then a few seconds before the end, I should reach the ce I hid the items and materials from the expedition Whitey wiped out. The one where I found all those damaged arcane items with Shayna.

    If I add in the items from the dead lurkers lying around me ¡ª killed by Whitey ¡ª it¡¯ll really be a lot.

    That line of thought also gives me pause. For someone who doesn¡¯t care about items that much, I sure enjoy collecting them.

    <strong>POV ???</strong>

    A short man with a shaved head, wearing a simple uniform in abination of white and pale blue, turns to the woman next to him.

    ¡°Nyssa will fucking love that guy. Do we grab him right away?¡± he asks as they continue to watch from a distance, observing the young man they just watched fight the named lurker known as Whitey.

    ¡°Not now. He probably timed his stay token so he wouldn¡¯t have to run from Whitey for more than a few minutes before it expired. He¡¯ll probably be leaving Beyond in a minute or two. Tell me would you have been able to kill Whitey?¡± the woman asks.

    ¡°I think so.¡± He says before pausing in shock, ¡°Is he collecting the items from the lurkers Whitey killed?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it.¡±

    Then they wait.

    An hour passes, and the young man is still there, hidden away in one of the buildings, the other lurkers still too scared to enter what they consider Whitey¡¯s territory.

    The man starts to giggle, shaking his head in disbelief, ¡°<em>Timed his stay token to be able to run away</em>? Ha! That motherfucker is even crazier than I thought.¡±

    "Seems like it. He¡¯s got a decent handle on kic energy and with that mana in the mix¡­ Nyssa¡¯s going to want him. We¡¯ll snatch him up when he hits the second floor."

    ¡°And if he refuses?¡±

    ¡°The Doctor can gather plenty of information from his body. There are groups of lurkers staying just outside his detection range. Stop them and let a few through every so often so he doesn¡¯t get suspicious. Don¡¯t reveal yourself, and remember his mana signature.¡±

    ¡°I already have,¡± the man snorts, then rushes away toplete his objective while the woman holds her position on top of the hill, observing the man far away.

 Chapter 467: Knowledge

    The feeling of pulling descends upon me, and I leave the 1st floor of Beyond.

    With all the items I¡¯ve acquired from the dozens of lurkers and the first expedition I joined, along with the ones Whitey killed before. There are so many I had to pile them up andsh them together with rags I tore from my clothes, plus some threads I made of mana.

    Honestly, I was only able to do it because so few lurkers attacked me. At most they came in groups of three that I was able to handle with a bit of effort, sometimes they even came one or two at a time.

    I find it suspicious that more of them didn¡¯t follow me, considering how much I should have been attracting them with so many kills. But I think it might have something to do with how scared they were of Whitey¡ªif they even are capable of feeling dread. If not, it might be their survival instinct.

    As I depart, I find myself in the area where I usually meet my handler, who¡¯s currently sitting behind her table. She doesn¡¯t even pretend to be working, choosing instead to stare at me.

    ¡°I swear, if you try to take these items from me, I will change handlers, even if you name every single fucking Ruler,¡± I tell her right away.

    My handler nces at the items and then back at me.

    If she won¡¯t talk, I will. ¡°And what do you want? I thought I could only ¡®visit¡¯ when entering Beyond.¡±

    ¡°Yes, such ¡®visits¡¯ are required, but I can ¡®summon¡¯ you on the way out too.¡±¡°I see. So what do you want? Do you have my shards for the white sand?¡±

    ¡°Actually, yes.¡± After waving her hand, a window appears in front of me.

    <strong>Request to transfer +70000 shards. Confirm?</strong>

    <strong>Yes/No</strong>

    Quickly, before she changes her mind, I confirm the transfer, a sense of suspicion flowing through me immediately afterward. The number is almost too round. Did she by any chance take 30%? Do I even want to know? I decide not to ask and be happy for now.

    ¡°So what did I do this time?¡± I ask.

    ¡°I won¡¯t even mention how royally stupid what you just did was,¡± the handler lifts one of the papers off her table, reading from it.

    ¡°It worked out in the end.¡±

    ¡°There are so many different ways you could have gone about it.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Easier ways, less painful ways, ways with a higher chance of sess.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I confirm again.

    ¡°Damn pride maniacs. After seeing it work the first time, you might just get the idea to challenge every lurker with an interesting skill or ability on the 1st floor to gain knowledge and rewards.¡±

    That surprises me. It¡¯s exactly what I was thinking.

    My handler, seeing my reaction, taps on the table, her frustration evident, ¡°It won¡¯t work a second time. It shouldn¡¯t have worked at all in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±

    ¡°No. It is not.¡± She pauses as if listening to something. ¡°We¡¯re almost out of time. Before you go, here¡ªyour identification emblem, updated.¡± She waves her hand.

    There¡¯s a burning sensation on the back of my left hand, and my D-rank Obsidian ck shifts to C-rank Ivory White.

    I take a moment to admire the new emblem and remark, ¡°That was an easy jump from D rank to C rank.¡±

    ¡°It was not.¡±

    ¡°I see., I say, deciding not to argue. ¡°Onest question. That deer¡­ was he really¡­¡±

    For a moment, she looks confused but quickly remembers, a quietugh escaping her lips. ¡°Of course not. The ruler from the 1st floor was a phantom goblin.¡±

    She meets my gaze, and, disappointed by myck of reaction, simply smiles yfully. ¡°Information like that is extremely valuable, certainly not something you should possess yet. It¡¯s nice that you want to know, but don¡¯t be too¡­ greedy.¡±

    As I get pulled away, she waves, ¡°I shall see youter.¡±

    The first to meet me is Biscuit.

    I still n to have a talk with him about the mark Luna sensed on me, the one I think other animals can sense as well. Maybe even Noodle can sense it, hell maybe Biscuit marked me because of Noodle.

    Seriously though, what¡¯s with the people and animals around me? I got a mark from Lissandra, and a mark from Biscuit. What¡¯s next?

    Biscuit is lying next to the ce I teleported from, my pile of items nearly falls on him, leading him to quickly stand up, his eyes full of sleep. Biscuit shakes his head, and gives a small yawn mixed with a weing bark, before rushing over to me, his borderline nonexistent tail wagging.

    As he gets close though, he slows down. A few more stepster he stops, his nose constantly sniffing.

    I take a step forward and kneel, reaching my right hand towards him. I don¡¯t pet him right away but I let him sniff my hand¡ªsomething he likes to do sometimes.

    After sniffing it, Biscuit barks. When I extend my hand toward him, he barks again and bites me. Even then, he¡¯s gentle about it; it doesn¡¯t even hurt.

    Turning around, he leaves, totally ignoring me, not even bothering to create a telepathic link between us.

    He doesn¡¯t look back even as I try to tempt him with offers of Archdeer jerky, and I¡¯m left there alone.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    An hourter, Lily returns from her hunt, but the twins are still nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Nat!¡± She cries, with a happy smile, and uses the opportunity to sneak in another hug.

    After scanning my body, she heals the remaining wounds in one fell swoop, regrowing the bits of my limbs I¡¯ve lost, and quickly cing a few healing marks in the process.

    ¡°So, it went well?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Pretty good. I¡¯ll tell you all when the twins get back so I don¡¯t have to repeat myself. How did things go here?¡±

    ¡°A few powerful monsters showed up, and a dayter, some native tried to kill us. Aaron and I nearly died, but I got us patched up. He felt like he was close to three question marks.¡± She touches my arm again. ¡°You used all the marks.¡±

    ¡°Yup. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it without them. My passive sucks.¡±

    ¡°I told you!¡± She seems to be giddy, knowing that she was able to help me in that way.

    What a silly bulldozer-like healer.

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± I respond. ¡°Now do you want to help me sort out the items I got?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    I watch as she reaches one of the piles, and generating just a bit of that gray mana, she cuts the threads of my mana that keep it all together. She even nces at me while doing so.

    Is it some strange new show of dominance?

    Just you wait. I already have an idea to improve my mana in all sorts of ways that¡¯ll make it difficult even for <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> to damage.

    Sitting on the ground next to her, I start going through the items as well, separating them into separate piles.

    One for the items I intend to sell. Another for items I want to disassemble to learn something. A pile for the strongest items, I¡¯ll figure out what to do with thoseter. A pile for materials, and a pile for misceneous items.

    ¡°Should it really be this easy to get damaged arcane items?¡± Lily asks, holding the staff and dagger I got from myst adventure.

    ¡°I keep asking myself the same thing.¡± I take the items from her and put them into the pile of items I still need to decide what to do with.ter

    I could sell them in Beyond, to the system shop, maybe rent them to someone from group 4, or I could just take them apart for materials and to gain experience for making an arcane item of my own.

    <strong>Eldertree Staff (Arcane, Damaged) -</strong><em>Once capable of summoning ancient forests, this staff could bring entire woonds to life. Though weakened, it retains the power to invoke powerful roots and thorned vines which will erupt from the ground, briefly ensnaring enemies and causing significant damage to all caught within its grasp.</em>

    <strong>Nullstrike Knife (Arcane, Damaged) -</strong><em>Nullstrike Knife is incredibly sharp and capable of slicing through the toughest armor. The poison it once held is nearly gone, but it disrupts mana on contact, hindering magical defenses. asionally, it releases a pulse that temporarily silences all spells in the immediate area.</em>

    Looking at them now, they aren¡¯t that bad. As their rarity would imply, they are much more powerful than upper epic weapons.

    ¡°Any idea why we keep finding so many damaged arcane items? I would expect them to be more durable.¡± Lily brings up a good question.

    ¡°It could be the system messing around for the purpose of the tutorial. Weakening arcane items to give people an easier time learning to make arcane items or to help them get used to their power.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense, in that case, to create a rarity between epic and arcane?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the tutorial is capable of twisting things that much. You could just as easily say that these items have had their power sealed, and it¡¯ll take some effort to get them back to their full power.¡±

    ¡°So outside of the tutorial, there won¡¯t be so many damaged arcane items?¡±

    ¡°Possibly.¡±

    ¡°Yup! Also, look at what a nice piece of metal this is.¡± Lily chirps, handing me a piece of ck metal with a coppery sheen.

    <strong>Voidcopper (Arcane) - </strong><em>A dense, jet-ck metal with a faint shimmer, Voidcopper is known for its ability to deflect magical interference. It¡¯s favored for crafting shields, amulets, and armor due to its capacity to absorb minor spells, lessening their impact before dispersing the energy harmlessly.</em>

    ¡°Yup, it will be useful, but check this out,¡± I say, throwing her a ball of thread that¡¯s probably got me more excited than anything else.

    <strong>Ambece (Arcane) - </strong><em>A warm-toned, honey-gold fiber that is both durable and flexible. Ambece has an innate ability to stabilize nearby magic, allowing it to withstandplex enchantments without losing structural integrity.</em>

    Lily reads it and then rubs it against her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s weird. It feels like metal, but it¡¯s kinda warm and also¡­ soft?¡±

    I catch it as she throws it back to me and immediately stow it away, ¡°It¡¯s a shame there wasn¡¯t more, but I can probably use it for some decent stuff.¡±

    ¡°Is itmon to get so many items from one or two Beyond expeditions? Isn¡¯t it too¡­ easy?¡± She asks, gesturing at the piles of upper epic items, I intend to sellter, and some other stuff.

    ¡°Easy¡­¡± I say, stretching the word. ¡°It was doable.¡±

    ¡°How many times did you almost die?¡±

    That requires a bit of thinking.

    As I think it over, I count on my fingers, ¡°I¡¯ll only count the serious ones. So first would probably be when Specter cut my throat. I could¡¯ve probably died fighting that icy lynthari too, if I had fought him alone, but honestly does that even count? I joined to help Derick, and Savant joined in too. Don¡¯t tell him, but his domain was a bit of a help there. Then I almost died fighting that group of lurkers before Whitey came. Lastly, there were a few times during my fight with Whitey. If I hadn¡¯t had mana stored up beforehand or your healing marks, I would¡¯ve probably died anywhere between two and five times.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you call doable?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already curious to find out what happened there.¡± She stands up, ncing at the piles of items one more time. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just for the items, right?¡±

    ¡°Nope, but it¡¯s a nice bonus. If it had been too much of a bother, I would¡¯ve thrown them away in a heartbeat.¡±

    ¡°So what was it you went there for?¡±

    "I¡¯ll tell you after I check it out myself. Could you go check on Biscuit? I want to try something in the meantime. If you can get Biscuit to forgive me, I¡¯ll let you choose an upper epic item as your reward."

    ¡°Only one? You do have over 20 of them.¡±

    ¡°Maybe two if you teach him to stand on his hind legs.¡±

    ¡°And walk while asking for <em>sustenance</em>?¡±

    ¡°Please, no.¡±

    She giggles. ¡°Okay then, good luck.¡±

    As she leaves, I rest my back against the boulder nearby and close my eyes with every intention of checking on the results of my wager. I don¡¯t know what to expect, certainly not how the system would even go about delivering this kind of knowledge. Will it be a book? Or a mana stone inscribed with the information? A feeling? Will the knowledge just flow into my mind?

    Sensing my intent, the system just seems to know what I want, and I find myself in a different ce. I can still feel my body sitting in the same spot when I try, so I figure this ce is likely somewhere within my mind.

    A deste hill stands before me. Thendscape is hauntingly barren, the ground is cracked and dry ground with jagged rocks jutting out from seemingly random points making the entire scene feel alien.

    The sky is a swirling mix of gray clouds that only serves to make the ce look even more bleak, bordering on post-apocalyptic. And the dim light that barely manages to pass through the clouds only adds to the feeling.

    There, at the top of the hill, stands a white monobloc stic chair, and in that chair sits a tall figure. With long, beautiful white hair flowing down from his head, and I can see his ck horns, even from here.

    And the figure is watching a TV set on a cheap Ikea-style table.

 Chapter 468: More fitting expression

    I take a few steps closer and move off to the side, and finally catch sight of the scene on the TV. It¡¯s a rey of my fight with the lurker Whitey, taken from my perspective.

    ¡°Juste here and sit, don¡¯t sneak around,¡± the demon says, waving his hand at me. I take notice of just how slim and smooth it looks.

    After hesitating for a moment, I finally reach the edge of the hill and just as I begin to think about creating a chair of my own out of mana another white stic chair appears next to the first one, so I take my seat and look to the left.

    Whitey isn¡¯t very different from what I remember of him from our two prior meetings. Tall, and slim, with a handsome face. Though this time he isn¡¯t a lurker, so his eyes aren¡¯t pale red but of the proper red color demons have. Even his hair looks smoother.

    He¡¯s wearing ck clothes and sits there in an extremely easygoing manner.

    ¡°Look, do you see this crap?¡± he says, pointing at the TV as the video pauses.

    The scene we¡¯ve stopped at disys the moment he pierced me with a multitude of ranged attacks and forced me to use two of Lily¡¯s healing marks.

    ¡°You should be dead twice over! How the fuck could his aim be so bad!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that your aim?¡± I ask.He snorts, ¡°If I had fought you, you would¡¯ve been dead mere seconds after the fight began. With or without your disgusting quantity of mana and healing marks.¡±

    The screen starts ying that video again, and Whitey watches it with apparent disdain, ¡°It¡¯s like someone gave an amazing weapon to a newborn demon. No, even a newborn demon would¡¯ve done better.¡±

    Whitey waves his arm, and the screen starts changing rapidly, ¡°Here, terrible cement. Here, that should¡¯ve hit. Here he should have pushed you more. Here, that movement was trash. Here, why did he dodge instead of deflecting the attack and getting a hit in? Here, he should¡¯ve deactivated his kic field much sooner. Here, he should have gone to 3rd stance instead of going to 5th; that would¡¯ve confused you as well!¡± And he goes on, in a manic furor, pointing out every w he can find.

    Annoyed, he waves his hand, and the screen disappears. Whitey stands, turning his chair to face me, the stic legs scraping against the rock below. Then he sits back down, folding his arms across his chest, giving me a slow once-over.

    ¡°What year is it?¡±

    ¡°No idea, how would that help?¡±

    He hesitates and nods, ¡°Is Adrian still first in Individual and Exploration rankings?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°When are the rankings due to reset?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a reset?¡±

    He blinks, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me my lurker lost to a goddamned newb.¡±

    ¡°I just started my second year of the tutorial?¡± Satisfied, I almost feel like smiling as I lean back in my chair.

    ¡°You smug little shit,¡± Whitey snorts. ¡°Individual and Exploration rankings reset once every millennium, and Guild and Craft rankings reset every year.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the info. This could help; someone told me you were one of the oldest lurkers around.¡±

    He nods, ¡°The 1st floor should reset with the rankings, so I probably died somewhere around a thousand years ago? For sure over 500 years. Damn, and no one got deeper than fucking Adrian.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s the only one who¡¯s made it to the 6th floor.¡±

    ¡°That makes me curious how that asshole is doing nowadays. If you happen to meet him by any chance, punch him for me.¡±

    Feeling bold, I decide to poke Whitey for more info, ¡°Was he stronger than you?¡±

    ¡°At least learn to mask your intent when you decide to ask such blunt questions.¡± He gestures at my eyebrow, ¡°It moved when I mentioned Adrian. Your jaw too, the muscles twitched. Now your pinkie is tense, and you¡¯re getting ready to attack. Your heartbeat changed a bit too.¡±

    He shifts his position in the chair and watches me, ¡°Adrian was stronger than me, but he did everything he could to avoid fighting me.¡±

    I let the silence stretch for a bit longer, and when the time feels right, I ask, ¡°So what is this ce, and where did you get the TV?¡±

    ¡°You tell me. All of this was made using your memories.¡± He smiles, red eyes glowing, and when he stands, the stic chair he sat on bursts into ck particles before disappearing. The same happens with mine, and I jump to my feet before I can fall to the ground.

    Whitey is slightly taller than me and slimmer. He looks like he has barely any muscle. Which I¡¯d originally thought was a result of being a lurker back during our meeting, but looking at him now, I guess that¡¯s just how he looked before he died.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°I will tell you one thing, human: it¡¯s fucking unfortunate that trashy lurker made of my body didn¡¯t win; it would¡¯ve been nice to be able to walk around again. I¡¯m not even going to pretend to understand how that challenge even got epted, but someone either hates you a fuckton or the opposite. But a wager is a wager, and I lost.¡±

    ¡°So, you are¡­¡±

    ¡°Probably just a construct, like the natives of the floors.¡±

    ¡°That sucks.¡±

    "It really does. So, you foolish little human wished for my knowledge of kic energy, and now you have it. It¡¯s safe to say that I will, for a while at least, remain part of your memories, and this is just the form they take."

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier for the system to simply transfer the knowledge?¡±

    Whitey doesn¡¯t even bother answering.

    ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡± Obviously, the system is an asshole.

    Curious, Whitey takes a few steps around me, poking my arm, my back, and my chest, just over my heart. ¡°Tell me, why do you want kic energy so much?¡±

    ¡°Is this a test or something?¡±

    ¡°Just answer the fucking question. You have a lot of mana, and from the way you fought, it¡¯s clear how much time you¡¯ve spent mastering it. There¡¯s no point lying; it¡¯s something I know very well. You also have ess to thermal energy. There are a number of things to divert your attention. So why kic energy?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to show off, but I could do almost anything I want with mana. I could focus on detailed maniption, I could focus onpression, I could focus on ranged mana abilities, or melee. Or I could just spend all my time crafting. The same goes for thermal energy. I could spend more time making it as strong as possible. I could also try toe up with more ways to use it for healing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of options,¡± he nods. ¡°So why kic energy?¡±

    ¡°Because I want to.¡±

    Whitey shows me a wide smile and gestures to continue.

    ¡°It will cover for my weaknesses in the future. Kic for body strengthening and close-rangebat. Thermal for healing, and mana for everything else.¡±

    This white-haired demon keeps nodding, his bearing now so different from the way he fights. He is weirdly easygoing.

    pping his hands together to recapture my attention, he says, ¡°A loss is a loss. I¡¯ve never taught anyone before, so this is due to be an interesting experience. There are seven stances I¡¯ve put together and made my own. Some I learned from other demons I met in Beyond, some were drilled into me before the tutorial, some I gained on the floors, and some I came up with myself. And you will learn all of it.¡±

    My interest only grows as I quietly listen to the words of this demon who came so close to killing me so many times.

    It¡¯s unnerving to see him move so casually, and sometimes I notice my body twitching, expecting another attack. And I¡¯m sure he¡¯s noticed as well, but he kept quiet so far. Likely finding it amusing.

    ¡°First is Pulsar Stance.¡± Whitey takes a short, quick step, his movements boosted by a burst of kic energy, and delivers a quick punch to the air, causing it to reverberate in a concentrated pulse of energy. ¡°It¡¯s quick, and disorienting, focused on efficiency and uracy. You stay in constant motion, confusing your opponent with erratic movements, absorbing and adding to your inertia to outmaneuver them.¡±

    He shifts back into his original position and smirks, ¡°You were trying to do something simr, but I¡¯ll still need to beat some bad habits out of you.¡±

    Once again, he changes his stance; it bes wider and heavier. ¡°The second is Breaker Style. It¡¯s brutal, relentless, and relies on raw kic energy to overwhelm the opponent with powerful, heavy attacks. You crush, you shatter.¡± His movements are heavier now, but each one is full of purpose, and each strike he demonstrates sends powerful waves radiating outwards.

    ¡°Third is Wraith Dance.¡± He stomps powerfully, but there¡¯s no impact; instead, he vanishes, moving so quickly it almost feels like he¡¯s teleported. His heartbeat echoes erratically, sometimes from ces he''s already left, leaving fake signatures along his path. ¡°It¡¯s all about rapid, long-distance movement, afterimages, and individual bursts of swift, extended motion.¡±

    The more he shows me, the more I realize just howcking his lurker was when it came to the intricacies of his abilities.

    ¡°I will show you the other fourter, but they are called Resonance Flow, Needle Point, Counter Flow, and Steelroot.¡±

    As hees to a stop, I ask the question that¡¯s filled my mind since he began, ¡°How did you die?¡±

    The moment these words leave my mouth, his mood changes. The Whitey¡¯s expression, which had felt so forced until now, crumbles, growing dark. His eyes seem redder now, and the beating of his heart grows even more oppressive.

    I like it more than this weird kindness, so I pile on, knowing my next question will hurt.

    It¡¯s meant to.

    ¡°How many times has your lurker been killed?¡±

    Whitey moves impossibly quickly, in a burst of movement more like teleportation than mere footwork in an amazing show of the third stance he demonstrated just moments ago.

    I lift my arms in front of me to block, but he shifts at thest second,nding a hit on my chin instead.

    Louder and louder that demon heart beats, and I freeze mid-air, held in ce before my body can even start to fall, and he grabs my leg, pulling me back and smashing me into the ground. He finishes it with a kick, sending me crashing into a rocky wall nearby.

    It¡¯s surprising how much it hurts, almost as much as it would outside, and I stumble to my knees before pushing myself back to my feet and nce at the demon who¡¯s staring me down with a more fitting expression on his face.

    Not like a puppet content to deliver information, but more like a living being.

    He might be a fake, perhaps he¡¯s just a snapshot of his memories from the moments before he died, or maybe the system prepared something else entirely. Still, I much prefer this over that fake eagerness from before.

    Laughing quietly, Whitey sweeps his hair from his face, his red eyes fixed on me. ¡°Killed by betrayal, hundreds of years as a fucking lurker, and then I get challenged by a fucking human just to end up like this. The Rulers must be shitting their pants withughter right now.¡±

    My movements halt again, and I don¡¯t even try to fight back as Whitey uses Wraith Dance to appear in front of me.

    ¡°Worst of all, I have to teach a human,¡± he says, pressing a finger against my chest. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve won fair and square in my eyes, what can you do? As a human without a proper heart, you will never master everything I can show you.¡±

    As he lets go and steps back, I answer, ¡°I hear that a lot. Show me the first stance.¡±

    At that moment I decide to abandon any further attempts at exining; It¡¯s not like I was ever any good at it anyway, and I know my actions will convey what words cannot.

 Chapter 469: Awakening

    Chapter 469: Awakening

    After Dennis and Aaron return, I give everyone an exnation of everything that happened while I was gone. Lily listens with a singr degree of focus as someone who will soon enter Beyond.

    It¡¯s impossible to tell her about the trial itself, given the way the system censors any attempt, but general information regarding Beyond seems ok, so I tell her what I can.

    ¡°So you still don¡¯t know how to clear the 1st floor of the dungeon and enter the second?¡± she asks as I finish my tale.

    ¡°Yup, no idea at all. The current n is to reach the safe zone and try to gather information and continue from there. We should be able to do it in three days when you and Tess get your stay tokens.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t we need a bigger group?¡±

    ¡°Possibly, but Tess said Gareth promised to join. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we can just reschedule it for six months from now¡ªwhen I¡¯m due to meet up with Leticia and the others. Or I could just go back for a day or two and leave another message so that we can try sooner.¡±

    Tapping on the armrest of the manabloc chair I made for her and the twins, she smiles. ¡°I¡¯m so happy I don¡¯t have to think about these things! Just point me at the monsters.¡±

    ¡°Is she cosying Nat?¡± Dennis quips, poking Aaron.

    ¡°Remember we read that article that said that one of the easiest ways to pick up girls was to imitate them a bit? Like mimicking their movements and behaviors would help make you more endearing. Maybe she read the same article,¡± Aaron nods seriously.¡°I¡¯m going to fuck you up! Both of you!¡±

    ¡°Totally like Nat.¡±

    ¡°Yes. At this point, it has to be intentional.¡±

    ¡°And now Nat¡¯s going to increase the difficulty on that cursed orb of his.¡±

    ¡°Well, we were expecting that. Bring it on!¡±

    I listen as they babble for a moment, then do just that, and for a while at least, they don¡¯t have the focus to spare on idle chatter.

    I turn to Lily. ¡°What do you think of Specter¡¯s arm and the pieces of Whitey¡¯s heart?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re in terrible shape and weakening fast. They¡¯ll probably crumble to dust soon.¡±

    ¡°Either it¡¯s the system messing with us or that¡¯s just how lurkers work, maybe they just crumble to dust so they can be recreated in a year. Though I¡¯d think it¡¯d make more sense to just fix the body over the following year and reuse it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe that is how it works; perhaps in this case the arm has been marked as destroyed?¡±

    ¡°Could be.¡± After weakening the orbs so the twins can focus, I address the entire group, ¡°In three days we¡¯ll be heading deeper into the central region. With any luck It might finallyplete our side quest, and we can start working on our information gathering in the process.¡±

    As I return to thinking about our ns, I spin the newly shaped thermal pyramid floating in the middle of our group, having moved on from the cube, each face shines a different color, ranging from pale yellow to dark gold, and each one emits a different amount of heat.

    The way it spins has an almost hypnotizing quality to it, as I continue, ¡°We¡¯ll take over one of the smaller groups, so we have a good ce to sleep. Preferably somewhere with a good view. Before you ask, yes, you can call it Angry Kittens, I don¡¯t even care anymore. The training will continue for you two and Lily too. We don¡¯t need to sleep much anymore, and we¡¯re going to find out how far I can push you guys before you start hallucinating.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°<strong>[Mana Maniption</strong>] will be our main focus, and we¡¯ll work on improving <strong>[Connection]</strong> after. Lily¡¯s going to focus on body modification and <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>.¡± I say, and begin to put my ns into words, in an attempt to make everything easier to schedule, ¡°I¡¯ll work on improving <strong>[Resonance]</strong>, and practice the stances for kic energy, and I¡¯ve got a great idea for a new mana technique, with Lily¡¯s help, I think I could get a new skill in the process.¡±

    Eventually, I start to feel like a single thermal pyramid isn¡¯t enough of a challenge and create multiple evil orbs, making them spin around me while I deal with their effects, ¡°I will disassemble most of the damaged arcane items and sell a few. My end goal is to build a facility to create arcane items with the materials at our disposal.¡±

    Biscuit approaches, and I watch as heys on the ground next to Lily, putting his small head on his front paws.

    ¡°I will try toe up with ways to modify and recreate the Restrictive Training Emblem and Burden Enhancement Inscriptions so that you can make use of them as well. I just need to find a way to keep them from stopping your brain from functioning, or your heart from beating, or preventing your chest from moving and suffocating you.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?¡±

    I''m really going to be busy I realize, saying as much as I do, ¡°You know that feeling when you think you have a lot of free time and then you start going over everything you need to do and find you don¡¯t have near enough time to fit it all in. Anyway, over the next few weeks, I think my priority will be mana and kic energy, in that order. I¡¯ll just have to find a way to fit the rest in somehow.¡±

    ¡°What about things like the Floor quests? I mean, we¡¯ve already been here for quite a while and we still haven¡¯t figured out how to leave,¡± Dennis says, reminding me.

    ¡°It¡¯ll probably end up being something as simple as helping one of the beings from the five, now four, containment cells escape and then letting them deal with the rest,¡± I say, yawning as I increase the speed of the spinning pyramid.

    ¡°You mean beings on the level of Champions?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± I nod. ¡°You remember the 4th floor, right? Our quest was to kill one of the Cmities, and the biggest part of the solution was to pick the one you could face with your group and abilities. This floor might be the same, we might just need to choose the right prisoner to release. Though that dickhead Champion from before clearly wasn¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think that alone would be enough?¡±

    I shrug, ¡°If it¡¯s not, we release them all and let them break this prison apart and sneak out when they do.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I hope Tess¡¯s or Sophie¡¯s group finds out more,¡± Aaron says, not seeming to like my idea for some reason. Well, I don¡¯t mind theck of trust, but in my experience, the simplest methods often work the best.

    I lean back in my chair and open up a pouch of deer jerky, and taking out a piece, before taking a bite and chewing on it.

    Somewhere from my right, next to Lily, I hear a quick, surprised movement.

    I take another bite.

    <em>(Bitch!)</em> Biscuit shouts, using a word I haven¡¯t heard from him in a long while. I think he must have learned it from Lily.

    I take two more bites, and Biscuit quickly appears right in my face, floating and clearly angry but finally giving me his attention.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say sincerely, apologizing for cheating on our future Overlord, as I put my hands on myp and return his gaze. ¡°But, Biscuit, haven¡¯t you been letting other people pet you as well?¡±

    That seems to shock the corgi as if the thought hadn¡¯t urred to him, and he avoids my gaze.

    Reaching into the air, I grab him and pull him into myp. He lets it happen, his nose constantly twitching as he sniffs at the pouch of deer jerky.

    I take out another before closing the pouch and offering the piece to him.

    He hesitates for a bit, but after ncing at me, he starts carefully chewing away, trying not to touch my hand.

    The next day, we get some more detailed messages from the others.

    Tess, Min-Jae, and Maya are heading deeper towards the center of the region. They can¡¯t share more with the system¡¯s censorship, but I think they learned a bit more about the remaining containment cells and decided to head over to one of them.

    Izzy sends a message of her own as well, confirming that she and Sophie are safe and heading west. She mentions people with abilities like Sophie, bringing to mind an image of the closed-off city of mind mages.

    It¡¯s an area even people outside the central region seemed to scorn. And as we¡¯ve asked around we¡¯ve learned that most people with such abilities tend to gather in a single ce. Either for protection or to aplish a shared goal. For some reason, Sophie and Izzy have decided to head in that direction.

    Though I have something I would <em>just</em> love to ask Sophie.

    The others might have forgotten, but I haven¡¯t. The Champion Caius¡¯s bond didn¡¯t die back in the containment cell in the Mana Desert. And I¡¯ve really been thinking about it too. The thrin brothers died, so they were unable to carry the parts of the bond Izzy sensed, but what if that asshole Champion tricked me? What if he expected those pieces to be discovered, or prepared another, just in case, a much smaller and weaker fragment he kept well hidden?

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the vition.

    There is even a chance Sophie already knows about it. When ites to these things, she could almost be considered my equal, and in some situations, she even does better.

    But the biggest confirmation of all is a feeling I get in a sh of shared memory I had with Biscuit. The corgi refuses to share more, but it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s made some sort of deal with Sophie to stay quiet about it.

    Our newest Beyonder and her little sister, heading for a city of mind mages, carrying a piece of the Champion¡¯s bond with them.

    Sophie sure is working on some interesting stuff.

    A day passes, and I appear in front of Whitey again. The area around us this time is the 1st floor; more urately, it is the clearing with the bus we arrived in.

    Whitey stands in front of it, tapping with the tip of his finger on the side of it, each tap sending audible vibrations through the air.

    Curious, I observe him as he does. He seems to be concentrating on something, examining it deeply. All while his heart beats in slow, powerful, bursts.

    ¡°Got it.¡± He says, nodding, apparently satisfied, before tapping on the side of the bus onest time.

    In an instant, a surge of concentrated kic energy explodes outward. In an incredibly focused burst of force, sending a perfectly round shockwave through the metal, as the point of impact copses inward as if it had been struck by a meteor, sending a series of ripples outward in a visible wave.

    Each part of the bus caught in the wave is thrown back violently, but the energy dissipates just past the bus itself, leaving everything beyond itpletely untouched. The roofpresses, the windows shatter inwards, and the entire vehicle copses into itself, forming a deep, circr indent exactly where Whitey¡¯s finger made contact.

    In the next heartbeat, the bus releases all the built-up energy in a single st. The side panels explode outward, ring out like petals. The energy transfer is so precise that even the ground beneath the bus is untouched.

    Whitey steps back and turns to me, ¡°That thing is made of some interesting materials.¡±

    He stomps, sending a single wave of kic energy sting outwards from his body, bending the grass, and for a moment, the wind stops blowing, epassing us in deep silence before it returns. His eyes glow dangerously, the look more reminiscent of the lurker that tore people apart rather than the man I met a day ago.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, human. I even respected you for a bit given the way you defeated me, but the thing you killed was nothing more than an empty puppet. A fucking disgrace to all the effort I put into developing my abilities.¡±

    Another gentle stomp sends everything around us floating into the air. Pieces of the bus, the bus itself, stones, pieces of wood. He levitates all of it, holding the mass of debris frozen in the air with his ability.

    ¡°You want my kic energy? The result of my blood, sweat, and tears, the culmination of my heart¡¯s purpose? The very thing I threw everything away to pursue. Fine! That was our wager, and I¡¯m someone who always kept his word.¡±

    More and more energy radiates from him, his eyes growing a deeper and deeper shade of red. Whitey begins to feel taller, and slimmer. His white hair whips about in the ai as if it were caught in a hurricane, and his ck horns start feeling like they¡¯re absorbing the light. Just the beating of his heart generates enough energy to slowly push me away.

    More than any time before, he feels like a demon.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a proper heart, you¡¯re only human, and your talent is the worst,¡± he says, a dangerous smile crossing his face, almost like he''s recalling an old memory. ¡°But maybe, just maybe, there''s something here I can work with. You¡¯ve got guts, I¡¯ll give you that. If you¡¯re ready to get broken down and put back together, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±

    Whitey steps closer, his eyes glowing with a fierce intensity. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what it takes. You¡¯ll understand what it means to let every heartbeat be a weapon, every pulse of blood a force that could crush mountains.¡±

    He pauses, letting his words sink in.

    ¡°You already said something simr,¡± I say in response.

    Even though he is smiling, it feels very dangerous, almost like I''m poking a sleeping bear while being locked in a cave with him. A bear with a mini nuclear reactor in ce of its heart.

    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand or think the best of me right away.¡± I say, rolling up my sleeves and shaking off the tension in my arms and legs, ¡°Words are cheap, and your actions tell the greatest of truths, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he answers simply.

    I nod, ¡°Not long ago, I had the benefit of learning from someone not so different from you. And she¡¯s the most powerful person I¡¯ve ever met. Certainly far more powerful than you.¡±

    Closing and opening my fist, I think back on everything that¡¯s happened since I found myself here. There are things I still need to improve, but if there¡¯s one thing I can say about myself.

    It¡¯s that I take pride in my efforts and progress.

    I look back at Whitey, and speak as a sharp smile climbs its way onto my face, ¡°She didn¡¯t know me as well as she thought she did and pushed too much. I will take what I want from you, along with what I¡¯ve won. I don¡¯t care if you beat the shit out of me; I don¡¯t care if I have to bleed and crawl through the dirt, as long as I can get it.¡±

    ¡°You would make a decent demon.¡±

    ¡°My disciple said the same.¡±

    ¡°Let us begin then.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    <strong>POV Earth</strong>

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as we feared, director. The animals are getting bigger. That pr bear in South Hudson Bay is three times the size of any pr bear ever recorded. An impossiblyrge moose was discovered in Newfounnd, and a giant lynx is hunting grizzlies in the Yukon.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I just wish I didn¡¯t have to deal with it, damn it. Prepare a report, and I¡¯ll go over it before passing it on to the higher-ups.¡±

    ¡°Should we pass it on to the Department of Public Safety and the Armed Forces?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They can deal with it just like everything else.¡±

    ¡°Got it, director!¡±

    <strong>POV Earth</strong>

    ¡°Sir, the situation in the Pacific just got a lot worse. There¡¯s a shark out there¡ªit¡¯s the size of a cruise ship. They spotted it near the Mariana Trench.¡±

    ¡°A shark? That big? Are we sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir. It¡¯s already disrupted several shipping routes, and a couple of research vessels have gone missing. Satellite images show it circling, almost like it¡¯s guarding something down there.¡±

    ¡°Great. That¡¯s just what we needed after that damned spider showed up. Send out an alert to the naval forces and tell them to keep all civilian ships out of the area.¡±

    ¡°Understood. And should we inform the public?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. Let¡¯s just keep this between us and monitor its movements.¡±

    <strong>POV Earth</strong>

    ¡°So, we¡¯re just all gonna pretend there isn¡¯t a giant spider hanging out on the moon?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, it¡¯s totally normal. It¡¯s just a massive spider, chilling up there like it owns the ce.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, at this point, I kind of have to respect it. It¡¯s been up there for over a year and hasn¡¯t moved an inch. Probably just waiting for us to getfy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like a horror movie viin on a coffee break. Just taking its time, and plotting its next big move.¡±

    ¡°Right? Meanwhile, we¡¯re all down here hoping that just maybe if we ignore it, it¡¯ll go away.¡±

    ¡°Hey, maybe it¡¯s just shy!¡±

    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s sizing up the like, ¡®Alright, if I ever need a snack, I¡¯ll just reach over. Not today, but someday.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ let¡¯s just hope it stays on break.¡±

    ¡°Just look at it. We all know it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±

    <strong>POV Earth</strong>

    "Ever since its appearance over a year ago, the ''Moon Spider,'' as it¡¯s been dubbed, hasn¡¯t shown any signs of movement or aggression. It''s just¡­ there. Clinging to the surface of the moon, The size of the entire state of Colorado, with its many legs spread across the lunar surface, all visible from Earth. For the time being, it¡¯s remainingpletely motionless. There¡¯s no observable activity, no indication of feeding activity, or even the most basic of life functions. We''ve been monitoring it around the clock, trying to understand what it is, how it got there, and why it¡¯s been so eerily still. Initial scans show an incredibly dense biological structure, unlike anything we''ve ever encountered. It doesn''t fit into any known category of life as we understand it. The spider is silent, and despite all efforts, there¡¯s been no response to any signal or attempt atmunication. But the question remains: why hasn¡¯t it moved? It¡¯s been over a year, and it hasn''t so much as twitched. Spections range from theories regarding a deep hibernation state to the idea that it¡¯s some sort of cosmic warning. The public atrge, after an early outbreak of panic, has finally gotten used to the spider''s presence. Even though it still remains a threat, no one knows if it¡¯s content to simply watch¡­ or if it¡¯s just waiting for something. That was until about two weeks ago."

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°A group of a few dozen people appeared near a copsed tunnel in Osaka, Japan, and the Moon Spider showed signs of movement, just a slight turn in the direction of Japan. The individuals that appeared in Japan wereter identified as members of a group of people who were presumed dead in a tunnel copse a few weeks before the Moon Spider appeared.¡±

    ¡°Continue.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you, sir. Reports indicate that these people possessed¡­ unnatural abilities. Physical and mental capabilities that defy our understanding. The Japanese government and military have done their utmost to keep this under wraps, and most of these people have been cooperative, freely sharing information after their return. Japan has recently decided to provide us with some of this information. They¡¯ve suggested that more individuals like them may appear and they¡¯ve noted that those who¡¯ve returned so far are what they refer to as ¡®Easy Difficulty¡¯ participants.¡±

    ¡°You said most cooperated. What happened to the rest?¡±

    ¡°Two refused and attempted to flee. One was subdued with the assistance of the other returnees. That¡¯s what the Japanese have taken to calling them, sir, and we¡¯ve decided to adopt the term as well.¡±

    ¡°Understood. What happened to thest one?¡±

    ¡°Kazuki Sato, twenty-three years old, was neutralized using an anti-materiel rifle. Prior to that, he survived an anti-tank missile strike and eliminated a twelve-member team from Japan¡¯s Special Forces Group. We¡¯re awaiting further reports, including photo and video documentation.¡±

    ¡°Please continue with the briefing.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir. Since the arrival of the first returnees in Japan, a range of animals in the area where the returnees appeared have exhibited remarkable growth in both physical capabilities and intelligence. Holographic windows have begun appearing before people whoe into contact with the returnees. The returnees refer to this phenomenon as a ¡®system message.¡¯ It¡¯s incredibly infectious¡ªproximity alone is sufficient to spread it. Those affected have shown signs of what the returnees call ¡®awakening,¡¯ allowing them to ess a ¡®status window¡¯ disying a numerical representation of their abilities and granting them two so-called ¡®skills¡¯.¡±

    ¡°What does the message say?¡±

    ¡°It reads: ¡®Congrattions! The earliest participants of the tutorial havepleted their induction, and Earth will begin its awakening. More information will follow once the tutorial concludes! Wee!¡¯¡±

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 470: Gravelhands

    <strong>POV Dennis Dalton</strong>

    Using <strong>[Haste]</strong>, I reach the top of the building where Aaron is already waiting. Like me, he¡¯s wearing clothes woven with experimental threads made from an alloy of metals that Nat spun together. These threads apparently help us hide our mana signatures more efficiently while disguising our heat signatures and dampening the signs of our passing, from our footsteps to the air disturbed in our wake.

    Just these damned modified clothes qualify as mid-epic rarity, much like the masks we¡¯re wearing, the ones that don¡¯t even have holes for our eyes while still allowing us to see.

    <em>(Clothes alone might not be enough,)</em> Aaron sends with a sigh.

    <em>(Sneaky mode?)</em> I ask.

    As I wait for an answer, I nce at the city stretched out below us. The ce we¡¯ve spent the past five months. Hollowgate is one of the three biggest cities in the central region, well-known for the mines it stands atop and the ancient ruins within.

    Thousands of prisoners move through the city, weaving between the vast multitude of buildings dotting thendscape. Some structures look to be on the verge of copse, while others resemble fortresses, sprouting directly from the streets of the city. A few tall towers rise above it all, while a deep pit¡ªapparently dug by one of the groups upying the city¡ªtears a massive gash in thend, and a tall mountain dominates thendscape of the city, with a small fort nestled against its base¡ªwhich we¡¯ve decided target this time.

    <em>(Sneaky mode,) </em>Aaron confirms.

    After that, we tune our mana emissions like Nat taught us and circte it throughout our bodies with a few slight modifications. Inbination with the clothes, our presence bes almost imperceptible. Adding <strong>[Sensory Deception]</strong>, Nat says we should be able to easily hide from people up to 50 levels higher, with a few rare exceptions.As nned, making use of the mental map we made on prior scouting missions, we pass by the guards and then break through the protective web over the tall buildings encircling the areas within. It¡¯s easily one of the best defended ces in the city.

    Our first obstacle is the outer circle ced on one of the walls in our path, so we approach one of the designated anchors. There on the wall, is an intricate set of inscriptions, engraved in molten metal and requiring a key tied to the user¡¯s mana signature.

    We already stole a key; so the hard part is going to be using it.

    <em>(Together,)</em> Aaron says through our link.

    I send my confirmation, and through <strong>[Connection]</strong>, webine our minds¡¯ processing power, to work on decrypting the key, connecting it to ourselves instead of the owner. And just like that, a task neither of us would have been able to manage alone has been aplished almost without effort, and we pass through the now worthless defenses with hastened movement.

    There¡¯s barely anyone around at this time of night and we¡¯ve already noted the positions of the guard posts we¡¯re now in the process of avoiding. Eventually, we enter the building, breaking through its protections in a simr manner, quickly running through the hallways made out of white stone with ck floors. Our steps echo off the empty walls, and I feel my heartbeat quickening.

    The same feeling I¡¯m getting from Aaron.

    Using the same method, we once again connect to another door, opening it together before proceeding deeper inside once more.

    We avoid a few guards, while others pass us by, oblivious as we blend into the furniture. asionally, a scan from the protective array sweeps over us, but it always passes us over, thanks to our masking. We¡¯re not even using the key to impersonate the guy we robbed at this point¡ªhe probably didn¡¯t have ess to this area anyway.

    Then we find ourselves stuck, in front of the final door, deep inside of the fort. The door is made out of beautiful silver metal with intricate engravings on the surface, as beautiful as they are functional.

    <em>(Even he wouldn¡¯t be able to open this.)</em>

    <em>(Please don¡¯t say things like that, he might show up and smack you in the head, before opening it up, all while practicing with those evil cubes of his.)</em>

    <em>(Fuck, that could really happen. Creepy orb?)</em>

    <em>(Yes, but be careful, and please, don¡¯t lose the box this time. He¡¯ll be furious if it happens again.)</em>

    <em>(Don¡¯t even remind me.)</em>

    And with that final confirmation, I reach into my pocket and pull out the small box denselyyered with inscriptions and made of some of the most durable metals we could find, all covered in a thinyer of voidcopper.

    I unlock it with my mana signature, and it opens up, revealing a gray orb, about the size of a grape that almost seems to be made out of smoke.

    Inside, the box is lined with ayer of Lily¡¯s bones, which bear their own set of inscriptions. Even now, I don¡¯t dare try to touch it with my fingers, choosing instead to bring it closer to the door, extremely carefully blowing into it while deactivating the inscriptions.

    The gray smoke flows through the air, meeting the silver door, before disintegrating the metal at the merest touch, eating through its defenses as if they weren¡¯t even there.

    That''s how Lily''s <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> is.

    We watch the process from a good distance away, waiting for the smoke to disappear entirely. Even then we wait a bit, just to be sure.

    Only then do we move in, pushing on the door and entering the room.

    It¡¯s a storage facility belonging to a group called the Gravelhands, in fact, we are currently visiting, one of the best vaults in the entire city.

    <em>(Quick.)</em> Aaron says, throwing a bag at me, which I grab, before piling materials inside. Some metals, some threads, scales, weird leather.

    Meanwhile, Aaron moves over to the corner where the more valuable items seem to be.

    <em>(Fuck, that¡¯s a lot; I bet we¡¯ll get some nice shards out of this too!)</em> he says in between looting the various items around us.

    (It would be nice if he made us an arcane item.)

    <em>(Dream on; you saw how many different items and materials he needed just to make one, and it still blew up our old base.)</em>

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the vition.

    <em>(Angry Kittens are indeed a menace.)</em>

    <em>(For Angry Kittens!)</em> Aaron cheers, his hand wrapped around some weird metal.

    We both giggle for a moment before receiving a signal from one of the traps we left behind us.

    <em>(Not good.)</em>

    Time and again, our traps go off, followed by multiple scans washing over us, the defenses in the room trying to reactivate without any real sess.

    Without any need to talk, we pick up everything we collected and rush outside, reactivating Sneaky Mode and <strong>[Sensory Deception]</strong>.

    We pass through the first wave of guards easily, none of whom directly notice us, then we avoid another by going through the window.

    Then one of the guards does notice us and does something to strengthen the defenses in the area around us, destroying our camouge. He attempts to disrupt our mana, but we resist and disrupt his instead, then he rushes us, his immense mana ring up around his body, and creating a set of huge mana arms.

    <em>(Teleportation?)</em>

    <em>(Teleportation outside from here is still blocked.)</em>

    We¡¯ve done any number of runs like this. I guess it was about time one of them went belly-up, especially considering the value of the items we took and the power of this group in particr.

    Our <strong>[Connection]</strong> activates, and we connect to the skill of the man attacking us. Our mindse together to bear the strain of the calctions, as we take over the skill, one of the huge arms punches its creator and three more start tearing a hole in the wall.

    As the man gets thrown by his own arms, we pass through.

    I receive a warning and move to the side without pausing to check and send a simr warning to my brother, causing him to duck under an arrow. Another man and woman attack, but we get rid of them quickly, and a few more afterward. Just a few months ago, they would''ve been a lot of trouble, but now it seems way too easy. For now.

    Finally, we reach the ce we passed into the inneryer of their defenses ande to a stop.

    A blue-skinned man with four arms stands there. In the darkness, only the shing of security lights and their piercing sirens serve to break the silence. But the moment he stands before us, the rms fall silent, as do the men and women who were pursuing us.

    There is no need for them to hunt us anymore. The man in front of us is a Champion Candidate, the most powerful thrin mage in the Gravelhands and one of the top 10 in Hollowgate.

    <em>(Together we can take him)</em>, I note.

    <em>(Not quickly enough. They¡¯re already building up defenses around the fort.)</em>

    <em>(Well fuck, I¡¯m sending him the signal,)</em> I say and pull the thread tied to us and leading back to our base.

    <em>(This is going to be a mess.)</em>

    <em>(It already is.)</em>

    ¡°Tell me, are you the ones who¡¯ve been stealing things all across Hollowgate over the past two months? From the Voidstriders? From the Veiled w? What about Goldmere?¡±

    ¡°Also from Shadowcliff,¡± I note with pride. It was the most difficult one so far.

    The thrin Champion Candidate lets out a boisterousugh, his blue skin shining in the dim light around us, and his four arms movingzily. ¡°You mean that old fuck Drek covered it up? Was he too ashamed to let people know?¡±

    He doesn¡¯t say more, opting instead to release an immense amount of mana from his body, it flows from his heart, through his chest, and into his four arms which hold it, molding the energy, and creating a number of wisps that glow in the air around him while he radiates a scary amount of pressure.

    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll be taking your masks and cutting off your limbs, one by one. Then we¡¯ll talk. What do you think, my new friends?¡± he says, his tone dripping with menace.

    Before anything can happen, I feel a mark on my forearm burn. It¡¯s his anchor, connecting us to that invisible thread of his.

    The protections around the area are suddenly ripped apart from the outside, as if that monster were forcing his way in, ignoring all their defenses against teleportation. Then, without any warning, without so much as a whiff of mana, or any sign of disturbance, he appears at my side.

    He doesn¡¯t even have that crown of his floating over his head, he¡¯s left it behind in our base, clearly feeling that it wasn¡¯t needed. The same goes for that terrifying weapon he made.

    His ck hair is messy and his clothes look like he just woke up and threw them on. Obscuring his face is a mask simr to ours, hiding even his eyes and muffling his voice.

    He takes quick stock of the situation, his stancezy, seeming almost careless.

    Maybe he really did just wake up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this quickly, okay? Clean up the fodder; I¡¯ll take the boss. No witnesses,¡± he finishes that with what sounds like a yawn.

    In a blink, he disappears, suddenly standing in front of the thrin Champion Candidate. It¡¯s not even teleportation, he¡¯s just that fast.

    Layers of shields stack in front of the thrin, and Nat twists his body, in a smooth, almostzy movement, tapping the firstyer which ripples like the surface of ake before bursting open. And the other barriers quickly follow suit.

    The thrin moves the disrupted mana, tendrils with glowing white tips making an attempt to run Nat through, who¡¯s begun moving from side to side in a twitchy, and chaotic pattern of movement that seems almost impossible to predict.

    One of the thrin man¡¯s arms gets torn off, one of the left arms, it holds its position in mid-air, floating there as Nat bulldozes through barriers and continues to fight the man.

    Then I run out of time to spend watching and use <strong>[Haste]</strong> to avoid an attack. Multiple projections of me appear in the area around me, each possessing its own mana and heat signature, they even produce a small kic signature. Aaron does the same, and we rush the men and women surrounding us.

    I hold a short sword and dagger while Aaron favors using a single dagger.

    Whenever we find ourselves faced with an opponent that¡¯s more difficult than the others, we opt for a quicker way, often swapping ces. Aaron is better at facing certain builds, and I¡¯m better at fighting others. The sheer surprise each time we do is just a bonus.

    No one here can match our speed, even with their higher average level. Plenty of them have trouble even detecting us or find themselves confused by our projections, so with the exception of two of the more powerful members, where we end up needing tobine our minds to disrupt their mana, we deal with them easily.

    When it¡¯s all over, we return to Nat. He stands there, and I can sense him deploying his web to erase our signatures and anything else that could be used to track us.

    I add him to our link, and he asks, <em>(Done?)</em>

    <em>(Now that everything¡¯s in chaos, do you want to go loot some more?)</em> I ask in return.

    <em>(Maybe next time. I¡¯m currently blocking three of their defensive arrays and disrupting their attempts to teleport in. Probably around a hundred people?)</em>

    <em>(Well, fuck.)</em>

    <em>(It¡¯s fine, they suck at it.)</em>

    His mana touches us, and at the same time, I feel a pull on that thread and anchor tied to us, spiriting the three away while the thread dissipates in the air as we vanish, without leaving anything in the way of a traceable signature.

    We appear back in our base¡¯s living room and throw the loot into yet another pile nearby before Nat quickly goes through it finally settling on a pair of weird metals, and seeming satisfied.

    ¡°Just what I needed,¡± he deres and then, without fanfare, disappears again, probably returning to his undergroundb, leaving two evil orbs in his wake.

    As we exchange nces, I send a message, <em>(Lucky us, we didn¡¯t get yelled at.)</em>

    <em>(Yea, you think so? Check the orb.)</em>

    As I do so, I can only let out a deep groan at the new structure. It requires us to break through defenses and is filled with dozens of traps that punish each mistake, mimicking the one we missed that triggered the rm.

 Chapter 471: One Hundredth Time

    Even though the metals Dennis and Aaron brought back are only epic rarity, I¡¯m happy with them. I¡¯ve long since learned that sometimes a niceplementary metal with good properties is better than something with a higher rarity. Sometimes.

    The lights around me flicker back on,ing from a dozen thermal cubes lighting up my undergroundb. My crown hovering over a metal bust iid with a range of inscriptions moves, floating across the room until it takes its rightful ce over my head.

    My baby, my precious. The crown has be a deep shade of blue, marbled with faint traces of pale blue.

    The amount of mana stored in it is probably enough to destroy¡­ I don¡¯t know what, probably something very big. Without further testing and experience, it¡¯s hard to guess. It will probably also be difficult to channel that much mana, but hey, it¡¯s what I¡¯m good at.

    I drop the metals on the table next to a short sword in a sheath that obscures any mana signature that might be emanating from the de. The sheath is made of an alloy of a dozen metals: shades of copper, ck, blue sheen gray, are blended throughout, alongside tiny bits of blue and white crystal,plemented by the densest and mostplicated inscriptions I¡¯ve ever made.

    My Mana Wavelength Iris activates again, and as always, I feel the gradually increasing pressure on my mind. It¡¯s doable, but doing so any longer will cause problems, even with my goddamned arcane passive.

    I get to work, radiating heat, and melting the metal in my hand, moving thin strands of material with my mana, as I hammer it with kic energy. Reaching the required consistency, I move the molten metal to a set of pre-prepared grooves on the sheath while reaching into the back of my mind, where I¡¯ve kept an inscription structure prepared just for these situations.

    It doesn¡¯t take long, and after performing the requisite checks, I absorb the heat from the metal, while making a few finishing touches with my kic energy before it hardens.

    I give the sheath a few more checks, but the seals and inscriptions for suppression, protection, camouge¡­ and other things, seem to be working better now and the signs of degradation I saw mere moments ago have been rectified.Good, that should be able to contain that evil sword I¡¯ve made for a bit longer.

    Lastly, I take a sheath wrap I made out of the leather of a level 350 manta ray I hunted in the Mana Desert not long ago and apply it, finishing the protections.

    For a while longer, I examine the hilt of the sword and guard. Both have been made from a single piece of molten alloy,bining arcanite alloy, ambece, tiny bits of voidcopper, and a few other materials I got from scrapping some of the damaged arcane weapons I had. Combining them into a dark gray alloy, with mottled hues of ck and light gray and streaks of copper running through the metal like a spiderweb of cracks.

    There are some imperfections here and there, cracks even, and shapes that feel off. To be honest, it¡¯s every bit as ugly, as my fellow group members have pointed out several times over. But it¡¯s my other precious, and I carefully put it back on the table and activate the defenses I¡¯ve ced around it.

    Not so much to protect the sword, as to protect us from it.

    The thing is just evil.

    I send a signal through a Ley Line connected to Lily and receive her confirmation, then use it to teleport over to her.

    Unlike me, she doesn¡¯t need an underground bunkerb as she didn¡¯t have an ident that blew up herb and took an entire fortress with it. The sort of thing that could¡¯ve happened to anyone. Even to the best of us.

    Lily likes to do her training and experiments in the confines of our walled yard. She even made some of the guys nt some nice trees here, which they had to get from one of the dangerous forests that litter the central region.

    The result is trees with white bark and leaves that produce a shade of green unlike any we¡¯ve ever seen on Earth.

    There she sits on the bench with the axe she made on herp. An axe she grew from her own bones. Its handle is only half as long as Lily is tall, but I¡¯ve seen just how quickly she can make it longer if she needs to. The axe de is single-sided and likely has a surface area nearly as great as that of Lily''s entire body.

    This weapon is something she¡¯s been growing for months already and started doing so after I made her level up as much as possible to reach level 250 and get a body upgrade that was a massive power-up for her. Growing the axe from her body also made it stronger than it would have been before level 250. ??

    ¡°It seems to be nearly done,¡± I note and sit on the ground opposite her. In an attempt to avoid cking off, I create one of my evil cubes and start training.

    She smiles softly, ¡°I¡¯m happy with the shape, and I changed the handle a bit, so I can grow it quickly if needed. Now I just need to keep working on strengthening the de while I experiment with infusing the de with <strong>[Disintegration]</strong>.¡±

    I long since gave up being surprised at the terrifying ideas the members of group 4 tend toe up with.

    I stop for a moment and examine her. Lily is still very pale, and her brown eyes seem lighter in this light. She also has her hair tied up in a simple ponytail with her trademark bangs falling across her forehead. She also seems to be growing more athletic by the day.

    Her shoulders are a bit wider now, and she packs a hint of muscle, bringing to mind an amusing memory of a time when she refused most forms of exercise, worried that she was going to turn into some kind of muscle monster.

    And the twins threatening to call her ¡°muscle mommy¡± didn¡¯t help much either.

    But in the end, she¡¯s still just as petite as ever. A tiny killing/healing machine.

    ¡°How¡¯s the Skele-Suiting along?¡±

    ¡°Nat, please, you at least, should stop calling it that.¡±

    ¡°What about calcium-cage?¡±

    ¡°Another one? I¡¯m going to beat the snot out of those two little assholes.¡±

    I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to tell her that thest name was my idea.

    Lily points at the tree, against which she hasin a chestte made of the same pearl-white bone as her axe. ¡°It¡¯s hindering my movements. Sure, it can hold some mana and block attacks, but my bones can do that just as well. I¡¯ve already got some designs with tings that should make the armor much easier to move in.¡±

    ¡°How about making chainmail, and using your bones in ce of the iron rings?¡±

    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s not a bad idea, but now I feel like going to sleep and procrastinating just imagining how much work that would take.¡±

    ¡°I already tried making something simr from manabloc, so you can bet on my sympathy.¡± A memory from a few months earlier shes through my mind, and I shudder. Then a thoughtes. Could I one day rece mana rings with Ley Lines? Wouldn¡¯t that be too strong?

    ¡°How did it go with Gravelhand?¡±

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    ¡°The twins triggered a trap, and their Champion Candidate appeared. The information about him being out of the city seemed to be wrong.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the informant about that. Any trouble?¡±

    ¡°By talking to him, do you mean engaging in intimidation and knocking some heads together?¡±

    ¡°What else? I¡¯m not Tess,¡± she says, smiling yfully, despite the horrifying implications of the statement.

    ¡°As for any trouble that might cause, it shouldn¡¯t be anything major, and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll speak with the informant. We¡¯ll just need to be more careful when we visit Hollowgate for a while, that¡¯s all. Hey, what have you done there?¡±

    Proud of me noticing, she excitedly moves closer, hefting the giant axe in a single hand and shoving the de within an inch of my face.

    Before I canin, she proudly points out, ¡°I finally seeded, and I think I¡¯ll be able to ¡®heal¡¯ the axe if it gets damaged. Of course, it shouldn¡¯t be all that easy to damage it in the first ce. Between the effects of my constitution, body upgrade, and trait, my bones are extremely tough as it is, but it could still happen! Now it almost feels as if it¡¯s part of my body! I told you that growing it out of my own bone rather than using those of a Champion or some powerful monster would be better!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cool,¡± I agree, ¡°I just still think it would be super strong if you did.¡±

    "It would take much longer to grow it from a Champion''s bone. But don¡¯t worry, this one will grow along with me, and I¡¯ll be able to keep strengthening it." She says, pulling the axe back.

    Some time ago, I held that weapon and was surprised by its weight. Sure, with the increase in my stats from using the Restrictive Training Emblem, I could hold it and even swing it, but could I have done the same with a single arm, with the same ease as Lily? She swings it through the area around her, taking swift steps and manipting the axe as if it were no heavier than a normal splitting axe.

    And the fact that it¡¯s a petite ck-haired girl doing it feels especially weird.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost caught up with my work here, so we¡¯ll leave soon to regroup with the others.¡±

    ¡°How about that ce?¡±

    ¡°The Hoarders are preparing an expedition to the mines in a few days, so we¡¯ll join them. I already had Dennis enlist us while you grew that monstrosity, and by monstrosity, I mean it in a good way,¡± I add before she canin.

    Lilyughs shyly as if I had just given her a massivepliment. ¡°If you¡¯re right and one of the Containment Cells is down there, it will be a truly fun expedition.¡±

    I can only agree with the sentiment.

    Later that night, I close my eyes, appearing inside of my mind, where, as usual, the area has changed.

    This time it¡¯s a view I saw a long time ago on TV. Whitey and I stand on the surface of the Moon and look out into the pitch darkness that almost seems to swallow the Earth in the vastness of space, making its troubles seem small and insignificant byparison.

    The gravity is normal, Earth-like. All of this is from my imagination, abined image made from a collection of images and videos I saw on TV and the inte.

    As I sit down to enjoy the view for a moment, Whitey moves closer, sitting next to me and tapping my shoulder. He holds a tablet in his hand, ying a video of me fighting the Gravelhand¡¯s Champion Candidate.

    ¡°Here you were slow to absorb your inertia,¡± he says, touching the screen and scrolling, ¡°here you could have moved to the opposite side. The way you destroyed his barriers went pretty well, but there are still a lot of ways you could improve. Instead of concentrating on such a small surface and delivering equal power, you should spread it out, make it more powerful in the middle, and weaken it as you move towards the surface.¡±

    I grab the tablet and rey it, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make the aftershocks weaker?¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± He exims, snatching the tablet away. ¡°Quite the opposite. The gradual separation would strengthen the pulses, and while it would be a bit weaker it would also make the attack more efficient. Even better would be releasing a timed series of pulses, but you suck at it.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit. Show me.¡± I stand up and create an exact copy of the barrier the other man used.

    Whitey jumps to his feet as well and does just that, a single tap on the barrier, releasing a series of three pulses. Eaches at a different time, in a pattern that doesn¡¯t seem to make any sense. Yet I watch as each pulse meets, crashes into, and strengthens its predecessor. Instead of spreading further around the spherical barrier, they make for higher frequency ¡°waves¡± in a smaller area, destroying the barrier even more quickly.

    Knowing what he wants to hear, I sigh, ¡°I know shit all about kic energy.¡±

    Whitey smirks, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly say it¡¯s shit, but yeah, it¡¯s pretty bad.¡±

    Having spoken his piece, the closest he¡¯s ever gotten to giving me praise, his stance changes. Breaker Style.

    Gone are the smile and careless bearing he disyed before. As always when ites to fighting, his eyes seem to re a deeper shade of red and the atmosphere around him grows that much more dangerous. Joviality is reced by the presence of a cruel, and dangerous predator.

    I mimic the stance, and the rhythm of my heartbeat changes, matching his. Pulsing in slower, more powerful beats.

    He takes a step forward, and using the force of his entire body, thrusts his open palm towards me, surging forth behind a brutal, and heavy burst of kic energy.

    Taking a simr step forward, I stomp, releasing a simr burst with what I might otherwise think of as perfect timing.

    The moon dust flies into the air and covers the area, but eyes in a fight against kic energy don¡¯t matter.

    His next strike erupts from behind the veil of dust, followed by another, hidden in its shadow. Increasing my output, I attack three times, each burst sending more dust flying into the air and producing an audible disturbance, almost as if someone were banging on a massive drum.

    After a few more exchanges I sense a change in his heartbeat, recing the prior rhythm with a quicker, erratic, and more chaotic one.

    Needle Point.

    Thin bursts of kic energy, as narrow as my fingers, shoot toward me, forcing me to dodge again and again. Instead of slowing down, the attackse faster as time goes on, several times per second, leaving me no time to strike back and demanding every ounce of my focus just to react.

    But unlike our Challenge, I can actually sense them with some degree of uracy, boosting my body to react with a near sense of ease.

    Duck under, jump over, move to the side, twist my head. I sense each and every burst.

    Then they stop.

    And immediately after, a dozen more fire off almost simultaneously.

    I manage to dodge the first six, amazed at my ability to do even that much, but the rest pierce my body, perfectly anticipating my movements.

    My knee explodes, my shoulder gets pierced, the fingers, on one hand, find themselves reduced to mush, one of the attacks even punctures a lung, while another destroys my ankle.

    With the next step, the cloud of dust is blown away, revealing Whitey in Wraith Dance. He appears in front of me, followed by a switch to Pulser Stance.

    He avoids my attacks with excessive ease, simply ripping the ground apart around him with Breaker Style as he deflects the rest. He grabs my arm and tears it from my shoulder, spraying my blood across the surface of the moon.

    He dodges again and continues to deflect my attacks as I switch to first stance, then he kicks me, caving my chest in and causing blood to seep from the corners of my mouth.

    ¡°Your heart¡¯s output has greatly improved as has your efficiency,¡± he says, examining the arm he tore from my body.

    ¡°Is it?¡± I hiss, blood flowing from my mouth.

    ¡°Yes.¡± He says, throwing my arm somewhere behind him, having lost interest. ¡°Your detection is also starting to get pretty good, so I¡¯ll start adding in feints the next time we spar.¡±

    ¡°Lucky me.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Whitey squats in front of me and touches the wound on my chest with his slim, pale finger, ¡°It¡¯s already been five months since we started this training. I mean, it was fun at the start, but it¡¯s lost some of its charm. Do you feel like giving up yet? You could spend more time on your mana, that¡¯s where your true talent lies.¡±

    ¡°I liked you more when you talked less and beat the shit out of me more.¡±

    He stands with a smile. And I notice that here, on the moon, surrounded by scenery devoid of color, his eyes seem especially red, and his white hair seems to shine against the void.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t half bad, for a human. This makes the hundredth time I¡¯ve killed you.¡± Whitey muses, then stomps on my head.

    I open my eyes back in myb and stretch on my bed before closing my eyes and reying the fight.

    It could be said the kic training has been going pretty well.

 Chapter 472: Not a very reasonable person

    Our fort is a nice ce, not far from Hollowgate. After making a few modifications to one of the walls of my room, I now have a window with a nice view of the city as a whole.

    I¡¯d even say it¡¯s quite pleasant, especially at night, with the purple neb and countless stars above and the city lights below.

    This ce used to belong to a group called¡­ I forgot. Anyway, it''s Angry Kittens now, a small group made up of a few dozen members with a suspicious degree of wealth. After we took over, almost everyone who had objections tried to kill us, while others left and those who stayed, are currently being paid for their services.

    Their sryes in multiple forms: items I¡¯ve made, food, water, a safe ce to sleep after we killed any monsters within several miles of the base, and a number of other fringe benefits. In exchange, they collect information for us, or in Lily''s case, they bring her a few trees in exchange for bone spears they can¡¯t ce the origins of.

    Obviously, there were disadvantages to it, like being forced to deal with people, but Lily and the twins usually take care of that part. After all, it''s only right that they take care of such minor annoyances in exchange for my teachings.

    Though they¡¯re not high-level extroverts like Tess or Gareth, so they do have some difficulties, but that¡¯s a sacrifice I¡¯m willing to make.

    As I mull these facts over in my head, I turn my attention back to the Beyond Community and read thest message.

    <strong>Sset - </strong><em>We located two and now that you¡¯ve located one as well, we¡¯re getting close to the end. We¡¯ve already started moving, and we can meet at Soph¡¯s location after you guys are done with your stuff.</em>

    <strong>Grumpy -</strong><em> I miss you all, guys!</em><strong>Sset - </strong><em>I miss you too, Grumpy.</em>

    <strong>Tacita -</strong><em>(¡Á_¡Á)</em>

    Grumpy - I miss you too, Taci! (

    Tacita - ¡£¡£¡£

    Grumpy - You won''t run away!©¤=¡Ô¦²(

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em>Just please don¡¯t push it, Noname.</em>

    <strong>Noname - </strong><em>You know me.</em>

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em>That¡¯s why I''m worried.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>It will be fine.</em>

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em>I always get chills when you say that.</em>

    Tacita -/¨v/¨q(?

    Grumpy -

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Just don¡¯t forget our schedule in case something screws up.</em>

    <strong>Sset -</strong><em> I would not forget. I got to go, see youter. Stay safe.</em>

    <strong>Noname -</strong><em>Stay safe.</em>

    <strong>Tacita -</strong><em>(? o ?)¡è=[]:::::></em>

    Grumpy -(¡ä?

    After closing the Community, I use one of my Ley Lines and appear in the Common room with a few of the original owners. They immediately jump to their feet in a rush to greet me.

    I just gesture in acknowledgment and check the pile of materials they¡¯ve piled up to see if I can find anything interesting. Disappointed at not finding anything, I move to teleport away when I get stopped.

    ¡°Boss!¡± one of the men calls.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I ask, turning to him. His face seems familiar, ¡°Oh, you are¡­ E¡­ B-something.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already forgotten my name three times, so what¡¯s the point of trying at this point?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine! I just wanted to report that I saw a few members of a neighboring group sneaking around, just outside your defenses.¡±

    ¡°Are they strong?¡± I ask with interest.

    ¡°They outnumber us five to one,¡± he notes seriously, ¡°and they have experts on destroying defensive arrays. Before you¡­ ehm, took over, we tended to have trouble with them.¡±

    Oh boy, I would love to see them try to do something to my <strong>[Ley Line]</strong> based defensive array.

    ¡°Just ignore them. If they attack, let Lily know, she¡¯ll take care of them.¡±

    Teleporting away, I find myself in Hollowgate, the thread I set easily reaching across the distance without being noticed. Though if I¡¯m being honest someone may have noticed and found they couldn¡¯t disrupt it.

    Without my crown, I feel naked, and with Sneaky Mode deployed, my mana feels foreign, but it¡¯s useful and little bother if it means not dealing with the annoying people who tend to swarm me.

    Relying on my memory, I weave through the crowds, breaking the arms of two pickpockets, as I continue deeper into the nicer parts of the city.

    Using Wraith Dance, I leap to the roof of one of the nicer houses, send a ripple of my mana through the barrier, and pass through, leaping into the massive yard where a gathering is already underway.

    Everyone¡¯s levels are much higher than the random people outside, and I get a few curious looks of my own. As I push through them, one man tries to grab me, but all it takes is a single burst of kic energy to send him rolling to the ground.

    This time I don¡¯t even have to repeat the demonstration, and I make my way over to a pair of guards, both of whom are umonly bulky. One is a thrin with four swords, and the other is a feylith with azy smile.

    ¡°The boss is waiting inside,¡± the feylith says, gesturing as the door unlocks, and allows me to pass through.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the vition.

    The house opens up to a series of dark hallways lit by a number of yellow mes floating in the air like ensconced torches. Passing by them, Ie to another door and enter an office dominated by a huge table seated before a massive window. That window offers a stunning view into a beautiful garden on the other side.

    With a cough, the man behind the table grabs my attention. A thrin in expensive clothes, specially made for a member of a four armed race such as the man before me. His clothes are a stunning shade of white woven through with golden threads, making for a nice contrast against his pale blue skin.

    ¡°I heard someone offed En yesterday,¡± he says in a deep, slow voice.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Thrin mage, no. 10 in all of Hollowgate?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that guy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, a 200-year-old Champion Candidate. A man who spent thest 50 years here in Astral Prison. The man they used to call Mage Bane.¡±

    ¡°The one who was supposed to be out of the city for a few days?¡± Instead of grabbing one of the chairs, I make my own, reliable, monobloc chair with its ssic nostalgic design and sit down.

    ¡°Yes. Someone who, ording to all information, should have been far away from the city and very unexpectedly wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Quite a bad piece of information,¡± I nod. ¡°I can imagine that such bad information could have easily cost the lives of¡­ let¡¯s say two brave ¡®collectors¡¯ who were relying on that person being far away from the city.¡±

    ¡°Things like that just happen sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Not when ites to my people, Fynn.¡±

    There is a long moment of silence and I notice a growing tension in the man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Nathaniel, I would very strongly rmend that you be reasonable and consider what you are about to do right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a very reasonable person, Fynn. You know that.¡± As he stares at me, I add to the statement, sensing the movement of his arm under the table, ¡°If you raise the rm, I will blow your entire guild off the surface of this prison along with that shitty array of yours.¡±

    I sense him freeze in ce, and he very carefully pulls back, all four hands ced on the table for me to see.

    ¡°There will be an expedition into the mines in a few days,¡± I start again.

    ¡°Yes, the one being led by the Hoarders with The Witch in it. One of thergest in the past ten years.¡±

    ¡°Yup, that one. We already applied, so make sure we pass and they don¡¯t do too much of a background check on us. If you do that I will forgive you for passing on such unreliable information.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s going to require a lot of effort.¡±

    ¡°That sucks.¡±

    ¡°It really does, but fine. Consider it done. And I mean really done, no mistakes this time. I will personally make sure of that.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good!¡±

    Jumping to my feet I take a step towards the shelf and grab a mana stone carved into the shape of a hollow cube with some kind of weird inscription that gives off a nice light.

    ¡°Is it fine if I take this?¡± I ask the man, already putting it into my pocket.

    ¡°I¡­ do you even¡­ haa, yes. Please consider it a gift from me, Nathaniel.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, you truly are a nice guy. See youter.¡±

    As I make my exit through the door, one of the guards blocks my way. It¡¯s the bulky thrin with four swords. He and his partner seem to be highly trusted, demonstrated by the weird connection they have that allows them to listen to what¡¯s happening in the room.

    ¡°Mais, please let him go,¡± Fynn calls from inside.

    The guard doesn¡¯t budge, channeling kic energy through his body using a trait I noticed long ago. I¡¯ve wanted to fight this guy for a while¡ªMais, also known as the Spinecrusher, ranked No. 7 in Hollowgate.

    I take a step toward him, releasing an amount of kic energy to match his own, feeling the weight of it building in the air. Mais responds, increasing his output as the tension sharpens to a razor¡¯s edge. His hands hover closer to the swords at his sides, the flicker of violence rising in his eyes. The space between us tightens, energy crackling between us as though one wrong move could set everything off.

    ¡°Mais! Stop before we all fucking die here!¡± This shout is much louder and more desperate, catching the attention of the people around us.

    Only then does the guy manage to calm himself and take a step back.

    I feel the pressure begin to dissipate as he pulls back, and I make onest corny attempt at baiting him, hoping to amuse myself with a decent brawl, ¡°Yeah, Mais, be a good boy.¡±

    To my disappointment, he doesn¡¯t bite. Sure, he seems to be more pissed off, but that¡¯s all.

    As he steps away, I pass by and wave at the second guard, who waves back at me with a smile, his eyes and hair zing a happy shade of red along with the small wings flickering on his back.

    Melo, also called The Nightmare, no. 5 in Hollowgate, the kind of person even Fynn rarely gives orders to.

    After jumping across a few roofs and a quick teleportter, I visit a few shops and return to the fort we lord over as Angry Kittens, directly jumping into the room this time. Here, in rtive safety, I put more effort into the training that¡¯s been going on in the back of my mind the entire time.

    Separating a small part of my mind, I form a simple evil cube and wonder over it. It¡¯s an upgrade I made by modifying the orb after bing familiar with the shaping exercises Lissandra gave me.

    Lissandra has amazing mastery over mana, and her flow is smooth, perfectly controlled, and sharp.

    My style of control is more chaotic, and it¡¯s something I¡¯m starting to ount for with my shaping exercises, especially the 1st one, where I¡¯m constantly having to control multiple frequencies and manage an ever-changing set of mana requirements just to maintain the thing.

    Changing the shape to a cube allowed the mana inside the shape to bounce more chaotically and made its movements nearly impossible to predict. Even after a few months, I''m still not sure what I expect to get from it, but I¡¯ve decided to continue. Lately, I¡¯ve even started changing the shape into a pyramid, which made it even more difficult, the mana inside the shape bouncing and swirling even more unpredictably.

    Someone smarter could probably exin the reasons behind it since I expected the cube to be more chaotic¡ªbut not me.

    With a wave of my hand, the cube disappears, and I bring my mind back to the previous method of training, leaving just a tiny bit to continue thinking as I throw myself back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling.

    ¡°System, show me my level.¡±

    <strong>Lvl 291</strong>

    It¡¯s pretty, and I¡¯m fairly certain that even with as much effort as I directed to training at the expense of leveling, I¡¯m probably one of the highest levels in our round. Perhaps even the highest. And I¡¯m just nine levels away from my Primary ss upgrade. I''m really curious how the system will deal with it, given that I already have all ten of my allotted active skills, and the Primary ss always seems to bring more along for the ride.

    ¡°System, order me pizza. I will pay 10,000 shards.¡±

    Nothing changes, obviously. Looking at the terrifying number of shards I currently possess, I don¡¯t think I would miss those 10,000.

    It¡¯s really tough out here.

    Lastly, before settling in to sleep for the next two hours, I decide to check on Biscuit.

    <em>(Food.)</em> I send through the link the twins created. The one that works despite Biscuit¡¯s current distance.

    <em>(Food,) </em>he sends back mysteriously.

    <em>(Food food?)</em> I ask.

    <em>(Food!)</em> he answers right away.

    <em>(Asshole!)</em> I send back.

    <em>(Gone. Food. Food.)</em>

    <em>(Food,)</em> I confirm, and over the next few exchanges, I tell him about our ns, until we finally say goodbye, focusing my attention back on the ceiling.

    Damn, I miss that corgi. It¡¯s already been a few months since he went on his secluded training like some hidden master, and after not being able to boop that nose for so long, I''m starting to get close to my limit.

    <strong>[Bone Knitting - lvl 18 > Bone Knitting - lvl 19]</strong>

    Finally, the skill levels up, and I take a break from my efforts. The bones, which had been itching until now, finally settle, and the mana threads dissolve, the energy returning to my pathways to continue cycling through my body.

    Only then do I close my eyes and allow myself to fall asleep.

 Chapter 473: The Witch

    Days pass by quickly. Filled with mana training, getting taught and then killed by Whitey, and giving pointers to Lily and the twins.

    There isn¡¯t any talk anymore about making them change difficulties. Even when they¡¯re notbining forces to fight, they¡¯re still dangerous. They don¡¯t flinch anymore when they get hurt. They¡¯re quick to learn and much more experienced when ites tobat. They¡¯re surprisingly patient and don¡¯t hesitate to stretch out battles as needed, gradually building up an advantage.

    Their projections are amazing, to be honest. Mimicking mana signatures, and heat, while imitating the vibrations of true motion. I can see a lot of potential in these projections of theirs and I¡¯ve worked hard to help them improve.

    Honestly, I¡¯m capable of doing something simr myself. And with my superior control over mana and the proper application of kic and thermal energy, it evenes fairly easy. But I''m the type that prefers dealing damage to such trickery, so I don¡¯t spend much time practicing myself¡ªit¡¯s just something to do when I feel bored. So their projections are currently much better than mine.

    <strong>[Connection]</strong> is a straight-up broken skill, much like <strong>[Resonance]</strong>. The things we¡¯vee up withtely are¡­ scary at times. In a good way. Like I always say, if you can hurt yourself with your own skill it¡¯s a bad sign for your opponent.

    I don¡¯t mean it in a maniacal way of course. Your body naturally adapts to your skills, allowing you to endure their use. So, in theory, using a skill that causes damage to yourself should hurt your opponent even more. For example, Lily¡¯s body and bones can withstand<strong> [Disintegration]</strong>, but if she were to use it on anyone else with the exact same stats and traits, they¡¯d bepletely wrecked.

    Even though we both tried, even working together, we couldn¡¯t figure out exactly how it works or how skills influence the body, but it''s something we¡¯ll definitely return toter.

    As for the twins, my instinct to push them into training their mana proved to be an excellent decision¡ªas always¡ªand even though they currently need tobine their minds to take over most skills, they now have a clear path ahead of them.

    I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll ever be the strongest 1v1 guys, but 2v1 they are scary, and in cooperation with people like me, there¡¯s definitely hell to be made. And then wee to Lily¡­ yeah, there is no need to worry about her.

    Two days before the expedition, Biscuit also returns.

    An unidentified floating object appears on the horizon. It¡¯s shaped kind of like a burrito and it moves surprisingly fast. That floating object just so happens to be on the list of exceptions to my defensive array and therefore passes through easily, slowing to a stop over the garden where all of us happen to be.

    Announcing his majestic presence with a loud cry of <em>(Food)</em>, our future overlord slowly lowers himself,nding on the ground with a cute surprised noise as he lets go of his levitation a bit early and falls a bit further than he expected.

    It¡¯s been two months since Ist saw him. Calcting the 10 boops per day I usually did, that¡¯s 600 boops I¡¯ve missed out on, and they still need to be delivered.

    Ever since the Golden Retriever ident, we¡¯ve made some changes, so Biscuit ignores others and stops in front of me.

    I immediately lift him to my chest, reveling in the familiar feeling, weight, and scent of the best corgi of the 6th floor. He boops my nose with his paw, I caress his tiny head, and let him happily lick me while he wags his short tail, taking the rest of his body along for the ride with sheer inertia.

    Only then do I release him to greet the others.

    I¡¯m allowed to pet other animals, and Biscuit is allowed to be pet by other people, but he will be my number one, and I will be his. With that simple deal, the dark times brought about by the Golden Retriever incident have finally ended.

    I would love to know what he¡¯s been doing to train, given that I only ever get shes of memory, but I suppose time will tell soon enough. It¡¯s about time something went wrong and threw our ns into disarray.

    Those near-death experiences I¡¯ve had over the past five months just don¡¯t feel the same as they used to. Lily and the twins probably wouldn¡¯t agree, though. There was that time Dennis got cut in half by that one guy, Lily got trapped under a mountain while she was hunting a high-level monster, and Aaron was poisoned and got paralyzed for three days before we finally figured out a way to cure him.

    Things like that are just things I¡¯ve epted as part of life in the tutorial. If they don¡¯t like it, they can switch to Hard difficulty, where they¡¯ll probably have no trouble clearing each floor on their own. ?

    The old pre-tutorial me would probably be a bit shocked by that way of thinking, but what can I do? Screw that guy.

    That thought also makes me curious to know how he would react and what a conversation between us would look like.

    ¡°You are free,¡± I tell the man whose name I¡¯ve already forgotten.

    ¡°I¡­ why are you giving me an old sock?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a custom where I¡¯m from.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t want to insu¡ª¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. As I said, we will leave the rooms unlocked, and we¡¯re leaving some stuff behind, so you guys can sort it out, kill each other over them if you like, or settle it some other way.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡°You also mentioned that neighboring group that was sneaking around, right? Lily checked on themst night, and I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be making trouble anymore. If you are lucky, you might even take over what¡¯s left. But don''t expect any fancy items or materials, we took them all.¡±

    "If she¡¯s the one who went there, there won¡¯t be many people left alive to conscript. But thanks, we¡¯ll¡ª"

    ¡°Sure,¡± I say, waving him off and teleporting away, reappearing in my undergroundb.

    The only way to get here is by teleporting through the Ley Line that leads here. Otherwise, theb is deep enough to be almost perfectly shielded.

    I did have some trouble getting breathable air down here, but I solved it with a set of mana stones¡ªinspired by the one that the cksmith gave me back on Beyond¡¯s entrance floor.

    Right now, theb feels unusually tidy, gone are the chaotic piles of items and materials that were scattered all over the ce. The best and most useful items were packed away in our bags, and the rest were either sold to the system shop or left up in my room, which I¡¯m sure is already in the process of being looted.

    The only thing of note remaining in theb is the inscribed bust with my crown hovering over it. The bust serves to stabilize the crown so it doesn¡¯t lose mana while it''s not over my head.

    With the bust currently charged, the crown should be able to remain there for two or three weeks without any trouble, and the Ley Line thread connected to it makes it possible to summon it to my location.

    To avoid annoying questions during the expedition and to avoid immediate conflict with a certain person, I n to leave it here and summon it at the first sign of trouble, which I¡¯m sure will happen soon enough. Until then, I at least won¡¯t be bothered by these people.

    I mean, I could probably just take over the expedition at this point, but that would be too annoying.

    Giving my precious crown onest look, I teleport to the door to Lily¡¯s room and knock.

    ¡°Come in!¡± she calls a few momentster, and I enter.

    ¡°You should have been packed an hour ago,¡± I note looking at her messy room.

    ¡°I know, I know!¡± She deflects, turning to me and holding a dress in front of her. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    The dress is a pale shade of blue, with a skirt thates to an end just over her knees. The design is a bit weird.

    ¡°Huh, no good.¡± She mumbles, reading something in my face I didn¡¯t even know was there, and throws it on the ground, quickly choosing another in its ce, this one is a very dark shade of red. ¡°This one?¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s where your pocket money went?¡±

    ¡°This one¡¯s no good either, huh,¡± she sighs, throwing it aside. ¡°And yes! I¡¯m a young woman, of course, I like to dress well. Though, other women probably wouldn¡¯t care about clothes in a situation like this, so maybe it¡¯s just me, but you know what I mean!"

    Lily picks another dress, this one dark blue with thin shoulder straps, ¡°This one?¡±

    ¡°That one looks the best so far. Do you think you¡¯ll be using it anytime soon?¡±

    Happily, she throws it on the bed and starts folding it carefully before putting a small mana stone on it and stowing it in some kind of protective bag, before adding it to her other things.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be needing it, that¡¯s why I¡¯m only taking the one and leaving the rest. Before you ask, the mana stone is supposed to help keep insects, dirt, mold, and other stuff away from the cloth. I don¡¯t have very many, so no you can¡¯t have one¡ªyou would just break it to see how it works.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible usation. If that happened, I would make you a new one.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure! And then for some unknown reason, you would add in an additional function that would cause it to overload with mana and explode. Do you remember that mana stone that was supposed to keep my clothes smelling fresh?¡±

    This time I can¡¯t help but defend myself, ¡°That bullshit stone was clearly a scam and didn¡¯t work to begin with.¡±

    ¡°So why did it explode?¡±

    ¡°It had an interesting structure that gave me an idea so I modified it a bit and¡­ that¡¯s not the point! Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡± After shrugging her bag on, she takes a few steps, grabbing the massive ax made from her bones, and a nostalgic smile crosses her face as she looks over the room for thest time. ¡°I think I may have gotten a bit attached to this room. I think I might miss it for a while after this.¡±

    ¡°I can understand that.¡±

    ¡°These past few months have been great, honestly. It¡¯s been really fun having all of us together, and I¡¯d love to keep that going. Hopefully, we get to spend more time together like this.¡±

    ¡°Nice jinx. The expedition will go great.¡±

    After a shortugh, she tightens her posture, gray mana swirling around her, in the shape of a mantle.

    "Everything will be fine, you¡¯ll see. I¡¯m here," Lily says, full of unwavering confidence.

    We find ourselves in the same yard where the twins got themselves caught not so long ago. Despite losing one of their strongest, The Gravelhands have managed to hold onto their fort, which stands tall, guarding one of thergest entrances to the mines beneath Hollowgate.

    There are probably a few hundred people all told, and going by the results of past expeditions, only around 10-50% will return. Between the monsters, other members of the expedition, battles for resources, and unresolved disputes it would be fairly easy to disappear down there.

    So while Dennis is speaking with a smaller group of leaders, we wait off to the side, while I observe the people around us.

    One of them is the no. 1 leader in Hollowgate, a thrin woman known as The Witch, and she clearly has a <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong> floating over her head. I would recognize it anywhere.

    <strong>[Terra Shaper - lvl 306]</strong>

    There¡¯s a rumor going around about the Witch. Some say she only ever joins an expedition once every ten years, then retreats to her manor, spending the following years charging her crown for the next journey. That¡¯s why her crown is such a deep shade of blue with streaks of light purple and pale blue swirling across the surface.

    The sheer amount of mana it holds can¡¯t be hidden¡ªjust being near her feels like the air itself is growing heavier as if the immense power she¡¯s carrying could crush everything around her.

    Then there¡¯s my good friend, the thrin with his kic energy and four swords quick to hand. For some reason, it seems like he¡¯s decided to join the expedition. He isn¡¯t looking at me, but I¡¯m sure he knows that I¡¯m here, and he¡¯s standing close to The Witch¡ªas if he intends to serve as her bodyguard.

    Well, color me surprised if this expedition won¡¯t be fun.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 474: Relentless passage of time

    There are still a few payments to be made, along with the final checks, andst minute confirmations¡ªjust the kind of annoying tasks the twins insisted on handling themselves.

    After that, we pass through a door carved into the rock trailing behind the main group and enter a wide tunnel with a low ceiling. Soon though, the space opens up, revealing a massive hollow within the mountain.

    That hole is about as wide as a city block and has a set of stairs carved into the side that spiral down. The staircase is wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and there¡¯s obviously no railing to be seen. A single misstep would be enough to send the average person plummeting to their death.

    I¡¯m sure we have plenty of members who could survive the fall with flight, or teleportation, if not through the use of some other fancy skill. Hell, some of the races we¡¯ve seen can fly as is. But I¡¯m also sure some would die from falling down, and that¡¯s because of the glow that can be seen deep below. A molten river ofva swirling and flowing through the caverns beneath us.

    ¡°We¡¯re not sure what it¡¯s made of, but for those who haven''t heard, there¡¯s a river of molten material flowing through here,¡± one of the leaders says, informing the rest of the group. ¡°Some of you might think you could survive falling into it, but let me warn you: that river moves fast. It will drag you under and carry you deep beneath the rock, far away from here, to wherever it leads.¡±

    He grabs a small stone and throws it down, the stone falls for almost twenty seconds before it hits the surface. And I estimate that the river sets about a mile below us.

    ¡°This expedition is headed to the lower floors of the mines into a tunnel that runs along that river ofva. If you want toin,in to the leaders of your parties. Everyone was informed. Let''s move !¡±

    There¡¯s no organization, no borate nning¡ªthere¡¯s too little trust for any of that. The group will rely on the sheer force of numbers when danger arises, and everyone knows it. It feels less like a unified expedition and more like a number ofrge groups that just happen to be moving in the same direction.

    The first group begins descending the stairs, slowly making their way down. No one flies, teleports, or moves quickly. Instead, they choose to walk, and as our turn rolls around, I think I might understand why. The molten materials that make up the river below generate some sort of field that seems to have a disruptive effect. While the stairs seem to be somewhat shielded, the exposed chasm to our side is filled with a constantly fluctuating disruptive field.It¡¯s very fascinating to me, and I have to wonder if this is the result of the molten blend of mana-conductive metals violently mixing together in the churning currents of the river. The effect isn¡¯t strong enough to cause me much trouble, and I bet there are plenty of people who could say the same.

    As for the stairs, even though they are undamaged, it¡¯s weirdly fun to walk on them while watching the glow of the river deep below given that the stairs are basically just stone tes sticking out of the wall, with holes in between each step.

    <em>(It feels like we are descending to hell,)</em> Dennis grumbles, issuing our firstint.

    <em>(Food?)</em>

    <em>(Nat?)</em>

    <em>(He¡¯s asking if there is food in Hell.)</em>

    <em>(I don¡¯t know, Biscuit,)</em> Dennis answers.

    Biscuit seems to be disappointed but continues to look at the people walking behind us. He is currently held in my arms, my hand supporting his backside, as he rests his chin and neck on my shoulder, looking behind me.

    While we are descending, I observe the effect of the river on the mana I radiate into the air and listen to some of the guys talking behind us.

    ¡°First number two died a few months back, and I¡¯ll be damned if I wouldn¡¯t have sworn the man was too angry to die. Then a month ago number eight went down, and just a few days ago we lost number ten. Is there someone hunting these guys?¡±

    I notice the twins stiffen when number eight is mentioned.

    <em>(No worries, I cleared the tracks you made.)</em> I inform them, sending it through our link.

    <em>(Yeah, I know. It just made me remember that guy. I swear, Nat, he popped up out of nowhere like some fucking scout selling cookies,)</em> Dennis shivers.

    <em>(He also cut you in half as he was dying,)</em> his brother reminds him.

    I redirect my attention back to the guys talking behind us.

    ¡°¡­ and what if they¡¯re gunning The Witch or Spinecrusher? And don¡¯t forget Babyface, there are three of them.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Spinecrusher or Babyface, but wouldn¡¯t The Witch just fuck up anyone who tried to go against her? It¡¯s been ten years since she went anywhere. At this point, she might as well be sweating mana, I swear.¡±

    ¡°What do you think would happen to all that mana if someone killed her?¡±

    ¡°The mana would be fine, <em>we</em> would be beyond screwed.¡±

    ¡°So damn funny. Ha ha. And fucking hell, don¡¯t push me! I almost fell.¡±

    ¡°Just look where you¡¯re stepping.¡±

    As the conversation begins to deviate from anything resembling an interesting topic, I stop listening and notice that Biscuit is curiously sniffing at the shortsword in the sheath on my waist. It doesn¡¯t seem like he can actually sense anything from the weapon itself, after al,l I¡¯m sure I sealed it properly.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    We would know if it wasn¡¯t. All of us would know.

    <em>(Nat, I¡¯ve been wanting to ask for a while, but why did you shape that thing like a sword?)</em> Dennis asks through ourwork.

    Their interest peaked, Aaron and Lily rush to listen in too.

    I step to the side for a better view below. The glow from the river of magma below us cuts through the darkness around us, aided by the few lights others have brought. The enormous size of the hole brings my adventurous spirit to the fore. The only thing we''re missing is an old note from a dwarven expeditionmenting that they dug too deep.

    <em>(I thought about a number of shapes,)</em> I send in a response. <em>(It could have been a staff, javelin, spear, axe, sphere, cube, and more, but the sword felt like the most familiar and easiest thing for me to move around. It¡¯s as simple as that.)</em>

    Dennis, who likes his shortsword and dagger, adds happily, <em>(Swords are cool! Elegant, slim, and they don¡¯t tend to draw too much attention, unlike Lily¡¯s ax, which is bigger than she is.)</em>

    His brother adds, <em>(I don¡¯t know, man. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re not just staring at Lily because of the axe. She is quite the looker you know.)</em>

    <em>(</em><strong><em>[Surgery]</em></strong><em>,) </em>Dennis says smartly.

    <em>(Wasn¡¯t it </em><strong><em>[stic Surgery]</em></strong><em>?)</em> Aaron asks.

    <em>(It evolved.)</em>

    <em>(Oh!)</em>

    <em>(You two know I¡¯m also here right? Should I leave you cut in half next time, Dennis? Oh, and do you remember that toxin, Aaron?)</em>

    Aaron energetically shakes his head. <em>(Lily, I know Dennis. If you leave him that way, each half will regrow, and you¡¯ll have two annoying jerks to deal with instead of one. You really shouldn¡¯t let that happen, for all our sakes.)</em>

    <em>(That¡¯s true,)</em> Dennis agrees in a serious tone. <em>(And I saw Aaron eat terrible things back on Earth. He¡¯s the kind of guy who drinks orange juice after brushing his teeth. Some random toxin would mean nothing to an abomination like that.)</em>

    The conversation continues as we continue our walk down the narrow stairs projecting from the walls of the hole. It¡¯s all friendly banter, and it might feel careless, but I know very well that all three of them are on their guard even though they¡¯re acting like this.

    It¡¯s a habit I¡¯ve worked hard to instill in them over the past months.

    When we finally find ourselves just over the molten river and the expedition starts funneling into the target tunnel, I pause, bringing the rest of my small group to a stop with me.

    <em>(I bet he wants to jump down there just to see how the disruption effect works and if proximity would change its effect on him.)</em>

    I decide to ignore the heinous message and focus on the river. Curious, I activate<strong> [Ley Line]</strong> and toss the thread down, tied to a piece of metal I pull from my bag¡ªa metal I know won¡¯t melt anytime soon. Before it¡¯spletely dragged under and carried away, I anchor it to the wall.

    The river does nothing to it. Ley Line holds like a champ, without losing a hint of integrity. I leave it there and head into the tunnel, with two more threads following me, both connected to the surface.

    Not too far into the tunnel, wee across some abandoned machinery¡ªrusted, crumbling, and long forgotten. Each piece is intricate, covered in strange, unfamiliar inscriptions that give hints at their original purpose. There are empty slots where mana stones should have gone, likely to be used as power sources, but now nothing remains. The machines themselves are varied in design, each one seemingly tailored for a specific task, and all of them equally fascinating even in their state of decay, resting against the walls or buried under rock.

    One machine is particrlyrge, with gears that no longer turn, and metal joints crumbling with age. Another is smaller, more delicate, almost like it was meant for more precise work. The inscriptions, though alien, almost look familiar to me in a way I can¡¯t quite ce. I stop for a moment to study them, my fingers touching the patterns etched into the surface. Then I spot a piece of strange alloy, something that catches my eye, and pocket it.

    The group ahead continues moving and there is no more time to linger. With a final nce at the abandoned machines, I quickly catch up, knowing they won¡¯t wait for us.

    At the front of the expedition, fights break out as monsters begin attacking the lead members. The creatures are dealt with quickly, their ambushes barely slowing our group¡¯s progress, but judging by the reactions of the people around me, it¡¯s clear that the danger¡¯s only just beginning.

    I can sense monsters burrowing through the tunnel walls, slithering beneath our feet, and moving just above our heads, hidden in the shadows. Their movements are subtle and unmistakable, like the tremors and heat generated by their bodies, or the hint of mana they leave behind them.

    For now, there are only a few dozen, but even at this distance, I can feel the presence of hundreds more lurking far beyond.

    Waiting. Preparing.

    Further into the tunnel, wee across several old campsites littered with broken tents, abandoned cooking implements, and some empty crates scattered around. These are all very old, likely not from any recent expeditions.

    If someone were to tell me they were leftovers from before this moon was turned into a prison, I would believe them. All of these remains crumble to dust with the weakest vibrations or the simplest touch.

    It¡¯s thrilling to imagine that hundreds of years ago, there were people walking these same tunnels¡ªliving, eating, and interacting with each other¡ªnever thinking that centuriester, there would be people like us staring at the remnants they left behind.

    And a feeling not unlike nostalgia captivates me.

    If I die, sometime far in the future, will someone one day have the opportunity to look at what I¡¯ve left behind, unaware of my thoughts, hopes, and struggles? Will the name Nathaniel Gwyn be forgotten, along with everyone who ever knew me, and will all these adventures we¡¯ve been through be erased by the relentless passage of time?

    It¡¯s both fascinating and a little sad.

    Before we move on, I offer Lily a bottle of water, and she takes a sip with a thankful smile. I insert ame joke into the twins¡¯ conversation, give Biscuit a quick pat, and then we leave the ce behind.

 Chapter 475: Know your place

    <em>(Why are the monsters not trying to cause a cave in? So deep underground we would be screwed,)</em> Dennis wonders as we find our path blocked by yet another cave-in.

    <em>(They are. There are monsters trying to weaken the rock around us right now, but the Witch is preventing them from seeding by solidifying it,)</em> I reply, as I look back at another molten river we just passed over. It moves just as quickly as the first one, and I think I may have noticed something suspicious about its shape.

    <em>(Huh, but wouldn¡¯t that be too much effort?)</em>

    <em>(Not really. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s even touched the mana in her crown yet, and trust me, she has a shitload of mana stored in it.)</em>

    <em>(More than you have in your crown?)</em>

    <em>(Ten to thirty times more than is currently in my crown.)</em>

    <em>Are you serious? You aren¡¯t joking, right? You aren''t making fun of me?)</em>

    <em>(I''m not.)</em>

    <em>(Isn¡¯t that too OP? With that much mana...)</em><em>(The problem isn¡¯t storing it. I¡¯d bet that there are plenty of highly specialized mid to upper arcane items that could store more mana than her crown at its current level. The problem is channeling that mana and using it en-masse effectively.)</em>

    As I say this Aaron decides to chip in, <em>(So she has a big bottle of water and can only take small sips of it?)</em>

    I shake my head, <em>(It¡¯s more like she has a methrower. You can use it in short bursts and you might get your hair burned, but you¡¯ll be fine. But if you let it overheat, you¡¯ll set yourself on fire.)</em>

    <em>(So you need to make your body powerful enough to endure the mes¡­ or mana?)</em>

    <em>(And your mind.)</em>

    <em>(Your metaphor sucks, Nat. A methrower wouldn¡¯t burn your mind.)</em>

    <em>(So what? Come up with a better one if you want. But overall, I¡¯d say there¡¯s a reason they onlye this deep once every 10 years and always bring her. Her crown and the way she handles the stone is a perfectbination for the dangers down here.)</em>

    <em>(Is she stronger than you?)</em>

    The question makes me think for a moment.<em> (I don¡¯t think so? At least not with what we¡¯ve seen from her so far. My skills seem to be more geared towardsbat, and she¡¯s the kind of person who relies on her mana and crown. People like that are kind of screwed against me.)</em>

    <em>(And Lily? Do you think she could take her?)</em> Aaron asks as well.

    <em>(I think Lily would have a good chance against her on the surface, but she would need to be very quick and go all out from the start. Here underground, she would have to be very, very quick, otherwise, the Witch would just bury her.)</em>

    <em>(Tsk,) </em>our healer grumbles.

    <em>(No worries, Lily! You¡¯re still our favorite terminator!)</em> Dennis quips, smirking as he turns to me once again. <em>(What about me and Aaron?)</em>

    <em>(I think you two would be screwed.)</em>

    Aaron sighs. <em>(Well, that¡¯s it. Hard difficulty, here wee.)</em>

    For a moment, that seems to scare Dennis, who examines my expression for a moment before quickly turning to Aaron and punching him in the shoulder, followed by a quick private exchange of messages between them.

    Aaron catches my eyes and smirks at me.

    <em>(I¡¯ve noticed it before, Nat, but you seem to take more of a passive stance during expeditions like this.) </em>While the brothers fight, Lilyments, taking a step closer to me.

    <em>(What exactly have you noticed?)</em>

    (A lot!) She quips, fixing the giant axe on her back, the weight not seeming to bother her much. (Most of the time, you let people around you do their thing. You even tend to let them push you around, and sometimes even screw up, and you wait until things gopletely off the rails before you jump in.)

    <em>(Is that a bad thing?)</em> I ask curiously.

    <em>(I wouldn¡¯t say it was bad per se? But it might be better if you shared your knowledge right from the start and helped more, don¡¯t you think? The expedition would probably go much smoother as well.)</em>

    <em>(That would be annoying.)</em> I say, stopping her before she can continue, <em>(Before you call me an asshole for thinking that way. It would be different if it was another member of group 4 or, let¡¯s say, someone from Earth¡¯s tutorial.)</em>

    <em>(You didn¡¯t say anything back in the Mana Desert, but that was a favor you were doing for Tess, right?)</em>

    <em>(Yes. Can you wait a bit?)</em> I ask, tapping Biscuit on the back, his chin still resting on my shoulder, as he looks at something behind me. <em>(You¡¯re sniffing a lot. What have you noticed?)</em>

    <em>(Food!)</em>

    <em>(Trantion, please.)</em> Dennis asks, apparently done arguing with his brother, joins.

    <em>(I think we¡¯re probably right, somewhere deep below the ground here is another Containment cell. And if Biscuit is right, the prisoner is of¡­ the edible kind.)</em>

    Stolen story; please report.

    <em>(Food! Food!)</em> The corgi shouts in all of our minds, his tone full of excitement.

    We find ourselves under attack by exactly the kind of monsters one would expect in the environment we¡¯re traveling through.

    They¡¯re slim, with only two front limbs, each ending in a sharp set of ws, and their bodies continue on behind them ending in long tails. They tend to be covered in spikes and use toxic attacks, they try to cause cave-ins or break through the walls to grab unsuspecting people.

    <strong>[Caveprowler - lvl 222]</strong>

    <strong>[Caveprowler - lvl 241]</strong>

    <strong>[Caveprowler - lvl 221]</strong>

    And as we head deeper, their levels only get higher until we encounter one of the most dangerous creatures we¡¯ve seen so far.

    <strong>[Rotling - lvl 302]</strong>

    <strong>[Rotling - lvl ???]</strong>

    <strong>[Rotling - lvl 310]</strong>

    These ones generally don¡¯t get much bigger than a fist, much less as long as a forearm. They¡¯re usually tiny insect monsters with dozens of long legs and antennae, and their mouths though small are full of tiny, sharp teeth.

    I watch as one jumps at the man next to me, and without the slightest hint of resistance, it starts chewing through his sword, which is coated in mana. Long, sharp legs flickering around the weapon, trying to pierce the man.

    I take a short, quick step, and release a st of kic energy just a moment before actually touching the monster. It flies off the man, crashing into the wall without showing any sign of damage.

    Someone else tries to smash it with a big hammer, but the Rotling quickly avoids it, its long sharp legs clicking against the rock, leaving a line of grooves in its wake as it rushes to attack someone else.

    Another one pierces through the wall behind me, jumping for my head, but its movement slows, and the monster starts floating in the air, each of its attempts at further motion filling me with kic energy.

    It¡¯s surprising how much strength that tiny body packs.

    I quickly create andpress a spear, stabbing it at the monster. It resists even that and starts grabbing at it, its mouth extending to gnaw away at my mana.

    Pulling the spear back, I strengthen it more, resonating the de, and stab again.

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 303]</strong>

    Boosting my movement with kic energy, I reach another man, grabbing the insect from his back and throwing it to the floor. My heartbeat changes, slipping into the rhythm of Breaker Style, and I stomp the monster, releasing some of my collected kic energy in a localized fashion. The monster bursts open, without leaving so much as a crack in the rock below.

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 304]</strong>

    Another quick movement, and I move my head out of the way, just as another one passes by me. Twisting my waist, my left foot buries itself in the ground, and my hand extends, as I release energy through my palm.

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 301]</strong>

    At that point I spot one as it leaps from the ceiling, diving toward a woman who¡¯s apparently dumb enough to start casting a fire spell.

    A burst of my mana disrupts her skill, shock, and horror taking over her face as it deactivates, and she watches the monster fall toward her. The monster and the woman stop mid-motion. The beast¡¯s thin, long legs reaching for her fear-stricken face.

    I create a javelin, which bursts violently forth, piercing the monster and pinning it to the wall, where it twitches until it finally stops moving.

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 310]</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 291 > Lvl 292]</strong>

    With that, the fight slowlyes to a stop, no more monsters areing in, and the ones that initiated the attack are dealt with.

    <em>(Can I heal the wounded?) </em>Lily asks through our connection.

    <em>(Do whatever you want.)</em>

    She seems surprised at my answer but smiles and rushes off to help the most heavily injured with a nod, closing mortal wounds with ease, without using much mana or resorting to <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong>.

    There are a few weaker healers, each with half a dozen guards, but none canpare to what Lily does, and I can see the shock etched on their faces.

    ¡°Hey, do you think this is a good idea?¡± Aaron asks,ing to a stop by my side and whispers so only I can hear.

    ¡°There are only three people in this expedition you should be worried about. The Witch, Babyface, and Mais. As long as you don¡¯t get jumped or stabbed in the back, the others shouldn¡¯t bother you at all, even if they attack inrge groups. So, you look after Lily, and I¡¯ll keep an eye on the other three.¡±

    Both of us look toward The Witch far ahead. As usual, she says nothing, standing off to the side, her people dealing with the small annoyances around her.

    She¡¯s just a bit shorter than me, with the typical light blue skin of a thrin. Unlike most of her kin though, she has six arms instead of four, slim and tucked away under her robe. Her short brown hair frames the pale yellow eyes that are quietly observing everything around her. Her crown floatszily above her head, spinning slowly. Its design, much the same as my own, though hers has three distinct colors.

    ¡°And be very careful of that woman,¡± I add quietly. ¡°She¡¯s much more dangerous than I thought.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°She used mana from her crown to st one of the monsters attacking her.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Nat, but I don¡¯t get¡­¡±

    I interrupt him and exin, ¡°In our previous conversation I mentioned that the crown has a weakness if you want to call it that. To expand on the metaphor, imagine the crown as a full water tank instead of a methrower, and you can expand that tank at will. It can be as small as a water bottle or as big as the reservoir behind a dam.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem that bad. So what¡¯s the problem?¡±

    ¡°The hole you use to ess that water doesn¡¯t change. If your container is small and you want to let out some water, you don¡¯t have a problem. The problem starts when the container gets really big. Every time you twist that valve to get water, there¡¯s an immense amount of pressure from all the stored water trying to get out. The size of that valve, at least for <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong>, doesn¡¯t change.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to get it¡­ and did you say her crown holds 10 to 30 times more than yours?¡±

    ¡°Yup, and she opened that valve and was able to take a tiny amount of mana just to st a small monster away from her. I would have understood if she had channeled it for a while to power some powerful skill or release enough to make everyone here vomit their organs out. But no, she held all that mana at bay and, through that tiny valve, took just the tiniest wisp to deal with a nuisance.¡±

    ¡°Is it me, or do you seem happy about that, Nat?¡±

    I wave him off, my mind thinking it over. What I just described is a definite weakness of my crown and something I don¡¯t think that¡¯s unique to me. It means the more mana you store in your crown, the more difficult it is to use.

    If you open the valve too little, less mana will flow out, but the pressure will be higher and more intense, making it harder to control the flow of mana without getting hurt.

    If you open the valve fully, vast amounts of mana wash over you at once, emptying the crown much faster, as you risk drowning in the sheer amount of mana assuming you don¡¯t end up wasting it.

    That¡¯s just how scary what she did is.

    Finally, she notices me staring and turns her face toward me. Her yellow eyes radiate calm confidence, the kind that says she can handle anything¡ªwith an obvious hint of disdain.

    What she did earlier was a warning, a deliberate disy of skill, likely meant for me¡ªno doubt a response to something Mais told her about me, and after sensing me observing her.

    To me it''s a single, unmistakable message: know your ce.

 Chapter 476: About time to leave

    A few hourster we enter one of the bigger tunnels after the Witch punches a hole through one of the walls revealing it, and allowing us to sidestep the cave-in. The resulting hole is about the width of a football stadium, and I watch intently as she works, Mais quietly keeping pace behind her.

    She stops in front of the wall and taps on it with a finger, sending ripples through the stone. The affected rock almost seems to melt, behaving like water as it bends to her will. It moves to the sides, it swirls, itpresses all around her, all while she calmly advances like some unstoppable force, the stone clearing a path for her under the influence of the mana from her crown.

    Once she¡¯s done, she steps aside, and the quasi-leader rushes in with a few more guys to run checks.

    ¡°As promised, we¡¯ve reached one of the smaller mining outposts, and this one isn''t on any maps, nor has it been visited before,¡± he shouts, his words quickly spreading. Yet everyone waits, and no one rushes in.

    Only after everyone¡¯s finally passed through does the Witch close the hole.

    The man continues, ¡°Three hours. Rest, eat, look around and loot. But let me give you a warning! If you want to fight amongst yourselves, that¡¯s fine, but if you take things too far, you will be dealt with. Go!¡±

    His words have barely left his mouth by the time everyone disperses throughout the massive cave, their skills lighting up the area as their ovepping scans trace every inch of ground.

    There are a few dozen small buildings off to the side: smithies, piles of rock, old broken crates full of refined metals and crystals. More seems to be hidden in the houses and other ces. This is what most of these people are here for. Just a few handfuls of the right metal has every potential to make one very rich on the surface.

    <em>(Nat, please recharge the creepy box; me and Aaron will do some looting.)</em> Dennis states, handing me the small box densely inscribed and ted in voidcopper. After that, he and his brother disappear, more excited over the experience itself than any items they might find.That leaves Biscuit, Lily, and me off to the side, with Mais, the Witch, and a few others waiting on the opposite side of the cavern.

    As I sit on the ground, Biscuit moves closer andys his head on my leg while Lily takes my other side.

    <em>(It needs recharging already?)</em> she asks.

    <em>(It seems so.)</em> I quickly check the inscriptions on the box, and all seems to be fine.<em> (Can you check inside?)</em>

    Lily takes it from me, carefully opening it and checking the bone she grew from her own finger and the grape-sized gray orb it contains.

    <em>(The bone is already slightly worn down. I really need to work harder to keep it stronger, even when it¡¯s separated from me.) As she says this, she uses her healing skill, adjusts the gray orb slightly, and then closes it.</em>

    <em>(It¡¯s fine. Items like these are just for fun and experimenting.)</em> I slide one of the panels a bit, revealing the mana stone inside, and touch it to charge it with my mana, topping off its gging supply of mana.

    Without it, to power the container, the shielding and inscriptions on the bones inside would fail.

    <em>(But we spent so much time on that box,)</em> Lilyins.

    <em>(Yeah, and you''ve learned a lot from it, just like I have.) </em>I say, staring at the box in my hands.<em> (But at the same time, it can be discarded and made anew.)</em>

    As I store it away, Lily nces at the sword on my waist. <em>(Even the sword? If you¡¯d like, I can take a look, just to see how it¡¯s holding up.)</em>

    I nce at the sword and touch the hilt. (No need; it seems fine for now. My main goal in having the four of us work on the sword was to evolve my skills. I even partially seeded, but otherwise, the sword is a failure. A few months, maybe a year? It won¡¯tst beyond that. Until then, I''ll learn as much from it as I can.) R?

    <em>(That seems like a kinda sad way of thinking. It¡¯s something all of us made with a lot of effort. Of course, you did most of the work, but you know what I mean. It would be nice to have it as a reminder.)</em>

    It¡¯s amusing to watch her try to avoid getting tangled in the conversation, and I say, <em>(I value these memories and knowledge more. Given the dangerous nature of our current expedition, I might be jinxing it, but we¡¯ve already created a few items together¡ªso there¡¯s nothing stopping us from making many more in the future.)</em>

    A slow smile spreads across her face. <em>(I loved working on that sword too, but yes, if you keep jinxing us like that, we might all end up dead.)</em>

    About three hours pass and the twins return. Their clothes aren¡¯t damaged, and they look clean, but I can feel that they¡¯ve been in a fight. It¡¯s like when you use the engine for a while and turn it off¡ªit still radiates some heat. That¡¯s what I feeling from their bodies right now.

    <em>(We managed to get a few bits of voidcopper and voidsteel. Aaron picked up some weird-ass crystals. People seemed happy, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything special. Do you think we¡¯re getting spoiled? Are you our sugar daddy, Nat?)</em>

    <em>(Please never say those words again.)</em>

    <em>(Did saying that increase the difficulty of our future training?)</em> he asks.

    <em>(Yes.)</em>

    <em>(Screw you.)</em>

    <em>(If you really want toin, get stronger and beat me up.)</em>

    <em>(You know, Nat, after these months together I can really see why the system offered you Patience, Greed, and Pride. You can be surprisingly chill when someone bothers you, patient, even. Savant would be proud.)</em>

    <em>(Yo, don¡¯t push our luck.)</em> Aaron snaps, nudging him a bit too firmly as he hands me some mana crystals he found.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    All of them are epic rarity, but they¡¯re a kind I haven¡¯t seen yet, so after a quick examination, I pocket them.

    Neither of the twinsin or asks for anything in exchange. They never do, but owing them would feel weird, even though they im that my training is payment enough.

    So I make equipment for them every once in a while.

    <em>(Recharged,)</em> I say, handing the box to Dennis. <em>(Don¡¯t lose it.)</em>

    <em>(I love how he says it every time,)</em> Dennis sighs, looking at his brother.

    <em>(Should I remind you how many shards I could get for the value of the materials in that box?)</em> I ask him.

    <em>(Please don¡¯t. I will cry. Also, Aaron and I have noticed something really fun. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it, want to hear it?)</em>

    <em>(Tell me.)</em>

    I then feel multiple checks of the links between us, as the twins focus on strengthening them so no one can listen in. With growing curiosity, I do some checks of my own, and for a moment deploy the array structure stored in the back of my mind, creating a field around us.

    With a big smile, Dennis says, <em>(The Witch is connected to someone deep below us, likely so that she canmunicate with them. And we¡¯re heading in their direction.)</em>

    The little jerk knows me all too well. A couple of ideas immediately form in my head as I starting up with reasons, ideas, and countermeasures. The tips of my fingers tingle, and the background noises fade away as a new mystery takes over my mind.

    With ites a bit of annoyance that I had not noticed that connection. Sure, the twins have a skill called <strong>[Connection]</strong> and they¡¯ve spent more time training it than I have with my <strong>[Perception]</strong>, rather I¡¯ve been focusing on my other skills. There will always be people better at certain things, at their specialties, than I am, but¡­

    <em>(Are you thinking what we¡¯re thinking?) </em>Aaron asks. He says "we," but knowing the brothers, Aaron¡¯s the more thoughtful of the two, and he probably came up with the idea before Dennis.

    I agree with a nod,<em> (It seems like her goal isn''t much different from ours.)</em>

    <strong>POV Sophie Martinez</strong>

    I pass through a gate that closes behind me, the guards redeploying the defensive array after greeting me. Gesturing in acknowledgment, I keep my mask on and walk the tree-framed pathway leading to the tower made of white stone.

    As I walk, I do checks of the array around me, deploying my own locks on top of the guards''.

    I stop in front of the door and close my eyes, doing checks of my mind, looking for any signs of foreign mana, mind parasites, influence, trackers, all of it. Lastly, I deploy a cleansing structure, and only then do I pass through the door that I open for myself.

    Another set of guards greets me, these ones with a deep bow.

    My assistant M hurries over. ''We¡¯ve received messages from the Archon and the Circle. The Archon requests your presence at a g dinner in a few days to celebrate a new addition to the Circle¡ªit''s Orik, just as you predicted.

    "Please confirm my attendance. Now what¡¯s the message from the Circle?"

    ¡°The monthly maintenance of the Framework ising up, and this time you¡¯ve been invited to participate!¡¯ Her eyes sparkle with excitement. ¡°No one as young as you has ever been invited before!¡±

    ¡°How did Beatrice react?¡±

    "I¡­" M hesitates. "She wasn¡¯t too happy, so I assigned more guards to your sister and ran background checks on them."

    ¡°Good. Check the arrays as well and do it yourself¡ªuse the structure we practiced a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°As youmand. Shall I have dinner ready in an hour?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± I say, continuing on my way, as M turns to head down a different pathway.

    There are no elevators, I had them removed, so when I reach the spiraling stairway piercing through the middle of the tower, it takes me a few minutes of walking to reach my floor. I feel the barrier deploy, and multiple checks press against me as I pass through.

    Finally, at the top, I stop by the window and look out over the city where I¡¯ve been spending the past few months.

    It¡¯s not very big, nestled against the bank of the nearbyke, but nearly every building is a tower. The city forms an almost perfect circle, every stone structure ced with intent. Everything about the buildings is carefully calcted: their height, width, materials, and density, right down to the number of windows.

    Cobbled streets weave paths between the towers, bordered by metal frames. At the center of the city stands a short, perfectly circr building with a roof constructed from mana-conductive metals, linking it to the rest of the city.

    With a sigh, I turn away and once again go through all the checks, and only when that¡¯s been done do I knock on the door. A skill reaches out from within and connects to my emotions, and another one pulls a wisp of my mana, testing it. Only then do the doors open, allowing me to slip inside before closing them behind me.

    The expression I¡¯ve kept on my face until now crumbles, and I allow myself to rx.

    ¡°Fuck, I hate this ce.¡±

    ¡°Language!¡± Shouts a voice that brings a smile to my face.

    ¡°I¡¯m the older sister here, so I can do whatever I damn well want.¡± I throw my robe aside and rub my shoulder. ¡°How have you been?¡±

    Moving through the hallway, the big, cozy room opens up¡ªso warm and weing it feels like I could rx just by copsing onto the floor.

    Izzy sits in the corner, her head resting against Noodle, whose body is currently thicker than hers and probably about as long as six of my little sisters lined up end to end.

    Using her as a scale cheers me up, and I throw myself down next to her, hugging her small body which is warm as ever. Both Izzy and Noodle are staring at a book that Izzy has lying open in front of them, and their eyes move in perfect sync as Izzy reads, mouthing out the words.

    That feeling of connecting to me reaches out again, and I don¡¯t block it, not even for a second, and let Izzy read my feelings like an open book.

    Sensing what I want, she acts annoyed and shakes her head, but with a sigh, she taps the top of my head.

    ¡°Is it about time to leave?¡± she asks.

    ¡°Yes. I finally got ess to the Framework and I¡¯ll be near the Archon in a few days. If everything goes well, we¡¯ll be done here within a few weeks.¡±

    ¡°Soph¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Izzy?¡±

    "I want you to be careful and call the others to help." For the first time I can remember, Izzy looks serious going so far as to her book away. "Can you do that for me?"

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Soph,¡± Izzy says quietly, and this time her feelings rush into me, and in much the same way she felt mine, I feel hers.

    The hesitation, hope, worry¡ªthe fact she hasn¡¯t asked me that, not even once since we separated from the group. She¡¯s been waiting this entire time for the perfect opportunity, for my feelings of anger to weaken. I can sense that, but I can also feel why she did, along with all the feelings of loneliness and fear.

    There is no way I can say no after feeling her heart.

    "Okay, we¡¯ll call them and ask for help before I go all out. Yes, even Tess." I concede, feeling defeated, but as she hugs me with a big smile, despite feeling like a loser for being the first to forgive, I also feel good.

    ¡°Love you, Soph.¡±

    ¡°I love you too, Izzy.¡±

    ¡°And I like Noodle and ckie as well!¡± She deres and rests against Noodle once again, who flicks her nose with his tongue, making her giggle.

    My shadow perks up at the announcement as well. Confused, incapable of feeling things like love, andcking the capacity to understand them.

    Thest surviving fragment of a bond without its master, now resting in my shadow.

 Chapter 477: Green acid

    The Rotlings are a constant reminder of the dangers of the mines we¡¯ve found ourselves traveling through. The deeper we delve, the more of them appear, and I could almost swear they have some sort of Hive Mind or skill-sharing ability.

    If you kill one with lightning, the rest be that tiny bit more resistant to the lightning.

    Of course, each one might have a different level of resistance, and I could be wrong. But I prefer to assume the worst, so that¡¯s the option I¡¯m going with.

    It¡¯s at this point that we see the first deaths among the expedition crew, as the Rotlings begin to coordinate, attack inrger groups, and single out specific targets. I¡¯d like to think it¡¯s just a coincidence, rather than a disy of greater intelligence, but they¡¯ve begun to focus heavily on Lily and the other healers.

    That¡¯s why I¡¯m watching closely now, as Lily steps forward deeper into therge cave we¡¯re passing through, her axe shing as it cleaves a Rotling in half. She shifts her stance, takes a few quick steps, and shes into another. Using the t of the de, she blocks three Rotlings in quick session, delivering a few swift kicks in the process.

    As they scramble to put distance between themselves and Lily to reorganize, she takes another big step, extending the handle of her axe, and brings them into her reach, one Rotling isn¡¯t quick enough to avoid the attack and dies with the next sweep of her axe.

    A dozen or so creatures burst from the ground beneath her, leaping at her legs. Their small mouths, filled with sharp teeth, bite into her flesh¡ªwhich is highly durable¡ªand yet they still manage to tear chunks out of her legs.

    The axe shes as Lily cuts through her own legs, in the blink of an eye growing new ones in a sh as she stomps and shes away at them.

    Not even for a moment does she seem to need even a semnce of help, and she quickly massacres the rest of the monsters.When the attack stops after a few more minutes, the sounds of fighting are quickly reced by cries for help, the carnage of dead bodies on the floor, many of them missing big chunks out of their bodies, having been eaten alive.

    After checking on us, Lily turns back, healing her own share of the injured.

    With the way she¡¯s been leveling her <strong>[Reconstruction]</strong>, she doesn¡¯t even need much mana and her natural regeneration readily handles the demand.

    ¡°Are you nning something, letting her heal all these people?¡± Aaron asks,ing to a stop next to me while his brother keeps pace with Lily, keeping an eye on her.

    ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just something she wants to do.¡±

    ¡°What if she spends too much mana and needs itter?¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be a learning experience for her and she¡¯ll have to decide what she takes from it herself,¡± I reply, shrugging off his concerns. ¡°By the way, I think Biscuit¡¯s been sniffing in the direction you mentioned seeing the Witch¡¯s connection. So that¡¯s probably where the prisoner really is.¡±

    <em>(Food.)</em> Biscuit confirms as he takes a seat on the ground next to us.

    I look at him, as I continue my conversation with Aaron, ¡°That silly corgi just refuses to tell me more about what he¡¯s found. It¡¯s highly suspicious.¡±

    Biscuit gives me the side-eye, something he doesn¡¯t seem to realize only makes dogs look silly, and then looks away.

    ¡°The Witch is nning something, you¡¯re nning something, even Biscuit¡¯s nning something, and Mais probably has something up his sleeve as well,¡± Aaron sighs. ¡°Nat, I swear, we haven¡¯t had a single normal expedition. The old capital on the fourth, the Mana Desert before, and now this.¡±

    And honestly, I can¡¯t help but agree with that. I just don¡¯t tell him it might be something I prefer.

    Hours pass, and we nearly get buried a few times, only the Witch¡¯s quick reactions stop me from needing to step in, as she solidifies the rock around us or creates holes through the wall leading to yet another cave with a small outpost.

    The timing is extremely suspicious, and we reach these ces every time the other members of the expedition startining too much. It¡¯s like she¡¯s dangling all the shiny rewards in front of their faces to make them forget the dangers and let their greed take over.

    Then there¡¯s the way she looks at humans, it makes me think she might be a little bit¡­ Well, racist? Even a few of the human leaders, and the feylith or vyssari members of our expedition, get the same dirty looks¡ªthe only exception seems to be the thrin.

    She also knows I¡¯ve been watching her, and it seems to annoy her. Not to the point that she¡¯s willing to deal with me herself and risk a sh down here, but I can see it in her bearing. ?

    Still, I continue to watch as she uses her skills, manipting the mana from her crown. I rely only on my regr senses, certain it would be unwise to provoke her by using any of my mana based senses. Even so, it''s fascinating enough.

    I''m also curious as to why she has six arms. The only other thrin I¡¯ve ever met with six arms¡ªthough five were missing¡ªwas Caisus, the trapped Champion. The Witch isn¡¯t anywhere near his level, hers barely passing 300, while Champions seem to start around 500. So, being a Champion has nothing to do with it.

    Maybe it¡¯s some kind of rare mutation? Or perhaps the number of arms varies in the same way as a human¡¯s skin color. Is it the result of a trait? Is it something some thrin are just born with? A skill? I''m curious.

    Then there¡¯s the trouble with Babyface, number 4 of Hollowgate, and one of the other members, leading one of the bigger and stronger groups who¡¯ve joined up.

    It could be said that the entire expedition has split into 4 factions.

    The first one is the Witch, Mais, and the other loyalists.

    Another is Babyface, his group members, and a few additional people.

    The biggest group consists of a bunch of random people who must have been collected to be used as fodder. And they know it too, yet they¡¯ve decided to risk everything in hopes of getting their hands on some rare materials. Likely having heard about the dangers and opportunities from the veterans of the previous expeditions.

    This content has been uwfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Our small group of five isst, positioned for our sheer strengthparable to any of the other groups.

    As for Babyface, he¡¯s a tall, muscr man wearing leather armor and fighting using a crystal dagger alongside a weird skill that allows him to create crystals, not unlike Myrra¡äs Aurora ss. Judging by his nickname, I would¡¯ve expected a different kind of face, but the man is extremely¡­ well, he¡¯s not exactly nice to look at.

    He has a broken nose, a meaty scar that goes from his left cheek to his vicle, he¡¯s missing his left ear and has a huge bushy beard.

    He relentlessly bombards Lily with invitations to join his group as a healer, and the Witch¡¯s group has been making simr offers. Shamelessly, right in front of me, they¡¯re trying to take Lily away.

    If we weren¡¯t so deep underground, if Lily weren¡¯t so strong or important, and if I were weaker, I¡¯m sure these ¡°invitations¡± would be taking a very different form.

    Around that time, the acid rivers start appearing as well.

    Unlike the rivers we encountered before, filled with their weirdbination of molten material, these tend to be much smaller. The streams of green acid circte through the walls in separate tunnels, probably as big as a bus.

    Sometimes monsters redirect small streams at the cost of their lives, slowly filling the tunnels we¡¯re passing through with the acid, such that it follows us into the depths, thus avoiding the Witch¡¯s attempts at diverting them.

    These streams of green acid begin to evaporate as well, filling the tunnels with a vapor that moves far quicker than the liquid form.

    Before we learn to block them and expand our senses, they reach us two more times.

    The first time, a group of twelve dies almost instantly, as the vapor melts through their skin, flesh, and lungs within moments, before the rest manage to push it away with a wind-like skill. The stream producing the vapor arrives quickly, dissolving the twitching bodies on the ground in seconds, and breaking through the mana barriers we¡¯ve created.

    It even melts through my tricolored barrier, partially dissolves the reinforced stone the Witch created in front of it, and effortlessly evaporates any weapons that have been left on the ground.

    Instead of blocking it, I switch to Breaker Style, using a controlled burst of kic energy to form a ditch running the full width of the tunnel, allowing the acid to flow down and fill it as we make our escape.

    Joining in, the Witch deepens it, creating a gutter that leads it somewhere else into the wall.

    As the guys with wind-type skills keep the vapor away, I watch the expressions of fear solidify on the faces of the majority of the remaining expedition members.

    Of course, that''s when Lily gets closer and sticks her finger into the green acid and when she pulls it out, it¡¯s gone¡ªbone, flesh, tendons.

    As it starts regrowing, she seems to recover slower, much slower than usual.

    <em>(If it takes me this long to heal my own body, I would rmend that you guys avoid it rather than relying on my healing marks,)</em> she notes, the look of fascination never leaving her face.

    Then she goes back to it and, much to the shock of the people watching nearby dips her entire hand into it.

    An hourter, and we have another wave of looting, this time in a small mine we found. The timing is perfect, given the way people started to panic when we got attacked with streams of acid multiple times. For a short moment, the fears are reced by greed, and I¡¯m sure around this time the Witch is thinking of just splitting off from therger group.

    I would probably do the same in this situation. The big groups of people are more of a hindrance than a help faced with the acid, rather than the monsters we were dealing with before. Of course, there is always the chance that if she does so, the monsters will start attacking normally again. Sucks to be her.

    Taking the time to rest, I rely on Lily, waiting nearby, to keep an eye out, and I close my eyes, finding myself in an empty metro station, with electric lights shining from the ceiling and an empty train passing by.

    That train slows quickly until ites to a stop, Whitey¡¯s standing on the tform. He¡¯s wearing a ck suit that fits him very well, and even his hair is a bit shorter and tied back into a neat ponytail draped down his back, the hairstyle still emphasizing his horns.

    I know I¡¯ve said that Channeler is one handsome mofo, but Whitey is on an entirely different level¡­

    The view on one of the screens changes from an image of the train schedule to footage of me stomping to stop the stream of acid.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen someone so proud over something performed so poorly.¡± He says, stomping in imitation of my own movements, and a crater forms in the ground beneath him.

    This one is perfectly circr, the released kic energy is reabsorbed, reused, and sent back like a wave, shing with the first shockwave and deepening the crater two more times after the initial impact.

    ¡°How the hell were you only level 301?¡±

    The question seems to make the demon happy, and he smiles. ¡°The others might have focused on useless leveling, but I trained to improve my control of my abilities.¡±

    I mumble, ¡°While you were partying, I studied kic energy. When you were having premarital sex, I mastered my skills. While you wasted your days leveling in pursuit of vanity, I cultivated inner strength.¡±

    Despite having spoken under my breath, Whitey catches on and nods energetically. ¡°Yes, just like that. I quite like it!¡±

    Without warning, he appears in front of me in a wless disy of Wraith Dance, and I mirror it, my movement taking me to the other side of the metro as I sense him moving behind me.

    I time my attack, tracking his presence, but when I turn to face him, he¡¯s gone, leaving only a disorienting afterimage in his ce.

    Instead, he strikes me in the side with an open palm, and I switch to Counter Flow, absorbing the impact, circting it throughout my body, and switching to Breaker Style, adding my own energy to the mix and releasing it at Whitey.

    He also switches to Counter Flow and does the same, absorbing it all with ease and throwing it back at me.

    I mimic him, and he then mimics me.

    We stand there, throwing kic energy at each other, absorbing it, adding more, and throwing it back, the power level ramping up very quickly.

    ¡°When ites to movingrge amounts of kic energy, you¡¯re getting quite good,¡± Whitey nods, satisfied, and takes a step toward me, his body so close I could punch him.

    As the distance closes, his speed increases, giving me less time to react. The jerk begins subtly shifting what I think of as the frequency of his kic energy.

    My absorptions are rough, bits of energy escaping around me, cracking the floor, while when Whitey does it, not a single hair moves in reaction.

    Dozens of quick attemptster, I fail to keep up, and before it all explodes, I release it in the direction of Whitey, who absorbs it again and throws it back, the resulting explosion smashing me against the wall, as the metro explodes around us.

    Only thest-second absorption of my impact stops me from dying right here and now.

    Blowing the dust away, Whitey stops in front of me and nods, satisfied to see that I¡¯m not dead yet. ¡°Tell me, why don¡¯t you use mana? Why don¡¯t you level up and get your Primary ss upgrade like I did? Wouldn¡¯t that make facing me easier and a bit more fair? It¡¯s something you could have done at any point.¡±

    I fall from the wall and dust off my clothes. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s Pride, and then there¡¯s just being dumb.¡± Whitey takes off his jacket, unbuttons one of the buttons on his vest, and starts rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt.

    Standing there tall and proud, he moves a strand of hair from his face, the mellow atmosphere around him changing.

    The lights above, damaged by the explosion, flicker, throwing shadows across his face, and his red eyes glow dangerously as his expression slowly grows more serious.

    ¡°If yound a hit on me, I might finally tell you my name,¡± he offers yfully.

    ¡°Must be a terrible name for you to hide it for so long.¡±

    His teeth show in an irritated smile. ¡°... you little shit.¡± With that, he disappears, and the fight starts anew.

 Chapter 478: The pain... itâ€™s unbearable.

    After getting stomped by that demon, I remain seated, reying our fight and taking notes on a mana stone I brought with me. Some of these things will be very useful for my minion.

    While doing this, I reflect on our situation, trying to recall and visualize all those rivers of molten material. There is a suspicion I have and if I''m right, there are big channels in the rock around us through which this molten river, or rivers as the case may be, flow. I¡¯ve also confirmed that some of them are thicker, while others tend to be a bit smaller, and some even move at different speeds. It¡¯s still a mystery to me what actually keeps them moving, but I think they¡¯re serving as a form of inscription.

    Molten material flows at high speeds, generating a field that merges with those from the other channels moving at varying speeds,bining into a unique effect. The scale of such a formation would have to be massive, and I can''t even fathom the effort required to create something like that so deep underground, at such a size, and then to maintain it for hundreds of years.

    We¡¯ve already walked for days, yet the number of rivers we¡¯ve crossed has not decreased.

    It certainly makes for a fascinating theory, and knowing what to look for, I¡¯ll definitely be keeping an eye out.

    Is it possible that the acid rivers are also a part of this systems, what about the veins of metal running through the rock?

    <em>(Nat,)</em> Lily warns me.

    <em>(I know,)</em> I send back and focus back on my surroundings, watching the Witch and Mais, also known as Spinecrusher, moving closer.

    With curiosity, I look at thrin woman. Wondering what¡¯s made her decide to break her silence and what she wants with the hypothetical prisoner she¡¯s beenmunicating with.The first to speak is Mais. ¡°We will be splitting from the rest of the group and continuing deeper as a smaller group.¡±

    As we speak, Lily is already standing by my side, and I notice the twins return, taking a position a bit behind the duo.

    Ignoring Mais, I turn to the Witch. ¡°Is it the prisoner you¡¯re after?¡±

    She doesn¡¯t let any surprise show, nor does she even seem to be trying to hide it. ¡°You may call them a prisoner, but the being trapped down there is more than that¡ªa great presence, suffering in its confinement for millennia.¡±

    ¡°And you intend to save it?¡±

    ¡°What I do is my business, human,¡± she says with disdain. ¡°Shall you and your healer go with us, I can promise there will be material rewards along the way. Enough to satisfy even the deepest greed. I do not care for any of these things.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. When are we leaving?¡±

    ¡°Five minutes.¡± With onest look, she turns around and leaves with her bodyguard following her.

    Little does she know I would¡¯ve continued even if she¡¯d turned away and returned to the city even if there was no Containment Cell in the end.

    We leave quickly, through a tunnel she creates, leaving the rest of the group behind. I¡¯m sure most of them can get back the way we came. There are others who can do much the same things with stone that the Witch has, they just didn¡¯t bother because they had her around. Or maybe they¡¯ll still try to go deeper and find more riches. It¡¯s their life and their decision.

    Our new group only contains about twenty people. The Witch, Mais, and even Babyface are here, along with a number of the stronger members from therger group, some of them carrying interesting things in their backpacks.

    I shrug a bit as Biscuit¡¯s whiskers tickle against my neck and put the corgi down. He sniffs towards our destination with such interest that he doesn¡¯t even seem to mind despite needing to run by our side to keep up with our walking speed on his short legs.

    Because our group is so much smaller now, the fights be more difficult as well. I was also wrong. The acid attacks don¡¯t stop with the increase in monster attacks. Instead, we get both.

    The mostmon problem is the constant flood of Rotlings, who have been attacking six to a man. After killing them, the Witch has to foil their attempts to cave the tunnels in around us in or pour acid on us through holes in the ceiling.

    Sometimes they evenbine multiple streams and try to fill the entire tunnel, forcing us to dig through the wall, thankfully though the stone seems to be capable of resisting the green liquid.

    One of the guys gets trapped behind us as a small river of acid washes over the wall the Witch was using to block the tunnel. There is no regret or pity on her face, just for a moment she stares toward the wall, her mana senses reaching through it.

    When the man¡¯s mana signature disappears, she turns around and we head in again where another group of Rotlings lies waiting.

    Lily rushes in first, her axe shing out in a big sweeping motion, carving through several of the little monsters.

    A few of them jump towards her, but the twins are already there, cutting into them and easily avoiding the others, who seem to be terrible at seeing through their illusions. ?

    I, meanwhile, move into one of the side tunnels and stand there, waiting.

    I create a small crater in front of me as a preemptive measure, and a momentter, a dozen or so Rotlings fill the tunnel, their legs piercing the walls and creating footholds for them to climb on.

    All of them freeze and stop moving. Some halt in mid-air, others are caught mid strike. Their tiny bodies fight against the hold I have on them, and more and more kic energy flows through me the more they try to move.

    Breathe in. Breathe out.

    I concentrate, and my heartbeat changes to a more erratic and unpredictable pattern as I swap stance to Needle Point, one of the stances I¡¯ve always found difficult.

    Moving the kic energy as I¡¯ve been shown so many times before, Iunch the first projectile. It¡¯s not perfectly smooth and it¡¯s thicker than a finger, but it reaches the monster, and instead of piercing through its body, it hits its leg.

    Using kic energy attacks like these at such a long distance still proves difficult. Arm¡¯s reach, or even a few steps in from me is fine, its something I¡¯ve been doing for a while now. But at this distance? I¡¯m just not there yet, but I¡¯m still much better than I was even a few weeks ago.

    ¡°Still avoiding killing too many monsters?¡± Lily asks,ing to a stop by my side, axe resting along her body, her movements still energized from the fight she¡¯s just been through.

    ¡°Yup, want them?¡±

    ¡°Sure, why not.¡±

    As she says this, I release the monsters, and after waiting a few seconds to minimize my assistance, Lily rushes at them.

    An hourter, I think we are getting closer. The fights are growing more frequent, there are even smaller streams of molten metal rushing through the walls, and the Witch starts saving up more of her mana, as if she doesn¡¯t want to use too much of the mana in her crown.

    Like she needs a specific amount of mana to do something.

    The field surrounding us is growing stronger, and some of the weaker members are struggling to use mana for their skills due to the interference. It¡¯s fascinating, especially given that I¡¯m certain that this field isn¡¯t even directed at us, more like it¡¯s being concentrated elsewhere. I¡¯ve gathered this mostly from mapping the three-dimensionalwork of rivers and streams around us and examining the structure in my mind.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the vition.

    The inscriptions are fairly simple, so I can guess their purpose even without aplete picture. The power source behind all of this is still a mystery to me, but then again, my passive skill¡¯s mana reservoir is also being stored, who knows where, outside my body while remaining connected to it. I can easily imagine someone doing something simr, actively concealing the power source in the same way.

    Obviously, it still annoys me that I¡¯m unable to locate it.

    ¡°Nice eyes you have. Is it a trait?¡± Babyface, seeing as he¡¯s struck out trying to convince Lily to join his group again, he must have decided to bother me.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Look, I hope you don¡¯t mind I talked to your healer and tried to get her to join my group,¡± he smiles, the act somehow making his face even more ugly.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If she wants, she can join you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, how reasonable. The problem is that she doesn¡¯t want to. Healers as powerful as her are very rare. To be honest, I¡¯m surprised those mind maniptor dickheads haven¡¯t snatched her up yet, let alone some other powerful group. You guys must be still be quite new here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve only been here a few months.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why. What did you do to get thrown here?¡±

    Continuing to examine the structure in my mind, I think for a moment before just shrugging and staying quiet.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, friend, you don¡¯t have to tell me,¡± he smiles. The whole time he speaks, even though hees off rough, like someone one might expect to be impulsive or aggressive, he actually manages to control himself pretty well.

    Izzy could probably tell me his true feelings, but to me, he looks like a reasonable person at the moment. He talks with an easygoing voice, gestures in a non-threatening manner, and doesn¡¯t try to get too close or use excessive amounts of mana toe off as aggressive.

    Of course, I¡¯ve already seen the way he acts in fights and how he treats the weaker members of the group, so it¡¯s a bitte for him to be acting like that.

    Coming to a conclusion, I ask, ¡°How much has Mais told you about me?¡±

    I watch with a hint of amusement as a flicker of hesitation shes across his face before he masks it with a smile. ¡°Sharp, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I don¡¯t even think something like that deserves apliment, but I see it as yet anothermunication strategy. Everyone likespliments, even if they¡¯re empty.

    His voice turns to a whisper. ¡°Tell me, how the hell did you kill that guy? That maniac was someone even The Witch didn¡¯t want to mess with.¡±

    Annoyed with the exchange I tell him, ¡°Not your problem. But there is one thing that¡¯s been bothering me.¡± I say, bringing my voice down to a whisper as I take a step closer. ¡°<em>My</em> healer has turned you down three times already, made it clear she¡¯s not interested in joining your shitty group. So, don¡¯t bother her again, and don¡¯t even look at her in a way you think I might not like. Got it, <em>friend</em>?¡±

    I lower my voice even further. ¡°I won¡¯t even waste my time dealing with you myself¡ªI¡¯ll just ask her to get rid of you. Now screw off; I have work to do.¡±

    ¡°No problem. Sorry for bothering you¡­ Nathaniel,¡± he says with a smile, taking a few steps back while maintaining eye contact, as he leaves.

    Before continuing with my work, I begin to wonder if it¡¯s really normal to have all of our expeditions go like this and how much more different it feels when it¡¯s just the members of Group 4 and I wonder if it would be the same in Beyond with a partyposed solely of people from Earth.

    I would like to think it¡¯s just the system pushing these fakes, the natives, to deal with attendees with the intent to speed up our growth, but I know far too many people to think it could be that alone.

    Especially here within Astral Prison, which some prisoners seem to have taken to calling ¡°the trashcan,¡± the idea being that this is where people go when no one wants to deal with them.

    A day passes, and even I¡¯m being forced to fight now, even though it¡¯s strictly a support roll, keeping my assistance as low as possible, I mostly just keep the waves of monsters from moving and release them one after another.

    Most of the time, it¡¯s Lily who takes them out then. When she finds herself faced with any monsters she can¡¯t cut, she uses the axe still the same, wielding the de as a hammer instead, squashing monsters against the ground with great force.

    A few more guys die along the way. We lose one to acid, another to a cave-in, and a third just gets pulled away into the tunnels by a hoard of Rotlings. I¡¯m not trying to save my body¡¯s supply of mana, as it regenerates quickly enough to spare my Reservoir and I help everywhere I can.

    Pushing monsters away, crushing them against the wall, holding them with kic energy.

    The entire time I keep my eyes active and my senses firing off into the area, and I¡¯ve been doing so since the start. A constant rippling of my <strong>[Perception]</strong> outward, keeping me ready to teleport my group away.

    Not even once have I underestimated the danger of this ce, I still remember just how dangerous Caius was, even crippled as he was, imprisoned within the Mana Desert.

    Lily fights well, as do the twins¡ªoften alone, without cooperating, using even this as an opportunity to practice. And Biscuit¡­ well, he waits, rarely jumping in, like he¡¯s been saving his energy for something.

    As for the rest of the group, The Witch has been in constantmunication with that presence I¡¯ve finally begun to sense on the edge of my ¡°radar,¡± her expression changing from that cold re to a look of hope, anger, sadness, and desperation. In a twisted blend of emotion.

    Mais stays close, the four swords vibrating with kic energy as they rest in his hands, his movements reminiscent of Pulser Stance.

    Other than him, Babyface is the strongest, no longer bothering us and staying close to the mentioned duo, his face sometimes taking on a weird expression not unlike the Witch''s. It makes me wonder what originally brought him down here. Is it greed? Or is his purpose simr to the Witch¡¯s?

    We stop by a small outpost, nestled against a wall with several veins of metal running through it. The ce is dark and eerily quiet, small streams of acid run through the cavern, and the air is full of toxic vapor.

    As far as I understand, this is the furthest any expedition has ever been, nobody¡¯s ever reached this ce before, something or other always stopped them, whether it was ack of mana, or inexperience, but the greatest factor was probably the confusingyout forcing them to wander for days under constant attack. But this time, unlike the previous expeditions, the Witch is following her connection and is leading us directly to the source.

    The materials we find down here are well worth the effort. Metals up to arcane grade, pieces of amazing crystal capable of enduring the pressure of incredibly dense and power-hungry inscriptions.

    There¡¯s a huge smithy carved into one of the walls, with an anvil as big as a car in the center and a piston-style hammer above it, both made from material that helps to reflect mana¡ªso tough that even Lily can¡¯t damage them with her weaker version of <strong>[Disintegration]</strong> as she makes her surreptitious attempt.

    There are a few golden hued fragments of chain that seem to be made from a simr material, despite their odd coloring and the additional effects granted by the inscriptions that have been etched into them through unknown means. These shattered chains are massive, each piece is as big as my torso and they¡¯re all very heavy.

    Everyone takes some materials from the storage, careful to maximize value for weight, and when they are done, I step towards the anvil, activating <strong>[Ley Line]</strong>.

    All of the mana in my body disappears, along with the anvil.

    A third of my Reservoir disappears, and the hammer with it.

    The two remaining thirds of my Reservoir disappear and take the fragmented golden chains with them.

    Using thest remaining bits of my mana, I touch a specific Ley Line, and within a sh, my <strong>[Mana Crown]</strong> appears over my head. The exact same design as the Witch¡¯s, just a different color.

    My mana seeps into my body, filling it, and my reservoir as well, and I continue to send all the materials I can away, totally emptying the store room.

    <strong>[Ley Line - lvl 38 > Ley Line - lvl 39]</strong>

    My crown then disappears as well, returning to float over the bust far away and I face the shocked members of the expedition.

    <strong>POV The Witch</strong>

    Impossible. The space here is too unstable for long-range teleportation, yet he managed it. Even after the activation, I couldn¡¯t trace where he sent the materials.

    And that crown too, it¡¯s a lot more full than I had expected when I sensed the familiar skill on him.

    <em>(Underestimate humans, Melel, and they¡¯ll surprise you. Always have.)</em>

    <em>(I apologize.)</em>

    <em>(No need. But please hurry. The pain... it¡¯s unbearable.)</em>

    <em>(I will. Forgive me.)</em>

    The voice, echoing like a distant memory of my mother, murmurs, <em>(Use that human and the weapon he carries. It can free me.)</em>

    <em>(As we nned. I¡¯ve marked it. He¡¯s still unaware.)</em>

    <em>(You¡¯ve always had a gift for this, my child. But beware of the small creature with him¡ªdon¡¯t let it near me. Eliminate it if necessary.)</em>

    The pain surges again. Turning away from Mais, I grit my teeth, fist clenched, waiting for the wave to pass.

    <em>(I''m sorry, dear Melel.)</em>

    <em>(It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s my weakness for not being able to bear our connection.)</em><em></em>

    <em>(Please hurry. It hurts.)</em>

    Her gentle voice fades into silence as I channel more mana to keep my body from fracturing, forcing myself intoposure before turning back to give the next set ofmands.

 Chapter 479: Chained Beast

    The feeling of danger keeps increasing until it takes on an almost physical aspect like I could reach out and touch it as it clings to my skin. It raises the hair on the back of my neck and sends goosebumps prickling across my forearms. The sensation is reminiscent of crawling into the cave of a beast, pulling yourself ahead on your hands and knees. Knowing you should turn and run, even as you continue, ignoring your scraped hands and knees and the blood trailing behind you.

    As the fights grow ever more dangerous, we push on, and my wounds are beginning to add up, even with my enhanced body as acid drips from the ceiling, something even The Witch is incapable of stopping.

    The rotlings double in size, as does the number of legs and the size of their mouths. Just a few seconds is all it takes for them to tear out huge chunks of flesh, and their coordination bes better.

    And in the midst of it all, Lily moves like a whirlpool. Her swings, though amateur, are swift and precise, cleaving through swathes of monsters. As dozens of them close in on her, targeting ourst healer, her new skill envelops her body.

    Her <strong>[Disintegration Mantle]</strong> rests on her shoulders, flowing down to her knees. It shifts in the air as if it has a will of its own or as if caught in a strong wind, yet it remains firmly within her control.

    Its color is a graduated shade of gray, darker around her shoulders and bing lighter at the bottom, where it begins to resemble smoke more than anything else. Any monster that touches it gets disintegrated, nothing seems capable of passing through as she rolls into groups of monsters without a care, swinging that bone ax of hers.

    There are signs of her using it to attack as well, going by the way it¡¯s shifting and moving. Though she''s still exploring the skill, even in this weakened form, nothing down here can withstand it, a fact clearly reflected in the expressions of the other expedition members.

    My mind is also clear and sharp, the dangers surrounding us shaping it as I maneuver across the battlefield with kic energy, avoiding the Rotlings, and tossing them aside, so that I can finish them off withpressed javelins, boosted by the same energy.

    Any monster that manages to get close is weed with a weapon made from manabloc that I¡¯vepressed to the point of near destabilization, as I alternate its shape between spear, sword, ymore, and ax.Yet, I still hold myself back, knowing the worst is yet toe.

    Fighting through the waves of monsters, we eventually reach a dead end to the tunnel, and the Witch closes it off, soon after we hear the sound of acidic vapors and liquids slosh against the wall she¡¯s created. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, she and two of the other members of our group mold the stone, creating a way for us. We head through with hurried steps, rough breathing filling the tunnel.

    I notice burns on my forearm, left over from a few droplets of acid I was unable to avoid. As we¡¯ve seen before, it heals much slower than it should.

    <em>(We are close, Nat. I can feel her connection getting stronger,)</em> Dennis says, gesturing at the Witch, who now has an absent, painful expression on her face.

    Then we stop.

    ¡°Where is that creature?¡± the thrin woman whispers to herself, slowly turning around as her face clears up and she asks louder, shouting at me. ¡°Where is that creature!?¡±

    Biscuit¡¯s not here, he left during the previous fight with a simple message to me.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I answer honestly.

    At that moment, as we wait for the next monster attack, the atmosphere changes quickly. Some of the mana from her crown seeps into the air, the pressure nearly palpable, just a taste of the mana she has been collecting for 10 years reaching toward us.

    ¡°Where. Is. That. Creature,¡± she asks, each word forced through her teeth.

    My domain expands around us as I weave my mana, using just my body and reservoir to fight her pressure, while Lily and the twins struggle to catch their breath.

    Mana Wavelength Iris glows in the dark tunnel, reading and observing the mana filling the air, while I continuepressing, strengthening, and weaving my domain, forcing her to release more of her mana. It reaches a point where, unlike my group within my domain, those around her begin to suffer as the emotional thrin woman begins to lose control.

    Noticing that she immediately stops, her face twisting in pain as she seems to be listening to something.

    ¡°Sword,¡± she orders in a raspy voice, and Mais vanishes, reappearing by my side with two swords drawn, shing at me while two of his arms reach for the shortsword at my waist.

    At the same time, dozens of hands made frompressed stone explode all around me, reaching toward me and my sword.

    With a stomp, I release the kic energy I¡¯ve been collecting, the modified vibrations destroy the stone arms and throw Mais to the side making him use his own kic energy to stop and rush again. ?

    Lily appears by his side, her hair shortening, and her ax swings toward his head, forcing him to dodge the gray mantle floating around her as well as the ax.

    The thrin man curses and tries to st her away, but the attack is halted by the mantle, and then her axe collides with his sword. He stops it effortlessly, absorbing the kic energy from the strike and channeling it to fuel his own movement.

    Lily lets go of the ax and moves incredibly quickly as well, her muscles healing even as they tear under the strain.

    Mais tries to avoid her, but even with all the kic energy, he¡¯s too slow to match Lily giving it her all, and she collides with him.

    Rock bursts beneath her feet, stone spike,s and arms reaching to slow her down, but Lily ignores the wounds, her mantle swirling around her body. Half of her face turns into a mass of bone and raw flesh, and one of her arms is nearly torn off, as Mais drives a hole through her body, fueled by kic energy.

    Lily pushes through it all and, with an incredibly swift punch, sends a burst of gray mana through Mais¡¯s chest, evaporating half of it. Then his body drops to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

    Pressure on my domain intensifies, attempting to tear it apart. The ground shakes, and the rock beneath us moves like waves, twisting, swirling, trying to press in on us.

    Reaching through my Ley Lines, I connect to all of us, and even though The Witch tries to stop us, I teleport us away, back to the ce we were a few minutes ago.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± I say quickly, and three of them quickly fall in line behind me.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t we going to fight her?¡± Aaron asks hurriedly, joining by my side.

    ¡°It would cost too much mana, and that might just be what the prisoner wants. At this moment, it seems to be after my sword, and for some reason, it doesn¡¯t like Biscuit¡­ wait.¡±

    We all stop, and as the monsters flood the tunnel, I draw on half of my kic energy reserves, adjusting its frequency and releasing it in a single surge through the tunnel without harming the walls.

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 328]</strong>

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 309]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 316]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 333]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 323]</strong>

    <strong>¡­</strong>

    <strong>[Lvl 292 > Lvl 293]</strong>

    Level up, so annoying.

    With no presences lying in wait, we rush forward.

    ¡°Huh, she seems to be tracking us somehow.¡± Sensing movement in the rock surrounding us I activate our anchors again before the walls crash onto us and teleport us to another ce.

    Right away, I use Ley Lines and throw them as far in as many directions as I can.

    ¡°What are you¡­¡± Dennis begins, but I filter out his voice.

    How did she find us? I erased any way she could track the Ley Line even if she could sense it. I didn¡¯t feel anyrge-range scans either and was even prepared to counter them, so how?

    Quickly, I activate my eyes again, observing Lily, Dennis, and Aaron. I look very carefully and deeply yet find no mark. It¡¯s the same when I check myself. There seems to be no thread, no connection, no foreign mana, no skill I could sense.

    Once again, I feel movement in the walls and, annoyed, switch my stance, absorbing the enormous kic energy of the moving walls and stopping them in ce before they can squash us.

    How is she doing it?

    Ignoring the immense pressure, I do the scans again, this time slower and look deeper. Lily, Dennis, Twins. Nothing. Myself. Nothing.

    I grab the line and teleport us again.

    More monsters pop into the tunnel, and I release all the kic energy I absorbed, allowing it to rush forth like a sh before the surprised monsters can even react.

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 319]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 326]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 341]</strong>

    <strong>[You have defeated Rotling - lvl 333]</strong>

    <strong>¡­</strong>

    ¡°How much did you <strong>[Sacrifice]</strong>?¡± I ask, turning to Lily.

    ¡°Just some hair, I still have plenty in store.¡±

    ¡°Good, you two?¡±

    ¡°No problems here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve still got a lot left in me.¡±

    They barely finish, and I start absorbing the movement of the walls around us, this time expanding even further.

    ¡°I think she marked the sword. She¡¯s clearly after it, so it makes sense, but I can¡¯t feel the way she did it, and my attempts to remove the mark failed.¡±

    ¡°We can just leave and return after she¡¯s gone,¡± Lily shrugs it off.

    ¡°We would be leaving a certain corgi though.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Where did he even go?¡±

    ¡°No idea. Anyway, we have a minute. I might have to use the sword, so let¡¯s do some additional preparations.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, when you use it you better keep that thing as far away from us as possible.¡± Despite his cursing, Dennis touches my right arm. He and Aaron connect their calctive abilities, and <strong>[Connection]</strong> activates at its full power.

    What we are about to do isn¡¯t necessary¡ªI can use the sword without it¡ªbut we have protocols in ce that should help me use the weapon to a greater extent and with a lesser degree of bacsh.

    <strong>[Connection] </strong>weaves a stronger link between me and the weapon, in theory allowing me to weaken its effects on the surrounding area should I wish, while putting more pressure on me. It¡¯s just a sacrifice I¡¯ll have to make for more control.

    Once they¡¯re done, Lily ces a healing mark on the back of one of the bones of my right forearm, of the sort that¡¯s connected to her with the twins¡¯ assistance. It requires more mana and doesn¡¯tst as long, but it is much more effective.

    Knowing my tendency to lose limbs, there is a ne around my neck with a small pendant made out of her bone and coated in a mix of metals to strengthen the effects.

    These preparations barely take us a minute, but having reached my limit, I use my Ley Lines and teleport us again, deploying a modified version of Sneaky Mode, which I concentrate around my weapon, just in case.

    Not needing to follow the Witch anymore, I head toward that presence I feel far away, there aren¡¯t any more monsters in our way, but the density of the molten metal and acid rivers through the walls increases to the degree that I can barely sense any of the rock in between.

    <strong>POV The Witch, Melel</strong>

    ¡°Melel, please, hurry.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ my head, it hurts so much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s our connection, it¡¯s getting stronger the closer you are.¡±

    ¡°It hurts so much. I feel like I¡¯m dying.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my dear child, you will die soon. Your mind won¡¯t be able to resist much longer if this continues. Hurry.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Please hurry, Melel, I¡¯m scared.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°They are already so close. Please. Save me.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to die.¡±

    ¡°Please, help me, my dear child. It hurts.¡±

    ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡±

    ¡°SAVE ME, MELEL.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡­ I¡¯m on my way.¡±

    <strong>POV Nathaniel</strong>

    I teleport us across the molten river, and we jump over streams of green acid finallynding ourselves in a perfectly spherical cave.

    The walls are smooth, as is the floor, divided by dozens of gutters leading outward from the center towards the edges. Through these gutters, acid flows through them, to be collected in the middle and sent to the edge to be circted. The full force of disruption generated by molten rivers is stronger here. The field generates a constant sensation of pressure, threatening to take control of one¡¯s skills. And we feel the incredible weight of its influence even though most of it is concentrated in the center, targeting the being chained there. Well, what remains of it.

    It¡¯s the skeleton of a monster the size of a small building, lying there, attached to glowing gold chains tied to the bones in four ces, anchored to a te with a metallic shine that covers the entirety of the floor. There were clearly two more at some point though now they lie broken, their pieces lying near the skeleton.

    The bones of the skeleton shine a brilliant shade of white where they can be seen, but most of them are covered in dark red blood and the tiniest pieces of flesh that continue to move as the skeleton tries to regenerate.

    But it can¡¯t.

    The constant, dense rain of green acid that falls from the ceiling, serves to dissolve the regenerated parts.

    When an eye begins to form, the acid eats it; when a hint of flesh appears on long bones, the acid falls there as well.

    It¡¯s a constant fight between the creature¡¯s regenerative abilities and the terrifying green acid, aided by the field of disruption, strengthened and delivered by the golden chains, preventing the being from being able to regenerate.

    This is clearly more than a prison, this looks like torture, and yet the being is still alive.

    Looking at the chains, I recall their durability from the pieces we found in the smithy, and a n begins to take shape in my mind.

    For a moment, I nce at the sword on my waist. Whether I rely on items or not, it may actuallye in handy this time.

    <strong>Fracture (Mid Arcane) -</strong><em>The shortsword is capable of devouring mana from everything around it. The moment it connects with an object or being, it disintegrates the material within, unravels all mana and connections, leaving nothing behind. The weapon flickers with instability, damaging anything it touches, including the user. Fracture grows stronger as it feeds, but its insatiable hunger also turns inward, siphoning power from its wielder. With each encounter, the weapon bes more powerful, yet its defective structure strains under the immense energy it consumes, bing increasingly unstable. The longer it is wielded, the more it seems to break apart, its power twisting and spiraling out of control, threatening both itself and its user with destruction.</em>

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